Pilo class
_crowned.svg){kind=small} Pilo class |
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|---|---|
 Ippolito Nievo 1929
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| overview | |
| Ship type : |
cacciatorpediniere destroyer 1929: torpediniere torpedo boat 1952: dragamine minesweeper |
| Units: | 8th |
| Builders: | 6: Odero , Sestri Ponente / Genoa 2: Pattison , Naples |
| Keel laying : | August 1913 to January 1914 |
| 1. Launch : | November 12, 1914 Francesco Nullo |
| 1. Commissioning: | May 1, 1915 Nullo |
| Use until: | 1958 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Displacement : | 770 ts last 615 ts standard 912 ts last 645 ts maximum |
| Length: | 73.0 m above sea level, 72.5 m pp. |
| Width: | 7.3 m |
| Draft : | up to 2.7 m |
| Drive : | 4 Thornycroft boilers 2 Tosi turbines 16,000 (14800) HP |
| Fuel supply: | 150 tons of oil |
| Speed : | 30 (29) kn |
| Range : | 2,000 nm at 14 kn |
| Crew : | 68-79 |
| Armament: | 6 × 76 mm L / 40 guns 4 × 457 mm torpedo tubes 10 sea mines |
| Armament from 1921: | 5 × 102 mm L / 35 guns 2 × 40 mm L / 39 guns 2 × 6.5 mm L / 80 machine guns 4 × 457 mm torpedo tubes 10 sea mines |
| Armament from 1941: | 2 x 102-mm-L / 35-guns 6 x 20 mm Breda - automatic cannons 2 x 457 mm torpedo tubes 2 x water bomb thrower |
| Armament from 1952: | 1 × 102 mm L / 30 gun. 2–4 × 20 mm automatic cannons. 2 depth charges |
The Pilo class was a class of eight relatively small destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina . It was the first of four classes of boats built between 1913 and 1919 of almost the same size, which differed only in terms of their armament. The eight boats of the Pilo class from 1913 were followed by the Sirtori class from 1916 with four boats, the La Masa class from 1916 with eight boats and finally the Cantore - or Generali class from 1919 with six boats. They all displaced between 615 and 709 tons (standard), were 73–73.5 m long and 7.3 m wide and had three chimneys.
All four classes were reclassified to torpedo boats on October 1, 1929 .
Technical specifications
The Pilo class was a further development of the Indomito class from 1912, the first Italian turbine-powered destroyers, by the Odero shipyard . Their main artillery was of uniform caliber , and the range was increased by a larger bunker capacity . Seven boats of the class were in 1913 placed Kiel , the eighth in January 1914. Six boats were at Cantieri Odero in Sestri Ponente built, the other two at Cantieri Pattison in Naples . The commissioning took place in the months of May 1915 to January 1916.
The boats were 73.0 m long (72.5 m in the waterline ) and 7.3 m wide and had a maximum draft of 2.7 m . Their water displacement was 770 t (standard) and 912 t (maximum). The machinery consisted of four oil-fired Thornycroft - boilers and two Tosi - steam turbines , 16,000 hp delivered; the Antonio Mosto and Francesco Nullo , which had been built at Cantiere Pattison in Naples, had only 14,800 hp. The ships had two waves . The top speed when commissioned was 30 knots (the Antonio Mosto and Francesco Nullo were 29 knots), but at the beginning of World War II it had dropped to just 25 knots. The bunker capacity was 150 tons of oil, the range 1200 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 14 knots. The crew numbered 69 to 79 men.
Armament
The units of the Pilo-class were originally armed with six 76-mm-L / 40-Kanonen-M.1897 from Ansaldo and four individual torpedo tubes. Two of the cannons were intended for air defense. In addition, the ships could carry up to ten sea mines .
After the First World War, the 76 mm guns were exchanged for five 102 mm L / 35 cannons M.1914 Schneider- Armstrong until 1925. There were also two 40-mm cannon L / 40 of Vickers Terni for anti-aircraft and two 6.5mm Mannlicher-Carcano - MGs (upgraded Colt-Browning M1895) on board.
From October 1929, the units of the Pilo class and the aforementioned similar classes were classified as torpedo boats .
