{{Short description|Italian navy destroyer ship class}} {{distinguish|Soldato-class destroyer}} {{distinguish|Soldati class frigate}} {{Infobox ship |sclass=2 |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image= RN Artigliere.jpg |image_caption=''Artigliere'' }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/class overview |name=Soldati class |builders= |operators=*{{navy|Kingdom of Italy|name=''Regia Marina''}} *{{navy|Italy|navy-1947|name=''Marina Militare''}} *{{navy|France|name=''Marine nationale''}} *{{navy|Soviet Union}} |class_before={{sclass|Oriani|destroyer|4}} |class_after=*{{sclass2|Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro|destroyer|4}} (planned) *{{sclass|San Giorgio|destroyer|4}} / {{sclass|Artigliere|destroyer|4}} (actual) |subclasses= |cost= |built_range=1938–1943 |in_service_range= |in_commission_range=1939–1965 |total_ships_planned=19 |total_ships_completed=17 |total_ships_canceled=2 |total_ships_lost=10 |total_ships_scrapped= }}
|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption=(1st batch, as built) |type=Destroyer |displacement=*{{convert|1820|-|1850|LT|t|lk=on}} (standard) *{{convert|2450|-|2550|LT|t}} (full load) |length=*{{convert|106.7|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (o/a) *{{convert|101.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (pp) |beam= {{convert|10.15|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |draught= {{convert|3.15|-|4.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |propulsion=2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |power=*3 Yarrow boilers *{{cvt|48000|shp|kW|lk=on}} |speed= {{convert|34|-|35|kn|lk=in}} |range= {{convert|2340|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|14|kn}} |complement=206 |armament=*2 × twin {{convert|120|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} guns *1 × {{convert|120|mm|in|abbr=on}} star shell gun *8 × {{cvt|20|mm|1}} AA guns *2 × triple {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes *2 × depth charge throwers *48 mines |notes= }} }} The '''Soldati class ''' (also known as ''Camicia Nera'' class, meaning Blackshirt) were a group of destroyers built for the {{lang|it|Regia Marina}} (Royal Italian Navy) during World War II. The ships were named after military professions (''Artigliere'', for example, meaning gunner). There were two batches; twelve ships were built in 1938–1939 and a second batch of seven ships were ordered in 1940, although only five were completed.
Ten ships of the class were lost during the war. Three of the survivors were transferred to the French Navy and two to the Soviet Navy as war reparations, while two served in the Italian post-war navy, the ''Marina Militare''.
==Design== In 1936, the Italian Regia Marina placed an order for twelve examples of a new destroyer design, the ''Soldati'' class. The design was essentially a repeat of the previous ''Oriani'' destroyer design, which was itself a development of the {{sclass|Maestrale|destroyer|4}}. The design featured an identical main gun armament of four 120 mm/50 calibre guns in two twin turrets, one forward and one aft, while torpedo armament was two triple {{convert|21|in|mm|adj=on|0}} torpedo tubes. A short (15 calibre) 120 mm gun was mounted on a pedestal between the banks of torpedo tubes for firing starshell, while the anti-aircraft armament consisted of twelve {{convert|13.2|mm|in|abbr=on}} machine guns.<ref name=cam>Campbell 1985, pp. 335–338</ref> ''Carabiniere'' was completed with a fifth 120 mm 50 calibre gun replacing the star shell gun.<ref name=cam/> The ships' powerplant, with two geared steam turbines driving two shafts and generating {{convert|48000|shp|kW|lk=in}}, and with one large funnel, was similar to that in the ''Oriani'' class and was sufficient to propel the destroyers to {{convert|38|kn|lk=in}}.<ref name="Whitley p169-0">Whitley 1988, p. 169.</ref><ref name="conways22 p301">Roberts 1980, p. 301.</ref>
Orders for a second batch of seven destroyers were placed in 1940. All except one of these ships were to carry the five main gun armament of ''Carabiniere''.<ref name="conways22 p301"/>{{refn|''Velite'' was completed with the star shell gun.<ref name="Whitley p171-2">Whitley 1988, p. 171.</ref>|group=nb}}
==Construction and modifications==
The first batch of ships were laid down in 1937, being completed between 1938 and 1939,<ref name="Whitley p169-0">Whitley 1988, p. 169.</ref> with the second batch being laid down in 1940–1941, with five completing in 1942.<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/>
