Palestro class destroyer

Regia Marina -4 destroyers: Palestro, Confienza, San Martino, Solferino. Built 1917-1922, interwar, ww2 (1922-44)

The Palestro-class were four destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina laid down in 1917 but only completed postwar, in 1921-22. They were initially designed in 1915, based on the Audace-class destroyer and quite different from the usual “tre pipe”. Eight were ordered, but shortages halved this four and the remainder laid down postwar (Curtatone class). Built at the Orlando shipyard in Livorno they were a game changer in size and speed, having four main guns instead of three. In 1938 (ten years after the “tre pipe”) they were re-rated as torpedo boats and took an active part in WW2, two sunk in 1940, one scuttled in 1944 and another ran aground after a battle while in German hands as TA18. Their design was enlarged and became the Sella-class destroyers.

Development

There are no much to find about their initial development. The base was clear-cut however. This was the prewar 2-funneled first Audace class, to to confuse with the latter Audace (ii) launched in 1916 was easily considered also one the best Italian destroyer of WWI. The second Audace paradoxically was built at UK at Yarrow Scotstoun for the Japanese Navy as Kawakaze, an Urakaze class ship to take part in Mediterranean Operations. But the first class was built at the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando in Livorno, adopting new Swiss built Escher-Wiss (Zoelly) steam turbines. If somewhat poor steamer, they were fast and well armed, and the admiralty wanted in 1915 a successor to this class.

The design for the successors of Audace(i) and Indomito was developed by the same yard at Orlando Fratelli in 1915, and they differed hardly in their silhouette but having larger dimensions, a much stretched forecastle and two funnels instead of three. They were supposed to develop 18,000 hp ensuring a top speed of 32 knots. Apart for the silhouette they were still clsoe to last “tre pipe” of 3rd and 4th groups.

In the end of 1915, the design as approved and no less than eight of the Palestro class were ordered. They were all named after long one ironclads of the beginnings of the Regia Marina. But if scheduled for completion at first in 1917, they were laid down much later than anticipated in April 1917. The main reasons was that Orlando yards were already stack full or orders, and in addition lacked manpower and resources, redirected to the army. The early 1916 keel laying was delayed by a full year, and delays accumulated.
After a while, acute shortage of shipbuilding steel and other strategic materials called for a complete suspension without resuming date given in 1918. Four more were cancelled, then reinstated much later as the modified Curtatone class. The remaining four still in cosntruction were built slowly with whatever was available at the yard and were launched in 1919-1920, completed in a difficult context and commissioned in 1921-22.

But taken as a whole and despite being based on a 1912 design, the 1920 Palestro class appeared way more successful than “three-funnelers”.
They were not true “game changers” however, albeit having an extra gun, being beefier, faster, longer range than the “tre pipe”.
The next Curtatone laid down, still at Orlando in 1920, were near-sisters in hull and silhouette, but very different in so many aspects, notably instead of two twin torpedo tubes banks on either side and a four single gun arrangement, the Curtatone had two triple tubes banks (still with the puny 450 mm torpedoes) in axis, and two main guns in twin mounts fore and aft, really the configuration retained for all Italian interwar destroyers.

Design of the class

No plans found yet.

Hull and general design

The Palestro ships had a total length of 81.9 metres overall, and 80 m at the waterline, combined with a width of 8 metres and a draft of 3.1 metres. They were much larger than the previous “tre pipe”. They displaced indeed much more also, at 1,033 tonnes at normal load, and 1,180 tonnes at full load. Their complement consisted of 6 officers, 100 non-commissioned officers and sailors. The design was much closer to the 1913 Audace, with the same proportions, their forcastle was much longer, roughly with a ratio of 1/3 versus 1/4 for the “tre canne”. They even had a short bulwarked prow to deflect waves, a larger wave breaker, and a pair of main gunsb forward instead of a single one. The next two were located in very different places.

There was one amidships and one aft at the poop. Still two masts, one large foremast aft of the bridge, which was three-faceted and enclosed, topped by an openbridge untlike the Generali/La Masa, with a light projector and a telemeter on a bandstand aft of the bridge. This was tall and narrow bridge, still roomier than previous destroyers. There was a main forefunnel raked immediately aft of the forecastle break and another further aft and much lower, but both had the same beam, having each a pair truncated exhausts from their boiler groups, placed side by side. For weight reasons like all previous designs, the heavy boilers, oil and water tanks and turbines were located in this space bettween the forecastle and the aft mast.

