Regia Marina: 24 planned 1942. None completed. The Comandanti Medaglie d’Oro class, also known as the “Comandanti class” or “Medaglie d’Oro class” in naval litterature, were the last destroyer class planned for the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) with 24 vessels ordered, later reduced to 20, the first laid down by September 1942, a year … Read more
Regia Marina: 17 Built 1939-43: Alpino, Artigliere, Ascari, Aviere, Bersagliere, Camicia Nera, Artigliere, Carabiniere, Corazziere, Fuciliere, Geniere, Granatiere, Lanciere, Bombardiere, Carrista, Corsaro, Legionario, Mitragliere, Squadrista, Velite The Soldati class were also known as Camicia Nera class (“Blackshirt”) and there were the last and most numerous class of destroyers of the Regia Marina in World War … Read more
Regia Marina: 4 Built 1936-37: Alfredo Oriani, Vittorio Alfieri, Giosuè Carducci, Vincenzo Gioberti The Oriani class were a near-repeat of the previous Maestrale, themselves derived from the Freccia and Folgore. They were the fourth series in this new design inaugurated in 1930, now representing sixteen modern destroyers for the Regia Marina. They formed the basis … Read more
Regia Marina: 4 Built 1931-34: Maestrale, Grecale, Libeccio, Scirocco The Maestrale class followed the Freccia and Folgore as the third series of the new design inaugurated in 1930, with four relatively close vessels built for the Regia Marina. They formed the basis for next Oriani and Soldati classes, as incremental improvements achieved the best design … Read more
Regia Marina: 8 Built 1929-33: Folgore, Lampo, Fulmine, Baleno The Folgore class, sometimes mixed with the Dardo class, was composed of four ships, all modern and fast Italian destroyers largely based on the Freccia class (or Dardo class). It was built with a structure similar to that of the previous “Dardo”, but with some improvements. … Read more
Regia Marina: 8 Built 1929-33: Italy: Dardo, Frecchia, Saetta, Strale Greece: Hydra, Spetsai, Psara, Kountouriotis The Freccia (or Dardo) class destroyer were a brand new league in destroyer design, with much streamlined and modern shapes, a clipper bow, initially beter speed and better range as a radical imporvements over the previous Turbine class. They however … Read more
Regia Marina: 12 Built 1928-31: Alvise Da Mosto, Antonio da Noli, Nicoloso da Recco, Giovanni da Verrazzano, Lanzerotto Malocello, Leone Pancaldo, Emanuele Pessagno, Antonio Pigafetta, Luca Tarigo, Antoniotto Usodimare, Ugolino Vivaldi, Nicolò Zeno. These ships were built for the Regia Marina as a reply to the large French “contre-torpilleurs” of the Jaguar and Guepard classes … Read more
Regia Marina: 8 Built 1925-1928, all lost in action before Sept. 1944: Aquilone, Borea, Espero, Euro, Nembo, Ostro, Turbine, Zeffiro The Turbine-class destroyer was a group of eight destroyers of the Regia Marina built in the late 1920s. They were an extrapolation of the previous Sella/Sauro but with more steam power for greater top speeds … Read more
Regia Marina -4 destroyers: Cesare Battisti, Daniele Manin, Francesco Nullo, Nazario Sauro. Built 1925-1927, interwar, ww2, 4 lost. The Sauro class were an improved follow-up of the Sella class, which themselves improved on the early 1920s Palestro class destroyers. They were beamier, longer with the biggest change being their two twin main artillery mounts and … Read more
Regia Marina -4 destroyers: Francesco Crispi, Quintino Sella, Bettino Ricasoli, Giovanni Nicotera. Built 1923-1927, interwar, ww2, 2 lost, 2 sold Sweden. The Sella-class destroyers were a group of four destroyers built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in the 1920s. Two of these ships fought in World War II and both were sunk after … Read more
