Italian destroyer Benedetto Cairoli

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RN Benedetto Cairoli.jpg
History
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg Kingdom of Italy
NameBenedetto Cairoli
Namesake Benedetto Cairoli (1825–1889), Italian patriot, soldier, and politician
Builder Cantieri navali Odero , Sestri Ponente, Kingdom of Italy
Laid down1 September 1916
Launched28 December 1917
Completed3 February 1918
Commissioned1918
FateSunk in collision 10 April 1918
General characteristics
Type Destroyer
Displacement
Length72.5 m (237 ft 10 in) (waterline)
Beam7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Draught2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Installed power
  • 15,500  shp (11,558  kW)
  • maximum 17,000 shp (12,677 kW)
Propulsion
Speed33.6 knots (62.2 km/h; 38.7 mph)
Range
  • 2,230  nmi (4,130 km; 2,570 mi) at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph)
  • 410 nmi (759 km; 472 mi) at 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph)
Complement4 officers, 74 non-commissioned officers and sailors
Armament

Benedetto Cairoli was an Italian La Masa-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina ("Royal Navy") in 1918. She served in World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign. Only a little more than two months after entering service, she sank after a collision.

Contents

Construction and commissioning

Benedetto Cairoli was laid down at the Cantieri navali Odero (English: Odero Shipyard ) in Sestri Ponente, Italy, on 1 September 1916. She was launched on 28 December 1917 and completed and commissioned on 3 February 1918. [1]

Service history

World War I

Benedetto Cairoli entered service in time to take part in the final year of World War I. She was assigned to the 4th Destroyer Squadron at Brindisi, Italy, [2] and served in the Adriatic campaign.

On the night of 9–10 April 1918Benedetto Cairoli was part of a force of several Italian and French Navy destroyers escorting the three battleships of the Italian 2nd Naval Division from Brindisi to Taranto, Italy. [2] During the predawn hours of 10 April, two of the French destroyers, Faulx and Mangini, collided in the Strait of Otranto and Faulx sank. [2] [3] [4] About an hour later, after the ships entered the Ionian Sea, Benedetto Cairoli′s sister ship Giacinto Carini accidentally rammed her, and Benedetto Cairoli sank a few hours later off Santa Maria di Leuca, Italy. The Royal Australian Navy destroyer HMAS Torrens rescued her survivors, but one member of Torrens′s crew was swept overboard and drowned in heavy seas during the rescue operation. Meanwhile, Giacinto Carini reached port with a severely damaged bow and remained under repair for the rest of World War I. [2] [5] [6]

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References

Citations

  1. ↑ Fraccaroli 1985, pp. 252, 290.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Il Santuario Di N S Di Bonaria - Betasom - XI Gruppo Sommergibili Atlantici (in Italian).
  3. ↑ "French Navy". Naval History. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  4. ↑ "Faulx (FX) (+1918)". Wrecksite . Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  5. ↑ French Navy in World War 1 in Outline
  6. ↑ "Encyclopedia | Australian War Memorial". Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2019.

Bibliography

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