Profile drawing of the Campania design | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Campania class |
Operators | Regia Marina |
Preceded by | Nino Bixio class |
Succeeded by | None |
Built | 1913–1917 |
In commission | 1917–1937 |
Completed | 2 |
Lost | 1 |
Scrapped | 1 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Protected cruiser |
Displacement | |
Length | 83 m (272 ft 4 in) |
Beam | 12.7 m (41 ft 8 in) |
Draft | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | |
Speed | 15.5 to 15.7 kn (28.7 to 29.1 km/h; 17.8 to 18.1 mph) |
Range | 1,850 nmi (3,430 km; 2,130 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Complement |
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Armament |
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Armor |
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The Campania class was a pair of small protected cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the 1910s. The two ships, Campania and Basilicata, were the last ships of that type built by the 'Regia Marina, as it had been superseded by more effective light cruisers. The Campania class was designed for use in Italy's overseas colonies, on the model of the old Calabria. Neither ship had a particularly eventful career. Basilicata was destroyed by a boiler explosion in 1919, two years after entering service, and was subsequently raised and scrapped. Campania remained in service for significantly longer, but she did not see action and ended her career as a training ship before being scrapped in 1937.
The ships of the Campania class were designed for use in Italy's overseas colonies and to serve as training ships for naval cadets. The design was based on the old cruiser Calabria, which had also been built as a colonial cruiser. They were small ships, at 76.8 meters (252 ft) long at the waterline and 83 m (272 ft 4 in) long overall. They had a beam of 12.7 m (41 ft 8 in) and a draft of 5 m (16 ft 5 in). They displaced 2,483 long tons (2,483 long tons) normally and up to 3,187 long tons (3,187 long tons) at full load. The ships were fitted with a pair of pole masts equipped with spotting tops. They had a crew of 11 officers and 193 enlisted men, and were also capable of carrying 100 cadets, along with their officers, petty officers, staff, and equipment. [1] [2]
Their propulsion system consisted of a pair of vertical triple-expansion steam engines each driving a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by four coal-fired, cylindrical fire-tube boilers. The boilers were trunked into a single funnel amidships. Campania's engines were rated at 5,001 indicated horsepower (3,729 kW) and produced a top speed of 15.7 knots (29.1 km/h; 18.1 mph), while Basilicata's produced only 4,129 ihp (3,079 kW) and 15.5 kn (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph). The ships had a cruising radius of about 1,850 nautical miles (3,430 km; 2,130 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). [1]
Campania and Basilicata were armed with a main battery of six 152 mm (6 in) 40-caliber (cal.) guns mounted singly; one was placed on the forecastle, one at the stern, and two on each broadside in sponsons on the main deck. [1] These weapons, which were built-up guns, could fire armor-piercing and high-explosive shells at a muzzle velocity of 690 meters per second (2,280 ft/s). [3] They were also equipped with two Ansaldo 76 mm (3 in) 40-cal. guns in low-angle mounts and three 76 mm 40-cal. guns in high-angle anti-aircraft mountings; they fired a 6-kilogram (13 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 680 meters per second (2,200 ft/s). They also carried several small guns, including two 47 mm (1.9 in) guns manufactured by Vickers and a pair of machine guns. The ships were only lightly armored, with a 25 mm (0.98 in) thick deck, and 50 mm (2 in) thick plating on her conning tower. [4]
Campania and Basilicata were small enough that they could be built on the same slipway, and they were launched on the same day. [5] They were the last protected cruisers to be built by the Regia Marina. This was partly a result of the outbreak of World War I during the construction of these ships, and the resulting shortage of steel as resources were dedicated to the construction of smaller scouts, destroyers, and submarines, which proved to be more useful in the confined waters of the Adriatic Sea. After the war, Italy received several light cruisers as war prizes from Germany and Austria-Hungary, and these ships formed the backbone of the Italian reconnaissance force in the immediate post-war period. [6]
Name | Builder [1] | Laid down [1] | Launched [1] | Commissioned [1] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Campania | Castellammare | 9 August 1913 | 23 July 1914 | 18 April 1917 |
Basilicata | 1 August 1917 |
Both ships served abroad in the first few years of their active service in Italian Libya, [5] and had uneventful careers. Basilicata's career was cut short on 13 August 1919, when one of her boilers exploded while she was moored in Tewfik at the southern end of the Suez Canal. The explosion sank the ship; she was raised in September 1920 but was deemed not worth repairing, and so she was sold for scrap in July 1921. Campania was reclassified as a gunboat that year and had two of her 152 mm guns removed. She became a full-time training ship in 1932, a role in which she served until March 1937, when she was stricken from the naval register and sold for scrap. [1]
The Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships were a group of four super-dreadnought battleships designed for the Regia Marina in 1913 and ordered in 1914. The first ship of the class, Francesco Caracciolo, was laid down in late 1914; the other three ships, Cristoforo Colombo, Marcantonio Colonna, and Francesco Morosini followed in 1915. Armed with a main battery of eight 381 mm (15 in) guns and possessing a top speed of 28 knots, the four ships were intended to be the equivalent of the fast battleships like the British Queen Elizabeth class.
