Azio-class minelayer

Last updated
Italian Naval minelayer Lepanto in 1938 at Yokohama.jpg
Minelayer Lepanto at Yokohama on 18 April 1938
Class overview
NameAzio-class minelayer
Builders Cantiere Navale Triestino
Operators
Planned6
Completed6
Lost1
Retired5
General characteristics
TypeMinelayer
Displacement
  • 708 - 718 tons (normal)
  • 954 tons (full load)
Length62.5 m (205 ft)
Beam8.7 m (29 ft)
Height4.8 m (16 ft)
Draft2.6 m (8.5 ft) - 2.9 m (9.5 ft)
Installed power1,500 shp (1,100 kW)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Thornycroft tube boilers
  • 2 × vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines
  • 2 × shafts
Speed15 knots (28 km/h)
Range4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h)
Crew5 officers and 66 ratings
Armament

The Azio-class minelayer was a class of six minelayers conceived in 1920 and built between 1924 and 1927 in Italy for the Regia Marina . The ships were conceived for colonial purposes and in this role they spent almost the whole Italian career. Some units were sold to the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela where they served until their decommissioning and scrapping in the early 1950s.

Contents

Project

These units had a standard displacement of 615 t, between 708 and 718t in normal load, 954 t full load (850 t according to other sources). Their waterline length was 58.79 metres (192.9 ft), with a length overall of about 62.5 metres (205 ft), a beam of 8.7 metres (29 ft), a draught of between 2.6 metres (8.5 ft) and 2.9 metres (9.5 ft). Steam was provided by 2 Thornycroft tube boilers and they were propelled by 2 vertical triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines with a power of 1,500 shaft horsepower (1,100 kW); they had 2 screws and a maximum speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), giving a range of 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) at 10 knots. They were manned by 5 officers and 66 ratings. [1]

Ships were built at Monfalcone, near Trieste, in the Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT Shipyard) and at Ancona, on the central Italian coast, in the Cantiere Navale Riuniti (CNR, Ancona). [2] [3] The CNT ships (Dardanelli, Millazo and Ostia) were oil-fired, while the CNR ships (Azio, Legnano and Ostia) were coal-fired.

Units

History

Most ships of the class spent their Italian career on colonial duty, with Lepanto deployed to China. In 1937 Milazzo and Dardanelli were converted to oil-firing and sold to the Venezuelan Navy in exchange of a great amount of naphtha for boilers. [4] [5]

Azio was initially assigned to Libya and later to the Red Sea Flotilla based at the port of Massawa, Eritrea, where it performed hydrographic survey from 1930 to 1933. In 1939, Azio was part of the naval force supporting the Italian invasion of Albania. [6] After the entry of Italy in World War II in 1940, the unit, operating from Pola, laid down 21 minefields intended to deter enemy submarines in the Adriatic. [7] Azio carried out minesweeping missions, escort duties and naval patrols. Azio's wireless resources allowed it to be converted, if needed, into a command and control auxiliary ship. [7] [6] On 31 July 1941, while patrolling the Aegean Sea, Azio seized a British sailing ship involved in underground operations in support of Greek partisans in Peloponnese. [8] At the time of the Cassabile armistice on 8 September 1943, Azio was part of the Dodecanese naval forces, and became the target of several Luftwaffe air strikes which forced it to seek shelter in Turkish waters. The Italian minelayer spent the rest of the war interned in Turkey. After its return to Italy, Azio was assigned once again to hydrographic duties until being decommissioning in 1957. [7]

Okitsu escorting convoy <<ShiSe 603>>, in Eastern Chinese Sea, 18 June 1945 Japanese minelayer Okitsu 1945.jpg
Okitsu escorting convoy «ShiSe 603», in Eastern Chinese Sea, 18 June 1945

Lepanto was extensively used in China, and when the Second World War broke out, was still there unscathed, Italy being allied with Japan. After the surrender of Italy to the Allies on 8 September 1943, Lepanto was scuttled by her crew, but was raised by the Japanese. She was renamed Okitsu (Japanese: 興津) and used for escort duties for the rest of conflict. She was then seized by the Republic of China Navy and renamed Hsien Ning (咸寧). In July 1950 Hsien Ning seized a British merchantman. Struck in 1956, the ship was scrapped in the same year. [9] [10] [11]