Powerplant

Solferino (SL)
The Palestros had the same powerplant as the original 1913 Audace, with two Zoelly steam turbines, each driving a single propeller shaft, using steam provided by four Thornycroft boilers. The turbines were rated at 22,000 shaft horsepower (16,400 kW) and service speed was contracted at 32 knots (59 km/h). It seems they did better on trials. Range was 1,970 nautical miles (3,650 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h).
To compare the Generali clas built alongside and also completed postwar at Odero yard had two steam Tosi turbinesfed by four boilers oil-burning and double-ended of the same Thornycroft type but all smaller, making for a total of 16,000 hp (12,000 kW) and a top speed limited to 30 knots (55,56 km/h) plus 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km) at 14 knots. So the new Curtatone were two knots faster and had a better range.
One interesting aspect common to all WWI era destroyer was their external rudder anchored and hinged at the poop. This made it easier to damage or destroy in operation. The Sella class had fully underwater rudders, protected by the upper hull.

Armament

The Palestro class had four Schneider-Armstrong 1917 model 102/45 mm main guns, two forward (port and starboard), one on a banstand, aft of the second funnel, one at the poop.
There were two Ansaldo 76/40 mm guns for dual purpose defence placed abaft the second funnel.
For AA defense these destroyers had two 6.5/80 mm guns, likely placed on the bridge’s wings
The four 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes were unusual in their placement, one bank on either side aft.
The also had rails for 10 to 38 mines. Armament was later modified and as well as in wartime.

4-in (102 mm)/45 Modello 1917

Thes ships were armed with 102 mm (4 in)/45 Schneider-Armstrong modello 1917 single Open Mount installed in line to distribute weight and broadside, one single forward on the forecastle, two on the weather deck aft. Horizontal or vertical sliding breech block.

Cannone da 102/45 Schneider-Armstrong Modello 1917

The Schneider-Armstrong Model 1917 weighted 4,600 kg and had a -5°/+35° elevation, first installed on the Generali-class, Palestro-class, La Masa class, and Giuseppe Sirtori.
Mass: 2,327 kilograms (5,130 lb) 4,600 kg total
Length: 4.7 meters (15 ft 5 in), barrel 4.57 meters (15 ft)
Shell: 13.7–16 kilograms (30–35 lb)
Breech: Horizontal or vertical sliding breech block
Rate of fire: 7 rpm
Muzzle velocity: 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Range: 15,000 m (9.3 mi) at +35° and 8,000 m at max elevation (26,000 ft) with the DP mount.
Note that the newt Curtatone would swap for the better modello 1919, and on twin mounts.
Still, having a 4 inches instead of a 4.7 inches (120 mm) in 1920 seemed a bit “light”. Most countries looked at 120-130 mm armed destroyers and two triple tirpedo tube banks was the new normal. The side by side torpedo tubes arrangement of the Palestro class was problematic as it limited a full strike to just two torpedoes. This was corrected on the Curtatone.

3-in (76mm)/40 Ansaldo Modello 1917

It had a pedestal mount going from -10° to +65° elevation, and weighed 1,790 kg (3,950 lb) complete.
Performances were the same as the regular mounted 75 mm/40 Modello 1916. This artillery piece was located aft likely, at the poop. They derived from the licenced QF 12 pounder 12 cwt, Armstrong 76/40 Model 1897.
Full weight 1,676 kg, Length overall 3,139 mm barrel alone 3,048 mm
Rifling; 16 grooves left-handed constant, 76.2 mm
Shell 6.016 to 6.820 kg depending on model Muzzle velocity 690 m/s
12-15 rpm, effective range 5,500 m, max 6,000 m
Elevation +75° on the modello 1917 and 1918.

