The ''Archimede'' class were a group of four submarines built for the (Royal Italian Navy) in the early 1930s. The boats fought in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
(under the
Nationalist
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
flag) and in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In Spanish service, two boats were known as the ''General Mola'' class; these were taken out of service in 1959.
Design
The ships were designed by the firm Cavallini and were a partially
double hulled design. They were an enlarged version of the with
ballast tanks rearranged, greater range, fuel and torpedo capacity for ocean service. Like most of the later ocean-going submarines of the Italian navy, their deck armament consisting of two guns was conceived to deal with
armed merchantmen
An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
in surface combat.
They also mounted two
anti-aircraft machine guns.
The number of torpedoes was increased from 12 on the ''Settembrini'' class to 16.
Boats
All boats were built by the
shipyard
A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...
of
Franco Tosi
Franco Tosi (21 April 1850 – 25 November 1898) was an Italian engineer, known for his contributions to the steam engine technology.
A native of Villa Cortese, near Milan, he was the son of Eugenio Tosi (1815-1896), and moved to Legnano in 1876, ...
at
Taranto
Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...
, between 1930 and 1934.
''Torricelli'' and ''Archimede'' took part in the Spanish Civil war under the Italian flag since 1936, carrying out undercover operations. Eventually both submarines were secretly delivered to the Spanish nationalists in April 1937.
See also
*
Italian submarines of World War II The Italian submarine fleet of World War II was the largest in the world at the time, with 116 submarines. It saw action during the Second World War, serving mainly in the Mediterranean. During the conflict 88 submarines, some two-thirds of its tot ...
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Notes
References
Further reading
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External links
ArchimedeMarina Militare website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archimede class submarine
Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War
Ships built in Italy
Ships built by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto
Submarine classes
Archimede
Submarines of the Spanish Navy