Oriani-class destroyer

The Italian Poeti-class destroyer Oriani
Class overview
Name:	Oriani class
Builders:	OTO, Livorno
Operators:	Regia Marina  French Navy
Preceded by:	Maestrale class
Succeeded by:	Soldati class
Built:	1935–1936
In commission:	1937–1954
Completed:	4
Lost:	3
General characteristics
Type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	1,559 long tons (1,584 t) standard 2,470 long tons (2,510 t) full load
Length:	106.7 m (350 ft 1 in)
Beam:	10.15 m (33 ft 4 in)
Draught:	3.42 m (11 ft 3 in)
Propulsion:	2 shaft Parsons type steam turbines 3 Thornycroft type boilers 48,000 hp (35,800 kW)
Speed:	38 knots (44 mph; 70 km/h)
Range:	2,190 nmi (4,060 km) at 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h)
Complement:	207
Armament:	4 × 120 mm (4.7 in) guns (2×2)[1] 4 × 37 mm AA guns (2×2) 6 × 13.2 mm machine guns 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (2×3) 56 mines

The Oriani class (also known as the Poeti class), were a group of four destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1930s. They were a repeat of the Maestrale-class destroyers, but had increased machinery power and a different anti-aircraft armament. The increase in power, however, disappointed in that there was only a marginal speed improvement. The obsolete 40 mm anti-aircraft guns were finally discontinued, being replaced by extra 13.2 mm machine guns; otherwise armament was unchanged. Significant upgrades were made to the weapons systems of the two ships that survived Matapan, similar to those made to the Maestrales. One torpedo tube mounting was replaced by two 37 mm guns; 20 mm cannon, a 120 mm star-shell gun^[1] and depth charge throwers were also installed. Before the end of the war, one ship, Oriani had German Seetakt radar and an additional 20 mm cannon.

Ships

All four ships were built by OTO Livorno and named after poets:

Ship	namesake	Launched	Completed	Notes
Alfredo Oriani	Alfredo Oriani	30 July 1936	15 July 1937	Damaged in the Battle of Matapan, she took part in the successful attack on Harpoon convoy in June 1942. The ship escaped from La Spezia during the Italian Armistice in 1943 and was interned in Malta. She was given to the French Navy as a war reparation, where she served as the D'Estaing until 1954
Vittorio Alfieri	Vittorio Alfieri	20 December 1936	1 December 1937	Sunk on 28 March 1941 in the Battle of Cape Matapan
Giosuè Carducci	Giosuè Carducci	28 October 1936	1 November 1937	Sunk 28 March 1941 in the Battle of Matapan
Vincenzo Gioberti	Vincenzo Gioberti	19 September 1936	27 October 1937	Sunk on 9 August 1943 by the British submarine HMS Simoom

Notes

1. Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 335–338. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.

References

• Whitley, M.J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Cassell Publishing. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.

External links

Media related to Oriani class destroyer at Wikimedia Commons

• Page from Uboat.net