![]() Fratelli Cairoli underway | |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Pilo class |
Builders | |
Operators |
|
Succeeded by | Generali-class destroyer |
Built | 1913 - 1916 |
In service | 1915 - 1958 |
Completed | 8 |
Lost | 4 |
Retired | 4 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Pilo class torpedo boat |
Displacement |
|
Length | 73 m (240 ft) |
Beam | 7.3 m (24 ft) |
Draught | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) |
Installed power | 16,000 brake horsepower (12,000 kW) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
Range | 1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
Complement | 69-79 |
Armament |
|
The Rosolino Pilo [a] class was a class of eight destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) constructed before and during the First World War. Like other obsolete Italian destroyers, they were reclassified as torpedo boats in 1929, and seven ships served throughout the Second World War. Two ships were sunk by mines while under Italian service during the Second World War, with two more being seized by Nazi Germany following the Italian Armistice in 1943. The remaining three ships survived the war and continued in use with the post-war Italian Navy, with the last two of the class being decommissioned in 1958.
Following Italy's surrender on 8 September 1943, Germany captured two of the Pilo-class vessels. Giuseppe Missori was renamed TA22, and Giuseppe Dezza was renamed TA35. These vessels were re-designated as torpedo boats and put into service with the Kriegsmarine. TA22 was attacked by the all-African American fighter group, the Tuskegee Airmen, who put her out of action. TA35 was sunk on 17 August 1944.
Name | Pennant [1] | Builder [1] | Laid down [1] | Launched [1] | Completed [1] | Operational History |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rosolino Pilo | PN | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 19 August 1913 | 24 March 1915 | 25 May 1915 | Stricken October 1954 |
Giuseppe Cesare Abba | AB | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 19 August 1913 | 25 May 1915 | 6 July 1915 | Stricken September 1958 |
Pilade Bronzetti | BR | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 12 September 1913 | 26 October 1915 | 1 January 1916 | Renamed Giuseppe Dezza 16 January 1921. Scuttled 16 September 1943, but refloated by German Navy asTA35, re-commissioning 9 June 1944. Sunk by mine 17 August 1944 but again refloated. Scuttled 3 May 1945. [1] [2] |
Giuseppe Missori | MS | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 19 January 1914 | 20 December 1915 | 7 March 1916 | Captured by Germany 10 September 1943, renamed TA22. Scuttled 3 May 1945. [1] |
Antonio Mosto | MO, MT | Pattison, Naples | 9 October 1913 | 20 May 1915 | 7 July 1915 | Minesweeper 1953. Stricken 15 December 1958. [1] |
Ippolito Nievo | NV | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 19 August 1913 | 24 July 1915 | 1 October 1915 | Stricken 24 April 1938. [1] |
Francesco Nullo | CL | Pattison, Naples | 24 September 1913 | 12 November 1914 | 1 May 1915 | Renamed Fratelli Cairoli 16 January 1921. Sunk by mine off Libya 23 September 1940. [1] |
Simone Schiaffino | SF, SH | Odero, Sestri Ponente | 12 September 1913 | 11 September 1915 | 7 November 1915 | She seized the Greek steamer Athinai off Messina on 20 October 1940 [3] [4] |
The Torpedoboot Ausland were small destroyers or large torpedo boats captured by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Kriegsmarine. They were assigned a number beginning with TA.
The Ciclone class were a group of torpedo boats or destroyer escorts built for the Italian Navy which fought in the Second World War. They were modified, slightly heavier, versions of the previous Orsa class, with improved stability and heavier anti-submarine armament. These ships were built as part of the Italian war mobilization programme and completed in 1942–43.
The Indomito class was a class of destroyers of the Italian Royal Navy before and during World War I. Eight were built, six of which at Naples by Societa Pattison, between 1910 and 1913. They were the first large Italian destroyers and the first fitted with steam turbines. The class is sometimes also called the I class. Two of the class were sunk during World War I, but the four surviving ships remained in service until 1937–38. One of the class, Insidioso, was reinstated during World War II and served in the Règia Marina and the German Kriegsmarine before being sunk by U.S. aircraft in late 1944.
The Generali-class destroyer was a class of Italian destroyers, built as a development of the Rosolino Pilo-class destroyer. They were the last ships of the Regia Marina, fitted with three stacks. In 1929, being obsolete, the units were reclassified as torpedo boats, and in this role served during Second World War.
Leone Pancaldo was one of twelve Navigatori-class destroyers built for the Regia Marina between the late 1920s. Shortly after Italy's entry into World War II in June 1940, she was sunk by British torpedo bombers in Augusta, Sicily, but was later refloated and repaired. She was briefly used in fast troop transport missions to Tunisia until her second and final sinking by Allied aircraft in April 1943.
Tifone was a Ciclone-class torpedo boat that served with the Italian Navy during the Second World War. The vessel entered service on 11 July 1942 and was scuttled on 7 May 1943 at Korbous, Tunisia. She escorted the last Axis convoy to reach Africa in World War II.
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.
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.
Giuseppe La Masa was the lead ship of the Italian La Masa-class destroyers. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1917, she served in World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign. She also deployed to protect Italian interests during the Corfu incident in 1923. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she took part in the Mediterranean campaign of World War II until the Italian armistice with the Allies in 1943, when her crew scuttled her to prevent her use by the Germans.
Giuseppe Cesare Abba was an Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1915, 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 and Adriatic campaigns of World War II. In 1943, she switched to the Allied side, operating as part of the Italian Co-belligerent Navy for the remainder of the war. She served in the postwar Italian Navy and was reclassified as a minesweeper in 1954. She was stricken in 1958.
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.
Rosolino Pilo was the lead ship of the Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyers. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1915, 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 served in the Mediterranean and Adriatic campaigns of World War II. Briefly captured by Nazi Germany in 1943, she served on the Allied side in the Italian Co-belligerent Navy for the remainder of the war. She served in the postwar Italian Navy and was reclassified as a minesweeper in 1952. She was stricken in 1954.
Pilade Bronzetti was an Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyer. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1916, she served in World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign. Her crew supported Gabriele D'Annunzio′s actions in Fiume in 1920, and as a consequence she was renamed Giuseppe Dezza in 1921. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she took part in the Mediterranean campaign of World War II until the Italian armistice with the Allies, prompting Nazi Germany to capture her. Subsequently operating in the Kriegsmarine as TA35, she participated in the Adriatic Campaign of World War II until she was sunk in 1944.
Antonio Mosto was an Italian Rosolino Pilo-class destroyers. Commissioned into service in the Italian Regia Marina in 1915, 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 participated in the Mediterranean and Adriatic campaigns of World War II. In 1943, she switched to the Allied side, operating as part of the Italian Co-belligerent Navy for the remainder of the war. She served in the postwar Italian Navy and was reclassified as a minesweeper in 1953. She was stricken in 1958.
Ippolito Nievo 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, during which she took part in motor torpedo boat raids and operated on convoy escort duty. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she was stricken in 1938.
Simone Schiaffino 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, including the Battle of the Strait of Otranto. Reclassified as a torpedo boat in 1929, she took part in the Mediterranean campaign of World War II until she was sunk in 1941.
Audace was the lead ship of the Audace-class destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina. Commissioned in 1914, she served during World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign and operating as a convoy escort until she sank after a collision in 1916.
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.
Guido Porzio Giovanola was an Italian admiral in the Regia Marina during World War II.