Ostia was assigned to support the Italian Red Sea Flotilla based at the port of Massawa, Eritrea. After the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940, the flotilla was isolated from the Italian homeland and continued supply and reinforcement became very difficult. Ostia was eventually sunk in Massawa harbor by British air attacks before the surrender of the port in April 1941, still carrying a full cargo of mines. [12]

Dardanelli was rechristened General Soublette, while Milazzo become General Urdaneta. Both were reclassified gunboats. [13] These units were the only relatively new vessels of the Venezuelan Navy,[ citation needed ] and spent their Venezuelan career patrolling territorial waters until their decommissioning in the late 1940s or early 1950s [3] [13] [14] [15] and scrapping. [16] [17]

Citations

  1. ↑ (in Italian) L’impresa del sommergibile Perla. Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Cantiere navale di Ancona [ circular reference ]
  3. 1 2 (in Italian) Museo della Cantieristica. Archived 2014-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ (in Italian) Naviearmatori
  5. ↑ (in Italian) Un marinaio del Tigullio in Cina ("A Tigullio sailor in China"), www.marenostrumrapallo.it
  6. 1 2 "Navi da Guerra | RN Azio 1927 posamine, nave idrografica, Scuola Garaventa". www.agenziabozzo.it. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  7. 1 2 3 "Regia nave Azio – La voce del marinaio" (in Italian). 2021-12-26. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  8. ↑ Cernuschi, Enrico (1 November 2022). A colpi di cannone - Tomo II: Il Mediterraneo centro del mondo, Luglio 1941 - Maggio 1945 (PDF) (in Italian). Rivista Marittima. p. 20.
  9. ↑ (in Italian) Associazione Navimodellisti Bolognesi
  10. ↑ (in Russian) Lepanto at Navyworld
  11. ↑ name="warshipww2">Italian Lepanto / Japanese 興津 (Okitsu) at Warships 1900-1950 website. [usurped]
  12. ↑ Red Sea Flotilla
  13. 1 2 (in Russian) Venezuelan Navy category at Proflot.com Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ ARV General Soublette at Navyworld
  15. ↑ Minelayer Dardanelli (1924) at Battleships.ru Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ Warships 1900-1950 [usurped]
  17. ↑ IN Ostia (1926) at Oceania

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanian Naval Forces</span> Military unit

The Romanian Naval Forces is the principal naval branch of the Romanian Armed Forces and operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube. It traces its history back to 1860.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela</span> Military unit

The Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela, commonly known as the Venezuelan Navy, is the naval branch of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sestri Levante</span> Comune in Liguria, Italy

Sestri Levante is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, Liguria, Italy. Lying on the Mediterranean Sea, it is approximately 40 km south-east of Genoa and is set on a promontory. While nearby Portofino and the Cinque Terre are probably the best-known tourist destinations on the Italian Riviera, Sestri Levante has become popular among Italians. This once quiet fishing village has slowly turned into a tourist hotspot, developing an old and a new town. The people of Sestri Levante often use the expression: "Sestri è scialla". This expression symbolizes the quiet nature of the city of Sestri Levante, known for its stunning views.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAS (motorboat)</span> Boat used by the Italian Royal Navy

Motoscafo armato silurante, alternatively Motoscafo antisommergibili and commonly abbreviated as MAS, was a class of fast torpedo-armed vessels used by the Regia Marina during World War I and World War II. Originally, "MAS" referred to motobarca armata SVAN, Società Veneziana Automobili Navali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Sea Flotilla</span> Military unit

The Red Sea Flotilla was part of the Regia Marina based at Massawa in the colony of Italian Eritrea, part of Italian East Africa. During the Second World War, the Red Sea Flotilla fought the East Indies Station of the Royal Navy from the Italian declaration of war on 10 June 1940 until the fall of Massawa on 8 April 1941.

SM U-41 or U-XLI was a U-27 class U-boat or submarine for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. U-41, built by the Austrian firm of Cantiere Navale Triestino (CNT) at the Pola Navy Yard, was launched in November 1917. When she was commissioned in February 1918, she became the last boat of her class to enter service. She was also the last domestically constructed Austro-Hungarian U-boat to enter service.