In 1941/42 the armament of the five remaining boats of the Pilo class was modified by reducing the number of 10.2 cm guns and torpedo tubes in favor of increased anti-aircraft armament. It then consisted of two 10.2 cm cannons and six 20 mm L / 65 flak from Breda, as well as two 45 cm torpedo tubes and two depth charges .
Three boats survived the war. The Rosolino Pilo was retired and scrapped in 1954. The Giuseppe Cesare Abba and the Antonio Mosto were reclassified as rapid minesweepers in 1953 and converted accordingly. With two La Masa- class boats , they were referred to as the Giuseppe Cesare Abba- class . The armament of the boats still in service consisted of a 102 mm L / 30 gun and two (later four) 20 mm Oerlikon automatic cannons and two depth charge launchers. In addition, these boats now had radar and a mine clearing gear .
Mission history
When Italy joined the Entente on 24 May 1915, the Francesco Nullo was the first boat of the class to be in service with the 1st destroyer squadron in Brindisi for a few weeks alongside Animoso , Audace , Ardente , Ardito . These destroyers were variants of the Indomito class that were built near Orlando in Livorno between 1912 and 1914 . With Rosolino Pilo , Giuseppe Cesare Abba , Antonio Mosto , Ippolito Nievo and Simone Schiaffino , five other boats of the class came into service by the end of the year.
1915
On August 6, 1915, Pilo k.uk rammed SM U 12 in the Gulf of Venice. The severely damaged submarine sank two days later after a mine hit with the entire crew; U 12 was the first Austro-Hungarian submarine that was lost in the war.
On August 12, 1915, the kuk SM U 3 was rammed east of Brindisi after an unsuccessful torpedo attack by the Italian auxiliary cruiser Città di Catania (1910, 3355 GRT) and damaged the periscope. Unable to dive, U 3 tried to escape towards the Dalmatian coast. The alarmed destroyers Abba , Mosto and the French Bisson searched the submarine in three sectors. U 3 was discovered by the Bisson on the afternoon of August 13th and sunk by artillery fire because the commander refused to surrender . The Italian destroyers did not arrive until after the sinking.
On December 6, 1915, Nievo , which came into service in October, was under the command of Prince Ferdinando di Savoia (1884–1963) to secure a troop transport from Taranto to Valona with the scouts Quarto and Guglielmo Pepe , the auxiliary cruiser Città di Catania , the mine layers Partenope and Minerva , the destroyer Borea and the sister ships Abba and Nullo . 6,700 men with 1,200 animals were transferred on four transporters.
On the night of December 12, the Schiaffino , which came into service in November, led two transporters with supplies from Brindisi to Durazzo with the Ardito , which the destroyers also escorted back after unloading.
At midnight on December 28, 1915, the rapid cruiser Helgoland and five destroyers of the Tátra class left Kotor. At about 2.30 a.m. they met the French submarine Monge and sank it. Four destroyers fired at Durazzo to prevent the Italian troops from withdrawing towards Vakona . However, since they were targeted by two guns outside the city, they retreated together and got into a minefield. The destroyer Lika sank, the Triglav was badly damaged and towed by the Tatras . Under the protection of Heligoland and the destroyers Csepel and Balaton , the Austrians withdrew towards Kotor. When the news of the enemy attack reached Brindisi, the cruisers Dartmouth , Quarto , Nino Bixio and Weymouth with five French and four Italian destroyers ( Abba , Pilo , Mosto , Nievo of the Pilo class) set out for the retreat of the Austrian naval Group to prevent. At 1 p.m. Dartmouth , Quarto and the French destroyers sighted the Austrians, who now gave up the severely damaged Triglav and tried to escape westwards. Taking advantage of the darkness, Heligoland and the three destroyers then ran northwest to Bari and then escaped to Sebenico .
1916
In 1916, the Pilo- class destroyers, along with other Italian and French destroyers and British cruisers, secured convoys to Albania. In addition, the destroyers secured missions of light units along the Dalmatian coast.
