Capitani Romani-class cruiser

Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship class overviewTemplate:Infobox ship characteristics

The Capitani Romani class was a class of light cruisers acting as flotilla leaders for the (Italian Navy). They were built to outrun and outgun the large new French destroyers of the Template:Sclass and Template:Sclass classes.Template:Sfnp Twelve hulls were ordered in late 1939, but only four were completed, just three of these before the Italian armistice in 1943. The ships were named after prominent ancient Romans ( (lit. Roman Captains)).Template:Sfnp

Design

The Capitani Romani class were originally designed as scout cruisers for ocean operations ("ocean scout", ), although some authors consider them to have been heavy destroyers. After the war the two units still in service were reclassified as flotilla leaders ().

The design was fundamentally a light, almost unarmoured hull with a large power plant and cruiser style armament. The original design was modified to sustain the prime requirements of speed and firepower. Given their machinery development of Template:Convert, equivalent to that of the 17,000-ton cruisers of the Template:Sclass, the target speed was over Template:Convert, but the ships were left virtually unarmoured. As a result, the three completed warships achieved Template:Convert during trials.Template:Sfnp The Capitani Romani-class vessels shipped a main battery of eight [[135 mm /45 Italian naval gun|Template:Convert]] DP guns, with a rate of fire of eight rounds per minute and a range of Template:Convert. They also carried eight Template:Convert torpedo tubes. The wartime load dropped the operational speed by Template:Convert, depending on the source.Template:Sfnp

Operational history

Only Scipione Africano and Attilio Regolo saw combat.

Scipione Africano detected and engaged four British Elco motor torpedo boats during the night of 17 July 1943 en route to Taranto, while passing the Messina straits at high speed off Punta Posso. She sank MTB 316 and heavily damaged MTB 313 between Reggio di Calabria and Pellaro. She laid down four minefields in the Gulf of Taranto and the Gulf of Squillace from 4 to 17 August, together with the old light cruiser .

Attilio Regolo was torpedoed by the submarine Template:HMS on 7 November 1942, and remained in drydock for several months with her bow shattered.

Ships

Four of the ships were scrapped before launch. Five were captured by the Germans in September 1943, still under construction. All five were sunk in harbour, one was raised and completed. Three were completed before the Italian armistice.Template:Sfnp

Construction data

Ship	Namesake	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Operational history
Template:Interlanguage link	Marcus Atilius Regulus	O.T.O., Livorno	28 September 1939	28 August 1940	15 May 1942	Commissioned in August 1942 and used as a mine-layer until seriously damaged by a torpedo in November. Ceded to France in 1948 renamed Châteaurenault.
	Germanicus	Navalmeccanica, Castellammare di Stabia	3 April 1939	26 July 1941	19 January 1956	Captured by the Germans in Castellammare di Stabia while under completion, and scuttled by them on 28 September 1943. Raised and completed for the Italian Navy after the war. Renamed San Marco, she served as a destroyer leader until her decommission in 1971.
Pompeo Magno	Pompey the Great	CNR, Ancona	23 September 1939	24 August 1941	4 June 1943	Renamed San Giorgio, served as a destroyer leader until 1963; decommissioned and scrapped in 1980
	Scipio Africanus	O.T.O., Livorno	28 September 1939	12 January 1941	23 April 1943	Ceded to France in 1948 and first renamed S7, then renamed Guichen; scrapped 1979

Uncompleted Capitani Romani–class cruisers

Ship	Namesake	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Operational history
Caio Mario	Gaius Marius	O.T.O., Livorno	28 September 1939	17 August 1941	Captured by the Germans in La Spezia, with only the hull completed; used as a floating oil tank and scuttled in 1944
Claudio Druso	Nero Claudius Drusus	Cantiere del Tirreno, Riva Trigoso	27 September 1939	—	Construction cancelled June 1940, scrapped between 1941 and February 1942
Claudio Tiberio	Emperor Tiberius	O.T.O., Livorno	28 September 1939	—	Construction cancelled June 1940; scrapped between November 1941 and February 1942
Cornelio Silla	Lucius Cornelius Sulla	Ansaldo, Genoa	12 October 1939	28 June 1941	Captured by the Germans in Genoa while fitting out; sunk in an air raid in July 1944
Ottaviano Augusto	Emperor Augustus	CNR, Ancona	23 September 1939	28 April 1941	Captured by the Germans in Ancona while under completion; sunk in an air attack on 1 November 1943
Paolo Emilio	Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus	Ansaldo, Genoa	12 October 1939	—	Construction cancelled in June 1940, scrapped between October 1941 and February 1942
Ulpio Traiano	Emperor Trajan	CNR, Palermo	28 September 1939	30 November 1942	Sunk 3 January 1943 by British human torpedo attack while fitting out in Palermo
Vipsanio Agrippa	Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa	Cantiere del Tirreno, Riva Trigoso	October 1939	—	Construction cancelled June 1940; scrapped between July 1941 and August 1942

Post-war French service

File:Chateaurenault10.jpg

D606 Chateaurenault, the former Attilio Regolo

Attilio Regolo and Scipione Africano were transferred to France as war reparations. They were renamed Chateaurenault and Guichen respectively. The ships were extensively rebuilt for the French Navy by La Seyne dockyard with new anti-aircraft-focused armament and fire-control systems in 1951–1954. The ships were decommissioned in 1961.Template:Sfnp

General characteristics as rebuilt

• Displacement
• Length
• Beam
• Draught
• Machinery - unchanged
• Armament
  • 6 – 105 mm guns (three twin turrets of German origin)
  • 10 – 57 mm guns (5 twin turrets)
  • 12 – 550 mm torpedo tubes
• Sensors: Radar DRBV 20 A, DRBV 11, DRBC 11, DRBC 30, Sonar
• Crew: 353

Post-war Italian service

File:Italian destroyer leader San Marco (D563) 1959.jpg

San Marco, formerly Giulio Germanico, in 1959

Giulio Germanico and Pompeo Magno served in the post war Marina Militare, being renamed San Marco (D 563) and San Giorgio (D 562) respectively and reclassified as destroyers. Both ships were extensively rebuilt in 1951–1955 and fitted with American weapons and radar.Template:Sfnp Characteristics included:

General characteristics as rebuilt

• Six [[5"/38 caliber gun|Template:Convert guns]] in twin turrets fitted in 'A', 'X' and 'Y' positions, with anti-aircraft capability
• a Menon anti-submarine mortar fitted in 'B' position
• fitting of 20 [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Template:Convert Bofors AA guns]]
• SPS-6 and SG-6B radar, SQS-11 sonar and the Mk37 fire control system for the 127 mm guns

San Marco was further rebuilt as a cadet training ship in 1963–1965 when she was fitted with new CODAG machinery. New Template:Convert guns replaced the 40 mm and 'X' 127 mm mounting. San Marco was decommissioned in 1971, San Giorgio following in 1980.

External links

• Classe Capitani Romani Marina Militare website Template:In lang
• San Giorgio (D 562) Marina Militare website Template:In lang
• San Marco (D 563) Marina Militare website Template:In lang
• Photos of Capitani Romani ships
• Details of Regia Marina ships captured by the Germans