Soldati (Family)

Description

The Soldati-class were a group of 19 destroyers built for the Regia Marina.

Vehicles

Rank III

• RN Aviere - 1° Serie, 1940
• RN Geniere - 1° Serie, 1942
• RN Corazziere - 1° Serie, 1943

History

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The Soldati-class destroyers brought to completion a series of attempts by the Regia Marina to build a type of destroyer that would be valid to operate together with battleships and cruisers in missions to counter adversary naval forces, and also to act jointly with the fast torpedo boats of the Spica class in night torpedoing actions in the restricted waters of the Sicilian Channel. The Regia Marina during the 1930s tried in various ways to create a more efficient class of destroyers than those already in service, and there were several attempts. The first attempts were made in 1929 with the setting of the Freccia class destroyers, which, although they were a step forward in comparison with the Turbine class destroyers (especially from the point of view of autonomy and maneuverability) did not give the desired results, since they had to be made considerably heavier in the dead work to improve their lateral stability and seaworthiness. In 1931 four Maestrale class destroyers were set, which took the general characteristics of the Freccia class, eliminated most of the defects of the previous class, resulting in a destroyer with satisfactory characteristics for the Regia Marina.

The most pronounced feature of these destroyers was their high speed, which, at trials, with light displacement, far exceeded 38 knots contracted to touch 41.3 knots with the RN LIBECCIO. However, in practice, this speed proved to be entirely fictitious, as the Maestrale class, with operating displacements on the 2,000-ton mark, failed to make more than 36 knots, and even in war, after the installation of new equipment and weapons, they did not exceed 32 knots.

Between 1935 and 1936, construction began on the 4 units of the Oriani class, almost complete replicas of the Maestrale class, but with greater installed power that enabled them not to register the marked decreases in speed of the previous class under practical operating conditions. In 1937, the first 12 units of the Soldati class were laid down, partly replicating the names of destroyers of 1905.

The first 12 units are Soldati Class 1°Serie. The units were built (in parentheses the time elapsed between setting and delivery, in years and months): CAMICIA NERA (1y+5mo), AVIERE (1y+7mo), ARTIGLIERE (1y+9mo), GENIERE (1y+4mo), CORAZZIERE (1y+4mo) and ASCARI (1y+5mo) from the OTO shipyard in Livorno; CARABINIERE (1y+10m) and LANCIERE (2y) from Cantieri Navali del Tirreno in Riva Trigoso; FUCILIERE (1y+8mo) and ALPINO (1y +11mo) from the Cantieri Navali Riuniti in Ancona; GRANATIERE (1y+9mo) and BERSAGLIERE (1y+11mo) from the Cantieri Navali Riuniti in Palermo.

All 1°Serie Soldier-class destroyers were delivered between June 1938 and the last soldati class (RN Ascari) in May 1939. After the outbreak of the conflict, it was decided to build a second series of seven units, bringing the overall total to 19.

The last 7 units are Soldati Class 2°Serie MITRAGLIERE (16) and BOMBARDIERE (21), from the Cantieri Navali Riuniti of Ancona; LEGIONARIO (16, CORSARO (16), VELITE (16), CARRISTA and SQUADRISTA, from the OTO of Livorno.

The RN CARRISTA was never launched, as she had to give up her stern to the RN VELITE and her bow to the RN CARABINIERE, both of which were torpedoed by British submarines. The RN SQUADRISTA, on the other hand, was in the process of being outfitted when, after the armistice, it was captured by the Germans who towed it to Genoa, but still failed to complete it because it was sunk during an Allied air raid. The remaining five units entered service between February (MITRAGLIERE) and August (VELITE) 1942.