On May 3, 1916 went Nullo and Giuseppe Missori with the Scouts / esploratori Pepe and Cesare Rossarol the Poeri class to sea to the destroyer Zeffiro and fuciliere to ensure that before Sebenico a minefield laid. Off the coast, the Italians securing discovered four Huszár-class destroyers and six Kuk torpedo boats on the way to Pula. The Italians tried to catch up with the Austro-Hungarian boats, repelled the attacks by three seaplanes and gave up the chase when support for the persecuted unit ran out from Pula. Many advances by the Italian destroyers followed a similar pattern, the speed of which was seldom sufficient to place enemy units before reinforcements could intervene.
On August 2, 1916, the British cruiser Liverpool , the Italian cruiser Nino Bixio and the Italian destroyers Nievo , Pilo , Abba , Mosto , Ardente and Indomito managed to confront the Austro-Hungarian combat group that had shot at Molfetta . After a 45-minute firefight, the Austro-Hungarian destroyers Warasdiner and Wildfang and the Rapidkreuzer Aspern protecting them were able to escape without damage or loss.
Late in the evening of December 22nd, 1916, Abba , Pilo and Nievo left Brindisi to confront four Huszàr class destroyers ( snipers , Dinara , Reka and Velebit ) at Cape Rodoni that had advanced against the Otranto barrier . After a battle with the French destroyers Casque , Commandant Riviére , Boutefeu , Dehorter and Bory of the Bouclier class as well as the Protet , the Kuk destroyers were on their way back to Kotor . The Italian destroyers did not find the attackers, but met the French unit. The Allies could not coordinate their maneuvers properly: Casque collided with the Abba and the Boutefeu was able to avoid Pilo and Nievo only to be rammed by Abba . The three damaged ships reached Brindisi.
1917
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When Austro-Hungarian units attacked the Otranto barrier on the night of May 15, 1917, the biggest battle between units of the Entente and the retreating units of the Austro-Hungarian Navy took place that day . The Allied units that left Brindisi in the early hours of the morning to face the attackers included the Pilo , Schiaffino and Mosto of the Pilo class in addition to the British light cruisers Dartmouth and Bristol .
The pursuit battle against the rapid cruisers Saida , Helgoland and Novara was fought almost alone by the Dartmouth , as the French and Italian destroyers struggled to follow the British cruiser and the retreating Austrians and mostly stayed outside their own weapons range in order to be able to intervene . Only the Giovanni Acerbi of the Sirtori class got into the fire area of the Rapidkreuzer in the final phase because it did not recognize the withdrawal signal of the Italian commander.
On October 19, 1917, there was a similar battle in pursuit when the Helgoland made another similar advance with six destroyers and tried to lure the pursuing Allies into the firing range of two submarines. In addition to three British cruisers, three French destroyers and other Italian esploratori and destroyers, Bronzetti , Pilo , Nievo , Missori and Mosto of the Pilo class were among the pursuers who were also attacked by Austrian aircraft. After the unsuccessful pursuit was broken off, all Italian units returned to their ports undamaged.
In addition to these missions, the destroyers stationed in Brindisi continued to be used in convoy security and supported the use of light units and aircraft against enemy bases on the east side of the Adriatic. The Giuseppe Cesare Abba stationed in Venice was on similar missions in the upper Adriatic. When trying to provide kuk units, she was not actively involved in any combat.
1918
In the following year, the ships of the class supported various operations without major skirmishes with enemy units. Shortly before the end of the war, the eight units of the Pilo class were distributed among the following destroyer squadrons: The 1st squadron in Venice included the Abba and Nullo The 3rd squadron with Missori and Pilo was also stationed in Venice . The remaining units ( Nievo , Mosto , Schiaffino and Bronzetti ) belonged to the 4th Squadron in Brindisi.
When the armistice with Austria-Hungary was signed on November 3, 1918, the Giuseppe Missori was one of the destroyers who immediately occupied Trieste for Italy, which according to the agreements between the Allies might not fall to Italy. On the same day the Abba took possession of the nearby Porec with two small torpedo boats , where the boats were greeted enthusiastically by the predominantly Italian population.
On November 5, Pilo , Missori and Abba were among the Italian units that landed troops of specialists in the Kuk naval port of Pula to take control of the ships and the port.
In November 1918, the Schiaffino around Sebenico was used to secure Italian interests and a detachment landed on the island of Zuri . At the end of the month, the Abba secured the transport of Austrian, German and Polish soldiers on transports from Rijeka to Venice.