Torpedoes

The 17.7 inches torpedo tubes (450 mm) used at the time, Thornycroft models built in Italy, by Silurificio Italiano.
No sufficient data on these. 1935 models were rated to reach 3,000 nm at 44 knots. There were four tubes in twin banks, one per side amidships, and stagerred. The aftermost pair, port side, was close to the 3rd funnel, turned forward, and the amidship bank starboard was between the second and third funnel.

Mines

The ships carried also 10 mines as well during wartime. These could be Vickers Elia (VE) 1,676 lbs. (760 kg), 320 lbs. (145 kg) WH, or one of the Sautter-Harlé types M1916 154 or 220 ib.

Upgrades

The Palestro class destroyers, launched in 1919-1920, were the most modern in the Italian Navy. They were closely related to the Audace of 1913, but benefited from many modifications inherited from the experience of the war. The initial class was to include eight vessels, but the count was reduced to four due to the end of hostilities. The other four were completed later, modified: They were the near-sisters Curtatone.
In 1930, their forward funnel was lengthened, and their armament improved starting from their classification as torpedo boats in 1938.

In wartime, the 102 and 76 mm guns of the Solferino and San Martino gave way to six 20mm Breda AA guns and two depht charge throwers. The latter were sunk under the German flag in 1944 a few days apart. The first by an air raid of the RAF and the second off the coast of Greece by two English destroyers, the HMS Termagant and HMS Tuscan. The other two were lost in 1940, the Palestro off Durazzo, torpedoed by the submarine HMS Osiris, and the Confienza by collision in 1940 with the auxiliary cruiser Capitano A. Cecci.

The four Curtatone, which followed between 1922-23 were superior to them in tonnage and dimensions, but similar in appearance and armament. They no longer had the rudder rising on the stern characteristic of the Italian destroyers of the time. They were completed and put into service during the years 1924-25. Their forward funnel was lengthened in 1930 and they were reclassified as torpedo boats in 1938. Their armament was unchanged at the start of the war, but they received extra AA in 1942-43 (six 20 mm Breda AA guns, instead of two 102 mm main guns), and the Catalafimi new 533 mm torpedo tubes in a double bank instead of the two original triple banks. The latter was captured in Piraeus, recommissioned by the Germans and sunk by the Greek submarine Pipinos in 1944. The Curtatone was sunk in 1941 near Saronikos by entering a minefield, the Castelfidardo, captured by the Germans in 1943 was sunk by rockets from an RAF Beaufighter in 1944 in Heraklion, and finally the Monzambano survived the war, remaining in service until 1951.

Palestro was laid down in April 1917, launched on 23 March 1919 and completed in January 1921. She operated on behalf of the Naval Academy of Livorno and in May 1921 carried Admiral Vittorio Tur to retrieve and repatriate the body of King Nicholas I of Montenegro from Antibes to San Remo. In 1929 with Confienza, San Martino and Solferino she was part of the VII Destroyer Squadron, added to the VIII Destroyer Squadron (Curtatone-class) were led by Augusto Riboty, formed the 4th Destroyer Flotilla, II Torpedo Boat Division, 2nd Naval Squadron in Taranto. She sailed that year to the Black Sea and in 1931 reassigned to the IV Torpedo Boat Division, 2nd Naval Squadron. She cruised in the red sea by 1934-1935 under the Comando Superiore Navale with Bari, Pantera, and later off Cyrenaica.

In 1938 she was modified (see above) and was to have her anti-aircraft armament revised in 1940 but this was not done.
From 10 June 1940, she was in the XV Torpedo Boat Squadron in Venice, operating in the southern Adriatic for escort/ASW.
On 20 August she entered the Comando Superiore Traffico Albania (Maritrafalba) and from 5 September based in Brindisi she operated with two old DDs, 9 other TBs, and three auxiliary cruisers plus the XIII Squadron MAS (Motoscafo Armato Silurante)) to escort convoys to and from Albania.

