Italian corvette Etna

Last updated
Corvetta Etna.jpg
Etna in port
Class overview
NameEtna
Operators
Preceded by Magenta
Succeeded by Principessa Clotilde
Completed1
History
Builder Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia
Laid down1860
Launched17 July 1862
Completed1863
Fate Laid up, 1875
General characteristics
Type Screw corvette
Displacement1,538 long tons (1,563  t)
Length67.6 m (221 ft 9 in)
Beam10.9 m (35 ft 9 in)
Draft4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Complement241
Armament

Etna was a screw corvette of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy), originally ordered by the Real Marina (Royal Navy) of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, but completed after the unification of Italy. The ship had a relatively uneventful career, primarily cruising in the Mediterranean Sea in the 1860s, although she also made a deployment to South America from 1869 to 1871. She was laid up in 1875, but her ultimate fate is unknown.

Contents

Design

Etna was 67.6 m (221 ft 9 in) long and had a beam of 10.9 m (35 ft 9 in) and a draft of 4.3 m (14 ft). She displaced 1,538 long tons (1,563  t ) normally and up to 1,577 long tons (1,602 t) at full load. Her hull was constructed with wood and was fitted with copper sheathing to protect it from biofouling. Her crew numbered 241 officers and enlisted men. [1] [2]

The ship was powered by a single marine steam engine that drove a screw propeller. Steam was provided by a pair of fire-tube boilers that were vented through a single funnel that was located between the fore- and main mast. The engine produced 330 hp (250 kW) for a top speed of 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph). To supplement the steam engine on long voyages abroad, she was fitted with a three-masted square rig. [1]

As originally built, the ship carried a main battery of eight 160 mm (6.3 in) smoothbore guns and two 160 mm rifled guns. In addition, she had a pair of small field guns that could be taken ashore with a landing party. By around 1867, her armament had been reduced to six guns of unknown caliber. [1]

Service history

The keel for Etna was laid down at the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia (Royal Shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia) shipyard in 1860 for the Real Marina (Royal Navy) of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. [1] [2] The ship was launched on 17 July 1862, [3] and was completed the following year. [1] [2] By that time, the various Italian states, including the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, had unified as Italy, and so Etna entered service with the Regia Marina . [4]

While in Tunis on 15 March 1865, Etna's crew observed a major dust storm. [5] In May, Etna was involved in a minor diplomatic incident in Alexandria in the Egyptian Eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. Altercations between the ship's crew and locals led to a settlement in Italy's favor, including the deportation of the local Ottoman police deputy director. A group of Italian colonists in the region were not satisfied and rioted to protest the agreement, which prompted Etna to send a landing party ashore to suppress the riot. They arrested nineteen colonists and took them aboard Etna. [6]

During the Third Italian War of Independence against the Austrian Empire in 1866, Etna and several other wooden vessels remained behind when the fleet that assembled to attack the island of Lissa in July, and so she did not participate in the Battle of Lissa. [7]

The ship served in South American waters from 1869 to 1871 to protect Italian interests in the region. [1] In 1871, while sailing off the Hornos Islets in the Río de la Plata, south of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, Etna struck a submerged rock that was in about 3.7 m (12 ft) of water. [8]

She was laid up in 1875. [2] The Regia Marina requested to sell the ship that year, along with the corvettes Magenta, Principessa Clotilde, and San Giovanni, but the Italian parliament denied the request. Only San Giovanni was permitted to be sold, owing to her age and poor condition, while Etna and the others were to be retained with the fleet. [9] Etna's ultimate fate is unknown. [2]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Etna.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Fraccaroli, p. 336.
  3. ↑ "Trial of Bourbonic Conspirators". Birmingham Daily Post. No. 1252. Birmingham. 26 July 1862.
  4. ↑ Fraccaroli, pp. 335–336.
  5. ↑ Ehrenberg, p. 42.
  6. ↑ Turkei, p. 3039.
  7. ↑ Österreichs Kämpfe, p. 39.
  8. ↑ Gorringe, p. 55.
  9. ↑ Camera dei Deputati, p. 15.

Related Research Articles

<i>Ammiraglio di Saint Bon</i>-class battleship Pre-dreadnought battleship class of the Italian Royal Navy

The Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class was a pair of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Italian Navy during the 1890s. The class comprised two ships: Ammiraglio di Saint Bon, the lead ship, and Emanuele Filiberto. They were armed with a main battery of four 254 mm (10 in) guns and were capable of a top speed of 18 knots. Smaller and less powerfully-armed than most contemporary battleships, they marked a brief departure from Italian capital ship design, which had previously emphasized large ships equipped with large guns.

Italian frigate <i>Giuseppe Garibaldi</i> Italian frigate

The Italian frigate Giuseppe Garibaldi was a steam frigate of the Regia Marina of Italy. It was the first ship to be named after General Giuseppe Garibaldi.

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

Elba was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina. She was the fifth of six Regioni-class ships, all of which were named for regions of Italy, with the exception of Elba, which was named for the island. Elba was built by the Regio Cantieri di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard; her keel was laid in September 1890, she was launched in August 1893, and she was commissioned in February 1896. 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 nearly 18 knots.

