Italian destroyer Pontiere

Last updated
History
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) crowned.svg Italy
NamePontiere
NamesakeBridgeman, a soldier who specializes in constructing bridges
Builder Gio. Ansaldo & C., Genoa, Kingdom of Italy
Laid down18 November 1905
Launched3 January 1910
Completed11 February 1910
Commissioned1910
Reclassified Torpedo boat 1 July 1921
Stricken1 July 1929
FateScrapped
General characteristics
Class and type Soldato-class destroyer
Displacement395–415 long tons (401–422 t)
Length
  • 65 m (213 ft 3 in) wl
  • 65.0 m (213 ft 3 in) oa
Beam6.1 m (20 ft 0 in)
Draught2.1 m (6 ft 11 in)
Propulsion
Speed28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph)
Range1,600  nmi (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement50
Armament

Pontiere ("Bridgeman") was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy). Commissioned in 1910, she served in World War I. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1921, she was stricken in 1929.

Contents

Design

Pontiere was powered by two sets of triple expansion steam engines fed by three Thornycroft water-tube boilers, producing an estimated 6,000 indicated horsepower (4,474  kW ) and driving two propeller shafts. As built, she could reach a maximum speed of 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph). Her fuel capacity of 65 tonnes (64 long tons ) of fuel oil gave her a range of 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). She was fitted with four 76-millimetre (3 in)/40 calibre guns and three 450-millimetre (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. [1]

Construction and commissioning

Pontiere was laid down on 18 November 1905 at the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard in Genoa, Italy. She was launched on 3 January 1910 and completed on 11 February 1910. [1] She was commissioned in 1910.

Service history

A member of the 2nd Squadron's 4th Division, [2] Pontiere ran aground on a rock off Sardinia on 14 September 1911. She was salvaged, repaired at Taranto, and relaunched on 1 November 1913. [3] [1] Her grounding came 15 days before the Italo-Turkish War broke out, [4] and she missed the entire war due to her lengthy repairs.

World War I broke out in 1914, and Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies with its declaration of war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915. At the time, Pontiere, under the command of Capitano di corvetta (Corvette Captain) Mancini, was the flagship of the 4th Destroyer Squadron, based at Brindisi, which also included her sister ships Alpino, Ascaro, Carabiniere, and Fuciliere and the destroyer Zeffiro. [5] On 29 May 1915 Pontiere, Alpino, and their sister ship Corazziere provided support to a formation of destroyers composed of Artigliere, Bersagliere, Garibaldino, and Lanciere as it bombarded the Adria Werke chemical plant in Monfalcone, a production site for poison gases. [5] The ships carried out another bombardment of the Adria Werke on 7 June 1915. [5]

At 19:00 on 8 June 1916 Pontiere departed Vlorë (known to the Italians as Valona) in the Principality of Albania with the protected cruiser Libia and the destroyers Espero, Impavido, and Insidioso to escort the armed merchant cruiser Principe Umberto and the troopship Romagna, which together had embarked the 2,605 men of the Italian Royal Army′s (Regio Esercito′s) 55th Infantry Regiment for transportation to Italy. The convoy had traveled only a short distance when the Austro-Hungarian submarine U-5 hit Principe Umberto in the stern with two torpedoes. Principe Umberto sank in a few minutes about 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) southwest of Cape Linguetta with the loss of 1,926 of the 2,821 men on board, the worst naval disaster of World War I in terms of lives lost. The escorting warships rescued the survivors but could not locate and counterattack U-5. [5]

On 11 February 1917 Pontiere — now under the command of an officer named Cappelli — Alpino, Carabiniere, Fuciliere, the torpedo boats 19 OS, 20 OS, 21 OS, and 22 OS, and six French airplanes provided escort and support to a group of two French and three Italian seaplanes as the seaplanes conducted a reconnaissance of the Austro-Hungarian Navy base at Pola. [5]

On the night of 13–14 August 1917 Pontiere left Venice with Carabiniere and the destroyers Animoso, Ardente, Audace, Francesco Stocco, Giovanni Acerbi, Giuseppe Cesare Abba, Giuseppe Sirtori, and Vincenzo Giordano Orsini to intercept an Austro-Hungarian force made up of the destroyers Dinara, Reka, Sharfschutze, Streiter, and Velebit and six torpedo boats which had supported an air raid by 32 aircraft against the fortress of Venice which had struck San Giovanni e Paolo Hospital, killing 14 people and injuring around 30 others. Only Vincenzo Giordano Orsini managed to make brief and fleeting contact with the Austro-Hungarian ships before they escaped. [5]

On 24 September 1917 Pontiere, Carabiniere, and Zeffiro got underway from Venice to intervene in a clash between the Italian coastal torpedo boats 9 PN, 10 PN, 11 PN, and 12 PN and four Austro-Hungarian Navy destroyers. The battle ended following the intervention of Italian aircraft, and the Austro-Hungarian destroyers withdrew before the Italian destroyers could engage them. [6]

By late October 1918, Austria-Hungary had effectively disintegrated, and the Armistice of Villa Giusti, signed on 3 November 1918, went into effect on 4 November 1918 and brought hostilities between Austria-Hungary and the Allies to an end. World War I ended a week later with an armistice between the Allies and the German Empire on 11 November 1918.