Regina Elena was the lead ship of her class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Italian Regia Marina. The ship was built by the La Spezia shipyard between 1901 and 1907, and was armed with a main battery of two 305 mm (12 in) guns and twelve 203 mm (8 in) guns. She was quite fast for the period, with a top speed of nearly 21 knots. Regina Elena was active in both the Italo-Turkish War with the Ottoman Empire in 1911–1912, where she participated in the Italian conquest of Cyrenaica, and World War I in 1915–1918, where she saw no action due to the threat of submarines in the narrow confines of the Adriatic Sea. She was retained for a few years after the war, but was ultimately stricken in February 1923 and broken up for scrap.
The San Giorgio class consisted of two armored cruisers built for the Royal Italian Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The second ship, San Marco, was used to evaluate recently invented steam turbines in a large ship and incorporated a number of other technological advances. The ships participated in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, although San Giorgio was under repair for most of the war. San Marco supported ground forces in Libya with naval gunfire and helped them to occupy towns in Libya and islands in the Dodecanese. During World War I, the ships' activities were limited by the threat of Austro-Hungarian submarines, although they did bombard Durazzo, Albania in 1918.
Puglia was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina. She was the last of six Regioni-class ships, all of which were named for regions of Italy. She was built in Taranto between October 1893 and May 1901, when she was commissioned into the fleet. 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 20 knots.
Campania was a small protected cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s. She was the lead ship of the Campania class, which included one other ship, Basilicata. Designed for colonial service, the ship was armed with a comparatively heavy armament on a small hull, with a long cruising radius emphasized over high speed. Commissioned into service in early 1917, Campania spent the first few years of her career in Italy's colonies, before being classified as a gunboat in 1921 and a training ship in 1932. This service lasted until 1937 when she was sold for scrapping.
Basilicata was a small protected cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s. She was the second and final member of the Campania class, along with the lead ship Campania. The Campania-class cruisers were intended for service in Italy's colonies, and so were given a heavy armament and designed to emphasize long cruising range over high speed. Basilicata's career was cut short in mid-1919 when one of her boilers exploded and sank her while in Tewfik, Egypt. The ship was raised in 1920 but deemed not worth repairing; she was sold for scrapping in July 1921.
The Nino Bixio class was a pair of protected cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s. The two ships, Nino Bixio, and Marsala, were built in Castellammare between 1911 and 1914. They were intended to serve as scouts for the main Italian fleet, and as such required a high top speed. They were overweight as built, which prevented them from reaching their intended maximum speed. They were a disappointment in service, especially compared to the earlier—and faster—cruiser Quarto, which cut their careers short.
Nino Bixio was a protected cruiser built by the Italian Regia Marina in the early 1910s. She was the lead ship of the Nino Bixio class, which were built as scouts for the main Italian fleet. She was equipped with a main battery of six 120-millimeter (4.7 in) guns and had a top speed in excess of 26 knots, but her engines proved to be troublesome in service. Nino Bixio saw service during World War I and briefly engaged the Austro-Hungarian cruiser SMS Helgoland in 1915. Her career was cut short in the post-war period due to severe cuts to the Italian naval budget, coupled with her unreliable engines. Nino Bixio was stricken from the naval register in March 1929 and sold for scrap.
Marsala was a protected cruiser built by the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s. She was the second and final member of the Nino Bixio class, which were built as scouts for the main Italian fleet. She was equipped with a main battery of six 120-millimeter (4.7 in) guns and had a top speed in excess of 26 knots, but her engines proved to be troublesome in service. Marsala spent World War I based at Brindisi; she was involved in the Battle of the Otranto Straits in May 1917, where she briefly engaged Austro-Hungarian cruisers. Marsala's career was cut short in November 1927 when she was stricken from the naval register and sold for scrap, the result of her unreliable engines and drastic cuts to the naval budget.
