Freccia class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Freccia class destroyer was a class of destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s built for the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
, the Italian Royal Navy, in the 1930s. It was basically an enlarged version of the earlier Turbine class
Turbine class destroyer
Turbine class was a class of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the late 1920s. They were essentially larger versions of the earlier .- Turbine class ships :*Aquilone -...
destroyers. Four modified ships were built and delivered in 1933 for Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Italian Navy
- RN
- Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente,
- Launched September 6, 1930 - completed 25 January 1932
- Captured by the GermansKriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
and renamed TA31Torpedoboot AuslandThe 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-TA 1 to TA 6:...
. Scuttled on April 24, 1945.- RN
- Built by CT Riva Trigioso,
- launched August 3, 1930 - completed 21 October 1931
- During the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, on 15 August 1937, she torpedoed and damaged the PanamanianPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
tanker George McKnight off TunisTunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
. - Sunk on August 8, 1943 off GenoaGenoaGenoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
by bombing.- RN
- built by CT Riva Trigioso,
- launched January 17, 1932 - completed 10 May 1932
- During the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, on 11 August 1937, she torpedoed and sank the Spanish RepublicanSecond Spanish RepublicThe Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
tanker Campeador in the strait of SicilyStrait of SicilyThe Strait of Sicily is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia. It is about wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea from the eastern Mediterranean. Its maximum depth is ....
. - Sunk by a mine on February 3, 1943.
- RN
- Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente,
- launched March 26, 1931 - completed 6 February 1932
- Rammed and sunk British submarine HMS OdinHMS Odin (N84)HMS Odin was an O-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by HM Dockyard at Chatham in Kent on 23 June 1927, launched on 5 May 1928 and commissioned on 21 December 1929....
on 14 June 1940. Beached herself on June 21, 1942 near Cape Bon and was finished off by torpedoes from British submarine .
Hellenic Navy
The Greek Navy ordered four destroyers from Italy in 1929 to a modified design as the Kondouriotis class. The chief difference with the Italian ships was the substitution of four single 120 mm guns (Ansaldo Model 1926) for the twin turrets used in the Italian Navy ships.- RHS -
- Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente, launched 21 October 1931, Commissioned November 1932
- Sunk by German aircraft, April 22, 1941.
- RHS -
- Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente, Commissioned May 1933
- Served during World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
, decommissioned in 1946, Scrapped 1947.- RHS
- Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente, Commissioned May 1933
- sunk by German aircraft, April 20, 1941.
- RHS -
- built by Odero, Sestri Ponente, Launched 29 August 1931, Commissioned November 1932
- served during World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
, decommissioned and scrapped in 1946.
The two surviving ships; Spetsai and Kondouriotis fought with the Free Greek Navy in the Eastern Meditarranean until late 1943 when they were laid in in Port Said, Egypt because these Italian built ships could not be maintained through lack of spare pars and because their crews were needed for new ships provided to the Free Greek Navy by Britain.