View source for Giussano-class cruiser

{{Short description|Italian light cruiser subclass (1931–1942)}}
{{Refimprove|date=July 2016}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image = [[File:Olasz könnyűcirkáló.jpg|300px|Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice]]
|Ship caption = ''Bartolomeo Colleoni'' in Venice
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name = ''Giussano'' class
|Builders =
|Operators = {{navy|Kingdom of Italy}}
|Class before =
|Class after =
|Subclasses =
|Built range = 1928–1930
|In commission range = 1931–1942
|Total ships building =
|Total ships planned =
|Total ships completed = 4
|Total ships cancelled =
|Total ships active =
|Total ships laid up =
|Total ships lost = 4
|Total ships retired =
|Total ships preserved =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header =
|Header caption =
|Ship type = [[Cruiser]]
|Ship displacement = *{{Convert|6570|t|LT}} standard
* {{Convert|6954|t|LT}} full load
|Ship length = {{Convert|169.3|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam = {{Convert|15.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft = {{Convert|5.3|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion = {{convert|95,000|hp|kW|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed = *{{Convert|37|kn|km/h mph|lk=in}}
* ({{Convert|42|kn|km/h mph}} in trials)
|Ship range = {{Convert|3800|nmi|km|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{Convert|18|kn|km/h mph|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement = 507
|Ship sensors =
|Ship EW =
|Ship armament = *8 × [[152 mm /53 Italian naval gun Models 1926 and 1929|{{Convert|152|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} /53 guns]] in 4 twin mountings
* 6 × [[Škoda 10 cm K10#OTO 100.2F47 History|{{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} / 47&nbsp;caliber guns]] in 3 twin mountings
* 8 × [[Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda)|{{convert|37|mm|abbr=on}} 54-cal. guns]]
* 8 × [[Breda Model 1931 Machine Gun|13.2&nbsp;mm machine-guns]]
* 4 × {{Convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor = *[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]s:  {{Convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* [[Belt armor|Belt]]:  {{Convert|24|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* [[gun turret|Turret]]s: {{Convert|23|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* [[Conning tower|Tower]]:  {{Convert|40|mm|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship aircraft = 2 × [[CANT 25]]AR (later [[IMAM Ro.43|Ro.43]]) seaplanes
|Ship aircraft facilities = 1 × [[Aircraft catapult|catapult launcher]]
|Ship notes =
}}
|}

The '''''Alberto di Giussano'' class''' of [[light cruiser]]s were a [[Ship class|sub-class]] of the {{sclass2|Condottieri|cruiser|4}} built before [[World War II]] for the Italian ''[[Regia Marina]]'', to gain predominance in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. They were designed by general [[Giuseppe Vian]] and were named after [[Condottieri]] (military commanders) of the Italian Mediaeval and Renaissance periods.

Between the [[World Wars]], the world powers started a rush to gain the supremacy on the seas. In 1926, [[France]] started to produce the {{sclass|Le Fantasque|destroyer|4}} of [[destroyers]], which were superior in displacement and firepower to other destroyers of that period. To counter the French menace, the ''Regia Marina'' decided to produce a new class of cruiser that would be of intermediate size between the new French destroyer class and cruisers. The Italian ships equated to the British {{sclass|Leander|cruiser (1931)|0}} cruisers.

There were 4 ships, all laid down in 1928: {{ship|Italian cruiser|Alberto di Giussano||2}}, {{ship|Italian cruiser|Alberico da Barbiano||2}}, {{ship|Italian cruiser|Bartolomeo Colleoni||2}} and {{ship|Italian cruiser|Giovanni delle Bande Nere||2}}.

Meant to hunt down and overwhelm the big French destroyers, the emphasis on firepower and speed resulted in these ships being virtually unprotected against gunfire and underwater threats; this was a major factor in all four ships being sunk by torpedoes.

==Ships==

{|class="wikitable"
|+ Ships of the ''Alberto di Giussano'' class<ref name="Anatomy">{{cite book |last1=Gay |first1=Franco |last2=Gay |first2=Valerio |title=The Cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni |publisher=[[Conway Publishing|Conway Maritime Press]] |location=London |year=1987 |isbn=0-85177-453-9}}</ref><ref name="Warships">{{cite book |last=Fraccaroli |first=Aldo |title=Italian Warships of World War 2 |publisher=[[Ian Allan Publishing|Ian Allan]] |location=London |year=1968 |isbn=0-7110-0002-6}}</ref>
! Ship
!class=unsortable| Builder
!style="line-height:1.2em;"| [[Laid down]]
! Launched
! Completed
!class=unsortable| Fate
|-
| {{ship|Italian cruiser|Alberico da Barbiano||2}}
| [[Italian Ansaldo company|Ansaldo]], [[Genoa]]
| 16 April 1928
| 23 August 1930
| 9 June 1931
|rowspan=2| Sunk 13 December 1941, by a group of Royal Navy and Dutch destroyers during the [[Battle of Cape Bon (1941)|Battle of Cape Bon]].
|-
| {{ship|Italian cruiser|Alberto di Giussano||2}}
| Ansaldo, Genoa
| 29 March 1928
| 27 April 1930
| 5 February 1931
|-
| {{ship|Italian cruiser|Bartolomeo Colleoni||2}}
| Ansaldo, Genoa
| 21 June 1928
| 21 December 1930
| 10 February 1932
| Sunk 19 July 1940, during the [[Battle of Cape Spada]].
|-
| {{ship|Italian cruiser|Giovanni delle Bande Nere||2}}
| [[Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia|R. C. di Castellammare di Stabia]]
| 31 October 1928
| 27 April 1930
| 27 April 1931
| Sunk 1 April 1942, torpedoed by British [[submarine]] {{HMS|Urge|N17|6}} while off [[Stromboli]].
|}

==See also==
* [[List of ship classes of World War II|List of ship classes of the Second World War]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Cernuschi |first1=Enrico |editor1-last=Jordan |editor1-first=John |title=Warship 2022 |date=2022 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford|pages=147–160 |isbn=978-1-4728-4781-2 |chapter=''Esploratori'' of the ''Regia Marina'', 1906—1939}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Di Giussano class cruiser}}

{{Condottieri class cruisers}}
{{WWII Italian ships}}

[[Category:Cruiser classes]]
[[Category:Giussano-class cruisers| ]]