Submarine type 600

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The 600-ton type (also called the 600-ton class ) was a series of Italian submarines . Between 1932 and 1942, the Italian Navy put 59 boats in the five-class series into service, and more were exported to Brazil and Argentina . These were very maneuverable but not particularly fast "coastal submarines" of medium range, which displaced between 665 and 715 tons over water . In contrast to the high-sea or long-haul boats that displace up to 2,000 tons, they were mainly used in the Mediterranean .

Building history

At the London Naval Conference in 1930, the leading maritime powers agreed on restrictions on submarine construction. A distinction was made between small coastal boats, which should not displace more than 600 tons, and deep-sea boats up to a displacement of 2,000 tons. In Italy, the large ocean-going boats were intended for use against hostile supply links in the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic , where they also operated from Bordeaux during the Second World War . The smaller coastal submarines were thought to be particularly suitable for the Mediterranean . Since in 1930 only restrictions on total tonnage and type tonnage were set, but not on the number of units, it was considered useful to build a relatively large number of smaller boats. On the basis of these framework conditions and planning, the five classes of the 600-tonne type were created in Italy. Similar programs existed at the same time in other countries, although, as in Italy, the 600-tonne limit was usually slightly exceeded.

The Italian 600-ton type was the result of the work of the marine engineer Bernardis, who in the 1920s had already built single-hulled boats with a displacement of between 880 and 1,000 tons with the Pisani class , the Bandiera class and the Squalo class . From 1930 onwards, the somewhat smaller boats of the 600 type emerged from the Squalo class. In view of the small numbers that were built in Italy by the different classes, the fact that a total of 59 boats of the 600-ton type were built in five classes (or "series") was exceptional. Technically, they were among the most sophisticated Italian boats of World War II. Nevertheless, they also suffered in part from the economic autarky advocated by Mussolini , the general lack of raw materials and the resulting use of inferior quality materials. During the war, as with many other Italian submarine classes, it became inevitable to convert and reduce the size of the towers of the boats. Before 1940, the Italian operational doctrine only provided for underwater attacks , which is why no special emphasis was placed on low silhouettes and short immersion times.

Classes

The submarine type 600 is often also referred to as the submarine class 600 , whereby the various construction lots are then also considered classes, although they are sub-classes or "series". In order to avoid confusion, the individual subclasses, generally referred to as classes in the literature, are subsumed under the umbrella term type . The boats of the individual classes were usually built at different shipyards and for this reason divided into groups.

class number Displacement (surfaced) period of service
Argonauta class 7th 665 ts 1932-1948
Sirena class 12 701 ts 1933-1948
Perla class 10 700 ts 1936-1948
Adua class 17th 698 ts 1937-1947
Acciaio class 13 715 ts 1941-1966

The Acciaio class is also called the Platino class .

See also

literature

  • Erminio Bagnasco: Submarines in World War II , Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart, 5th edition 1996, ISBN 3-613-01252-9 .
  • Robert Jackson: Submarines . Gondromverlag, Bindlach, 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1874-3 .

Web links