The Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro were a group of destroyers planned for the Italian Navy

Regia Marina

The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Twenty ships were ordered but none were launched by the time of the Italian Armistice.

Design

The ships were to be significantly larger than the previous Italian destroyers, such as the Soldati class. The armament was increased to four single 135 mm guns (similar to those used in the Capitani Romani class cruiser

Capitani Romani class cruiser

Capitani Romani was a class of light cruisers of the Italian navy. They were essentially designed to out-run and out-gun the large new French destroyers of the Fantasque and Mogador classes. Twelve hulls were ordered in late 1939, but only four were completed, just three of these before the...

s) in dual purpose mountings. Twelve 37 mm guns comprised the light AA armament and two fire control directors were to be fitted (with Gufo radar).

Ships

The ships were named after recipients of the Gold Medal of Military Valor

Gold Medal of Military Valor

The Gold Medal of Military Valor is an Italian medal established on 21 May 1793 by King Victor Amadeus III of Sardinia "....per bassi ufficiali e soldati che avevano fatto azioni di segnalato valore in guerra" .The face of the medal displayed the profile of the king, and on its reverse was a flag...

. A total of 20 ships were ordered in 1941 from:

• OTO Livorno - 6 ships
• CRDA Trieste - 8 ships
• CNR Ancona - 2 ships
• CT Riva Trigoso - 4 ships

Only 9 ships were laid down and the hulls were broken up by the Germans or destroyed by Allied bombing.