Italian minelayer <i>Lepanto</i>

Lepanto was an Azio-class minelayer of the Italian Navy. She was reclassified as gunboat in 1934 and remained in Italian service in the far east from 1933 to 1943, when she was scuttled in China, during World War II. She was then recovered by the Imperial Japanese Navy and taken into service as Okitsu, spending the remainder of the war escorting convoys. She was surrendered to the Republic of China after the end of the war and served for a further ten years with its navy as the Hsien Ning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papal Navy</span> Navy of the Papal States

The Papal Navy was the maritime force of the Papal States. Loosely construed, it was in sporadic existence from approximately the Battle of Ostia (849) during the pontificate of Leo IV until the ascension of Pope Leo XIII in 1878.

Italian cruiser <i>Etruria</i> Protected cruiser of the Italian Royal Navy

Etruria was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina built in the 1891 by the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando shipyard of Livorno. She was the third of six vessels of the Regioni class, all of which were named for current, or in the case of Etruria, former regions of Italy. The ship was equipped with a main armament of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and six 12 cm (4.7 in) guns, and she could steam at a speed of 18 knots.

SMS <i>Saida</i> Scout cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Navy

SMS Saida was a Novara-class scout cruiser built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the early 1910s. The ship was armed with a main battery of nine 10 cm (3.9 in) guns, and six twin 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes were added in 1917. She was built by the Cantiere Navale Triestino shipyard from 1911 to 1914, entering service days after the outbreak of World War I. She spent the war as a flotilla leader, conducting raids and patrols in the narrow waters of the Adriatic Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando</span> Historical Italian shipyard in Livorno

Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando is a historical Italian shipyard in Livorno.

Italian cruiser <i>Calatafimi</i> Torpedo cruiser of the Italian Royal Navy

Calatafimi was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was built by the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando shipyard; her keel was laid in July 1891, she was launched in May 1894, and was commissioned in December 1895. Her main armament were her five torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of eleven small-caliber guns. Calatafimi spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. The ship was sold in March 1907 and broken up for scrap.

<i>Albona</i>-class minelayer Class of Italian and Yugoslav mine warfare ships

The Albona class were mine warfare ships used by the Italian Regia Marina and Royal Yugoslav Navy. Fourteen ships were originally laid down between 1917 and 1918 for the Austro-Hungarian Navy as the MT.130 class. However, the end of World War I and the dissolution of Austria-Hungary left them incomplete until 1920, when three ships were finished for the Regia Marina. These ships were armed with two 76 mm (3 in) guns. An additional five ships were completed for the KM in 1931 as the Malinska or Marjan class, and were armed with a single 66 mm (2.6 in). All of the completed ships could carry 24 to 39 naval mines. The remaining ships were never completed.

Lepanto has been borne by at least two ships of the Italian Navy and may refer to:

Italian destroyer <i>Impavido</i> (D 570) Impavido-class guided missile destroyer

Impavido(D 570) is the lead ship of the Impavido-class destroyer of the Italian Navy.

Italian destroyer <i>Impetuoso</i> (D 558) Impetuoso-class destroyer

Impetuoso was the lead ship of the Impetuoso-class destroyers of the Italian Navy.

Italian destroyer <i>Indomito</i> (D 559) Impetuoso-class destroyer

Indomito was the second ship of the Impetuoso-class destroyers of the Italian Navy.

HMS <i>Larne</i> (J274) Algerine-class minesweeper

HMS Larne (J274) was a reciprocating engine-powered Algerine-class minesweeper during the Second World War. She survived the war and was sold to Italy in 1947 as Alabarda(F 560).

SS <i>Kaiser Franz Joseph I</i> Passenger liner ship

The SS Kaiser Franz Joseph I was an Austro-Hungarian passenger liner built by Cantiere Navale Triestino for the Cosulich Line. After her launching in February 1912 she was put into service and embarked on her maiden voyage from Trieste to New York City. During WWI she was laid up in Trieste but was commissioned by the Italian Navy after the war. The Kaiser Franz Joseph I, now the Presidente Wilson of the Cosulich Line was sold to another Italian company until WWII began. During The war, she was recommissioned by the navy and later laid up in La Spezia in 1943. On 12 May 1944, as the Allies advanced on Italy, the ship was scuttled by the Germans to prevent capture. Her wreck was raised and scrapped in 1949.

Animoso was the second and final member of the Audace class of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.