Engineering:Giussano-class cruiser
 Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Giussano class |
| Operators: |
 Italy Navy |
| Built: | 1928–1930 |
| In commission: | 1931–1942 |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Lost: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cruiser |
| Displacement: |
|
| Length: | 169.3 m (555 ft) |
| Beam: | 15.5 m (51 ft) |
| Draft: | 5.3 m (17 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 95,000 hp (71,000 kW) |
| Speed: |
|
| Range: | 3,800 nmi (7,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement: | 507 |
| Armament: |
|
| Armor: | |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × CANT 25AR (later Ro.43) seaplanes |
| Aviation facilities: | 1 × catapult launcher |
The Alberto di Giussano class of light cruisers were a sub-class of the Script error: The function "sclass" does not exist. built before World War II for the Italian Regia Marina, to gain predominance in the Mediterranean Sea. They were designed by general Giuseppe Vian and were named after Condottieri (military commanders) of the Italian Mediaeval and Renaissance periods.
Between the World Wars, the world powers started a rush to gain the supremacy on the seas. In 1926, France started to produce the Script error: The function "sclass" does not exist. of destroyers, which were superior in displacement and firepower to other destroyers of that period. To counter the French menace, the Regia Marina decided to produce a new class of cruiser that would be of intermediate size between the new French destroyer class and cruisers. The Italian ships equated to the British Script error: The function "sclass" does not exist. cruisers.
There were 4 ships, all laid down in 1928: missing name, missing name, missing name and missing name.
Meant to hunt down and overwhelm the big French destroyers, the emphasis on firepower and speed resulted in these ships being virtually unprotected against gunfire and underwater threats; this was a major factor in all four ships being sunk by torpedoes.
Ships
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| missing name | Ansaldo, Genoa | 16 April 1928 | 23 August 1930 | 9 June 1931 | Sunk 13 December 1941, by a group of Royal Navy and Dutch destroyers during the Battle of Cape Bon. |
| missing name | Ansaldo, Genoa | 29 March 1928 | 27 April 1930 | 5 February 1931 | |
| missing name | Ansaldo, Genoa | 21 June 1928 | 21 December 1930 | 10 February 1932 | Sunk 19 July 1940, during the Battle of Cape Spada. |
| missing name | R. C. di Castellammare di Stabia | 31 October 1928 | 27 April 1930 | 27 April 1931 | Sunk 1 April 1942, torpedoed by British submarine Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. while off Stromboli. |
See also
- List of ship classes of the Second World War
References
- ↑ Gay, Franco; Gay, Valerio (1987). The Cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-453-9.
- ↑ Fraccaroli, Aldo (1968). Italian Warships of World War 2. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0002-6.
Further reading
- Cernuschi, Enrico (2022). "Esploratori of the Regia Marina, 1906—1939". in Jordan, John. Warship 2022. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 147–160. ISBN 978-1-4728-4781-2.
External links
Template:Condottieri class cruisers Template:WWII Italian ships
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