RN Attilio Regolo
Contents
Description
The RN Attilio Regolo, named after Marcus Atilius Regulus, was a ship of the Capitani Romani flotilla-leader class of light cruisers (emphasis on light), designed as a counter to the new large French destroyers coming into service. Attilio was laid down on the 28th of September 1939 and commissioned into the fleet on the 14th of May 1942. Attilio Regolo was tasked with minelaying and carried out such missions until the 7th of November 1942, when she was hit by a torpedo from the submarine HMS Unruffled, which blew off 18 metres of the bow, though did not sink it. Repairs were completed in La Spezia and she returned to service on the 8th of September 1943.
Due to the impending armistice with the Allies, Attilio was sent out to join up with a fleet of ships off Sardinia, which included the battleships Vittorio Veneto, Roma and Italia, with Roma promptly being bombed and sunk by the Luftwaffe in an attempt to stop them joining the Allies. Attilio picked up 17 survivors.
After the war, she was transferred to La Spezia, where she remained inactive pending the execution of the naval clauses of the Peace Treaty. She was decommissioned on the 26th of July 1948 and ceded to France, renamed Châteaurenault, and remained in service until the 1st of October 1962.
The Attilio Regolo, introduced with the initial Italian naval tree in Update "Starfighters", is a cruiser that is arguably closer in capabilities to a destroyer than a full sized cruiser. Its 135 mm guns, barely larger than most destroyer guns, are definitely capable of battering destroyers but have trouble when it comes to dealing critical damage to other cruisers. The anti-aircraft armament gives you good cover from air attacks, and its manoeuvrability and speed allow it to dodge enemy shells and torpedoes. However, its survivability is not the best, as it is very lightly armoured.
General info
Survivability and armour
The Attilio Regolo's hull lacks any substantial armour, with the design emphasizing speed instead. This leaves areas such as the engines, ammunition magazines, and the bridge susceptible to damage from even destroyers' shells. However, the front of the turrets are protected by 20 mm of armour, while the sides and roof are protected by 6 mm of armour. This protects the turrets from nearby explosions from destroyers' high explosive rounds, but direct hits will disable the ship's armament. The bridge is also surrounded by 15 mm of armour, which is not reliable in protecting the module.
The greatest threats to the survivability of the ship are the exposed torpedo tubes and spare torpedoes amidships and the highly exposed ammunition magazine under the 'X' turret. The former can detonate when hit and quickly incapacitate the ship, removing the use of almost every module past the bridge. However, this can be avoided by either firing off the torpedoes as soon as possible or not bringing them at all. The ammunition magazine will also detonate when hit, which will immediately destroy the ship. It is not possible to empty or redistribute the ammunition held here, and thus the only protection is to avoid getting hit there at all.
Mobility
Thanks to its four Thornycroft boilers and four Parsons turbines which together deliver 110,000 hp, the Attilio Regolo can reach a top speed of 72 km/h forward and a maximum reverse speed of -25 km/h. With these powerful engines the acceleration is also very good: it can reach top speed in about 30 seconds. Unfortunately, due to its length it does not excel in manoeuvrability, completing a full circle in 1 minute 25 seconds.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | Turn Time (s) | Turn Radius (m) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||||
| AB | Stock | 62 | 22 | ~148.35 | ~282.02 |
| Upgraded | 84 | 30 | ~77.93 | ~179.16 | |
| RB/SB | Stock | 62 | 22 | ~150.77 | ~286.61 |
| Upgraded | 72 | 26 | ~116.72 | ~263.16 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armament
Primary armament
The 8 x 135 mm/45 O.T.O Mod. 1938 are divided into 4 turrets allowing the ship to use at least half of its armament at any angle. The HE Dirompente is underwhelming with only 23 mm of penetration at any angle, and an explosive mass of 1.8 kg. This shell is unreliable and should be avoided after the APHEBC Perforante and the HE-TF Contro-aerea shells are unlocked. The APHEBC Perforante is the most reliable shell used on the Attilio Regolo with a penetration of 174 mm at 1,000 m, and an explosive mass of 1.47 kg. The HE-TF Contro-aerea shell shares almost all of its characteristics with the HE Dirompente, but has a time fuse added to it for use as an AA shell; with its versatility as an anti-air shell and as a normal HE shell, this is the second most reliable shell to have.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
