The Sirena-class submarines were the second sub-class of the 600 Series of coastal submarines built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during the early 1930s. Of the dozen boats built of this class, only one survived World War II.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Regis Marina |
| Preceded by | Argonauta class |
| Succeeded by | Perla class |
| Built | 1931–1934 |
| In commission | 1933–1948 |
| Completed | 12 |
| Lost | 11 |
| Scrapped | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 60.18 m (197 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 6.45 m (21 ft 2 in) |
| Draft | 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Armament |
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Design and description
editThe Sirena class was an improved and enlarged version of the preceding Argonauta-class submarines. They displaced 691 metric tons (680 long tons) surfaced and 850 metric tons (837 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 61.5 meters (201 ft 9 in) long, had a beam of 5.7 meters (18 ft 8 in) and a draft of 4.7 meters (15 ft 5 in). Their crew numbered 45 officers and enlisted men.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 675-brake-horsepower (503 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 400-horsepower (298 kW) electric motor. They could reach 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) underwater.[2] On the surface, the Sirena class had a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph);[1] submerged, they had a range of 72 nmi (133 km; 83 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).[2]
The boats were armed with six 53.3-centimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern for which they carried a total of 12 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun forward of the conning tower for combat on the surface. The anti-aircraft armament consisted of two or four 13.2-millimeter (0.52 in) machine guns.[1]
Ships
editSOURCES [1][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ametista | Odero-Terni-Orlando, Muggiano | 16 September 1931 | 26 April 1933 | 1 April 1934 | Scuttled 12 September 1943 |
| Anfitrite | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone | 11 July 1931 | 5 August 1933 | 22 March 1934 | Sunk 6 March 1941 |
| Diamante | Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto | 11 May 1931 | 21 May 1933 | 18 November 1933 | Sunk 20 June 1940 |
| Galatea | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone | 18 July 1931 | 5 October 1933 | 25 June 1934 | Struck 1 February 1948 |
| Naiade | 9 May 1931 | 27 March 1933 | 14 November 1933 | Sunk 14 December 1940 | |
| Nereide | 30 May 1931 | 25 May 1933 | 18 February 1934 | Sunk 13 July 1943 | |
| Ondina | 25 July 1931 | 2 December 1933 | 19 September 1934 | Sunk 11 July 1942 | |
| Rubino | Cantieri navali del Quarnaro, Fiume | 26 September 1931 | 29 March 1933 | 21 March 1934 | Sunk 29 June 1940 |
| Sirena | Cantieri Reuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone | 1 May 1931 | 26 January 1933 | 2 October 1933 | Scuttled 9 September 1943 |
| Smeraldo | Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto | 25 May 1931 | 23 July 1933 | 29 November 1933 | Lost ca. 25 September 1941 |
| Topazio | Cantieri navali del Quarnaro, Fiume | 26 September 1931 | 15 May 1933 | 26 April 1934 | Sunk 12 September 1943 |
| Zaffiro | Odero-Terni-Orlando, Muggiano | 16 September 1931 | 28 June 1933 | 4 June 1934 | Sunk 9 June 1942 |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d Chesneau, p. 309
- ^ a b Bagnasco, p. 148
- ^ uboat.net Ametista (AA) Ametista Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Anfitrite (AN) Anfitrite Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Diamante (DI) Diamante Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Galatea (GT, N.71) Galatea Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Naiade (NA) Naiade Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Nereide 1(NE) Nereide Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Ondina (ON) Ondina Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Rubino (RU) Rubino Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Sirena (SI) Sirena Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Smeraldo (SD) Smeraldo Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Topazio (TP) Topazio Accessed 1 May 2022
- ^ uboat.net Zaffiro (ZA) Zaffiro Accessed 1 May 2022
References
edit- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
- Brescia, Maurizio (2012). Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Frank, Willard C. Jr. (1989). "Question 12/88". Warship International. XXVI (1): 95–97. ISSN 0043-0374.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
External links
edit- Regia Marina The Italian Navy in World War II