On 5 September 1940, Palestro started escort missions, from Bari to Durrës, Durrës to Bari, Brindisi to Durrës, Durrës for Bari, nd Bari to Durrës, and Durrës to Bari… Long story short, this went on for a while. Notable event, on 21 September 1940 at 12:30, Palestro (Lieutenant Luigi Risso) left Durrës with three empty merchant ships in line to Bari at 7 knots 13 km/h, Palestro constantly changed position around when at 18:20 on 22 September while 55 km from Durrës went astern of the convoy, spotting the wakes of three torpedoes on her port side. They were ambushed by HMS Osiris. Plstro pull full ahead, port rudder to avoid the torpedoes and aiming at their presumed launching point, but one of a new wave of torpedoes hit Palestro at deck level, between the forward boiler rooms and ammunition store. She broke in two: the bow rolled over to starboard, sank immediately with half the crew and Commander Riss but the stern floated four minutes, so the crew could deploy buoys and rafts, and abandon it.
Carlotta launched her own boats and picked up 43 survivors and later Premuda, alerted, managed to prevent Osiris to come back. A total of 72 went down with Palstro. The event prompted Maritrafalba to order escort to never fell below 16 knots (30 km/h).

Confienza (CF) was laid down in May 1917, launched on 18 December 1920 and completed in April 1923. Under Tenente di vascello Luigi Corsi she took part in the occupation of Corfu. In 1925, she went up the Danube. In 1928-29 she made cruises in the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. She was part of the VII Destroyer Squadron with her sisters (see above) in Taranto. In 1938 she was modified a re-rated as torpedo boat. From June 1940, Confienza was under command of Lieutenant Andrea Giuffra, XV TB squadron based in Venice. On 27-28 September 1940 she escorted the cruiser Alberico da Barbiano on two sorties from Pola for fire training, and she remained in operations in the souther Adriatic. On October 21 she was assigned to Maritrafalba, deployed to Brindisi, escorting convoys to and from of Albania.
(Details in the original Italian wikipedia article)
Some sources states she sank HMS Triton but dates do not coincide. At 9.30 on 19 November 1940 she left Durazzo for Brindisi, escorting Carnia, Verdi and Puccini returning empty to Italy. Around 20.00h the convoy arrived near the landing point “Y” off Brindisi, with landing lights turned off due to air raids and Confienza was rammed by the auxiliary cruiser Capitano Cecchi at 21.19. While the destoryers started to list she recued the crew, atrie to take Confienza in tow, towards Brindisi but after an hour and 20 minutes of navigation at 00.35 on 20 November she broke in two and sank just 2 miles from Brindisi, laying under 82 meters, northeast of the port.

San Martino (SM) was laid down in April 1917, launched on 8 September 1920 and completed in October 1922. In the 1920s, the ship took part in various cruises in the Mediterranean and stayed for 3 months in 1926 in the Red Sea. In 1929 she was in DesDiv 7 in Taranto. In 1931 in DesDiv IV, was modified in 1938 and on June 1940, now in the 15 Torpedo Squadron in Venice. She operated in the Upper Adriatic and Dalmatia; Strait of Sicily and North Africa or the Aegean Sea.
On 27-28 September 1940 she escorted Alberico Da Barbiano for live firing. On March 2, 1942, at 18:07 while near Cape Dukato she spotted HMS Torbay, preparing to attack her, and counterattacked, submitted the sub to two hours depth charging.
I will no dwelve into detail in all her escort missions.
On 1 November 1942 San Martino was assigned to the auxiliary cruisers Zara and Brioni from Brindisi to Tobruk with a cargo of ammunition and petrol and the following day at 9:00 on 2 November seven Bristol Beaufort from 39th Squadron RAF attacked them escorted by Beaufighter fighters from the 272nd Sqn. The convoy claimed three shot down, three damaged (RAF confirmed two Beauforts, one Beaufighter) but Zara was hit and later sank, despite being taken in tow by the San Martino 50 miles from Tobruk at 22:30.