1919 to 1929
On the Italian side there was in large parts a dissatisfaction with the results of the war, for which the poet Gabriele d'Annunzio coined the word "mutilated victory" ( vittoria mutilata ). In September 1919, d'Annunzio occupied a group of rioters, the so-called Arditi , as well as parts of the regular Italian army Fiume in contravention of the armistice agreement. Still in negotiations with the Italian government d'Annunzio used with some close associates on 14 November Nullo the Pilo class to a visit to the Italian Admiral Enrico Millo , the (self-proclaimed) Governor of Dalmatia, Zara , who is also the Advocated annexation of large parts of Dalmatia. Since the Italian government did not sanction d'Annunzio's move, he formed the Repubblica del Carnaro , of which he became head of state and which anticipated many forms of future fascist states.
The first Italian warship was on 7/8. October 1919 the destroyer Agostino Bertani, which had just come into service, joined the rebels. On December 8, 1919, the Nullo also ran to Fiume and submitted to d'Annunzio. With the signing of the Rapallo Border Treaty on November 12, 1920, the Italian government opposed the annexation of Fiume and began to blockade the city. On the night of December 7, 1920, parts of the crews of the destroyers Bronzetti of the Pilo class and the Espero mutinied and ran over to the rebels with their ships. D'Annunzio declared war on Italy on December 21st, after which the battleship Andrea Doria bombarded the dictator's palace and troops loyal to the government occupied Fiume during the "Bloody Christmas" from December 24th to December 30th, 1920 and ended d'Annunzio's republic.
In January 1921 the defected destroyers returned to Pula, lost their names, which were deleted from the fleet lists. The four destroyers were put back into service on January 16, 1921 with new names: Francesco Nullo became the Fratelli Cairoli ; Pilade Bronzetti became Giuseppe Dezza .
By 1925, all ships of the class underwent re-armament from 76 mm to five 102 mm cannons, received two 40 mm automatic cannons for defense against aircraft and displaced 800 to 900 tons after the re-armament. As the last unit, the Dezza was converted from October 1923 to 1925 in the arsenal of Taranto.
On the morning of August 6, 1928, a serious accident occurred between Porec and Pula during an exercise of the V Flottiglia Cacciatorpediniere with submarines. The lead boat Abba recognized the attacking submarine F 14, which was under water very close to the formation. The following Giuseppe Missori recognized the boat too late and rammed it. The submarine sank immediately with the entire crew, from which no one could break free from the boat.
On October 1, 1929, all Pilo-class units were downgraded to torpedo boats.
1930 until joining the war
In the 1930s, the Pilo-class torpedo boats remained in service with the Italian Navy, although the latter also had new torpedo boats built.
During the Spanish Civil War, boats of the Sicilian ports class also checked merchant ships in the Strait of Sicily to see if they had cargo on board for the warring Spanish parties.
In 1938, the Nievo was the first unit in the class to be separated and scrapped.
When Italy then took part in the war on the side of the German Reich from June 1940 onwards, the seven units of the class that were still in existence were distributed over three torpedo boat squadrons: The V Squadriglia Torpediniere in Augusta in Sicily were Abba , Schiaffino and Dezza in addition to La Farina and the assigned to modern submarine hunters Albatros . The VI Squadriglia Torpediniere in Taranto had Pilo and Missori in addition to Stocco and Sirtori . The IX Squadriglia Torpediniere in La Maddalena in Sardinia used Mosto and Cairoli alongside the modern boats Cassiopea and Canopo . The boats were used for surveillance tasks and for escort security.
Whereabouts of the boats
One boat, the Ippolito Nievo , was taken out of service and scrapped in 1938. The remainder, although now outdated, provided security and escort services during the Second World War .
War losses
Two boats were lost in service with the Regia Marina in 1940/41. The Fratelli Cairoli (ex Francesco Nullo ) ran on December 23, 1940 on a journey from Benghazi to Tripoli off Misrata on a mine laid by the British submarine Rorqual and sank. Of the 71 men on board, 43 were rescued. The Simone Schiaffino ran into an Italian mine on April 24, 1941 off the coast of Tunisia near Cap Bon and sank within a few minutes. 36 crew members survived the rapid sinking of the boat.