Four more of the first batch (''Ascari'', ''Camicia Nera'', ''Geniere'' and ''Lanciere'') were modified in 1941–1942 by replacing the star shell gun with a full power 120 mm gun.<ref name="conways22 p301"/> The anti-aircraft machine guns were gradually replaced by 20 mm cannon, with up to 10–12 being fitted by 1943. Five ships (''Carabiniere'', ''Granatiere'', ''Fuciliere'', ''Legionario'' and ''Velite'') had the aft set of torpedo tubes replaced by two {{convert|37|mm|abbr=on}} 54 cal. guns, while ''Fuciliere'' and ''Velite'' also had their star shell guns replaced by a further pair of 37 mm cannon.<ref name="conways22 p301"/><ref name="Whitley p170-1">Whitley 1988, pp. 170–171.</ref> ''Fuciliere'' and ''Velite'' were fitted with Italian radar, while ''Legionario'' was fitted with a German radar.<ref name="Whitley p170-1"/>
The Germans captured ''Squadrista'' incomplete in September 1943, and transferred the ship, renamed ''TA33'', to Genoa for completion as a fighter direction ship carrying a long-range Freya radar and German 105 mm and 20 mm guns, but she was sunk by Allied bombing in 1944.<ref name="Whitley p80"/>
The two destroyers remaining in Italian service after the war were rebuilt as anti-submarine escorts in 1953–1954, with their torpedo tubes removed and the anti-aircraft armament changed to six 40 mm/39 pom-pom guns.<ref name="conways47 p200">Smigielski 1995, p. 200.</ref>
==Ships==
===Batch 1===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Construction data for Batch 1 |- ! scope="col" | Ship ! scope="col" | Hull letters<ref name="Warships">Fraccaroli 1968, pp. 59, 62</ref> ! scope="col" | Builder<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> ! scope="col" | Laid down<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> ! scope="col" | Launched<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> ! scope="col" | Commissioned<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> ! scope="col" | Fate |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Alpino|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | AP | CNR, Ancona | style="text-align: right;" | 2 May 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 18 September 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 20 April 1939 | Lost after bombing by USAAF aircraft in La Spezia Harbour, 19 April 1943<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Artigliere|1937|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | AR | rowspan=3|O.T.O., Livorno | style="text-align: right;" | 15 February 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 12 December 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 14 November 1938 | Lost 13 October 1940, sunk by {{HMS|York|90|6}} after being damaged at the Battle of Cape Passero the previous day.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.navyhistory.org.au/category/navy-day-by-day/1940/page/3/|title = On This Day - 1940 Archives | Page 3 of 15}}</ref> The wreck was discovered in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Deamer|first1=Kacey|title=Sunken WWII Destroyer Found by Paul Allen's Research Company|url=http://www.livescience.com/59383-sunken-wwii-naval-ship-discovered.html|website=LiveScience|date=6 June 2017|publisher=Purch|access-date=7 June 2017}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Ascari||2}} | style="text-align: center;" | AI | style="text-align: right;" | 11 December 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 31 July 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 6 May 1939 | Sank 24 March 1943 after striking three mines<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Aviere|1937|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | AV | style="text-align: right;" | 16 January 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 19 September 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 31 August 1937 | Torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine {{HMS|Splendid|P228|6}} on 17 December 1942<ref name="conways22 p301"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Bersagliere|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | BG | CNR, Palermo | style="text-align: right;" | 21 April 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 3 July 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 1 April 1939 | Lost after being bombed in Palermo harbour, 7 January 1943;<ref name="conways22 p301"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Camicia Nera||2}} (later ''Artigliere'') | style="text-align: center;" | CN (AR) | O.T.O., Livorno | style="text-align: right;" | 21 January 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 8 August 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 30 June 1938 | Renamed ''Artigliere'', 30 July 1943;<ref name="Whitley p170">Whitley 1988, p. 170.