''Evangelista Torricelli'' was one of four s built for the (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1930s. She served 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, link ...
of 1936–1939, and was transferred to the (Spanish Navy) of
Nationalists
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: The ...
in 1937, renamed as ''General Mola''.
Design and description
The ''Archimede'' class was an improved and enlarged version of the earlier . They
displaced surfaced and submerged. The submarines were long, had a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of and a
draft
Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to:
Watercraft dimensions
* Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel
* Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail
* Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...
of . They had an
operational diving depth of
[ Their crew numbered 55 officers and enlisted men.][Chesneau, p. 304]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
s, each driving one propeller shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor
An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate for ...
. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the ''Archimede'' class had a range of at ; submerged, they had a range of at .[Bagnasco, p. 149]
The boats were armed with eight torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s, four each in the bow and in the stern for which they carried a total of 16 torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
es. They were also armed with a pair of deck guns
A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret.
The main deck gun was a dual-purpose w ...
, one each fore and aft of the conning tower, for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two single machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...
s.[
]
Construction and career
''Evangelista Torricelli'' was laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto
The Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto (Tosi Shipyard at Taranto) is a defunct Italian shipyard founded in 1914 by engineering company Franco Tosi & C. Between World War I and World War II it specialized in building submarines. The company never re ...
at their 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 ...
shipyard in 1931, launched on 27 May 1934 and completed later that year.[ During the Spanish Civil War the boat torpedoed and badly damaged the ]Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...
while at anchor off Cartagena on 22 November 1936. An attack on the battleship was thwarted when the British destroyer got in the way. During a second patrol in January 1937, she bombarded Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
harbor on the night of 18/19 January and missed the cargo ship with three torpedoes off Tarragona
Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...
on 19 January. The following day the boat narrowly missed colliding with the 2,174 GRT cargo ship . She was transferred to the Nationalists in April 1937.[Frank, p. 95]
Notes
Bibliography
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External links
Evangelista Torricelli (1934)
Marina Militare website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evangelista Torricelli
Archimede-class submarines
World War II submarines of Italy
1934 ships
Ships built by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto
Ships built in Taranto
Italy–Spain military relations
Submarines of the Spanish Navy