''Serpente'' was one of seven s built for the (Royal Italian Navy) during the early 1930s.
Design and description
The ''Argonauta'' class was derived from the earlier s.
[ 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 of .[ They had an operational diving depth of .][ Their crew numbered 44 officers and enlisted men.][Chesneau, p. 309]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater.[ On the surface, the ''Settembrini'' class had a range of at ;][ submerged, they had a range of at .][Bagnasco, p. 146]
The boats were armed with six torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern for which they carried a total of 12 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single deck gun forward of the conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and gro ...
for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two single machine guns.[
]
Construction and career
''Serpente'' was laid down 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 rea ...
at their Taranto 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 ...
in 1930, launched on 28 February 1932 and completed the following year.[
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Notes
References
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External links
Sommergibili
Marina Militare website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Serpente
Argonauta-class submarines
World War II submarines of Italy
1932 ships
Ships built by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto
Ships built in Taranto