</ref> survived the war, given to the Soviet Navy as war reparations as ''Lovky'' ({{langx|ru|Ловкий}}); retired 1960<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://navsource.narod.ru/photos/03/358/index.html|title = Архив фотографий кораблей русского и советского ВМФ}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Carabiniere|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | CB | CT, Riva Trigoso | style="text-align: right;" | 1 February 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 23 July 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 20 December 1938 | Survived the war and served in the post war Italian Navy (Marina Militare), decommissioned, 18 January 1965<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Corazziere|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | CZ (CR) | O.T.O., Livorno | style="text-align: right;" | 7 October 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 22 May 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 4 March 1939 | Scuttled at Genoa following Italian Armistice, 9 September 1943; raised by Germans but sunk by air raid, 4 Sep 1944<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Fuciliere|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | FC | CNR, Ancona | style="text-align: right;" | 2 May 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 31 July 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 10 January 1939 | Survived the war, given to the Soviet Navy as war reparations, serving as ''Lyogky'' ({{langx|ru|Лёгкий}}); retired 1960<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://navsource.narod.ru/photos/03/359/index.html|title = Архив фотографий кораблей русского и советского ВМФ}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Geniere|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | GE | O.T.O., Livorno | style="text-align: right;" | 26 August 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 27 February 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 14 December 1938 | Sunk by USAAF bombing while in drydock in Palermo, 1 March 1943<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/><ref name="chron p197">Rohwer and Hümmelchen 1992, p. 197.</ref> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Granatiere|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | GN | CNR, Palermo | style="text-align: right;" | 5 April 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 24 April 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 1 February 1939 | Survived the war and served in the post war Italian Navy; stricken 1 July 1958<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Lanciere|1938|2}} | style="text-align: center;" | LN | CT, Riva Trigoso | style="text-align: right;" | 1 February 1937 | style="text-align: right;" | 18 December 1938 | style="text-align: right;" | 25 March 1939 | Capsized and sank in heavy storm following Second Battle of Sirte, 23 March 1942<ref name="Whitley p169-0"/><ref name="conways22 p301"/> |}
===Batch 2=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Construction data for Batch 2 |- ! scope="col" | Ship ! scope="col" | Hull letters<ref name="Warships"/> ! scope="col" | Builder<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/> ! scope="col" | Laid down<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/> ! scope="col" | Launched<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/> ! scope="col" | Commissioned<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/> ! scope="col" | Fate |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Bombardiere||2}} | style="text-align: center;" | BR | CNR, Ancona | style="text-align: right;" | 7 October 1940 | style="text-align: right;" | 23 March 1942 | style="text-align: right;" | 15 July 1942 | Sunk 17 January 1943 by {{HMS|United|P44|6}}<ref name="Whitley p171-2">Whitley 1988, p. 171.</ref> |- ! scope="row" | ''Carrista'' | style="text-align: center;" | CR | rowspan=3|O.T.O., Livorno | style="text-align: right;" | 11 September 1941 | colspan=2 style="text-align: center"|N/A | Captured on slipway by Germans following Italian armistice; given prospective name ''TA34'' but scrapped incomplete.<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/><ref name="Whitley p80">Whitley 1988, p. 80.