| HE Dirompente | HE | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| APHEBC Perforante | APHEBC | 171 | 139 | 100 | 73 | 56 | 45 |
| HE-TF Contro-aerea | HE-TF | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HE Dirompente | HE | 825 | 32.42 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| APHEBC Perforante | APHEBC | 825 | 32.73 | 0.01 | 6 | 1.47 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| HE-TF Contro-aerea | HE-TF | 825 | 32.42 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Secondary armament
For secondary armament the Attilio Regolo is armed with 8 x 37 mm/54 Breda Mod.39 autocannons, and 4 x 20 mm/70 Scotti-Isotta Fraschini Mod.1939 autocannons in double mounts. These secondary autocannons are effective as anti-air under control of the AI, but will need to be used by the player if they want to be used to destroy torpedo boats effectively.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| HE-TF DA 37 c.a. | HEF-T* | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HE-TF DA 37 c.a. | HEF-T* | 800 | 0.83 | 0 | 0.1 | 30 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Additional armament
The 533 mm steam-turbined S.I. 270/533,4X7,2 Tipo M torpedoes have an explosive mass of 270 kg, and a range of 12 km at 74 km/h with torpedo mode enabled, while it goes 4 km at a speed of 93 km/h when the torpedo mode is disabled. The torpedoes are best used as a tool to force opponents to avoid areas such as channels. If the player does not use torpedoes often then it is recommended to not bring them as they can be destroyed as an external ammo rack causing catastrophic damage.
Usage in battles
The general gameplay of the Attilio Regolo is most similar to a destroyer then a light cruiser. The lack of meaningful armour means that it is fairly weak in a head-on engagement, but they can easily be avoided thanks to its incredible top speed. The ship has two general playstyles that fit it well, the first being a light brawler fighting for caps, and the second being a flanking support ship. The main threats to the Attilio Regolo are heavier cruisers than itself, such as the Emden and USS Trenton, as well as destroyers with higher rates of fire such as the USS Sumner or Tashkent. The best way to counter cruisers such as the Emden is by simply avoiding the conflict using the ships high speed and smoke, or by using the ship's decent torpedo loadout to destroy them when they are unaware of you. Destroyers can best be dealt with by using terrain to your advantage to protect yourself from incoming fire, and retaliate while in safety of islands. The most vulnerable spot of the Attilio Regolo is its extra torpedo storage in the middle of the ship, this can best be protected by keeping the bow of the ship centred on an enemy you are fighting. While being in a broadside allows the ship to bring more of its firepower to use, it also exposes the external torpedoes that can quickly be set off destroying the ship.
Basically, the RN Attilio Regolo is an excellent light support cruiser. It can provide an excellent anti-aircraft barrage with its effective 20 and 37 mm turrets. The Attilio Regolo can also provide support fire against small and medium-sized vessels making life easier for ships with longer reloading times. It is recommended to use this ship in the second and third line, supporting heavy cruisers and dreadnoughts, and even with good survivability the ship alone will not be as effective as when in a group.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High top speed
- Large number of torpedoes
- Effective turret layout with firing angles
- Mine-laying capability
- Effective anti-aircraft armament
Cons:
- Low survivability
- Lowest crew count of any cruiser
- Highly exposed ammunition magazines
- Low shell explosive fillers for the main guns' calibre
History
The Attilio Regolo is a light cruiser of the Capitani Romani class, laid down on Sept. 28, 1939, completed and commissioned on May 14, 1942, Attilio Regolo had no opportunity to participate in actual wartime missions, on Nov. 7, 1942 she departed the Port of Palermo to carry out the laying of a mine barrage, while she was laying mines at 10: 24 of Nov. 8 he was hit by a torpedo launched from the Submarine HMS Unruffled, whose torpedo striking destroyed almost the entire bow, was towed to the port of Palermo for repairs, however returned to activity only on Sept. 8, 1943 in Genoa, according to armistice provisions, was attached to the Eighth Division, on Sept. 9 arrived at the Gulf of Asinara, was sent to assist the survivors of the battleship Roma, whose was sunk after the second Fritz X headed on the main ammunition hold, the following day the Attilio Regolo arrived at Port Mahon in the Balearic Islands, where it remained until January 15, 1945, where on the same day it began repatriation to Taranto, where it arrived on January 23, after stopping 4 days in Algiers, Aggregated to the Seventh Division.