Post-World War I

Pontiere was reclassified as a torpedo boat on 1 July 1921. [3] She was stricken from the naval register on 1 July 1929. [3] [7] and subsequently scrapped.

Related Research Articles

Italian cruiser <i>Cesare Rossarol</i> Italian Alessandro Poerio-class scout cruiser

Cesare Rossarol was an Italian scout cruiser. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1915, she served during World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign until she was sunk in 1918.

Soldato-class destroyer

The Soldato class was a class of destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina built by Ansaldo of Genoa prior to the First World War. Ten were built for the Regia Marina between 1905 and 1910, while an eleventh ship was built for China but purchased by Italy before completion. They served during the First World War, where one was lost, with the remaining ships sold for scrap in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Italian destroyer <i>Audace</i> (1916) Destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina

Audace was a destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Originally, the Imperial Japanese Navy ordered her as the Urakaze-classKawakaze, but the Japanese sold her to the Kingdom of Italy in 1916 while she was under construction. Commissioned in 1917, she played an active role in the Adriatic campaign of World War I. During the interwar period, she operated in the Adriatic, Aegean, Mediterranean, and Red seas and was reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929.

Italian destroyer <i>Carabiniere</i> (1909) Italian Soldato-class destroyer

Carabinere ("Carabinier") 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. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1921, she was stricken in 1925.

Italian destroyer <i>Insidioso</i> Italian Indomito-class destroyer

Insidioso was an Italian Indomito-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1914, she served in World War I, playing an active role in the Adriatic campaign and seeing action in the Battle of the Strait of Otranto in 1917. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she was stricken in 1938. Reinstated in 1941, she was captured by Nazi German forces in 1943 during World War II. She then served in the German Kriegsmarine as TA21 until she was sunk in 1944.

Italian destroyer <i>Giuseppe Missori</i> Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyer

Giuseppe Missori was an Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1916, she served in World War I, playing an active role in the Adriatic campaign. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she participated in the Mediterranean campaign and Adriatic campaign of World War II until the Italian armistice with the Allies, prompting Nazi Germany to capture her. Subsequently operating in the Kriegsmarine as TA22, she participated in the Adriatic campaign until she was seriously damaged in 1944. She sank in May 1945.

Italian destroyer <i>Francesco Nullo</i> (1914) Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyer

Francesco Nullo was an Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1915, she served in World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign. She supported Gabriele D'Annunzio′s actions in Fiume in 1920, and was renamed Fratelli Cairoli in 1921. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she served in the Mediterranean campaign of World War II until she was sunk in 1940.

Animoso was the second and final Audace-class destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1914, she played an active role in the Adriatic campaign of World War I. Badly damaged by an accidental explosion in 1921, she was stricken in 1923.

Italian destroyer <i>Giuseppe Sirtori</i> Italian Giuseppe Sirtori-class destroyer

Giuseppe Sirtori was the lead ship of the Giuseppe Sirtori-class destroyers. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1916, she served during World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign. During the interwar period, she took part in operations related to the Corfu incident in 1923 and was reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929. During World War II, she took part in the Mediterranean campaign and later the Adriatic campaign until she was scuttled in 1943.

Impavido was an Italian Indomito-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1913, she served in World War I, playing an active role in the Adriatic campaign and seeing action in the Battle of the Strait of Otranto. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she was stricken in 1937.

Italian destroyer <i>Zeffiro</i> (1904) Italian Nembo-class destroyer

Zeffiro ("Zephyr") was an Italian Nembo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1905, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I, playing an active role in the Adriatic campaign. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1921, she was decommissioned in 1924.

Italian destroyer <i>Alpino</i> (1909) Italian Soldato-class destroyer

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.

Fuciliere ("Fusilier") was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1910, she served during World War I. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1921, she was stricken in 1932.

Italian destroyer <i>Ascaro</i> Italian Soldato-class destroyer

Ascaro ("Askari") was a Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1913, she served during World War I. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1921, she was stricken in 1930.

Italian destroyer <i>Garibaldino</i> Italian Soldato-class destroyer

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.

Italian destroyer <i>Artigliere</i> (1907) Italian Soldato-class destroyer

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.

Italian destroyer <i>Bersagliere</i> (1906) Italian Soldato-class destroyer

Bersagliere was the lead ship of the Soldato-class ("Soldier"-class) destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1907, she served in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I. She was stricken in 1923.

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.

Italian cruiser <i>Guglielmo Pepe</i> Italian Alessandro Poerio-class scout cruiser

Guglielmo Pepe was an Italian Alessandro Poerio-class scout cruiser. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1915, she served during World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign, often supporting raids by Italian motor torpedo boats. She was reclassified as a destroyer in 1921 due to her light displacement. Like her sister ships, Alessandro Poerio and Cesare Rossarol, she was named after a famous Neapolitan light cavalryman who helped defend Venice from attacks by the Imperial Austrian Army during the revolutions in 1848.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fraccaroli, Aldo (1970). Italian Warships of World War I. Ian Allan. p. 67. ISBN   0711001057.
  2. ↑ Beehler, p. 10.
  3. 1 2 3 Fraccaroli 1985, p. 268.
  4. ↑ Beehler, p. 16.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Favre, pp. 70, 98, 144, 189, 207..
  6. ↑ Favre, pp. 67, 98, 189, 207..
  7. ↑ Italian Pontiere - Warships 1900-1950 Archived 15 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine .

Bibliography

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.