</ref>{{refn|German naval historian Erich Gröner states that no TA number was allotted to ''Carrista'' by the Kriegsmarine.<ref>Gröner 1990, p. 227.</ref>|group=nb}} |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Corsaro||2}} | style="text-align: center;" | CA | style="text-align: right;" | 23 January 1941 | style="text-align: right;" | 16 November 1941 | style="text-align: right;" | 16 May 1942 | Sunk by mines laid by {{HMS|Abdiel|M39|6}}, 9 January 1943<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Legionario||2}} | style="text-align: center;" | LG | style="text-align: right;" | 21 October 1940 | style="text-align: right;" | 16 April 1941 | style="text-align: right;" | 1 March 1942 | Joined Allies 1943; transferred to France as war reparation, 15 August 1948; renamed ''Duchaffault''; stricken 12 June 1954<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/><ref name="conways47 p109">Smigielski 1995, p. 109.</ref> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Mitragliere||2}} | style="text-align: center;" | MT | CNR, Ancona | style="text-align: right;" | 7 October 1940 | style="text-align: right;" | 28 September 1941 | style="text-align: right;" | 1 February 1942 | Interned Mahón, Mallorca 1943; to Allies 1944; to France as ''Jurien de la Gravière'', 8 Aug 1948; stricken 12 June 1954<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/><ref name="conways47 p109"/> |- ! scope="row" | ''Squadrista'' | style="text-align: center;" | SQ | rowspan=2|O.T.O., Livorno | style="text-align: right;" | 4 September 1941 | style="text-align: right;" | 12 September 1942 | {{n/a}} | Captured incomplete by Germany, September 1943; towed to Genoa for completion as ''TA33''; sunk while undergoing trials at La Spezia, 4 September 1944<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/><ref name="Whitley p80"/> |- ! scope="row" | {{ship|Italian destroyer|Velite||2}} | style="text-align: center;" | VL | style="text-align: right;" | 19 April 1941 | style="text-align: right;" | 31 August 1941 | style="text-align: right;" | 31 August 1942 | Badly damaged by torpedo from submarine HMS ''P228'', 21 November 1942; repaired and joined Allies, 1943; transferred to France as ''Duperré'', 24 July 1948; stricken 1961<ref name="Whitley p171-2"/><ref name="conways47 p109"/> |}
==Notes== {{Reflist|group=nb}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book|last=Brescia|first=Maurizio|title=Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45|year=2012|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-544-8}} * {{cite book |last=Campbell |first=John|title =Naval Weapons of World War Two |publisher =Naval Institute Press |date =1985 |location =Annapolis, Maryland|isbn =0-87021-459-4}} * {{cite book |last1=Fraccaroli |first1=Aldo |title=Italian Warships of World War II |date=1968 |publisher=Ian Allan |location=Shepperton, UK |isbn=0-7110-0002-6}} * {{Cite book |last=Gröner|first=Erich|title=German Warships: 1815–1945|year=1990 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|volume=1: Major Surface Warships|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=0-87021-790-9}} * {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau |editor1-first=Roger |publisher=Mayflower Books|location=New York|year=1980|isbn=0-8317-0303-2 |chapter=Italy |last1=Roberts |first1=John|pages=280–317}} * {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}} * {{cite book|editor1-last=Chumbley|editor1-first=Stephen|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995 |year=1995 |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-132-7 |chapter=Italy |last1=Smigielski |first1=Adam |pages=195–218}} * {{cite book|first=M. J.|last=Whitley|title=Destroyers of World War 2: An International Encyclopedia |year=1988|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=1-85409-521-8 |author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Soldati class destroyer (1938)}} * [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/class.html?ID=562&navy=IT Soldati class on Uboat.net] * [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/ABCD/bombardiere.aspx Soldati-class seconda serie] Marina Militare website
{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}
{{Soldati class destroyer}} {{Italian destroyers, frigates and corvettes post-1945}} {{WWII Italian ships}}
Category:Soldati-class destroyers Category:Destroyer classes Category:Destroyers of the French Navy Category:Torpedo boats of the Kriegsmarine Category:Destroyers of the Soviet Navy Category:Italy–Soviet Union relations Category:Ship classes of the French Navy