Indomito-class destroyer

The Indomito class was a class of destroyers of the Italian Royal Navy (Italian: Règia Marina) before and during World War I. Six were built 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.

Indomito, the class leader of the Indomito class, c. 1912–14
Class overview
Name: Indomito class
Builders: Societa Pattison, Naples[1]
Operators:  Regia Marina
Preceded by: Soldato class
Succeeded by: Ardito class
Built: 1910–1913
In commission: 1913–1937
Completed: 6[1]
Lost: 3[1][Note 1]
Retired: 3[1][Note 1]
General characteristics
Type: destroyer
Displacement: 672–770 metric tons (741–849 short tons)[1]
Length:
  • 237 ft 11 in (72.52 m) (wl)[1]
  • 239 ft 6 in (73.00 m) (oa)
Beam: 24 ft (7.3 m)[1]
Draft: 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m)[1]
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 30 knots (56 km/h) designed[1]
  • 35.79 knots (66.28 km/h) maximum
Endurance:
  • 1,200 nmi (2,200 km) at 14 kn (26 km/h)[1]
  • 500 nmi (930 km) at 25 kn (46 km/h)
  • 350 nmi (650 km) at 30 kn (56 km/h)
Complement: 4–5 officers, 65–74 sailors[1]
Armament:

As built:

1 × 4.7 in (120 mm)/40[1]
4 × 3 in (76 mm)/40
2 × 17.7 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes

After refit:

5 × 4 in (100 mm)/35
1 × 40 mm (1.6 in)/39 AA gun
2 × 17.7 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes

Design and construction

The Indomito class was designed by Luigi Scaglia of Societa Pattison of Naples. The boats were the first large destroyers of the Règia Marina and the first fitted with steam turbines. The Indomito class were the first in the progression of Italian destroyers to be called either tre pipe or tre canne for their three funnels.[1][Note 2]

The ships were 237 feet 11 inches (72.52 m) at the waterline (239 feet 6 inches (73.00 m) overall) with a beam of 24 feet (7.3 m) and a draft of 7 feet 11 inches (2.41 m). They had twin shafts driven by two Tosi steam turbines that were fired by four Thornycroft boilers. The drivetrain was designed for a power output of 16,000 horsepower (12,000 kW) to move the ships at 30 knots (56 km/h), but had a maximum output of 17,620 shaft horsepower (13,140 kW) which propelled the ships at 35.79 knots (66.28 km/h).[1]

As built, the ships were armed with one 4.7 in (120 mm)/40 gun, four 3 in (76 mm)/40 guns, and two 17.7 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes. In 1914 they were augmented with an additional two torpedo tubes. During World War I, guide rails for laying up to ten mines were added to the ships. Later wartime changes replaced all the guns with five 4 in (100 mm)/35 and a single 40 mm (1.6 in)/39 AA gun. Oil capacity was also increased during the war from 100 metric tons (110 short tons) to 128 metric tons (141 short tons) in order to increase endurance, but the increased weight had the opposite effect: slowing the ships and reduced their endurance.[1]

Service career

All of the Indomito class saw action during World War I, with two of the ships, Impetuoso and Intrepido, sunk during the war. The remaining four ships all survived the war and were reclassified as torpedo boats in 1929. The remaining four ships were stricken 1937–38. Insidioso, however, was reinstated on 1 March 1941. Reduced to two funnels and rearmed, she served as a target ship, a convoy escort, and served in an anti-submarine warfare role. She was scuttled by her crew on 10 September 1943 at Pola, but was raised by the Germans who commissioned her as Wildfang on 8 November. Wildfang, the last surviving member of the Indomito class, was sunk by U.S. aircraft on 5 November 1944 after just under one year of German service.[1]

Regia Marina destroyer Impetuoso

Ships
  • Indomito (ID), launched 10 May 1912; stricken 11 July 1937
  • Impavido (IV), launched 22 March 1913; stricken 1 September 1937
  • Impetuoso, launched 23 July 1913; sunk 10 July 1916 by Austro-Hungarian U-boat U-17
  • Insidioso (IS), launched 30 September 1913; stricken 18 September 1938. Reinstated as a target ship and convoy escort on 1 March 1941 but scuttled at Pola on 10 September 1943; raised and renamed Wildfang by Germany, but sunk by U.S. aircraft on 5 November 1944
  • Intrepido, launched 7 August 1912; sunk 4 December 1915 by a mine from German U-boat UC-14
  • Irrequieto (IR), launched 12 December 1912; stricken 11 October 1937

See also

Media related to Indomito class destroyer at Wikimedia Commons

Notes
  1. Intrepido and Impetuoso were both sunk during World War I. Insidioso was stricken in 1938, but later refitted, captured by Germany, and sunk in November 1944.
  2. Future destroyers, until the 1921–22 Generali class, were also called tre pipe or tre canne. See: Gardiner, p. 268.

References
  1. Gardiner, pp. 268–69.

Bibliography
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8. OCLC 12119866.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
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