Since her return to Italy the Attilio Regolo carried out a total of 3 missions covering 1,962 Miles for 113 hours of motion, After the war she was transferred to La Spezia where she remained inactive pending the execution of the naval clauses of the Peace Treaty, She was Disbarred from the Naval Cadre on July 26, 1948 by Presidential Decree of December 3, 1948. She assumed the recognition mark R.4 and was Ceded to France, in the Port of Toulon, on August 1, 1948, Renamed Chateaurenault and remained in service until October 1, 1962, the date of her disbarment from the French Navy.
Devblog
During the 1930's, the Regia Marina was looking into building a type of 'ocean scout' vessel. Initially, the design work took inspiration from the Condottieri-class cruisers, but was soon abandoned in favor of a more compact and modern design. By the end of the decade however, the need for 'scout' vessels became somewhat redundant thanks to the advances in aviation and radar technology. As a result, the design was reclassified as a light cruiser and would serve as a flotilla leader.
Plans were made for the construction of 12 vessels of the 'Capitani Romani' class of light cruisers, all of which were laid down in various Italian shipyards in September and October of 1939. However, only three ships of the class would actually see completion while the others either had their construction cancelled or were later on captured in drydock by German forces.
One of the ships which did see completion is the Attilio Regolo, which entered service with the Regia Marina in May 1942. However, the ship's didn't see extensive service not only due to joining the war late, but also because it was hit by a torpedo from British submarine HMS Unruffled in November of the same year, getting severely crippled.
Postwar, Attilio Regolo was handed over to France in 1948 as war reparations and subsequently entered service with the French Navy as 'Châteaurenault'. The ship went on to serve with the French Navy until the early 1960's, before being decommissioned and sold for scrap in the 1970's.
Media
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See also
External links
| Odero-Terni-Orlando Company | |
|---|---|
| Destroyers | |
| Turbine-class | RN Turbine · RN Aquilone |
| Dardo-class | RN Dardo |
| Soldati-class | RN Corazziere · RN Aviere · RN Geniere |
| Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro-class | RN Comandante Margottini |
| Light Cruisers | |
| Condottieri-class | Kerch* · RN Duca degli Abruzzi |
| Capitani Romani-class | RN Attilio Regolo · Guichen** |
| Heavy Cruisers | |
| Trento-class | RN Trento |
| Zara-class | RN Zara · RN Pola |
| Battleships | |
| Conte di Cavour-class | RN Leonardo da Vinci*** |
| Export | Tashkent**** |
| See Also | OTO Melara |
| *RN Duca d'Aosta before war reparation to the USSR | |
| **RN Scipione Africano before war reparation to France | |
| ***Previously ‘’Cantieri navali Odero’’ in Genoa-Sestri Ponente | |
| ****Built for the USSR | |
| Italy light cruisers | |
|---|---|
| Condottieri-class | RN Bartolomeo Colleoni · RN Raimondo Montecuccoli · RN Eugenio di Savoia · RN Duca degli Abruzzi |
| Capitani Romani-class | RN Attilio Regolo |
| Etna-class | RN Etna |
