Leone Class Destroyer

The ''Leone'' class were a group of destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the early 1920s. Five ships were planned and three completed. All three ships were based at Massawa, Eritrea during World War II and were sunk during the East African Campaign.

Design and description

The ships were designed as scout cruisers (''esploratori''), essentially enlarged versions of contemporary destroyers. They were initially ordered in 1917, but postponed due to steel shortages, and re-ordered in 1920.Gray, p. 267 They had an overall length of , a beam of and a mean draft of . They displaced at standard load, and at deep load. Their complement was 10 officers and 194 enlisted men.

The ''Leone''s were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by four Yarrow boilers. The turbines were rated at for a speed of in service, although all of the ships exceeded that speed during their sea trials. The ships carried of fuel oilWhitley, p. 158 that gave them a range of at a speed of .

Their main battery consisted of eight guns in four twin- gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure and the remaining turrets positioned between the funnels and the torpedo tube mounts amidships. Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the ''Leone''-class ships was provided by a pair of AA guns in single mounts amidships. They were equipped with six torpedo tubes in two triple mounts. The ''Leone''s could also carry 60 mines.

Operational history

The ships were outfitted for colonial service, and by 1935 they were deployed in the naval base of Massawa, Eritrea. The ships were re-rated as destroyers in 1938 and fought in World War II, when the Italian entry in the war left Italian East Africa isolated from Italy.

Attack on convoy BN 7

The only appreciable action in which the destroyers were involved was the attack on the Allied convoy BN 7, in the early hours of 21 October 1940. ''Leone'' and ''Pantera'', along with and , shelled the convoy and its escort, inflicting some splinter damage to the leading transport ship, especially on one of her lifeboats, and launched at least two torpedoes aimed at , which dodged them. The attack was nevertheless repulsed by the cruiser HMS ''Leander'', which fired 129 six-inch rounds on the Italian destroyers. ''Leone'', ''Pantera'' and ''Sauro'' successfully disengaged but ''Nullo'' was chased by and forced to run aground on Harmil island, where she was later wrecked by RAF Blenheim bombers. ''Kimberley'' took two hits on a boiler from coastal batteries, and had to be towed to Aden by HMS ''Leander''.

Last mission

The destroyers remained at dock in Massawa until the very end of ground operations in East Africa. Their commander ordered them to steam out on 31 March 1941, for a naval bombardment against targets around the Suez canal, in a mission without return. ''Leone'' ran aground off Massawa, and was then destroyed by her sister ships. After being spotted and harassed by British aircraft, ''Pantera'' and ''Tigre'' reached the Arabian shores, where their crews scuttled them.Jackson, Ashley (2006). ''The British Empire and the Second World War''. Continuum International Publishing Group, p. 283.

Ships

Two more ships ''Lince'' and ''Leopardo'' were cancelled in 1920 or 1921.

Notes

Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

Classe Leone
Marina Militare website

{{WWII Italian ships

Destroyer classes
Destroyers of the Regia Marina
Ships built in Italy
Ships built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.