The Navigatori class were a group of Italian destroyers built in 1928–1929 for the (Royal Italian Navy), named after Italian explorers. They fought 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 opposing ...
. Just one vessel, ''Nicoloso Da Recco'', survived the conflict.
Design
These ships were built for the
Regia Marina as a reply to the large ''contre-torpilleurs'' of the
''Jaguar'' and classes built for the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
. These ships were significantly larger than other contemporary Italian destroyers and were initially classed as ''esploratori'' or scouts. They were re-rated as destroyers in 1938.
The main armament was a new model
/50 gun
A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...
[Campbell, pp. 335–338] in three twin turrets which allowed for 45° elevation. The
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 ...
launchers consisted of two triple banks, each unusually comprising two separated by one . Two
rangefinder
A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...
positions were provided; one above the
bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...
and one in the after
superstructure.
Unit machinery was used comprising four
boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centr ...
s in two widely spaced boiler rooms and two turbine rooms. The forward unit drove the port shaft and the aft unit drove the starboard shaft. Trials were run light and with overloaded machinery leading to speeds of up to which were not achievable under service conditions.
The ships were fast, but were found to lack stability and were rebuilt with clipper bows, increased beam and reduced superstructure in the late 1930s.
During the war the torpedoes were replaced by triple 21-inch tubes and extra
anti-aircraft guns
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
were added.
Ships
Notes
Bibliography
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* Shores, Cull & Malizia (1991). ''Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942''. Grub Street.
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Further reading
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External links
"Navigatori class" from Uboat.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Navigatori-class destroyer
Destroyer classes