On 19 January 1943, at 17:45, she escorted the refrigerated steamer Edda by HMS Unbroken off Ras Turgheness, Djerba adn seriously damaged the merchantman. She attempted to tow her but at 22:45 the convoy was attacked by torpedo bombers and Edda sank after being finished off by two torpedoes at 23:10 adn the other merchahtman Eso as well.
On 31 July 1943, San Martino escorted the tanker Annarella from Patras to Piraeus, attacked and bombed underway by four enemy aircraft, not hit but good AA barrage. On 8 September 1943 armistice, San Martino was in Piraeus alongside the destroyer Francesco Crispi and Turbine, auxiliary cruiser Francesco Morosini and torpedo boat Calatafimi. The German minelayer Drache laid a minefield outside the port while a German coastal batteries prepare to fire threatening them if they tried to leave. On 9 September she was captured by German troops and renamed TA 17, recommissioned on 28 October but sources diverges on this. She was assigned to the 9th Torpedo Boat Division, First Lieutenant Winfried Winkelmann and Lt. Helmuth Düvelius from June 1944, mosdified and rearmed with a standard displacement increased to 925 tons, draft now 2.39 meters, a Fu.Mo.28 radar and FLAK but top speed 25 knots, 600 miles range. Late 1943 she had a SK C/30 37/83 mm added as well.
On 18 July 1944 while moored at Portolago, TA17 was seriously damaged by explosive charges placed by British frogmen. (hitting a mine in anoher sources).
On 18 September while in Piraeus for repairs she was destroyed by an air attack, and again on 12 October 1944, sinking in Piraeus or scuttled at Salamis in another source.

Solferino (SL) was laid down in April 1917, launched on 28 April 1920 and completed in October 1921. In April 1922 she joined the Levant Division based in Constantinople, stationed for a year, also patrolling the Aegean and Dodecanese. In 1924 she was deployed in the Tyrrhenian Sea, escorting the Royal Yacht Savoia twice. In 1927 she was stationed in Southern Italy. In 1929 with her sisters, she joined the VII Destroyer Squadron in Taranto. Until 1937 she made many deployments in the eastern Mediterranean, in 1938 she had modifications, and in June 1940 she was in the XV Torpedo Squadron in Venice. From 20 August 1940, with Maritrafalba she was relocated to Brindisi, assigned to convoy escort duty to and from Albania.
A typical desitnation was Bari to Durazzo and back, of from and to Durazzo, i will not detail these uneventful missions, check the Italian article.
From June 1941 she changed routes from Bari to Valona, ​​via Brindisi. She was reported modernized in 1942 with 6 Breda Modello 1940 20/65 mm autocannons and two depth charge throwers.
On 24 January 1942 she escorted the German tanker Thessalia from Brindisi to Corfu, then Argostoli and on the 30th to Patras when at 9.25 they were ambushed by HMS Thunderbolt launching four from 2300 against Thessalia and Solferino, just 900 m from the submarine spotted two trails and dodged them, making to DC passed, and badly damaging Thunderbolt but the latter escaped.
Later she made escorts from Patras to Brindisi and to Piraeus, to Suda, Candia, Iraklion, Salonika and witness and attack on 31 October at 10.56 with five torpedoes against Cerere by HMS Taku, off Cape Sounion. In 1943 missions to and from Greece and Crete continued, as well as Rhodes, and to and from Mudros.
Her last escort mission was on 4 September 1943, with Donizetti from Piraeus to Suda via Milos and Scarpanto. In total she made 67,000 nautical miles and near 200 escort missions.
She was captured by the Germans at Suda, Crete, on 9 September 1943, commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 25 July 1944 as TA18. She was badly damaged by gunfire during an encounter with the British destroyers HMS Termagant and Tuscan off Skiathos, in the Aegean Sea, then ran aground near Volos, and was destroyed by her crew.

Read More/Src

Books

Fraccaroli, Aldo (1985). “Italy”. In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906–1921. NIP
Roberts, John (1980). “Italy”. In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books.
La Racine, R. B. (March 2011). “In Adriatico subito dopo la vittoria”. Storia Militare (in Italian). No. 210.
Giorgio Giorgerini, La guerra italiana sul mare. La Marina tra vittoria e sconfitta 1940-1943, p. 262 (in Italian).
Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. NIP

Links

marina.difesa.it/
navypedia.org/
solferino on wreckhistory.com/
trentoincina.it/ Palestro
trentoincina.it Confienza
trentoincina.it/ Sanmartino
trentoincina.it/ Solferino
on archive.wikiwix.com/
on sanremonews.it
in trentoincina.it
on navypedia.org
on fr.wikipedia.org/
on it.wikipedia.org/

Model Kits

TA17 TA18 Solferino- S.Martino Delphis Models | No. DM-45 | 1:700

3D

Not found

Gallery