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

Partenope was a torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s, the lead ship of her class, which included seven other vessels. The ship was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia; she was laid down in June 1888, was launched in December 1889, and was completed in September 1890. Her main armament were her five torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns.

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

Euridice was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard, with her keel laying in February 1889, her launching in September 1890, and her commissioning in May 1891. Her main armament was her six torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns. Euridice spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. She was withdrawn from service in 1907 and sold for scrapping.

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

Iride was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. Laid down in February 1889 at the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard, she was launched in July 1890 and was commissioned in November 1892. Her main armament were her six torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns. Iride spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. During the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, she remained in Italian waters until late in the conflict; she escorted a troop convoy to North Africa in April 1912 and bombarded Ottoman positions in June and July. Iride was eventually broken up for scrap in December 1920.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Italian ironclad <i>Palestro</i> Ironclad warship of the Italian Royal Navy

Palestro was an ironclad warship, the second and final member of the Principe Amedeo class, built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1860s and 1870s. She was armed with a battery of six 254 mm (10 in) guns and one 279 mm (11 in) gun. The last sail-rigged ironclad of the Italian fleet, she had a single steam engine that was capable of propelling the ship at a speed of slightly over 12 knots.

Italian ironclad <i>Messina</i> Ironclad warship of the Italian Royal Navy

Messina was the second of three Principe di Carignano-class ironclads built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1860s. She was laid down in September 1861, her hull was launched in December 1864, and she was completed in February 1867. Messina was a broadside ironclad armed with a battery of four 203 mm (8 in) guns and eighteen 164 mm (6.5 in) guns. Her career was limited, owing to the emergence of more modern ironclads and a severe reduction in the Italian naval budget following their defeat at the Battle of Lissa in 1866. She was discarded in 1875 and sold to ship breakers to help pay for new ironclads then under construction.

Italian ironclad <i>Conte Verde</i> Ironclad warship of the Italian Royal Navy

Conte Verde was the third of three Principe di Carignano-class ironclads built for the Italian Regia Marina, though she differed in several respects from her sisters. Unlike the other two members of her class, she did not receive complete iron armor, instead relying on partial plating at her bow and stern. She was laid down in February 1863, she was launched in July 1867, and she was completed in December 1871. Conte Verde was a broadside ironclad armed with a battery of four 203 mm (8 in) guns and eighteen 164 mm (6.5 in) guns. Her career was limited, owing to the emergence of more modern ironclads and a severe reduction in the Italian naval budget following their defeat at the Battle of Lissa in 1866. She was discarded in 1880 and sold to ship breakers to help pay for new ironclads then under construction.

<i>Re dItalia</i>-class ironclad Ironclad warship class of the Italian Royal Navy

The Re d'Italia class was a pair of ironclad warships built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1860s. The class comprised two ships, Re d'Italia and Re di Portogallo. The two ships were built in the United States, and were based on the French ironclad Gloire; they were armed with a battery of thirty-eight guns in a broadside arrangement and were protected with 120 mm (4.7 in) of wrought iron plating.

<i>Principe di Carignano</i>-class ironclad Ironclad warship class of the Italian Royal Navy

The Principe di Carignano class was a group of three ironclad warships built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1860s. The class comprised the ships Principe di Carignano, Messina, and Conte Verde. Originally ordered as wooden frigates, they were the first ironclads to be built in Italy, but the inexperience of the Italian shipyards and the redesign process produced lengthy construction times, such that only the lead ship was completed in time to see action during the Third Italian War of Independence in 1866. The first two ships were protected by a complete belt of wrought iron plating that was 121 mm (4.75 in) thick, while Conte Verde only received a partial iron belt.

<i>Formidabile</i>-class ironclad Ironclad warship class of the Italian Royal Navy

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.

Italian corvette <i>Flavio Gioia</i> Screw corvette of the Italian Regia Marina

Flavio Gioia was a screw corvette of the Italian Regia Marina built in the late 1870s and early 1880s.

Italian corvette <i>Caracciolo</i> (1869)

Caracciolo was a screw corvette of the Italian Regia Marina built in the 1860s. She was the first vessel of that type built after the unification of Italy, though the Italian fleet inherited several screw corvettes from the navies of Naples, Tuscany, and Sardinia. The ship was armed with a main battery of six 160 mm (6.3 in) guns. Originally built with both steam and sail propulsion, Caracciolo later had her engine removed for use as a training ship.

Italian corvette <i>San Giovanni</i>

San Giovanni was a sail corvette built for the Royal Sardinian Navy in the late 1840s. In 1861, she was converted into a screw corvette by which time the unification of Italy had been largely completed. As a result, she served with the Italian Regia Marina when the work on the ship was finished. She was present for the Battle of Lissa in 1866 during the Third Italian War of Independence, though she did not engage the Austrian Navy in the battle. She was eventually laid up in 1875 and broken up for scrap in 1878.

Principessa Clotilde was a screw corvette of the Italian Regia Marina built in the 1860s. The ship was originally laid down for the Royal Sardinian Navy, but by the time the ship was completed, Italy had unified, and so she entered service with the Regia Marina.

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.