Losses under the German flag
The Giuseppe Dezza (ex Pilade Bronzetti ) was after the Italian surrender in early September 1943 by its crew in Fiume scuttled by the German Navy raised again on 16 September 1943 and after repairs on 9 June 1944 as TA 35 put into service. It ran into a German mine on August 17, 1944 between Brijuni and Rovinj in the Fasana Canal north of Pola , broke in two and sank immediately; there were 71 dead.
The Giuseppe Missori was confiscated by the Navy on September 10, 1943 in Durazzo and put into service as TA 22 , badly damaged in an air raid southeast of Trieste on June 25, 1944 and no longer repaired. Decommissioned on August 11, 1944, the partly cannibalized boat was blown up on May 2, 1945 in Muggia near Trieste. The wreck was scrapped in 1949.
Last units
Three boats survived the war and were taken over by the Marina Militare . The Rosolino Pilo was retired and scrapped in 1954. The Giuseppe Cesare Abba and the Antonio Mosto were reclassified as rapid minesweepers in 1953 and converted accordingly. With two La Masa- class boats , they were referred to as the Giuseppe Cesare Abba- class. The Giuseppe Cesare Abba was retired in September 1958, the Antonio Mosto in December of the same year.
Units of class
| Name & ID | Bw | Keel laying | Launch | in service | Whereabouts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Francesco Nullo 1921: Fratelli Cairoli (CL) |
Pa | 24.09.1913 | 11/12/1914 | May 1, 1915 | On December 23, 1940 in front of Misrata ran on mine laid by the British submarine Rorqual and sank |
|
Rosolino Pilo (PL) M5336 |
Od | 08/19/1913 | March 24, 1915 | 05/26/1915 | Retired in 1954 |
|
Giuseppe Cesare Abba (AB) M5330 |
Od | 08/19/1913 | May 25, 1915 | July 6, 1915 | Converted into a mine sweeper in 1953, retired in September 1958 |
|
Antonio Mosto (MO, MT) M5335 |
Pa | 10/9/1913 | May 20, 1915 | 07/07/1915 | Converted into a mine sweeper in 1953; retired in December 1958 |
|
Ippolito Nievo (NV) |
Od | 08/19/1913 | 07/24/1915 | October 1, 1915 | Retired in April 1938 |
|
Simone Schiaffino (SF, SH) |
Od | 09/12/1913 | 09/11/1915 | November 7, 1915 | On April 24, 1941 ran into an Italian mine off the coast of Tunisia and sank |
|
Pilade Bronzetti 1921: Giuseppe Dezza (BR), (DZ) |
Od | 09/12/1913 | 10/26/1915 | 01/01/1916 | Sunk in Fiume in September 1943; salvaged by the Navy and put into service on June 9, 1944 as TA 35 ; Sank on August 17, 1944 after being hit by mines in the Fasana Canal near Pola |
|
Giuseppe Missori (MS) |
Od | 01/19/1914 | December 20, 1915 | March 7, 1916 | Taken into possession of the Navy on September 10, 1943 in Durazzo and put into service as TA 22 ; Badly damaged in a British air raid southeast of Trieste on June 25, 1944; Blasted on May 2, 1945 in Trieste |
Od = Cantieri Odero, Sestri Ponente; Pa = Cantieri Pattison, Naples
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNIT_4-35_m1914.htm
- ^ Halpern: World War I , p. 162
- ^ Halpern: World War I , p. 163
- ↑ next to Ardito and Audace
- ^ Next to Fabrizi, La Masa
- ↑ next to Animoso , Ardente , Bassini , Carini
- ^ Italian Navy Organization, Distribution of destroyers
- ↑ Rohwer; Sea War , April 24, 1941 Mediterranean Sea
- ^ Rohwer: Sea War , June 24-25, 1944 Mediterranean / Adriatic
- ↑ Rohwer: naval warfare , 29.4.- 5.2.1945 Mediterranean / Adriatic
literature
- Paul G. Halpern: A Naval History of World War I. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1995, ISBN 1-55750-352-4 .
- MJ Whitley: Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 2000, ISBN 0-87021-326-1 .