History | |
---|---|
Kingdom of Italy | |
Name | Freccia |
Namesake | Arrow |
Builder | Schichau-Werke, Elbing, Germany |
Laid down | 1899 |
Launched | 23 November 1899 |
Completed | 25 May 1902 |
Commissioned | May 1902 |
Fate | Wrecked 12 October 1911 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Destroyer |
Displacement |
|
Length | |
Beam | 6.50 m (21 ft 4 in) |
Draught | 2.60 m (8 ft 6 in) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
Range |
|
Complement | 59 |
Armament |
|
Freccia ("Arrow") was an Italian Lampo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in 1902, she served in the Italo-Turkish War, during which she was wrecked in 1911.
Freccia was laid down at the Schichau-Werke in Elbing in the German Empire in 1899. She was launched on 23 November 1899 and completed on 25 May 1902. [1] She was commissioned in May 1902.
Freccia and her five sister ships formed the first class of destroyers built for the Regia Marina, [2] their only predecessor, Fulmine, having been a one-off. Designed by the German Schichau-Werke shipyard, they were seaworthy, robust, fast, and reliable, [3] although they were afflicted by serious problems with seakeeping. [4]
Freccia participated in the Italo-Turkish War, which began on 29 September 1911 with the Kingdom of Italy′s declaration of war on the Ottoman Empire. At the outbreak of war, Freccia was part of the 2nd Squadron′s 1st Division, which also included her sister ships Euro, Lampo, and Ostro. [5] By 30 September 1911, she was participating along with Euro, Ostro, the battleships Napoli and Roma, the armored cruisers Francesco Ferruccio, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Varese, the torpedo cruiser Coatit, and the destroyers Garibaldini, Lanciere, and Strale in a blockade of Tripoli on the coast of Ottoman Tripolitania. [6]
On 12 October 1911, a few days after Italian forces occupied Tripoli, Freccia struck rocks while attempting to leave Tripoli during a storm, then ran aground on a sandbank at the entrance of the port. Her entire crew survived, and initially the ship was considered to be in good condition and the Italians hoped to refloat her quickly. However, she sank by the bow a few days after running aground, coming to rest partially submerged. A steam launch struck the wreck on the evening of 21 October 1911, and damage to the wreck progressed until ultimately she was deemed beyond salvage. [1] [2] [4] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
Francesco Ferruccio was a Giuseppe Garibaldi-class armored cruiser built for the Royal Italian Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The ship made several deployments to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant during her career. At the beginning of the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–12 she bombarded Tripoli and then Beirut in early 1912 before being transferred to Libya. During World War I, Francesco Ferruccio's activities were limited by the threat of Austro-Hungarian submarines and she became a training ship in 1919. The ship was struck from the naval register in 1930 and subsequently scrapped.
Giuseppe Garibaldi was the seventh ship of the Giuseppe Garibaldi class of armored cruisers built for the Royal Italian Navy in the 1890s. She was built to replace the lead ship of her class, which was sold to Argentina and renamed ARA Garibaldi. The ship often served as a flagship and made several deployments to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant during her career. At the beginning of the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–12 she bombarded Tripoli. Giuseppe Garibaldi bombarded Beirut in early 1912 and sank an Ottoman ironclad there. Several months later she bombarded the defenses of the Dardanelles.
Sicilia was the second of three Re Umberto-class ironclad battleships built for the Italian Regia Marina. The ship, named for the island of Sicily, was laid down in Venice in November 1884, launched in July 1891, and completed in May 1895. She was armed with a main battery of four 343 mm (13.5 in) guns and had a top speed of 20.3 knots, though this high speed came at the cost of armor protection.
The Battle of Rhodes or Invasion of Rhodes was fought in May 1912 as part of the Italo-Turkish War. Italian troops under Lieutenant General Giovanni Ameglio landed on the Turkish-held island and took control after 13 days of fighting, ending nearly 400 years of Ottoman rule. The battle became the major engagement during the Italian operations in the Aegean Sea.
The Battle of Kunfuda Bay was a naval battle of the Italo-Turkish War between small squadrons of the Italian and Ottoman navies. On 7 January 1912, the Italian protected cruiser Piemonte and the Soldato-class destroyers Artigliere and Garibaldino, cruising the Red Sea, discovered six Ottoman gunboats, a tugboat, and a yacht in the harbor at Kunfuda. The vessels engaged for over three hours and five Ottoman vessels were sunk and four dhows were captured. Three of the gunboats were damaged during the battle and grounded on the beach to prevent them from sinking. The following morning, the Italian vessels returned to destroy the remaining three vessels; the yacht, which had been sunk, was later salvaged and seized by Italy. After the battle, the Italian squadron in the Red Sea was able to proclaim a blockade of Ottoman ports in the Red Sea and frequently bombarded Ottoman positions for the rest of the war.
The Lampo class was a class of six destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina built by the German Schichau shipyard from 1899–1901. They served in the Italo-Turkish War and the surviving ships in the First World War, before being disposed of between 1920 and 1924.
The Sirio class was a class of six sea-going steam-powered torpedo boats of the Italian Regia Marina built by the German shipyard Schichau-Werke from 1904–1906. They served in the Italo-Turkish War and the First World War.
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.
Euro was an Italian Lampo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1901, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1921 and then used as a target ship, she was renamed Strale in September 1924 and stricken in November 1924.
Ostro ("Ostro") was an Italian Lampo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1901, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1920.
Fulmine ("Lightning") was the Kingdom of Italy′s first destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1900, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1921 and scrapped.
Strale ("Javelin") was an Italian Lampo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1901, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1924.
Dardo ("Dart") was an Italian Lampo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1901, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1920.
Lampo ("Lightning") was the lead ship of the Italian Lampo-class destroyers. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1900, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1920.
Alpino was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1910, she served actively in the Italo-Turkish War, operating in the Ionian, Aegean, and Red Seas. During World War I she initially operated in the upper Adriatic Sea, conducting reconnaissance and minelaying operations and supporting actions by motor torpedo boats and aircraft. She subsequently operated in the southern Adriatic and the Ionian Sea, where she was assigned to escort operations and patrolling the Otranto Barrage in the Strait of Otranto. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1921, she was stricken in 1928.
Garibaldino was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1910, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. During the latter conflict she sank after a collision in 1918.
Artigliere was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1907, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1923.
Corazziere ("Cuirassier") was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1910, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1928.
Lanciere ("Lancer") was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1907, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1923.