Saetta was a Folgore-class torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. Armed with three 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes and six light guns, she was capable of a top speed of 17 knots. She was built in the mid-1880s, was launched in May 1887, and was completed in February 1888. Saetta spent the first decade of her career serving in the main Italian fleet, where she conducted peacetime training exercises. In 1897, she was withdrawn from front-line service and employed as a gunnery training ship, a role she filled for another decade. The Regia Marina ultimately sold Saetta for scrap in May 1908.
Folgore was a torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina, the lead ship of the Folgore class. Armed with three 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes and six light guns, she was capable of a top speed of 17 knots. She was built in the mid-1880s, was launched in September 1886, and was completed in February 1887. The ship spent her first two years in service either conducting training maneuvers with the main Italian fleet or in reserve status. She was badly damaged in a collision with the cruiser Giovanni Bausan in 1889, which reduced her effectiveness and cut her career short. Folgore spent the next eleven years primarily in the reserve, until she was sold for scrap in April 1901 and broken up.
The Formidabile class was a pair of ironclad warships built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1860s. The class comprised two ships, Formidabile and Terribile. Initially ordered for the Regia Marina Sarda, by the time they were completed the Kingdom of Sardinia had unified the rest of the Italian states and created the Regia Marina. They were the first ironclads built for the Italian fleet. Wooden-hulled vessels plated with 4.3 inches (109 mm) of wrought iron, they were armed with a battery of twenty guns in a broadside arrangement.
Montebello was the second of four Goito-class torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was built at the Arsenale di La Spezia between September 1885 and January 1889, when she entered service. She was armed with a variety of light guns and four 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes, and was capable of a top speed of 18 knots. Montebello spent her active-duty career with the main Italian fleet, where she frequently took part in annual training exercises. In 1903, she was withdrawn from front-line service and converted into a training ship for engine room personnel; she served in this capacity until 1920, when she was sold for scrap.
Confienza was the last of four Goito-class torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was armed with a variety of light guns and five 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes, and was capable of a top speed of 17 knots. The ship was built in the late 1880s, with her keel laying in September 1887 at the Arsenale di La Spezia; she was completed in April 1890 and thereafter entered service with the Italian fleet. Confienza had a short and uneventful career; she spent her time in Italian waters and did not see any action. Stricken from the naval register in August 1901, she was thereafter broken up for scrap.
The Folgore class was a pair of torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. The two ships—Folgore and Saetta—were designed by Benedetto Brin during a period of experimentation with the theories of the Jeune École in the 1880s. The vessels were armed with three 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes, and they had a top speed of 17 knots. Both ships' careers were uneventful, and they spent most of their time in service conducting training exercises. Folgore was seriously damaged in a collision in 1889, and was thereafter reduced to reserve status, as the damage could not be completely repaired. She was eventually sold for scrapping in 1900, while Saetta served as a gunnery training ship from 1897 to 1908, when she too was dismantled.
The Goito class was a group of four torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. The members of the class were Goito, Montebello, Monzambano, and Confienza. They were among the first torpedo cruisers built for the Italian fleet, and were built to improve on the previous vessel, Tripoli. Experimental ships, the four Goito-class vessels varied in their dimensions, machinery, and armament, though all were comparable in terms of capabilities, having a top speed of 17 to 18 knots and carrying an armament of four or five 14-inch (360 mm) torpedo tubes.
The Partenope class was a group of eight torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s and 1890s. The class comprised Partenope, Minerva, Euridice, Urania, Iride, Aretusa, Caprera, and Calatafimi. Based on the earlier cruiser Tripoli, the Partenope class represented a temporary embrace of the Jeune École, which emphasized the use of cheap torpedo-armed vessels as a means to defeat the much more expensive ironclad battleships of the day. To fulfill their intended role, the vessels were armed with five or six 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes.
Tripoli was the first modern torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina. She was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard in 1885–86. The only vessel of her class, she provided the basis for the Goito and Partenope classes that followed. She was armed with five 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes and a battery of light guns, and was capable of a top speed of 17.5 knots. Tripoli spent her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was occupied primarily with peacetime training exercises. She was modernized several times throughout her career, and in 1910, was converted into a minelayer, a role she served in for another thirteen years, including during World War I. She was the longest serving torpedo cruiser in the Italian fleet, with over 36 years in service by the time she was discarded in March 1923.
Ardito was a destroyer built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s. She was the lead ship of the Ardito class.
Ardente was the second and final member of the Ardito class of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s.