Indomito-class destroyer

The Indomito class was a class of destroyers of the Italian Royal Navy (Italian: Règia Marina) before and during World War I. Six were built at Naples by Societa Pattison between 1910 and 1913. They were the first large Italian destroyers and the first fitted with steam turbines. The class is sometimes also called the I class. Two of the class were sunk during World War I, but the four surviving ships remained in service until 1937–38. One of the class, Insidioso, was reinstated during World War II and served in the Règia Marina and the German Kriegsmarine before being sunk by U.S. aircraft in late 1944.

Indomito, c. 1912–1914
Class overview
NameIndomito class
BuildersSocieta Pattison, Naples
Operators Regia Marina
Preceded bySoldato class
Succeeded byArdito class
Built1910–1913
In commission1913–1937
Completed6
Lost3
Retired3
General characteristics
TypeDestroyer
Displacement672–770 metric tons (741–849 short tons)
Length
  • 237 ft 11 in (72.52 m) (wl)[1]
  • 239 ft 6 in (73.00 m) (oa)
Beam24 ft (7.3 m)
Draft7 ft 11 in (2.41 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 shafts
  • 2 × Tosi steam turbines
  • 4 × Thornycroft boilers
  • 16,000 hp (12,000 kW) designed/17,620 shp (13,140 kW) maximum
Speed
  • 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) designed
  • 35.79 knots (66.28 km/h; 41.19 mph) maximum
Endurance
  • 1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
  • 500 nmi (930 km) at 25 kn (46 km/h)
  • 350 nmi (650 km) at 30 kn (56 km/h)
Complement4–5 officers, 65–74 sailors
ArmamentAs built:
1 × 4.7 in (120 mm) gun
4 × 3 in (76 mm) guns
2 × 17.7 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes

After refit:

5 × 4 in (100 mm) guns
1 × 40 mm (1.6 in) AA gun
2 × 17.7 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes

Design and construction

The Indomito class was designed by Luigi Scaglia of Societa Pattison of Naples. The boats were the first large destroyers of the Règia Marina and the first fitted with steam turbines. The Indomito class were the first in the progression of Italian destroyers to be called either tre pipe or tre canne for their three funnels.[1][Note 1]

The ships were 237 feet 11 inches (72.52 m) at the waterline (239 feet 6 inches (73.00 m) overall) with a beam of 24 feet (7.3 m) and a draft of 7 feet 11 inches (2.41 m). They had twin shafts driven by two Tosi steam turbines that were fired by four Thornycroft boilers. The drivetrain was designed for a power output of 16,000 horsepower (12,000 kW) to move the ships at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), but had a maximum output of 17,620 shaft horsepower (13,140 kW) which propelled the ships at 35.79 knots (66.28 km/h).[1]

As built, the ships were armed with one 4.7 in (120 mm)/40 gun, four 3 in (76 mm)/40 guns, and two 17.7 in (450 mm) torpedo tubes. In 1914 they were augmented with an additional two torpedo tubes. During World War I, guide rails for laying up to ten mines were added to the ships. Later wartime changes replaced all the guns with five 4 in (100 mm)/35 and a single 40 mm (1.6 in)/39 AA gun. Oil capacity was also increased during the war from 100 metric tons (110 short tons) to 128 metric tons (141 short tons) in order to increase endurance, but the increased weight had the opposite effect: slowing the ships and reduced their endurance.[1]

Service career
Regia Marina destroyer Impetuoso

All of the Indomito class saw action during World War I, with two of the ships, Impetuoso and Intrepido, sunk during the war. The remaining four ships all survived the war and were reclassified as torpedo boats in 1929. The remaining four ships were stricken 1937–38. Insidioso, however, was reinstated on 1 March 1941. Reduced to two funnels and rearmed, she served as a target ship, a convoy escort, and served in an anti-submarine warfare role. She was scuttled by her crew on 10 September 1943 at Pola, but was raised by the Germans who commissioned her as Wildfang on 8 November. Wildfang, the last surviving member of the Indomito class, was sunk by U.S. aircraft on 5 November 1944 after just under one year of German service.[1]

Ships
Ship Builder Laid down Launched Completed Operational History
Ardente (AE) [2] Orlando, Livorno 4 April 1912 15 December 1912 15 August 1913 Stricken 12 October 1937[3]
Ardito[4] Orlando, Livorno 1912 20 October 1912 1914 Stricken in summer 1931
Impavido (IV) Pattison, Naples 1911 22 March 1913 1914 Stricken 1 September 1937
Impetuoso Pattison, Naples 1910 23 July 1913 1914 Sunk 10 July 1916 by Austro-Hungarian U-boat U-17
Indomito (ID) Pattison, Naples 1910 10 May 1912 20 January 1913 Stricken 11 July 1937
Insidioso (IS) Pattison, Naples 1912 30 September 1913 1914 Stricken 18 September 1938. Reinstated as a target ship and convoy escort on 1 March 1941 but scuttled at Pola on 10 September 1943; raised and renamed Wildfang by Germany, but sunk by U.S. aircraft on 5 November 1944
Intrepido Pattison, Naples 1910 7 August 1912 1913 Sunk 4 December 1915 by a mine from German U-boat UC-14
Irrequieto (IR) Pattison, Naples 1910 12 December 1912 1913 Stricken 11 October 1937

Notes
  1. Future destroyers, until the 1921–22 Generali class, were also called tre pipe or tre canne. See: Fraccaroli, p. 268

References
  1. Fraccaroli, pp. 268–269
  2. "Ardente". Marina Militare. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  3. "Ardente". Navi e Capitani. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  4. "Ardito". Marina Militare. Retrieved 19 March 2021.

Bibliography
  • Fraccaroli, Aldo (1985). "Italy". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 252–290. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
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