Adua-class submarine

Adua-class submarines

Company type	Submarine class
Industry	Naval military vessels
Founded	1930s
Headquarters	Italy
Products	Coastal submarines

Template:Infobox ship class overview {{Infobox ship characteristics

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Ship type=Submarine

Ship displacement=*680 long tons (691 t) surfaced 844 long tons (858 t) submerged

Ship length=60.18 m (197 ft 5 in)

Ship beam=6.45 m (21 ft 2 in)

Ship draft=4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)

Ship power=*1,200 bhp (890 kW) (diesels) 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors)

Ship propulsion=*Diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors

Ship speed=*14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) surfaced 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged

Ship range=*3,180 nmi (5,890 km; 3,660 mi) at 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) surfaced 74 nmi (137 km; 85 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged

Ship endurance=

Ship test depth=80 m (260 ft)

Ship complement=45

Ship armament=*6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 1 × single [[Škoda 10 cm K10#OTO 100.2F47 History|100 millimetres (4 in) / 47 caliber]] deck gun 1 or 2 x single [[Breda Model 1931 Machine Gun|13.2 minchlinches in mm and inches here? mm in abbr on]] anti-aircraft guns

The Adua-class submarines represented the fourth subcategory within the Italian 600 Series of coastal submarines constructed for the Template:Lang-it (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1930s. This class comprised 17 vessels, most of which bore names derived from locations in Ethiopia, a territory under Italian occupation since 1936. Among these, only one submarine, Alagi, survived the Second World War. Prior to the conflict, three units named Gondar, Ascianghi, and Neghelli were transferred to Brazil and subsequently replaced by submarines carrying the same names.

Design and description

The design of the Adua-class closely mirrored that of the preceding "Perla"-class submarine series. These submarines had a surfaced displacement of approximately , increasing to around when submerged. Their overall length measured , with a beam spanning and a draft depth of .

Surface propulsion was provided by two diesel engines, each generating roughly , with each engine connected to its own propeller shaft. When operating underwater, propulsion relied on two electric motors rated at about each, driving the propellers. These submarines could attain speeds up to on the surface and approximately while submerged. Their operational range extended to nearly cruising at on the surface, and about traveling at beneath the waves.

Armament consisted of six internal torpedo tubes with a diameter of , arranged with four tubes located forward and two aft. Each tube was supplied with one reload torpedo, totaling twelve torpedoes onboard. Additionally, they were equipped with a single deck gun of " caliber intended for surface engagements. For defense against aircraft, the vessels carried one or two single-mounted machine guns of " caliber.

Ships

Catalogue of Adua-class submarines

Vessel	Shipyard	Launch Date	Final Status
Adua	CRDA	13 March 1936	lost on 30 September 1941, sunk by destroyers HMS Gurkha and HMS Legion in the Western Mediterranean
Alagi	CRDA	15 November 1936	dismantled and sold for scrap on 1 February 1948
Aradam	CRDA	18 October 1936	destroyed by Allied bombing raids on 4 September 1944 in Genoa
Ascianghi	OTO	5 December 1937	deliberately sunk near Augusta, Sicily on 23 July 1943 following an assault by destroyers HMS Laforey and HMS Eclipse
Axum	CRDA	27 September 1936	scuttled off Morea on 28 December 1943 while engaged in an Allied operation
Beilul	OTO	22 May 1938	sunk due to an Allied aerial attack in May 1944
Dagabur	Tosi	22 November 1936	lost during Operation Pedestal after engagement with British destroyer HMS Wolverine
Dessiè	Tosi	22 November 1936	sunk near Annaba (formerly Bona, Algeria) on 28 November 1942 by destroyers HMS Quiberon and HMS Quentin
Durbo	OTO	6 March 1938	scuttled east of Gibraltar on 18 October 1940 after attacks from destroyers HMS Firedrake (H79) and HMS Wrestler (D35)
Gondar	OTO	3 October 1937	scuttled near Alexandria on 30 September 1940 following a prolonged assault lasting fourteen hours by destroyers HMAS Stuart and HMS Diamond, along with Short Sunderland flying boats
Lafolè	OTO	10 April 1938	sunk north of Melilla on 20 October 1940 by destroyers HMS Gallant, HMS Hotspur, and HMS Griffin
getMacallé	getOto Melara|
Neghelli	getOto Melara|
Scirè	getOto Melara|
Tembien	getOto Melara|
Uarsciek	getCantieri navali Tosi di Taranto|
Uebi Scebeli	getCantieri navali Tosi di Taranto|

Service

Following their commissioning, these submarines were allocated to reinforce the "600" series squadrons, bolstering the 11th and 14th Squadrons stationed at La Spezia as well as the 43rd Squadron based in Taranto. After completing their initial training phases, a significant number of these vessels undertook training missions around the Dodecanese islands and along the North African coastline.

Between 1937 and 1938, during the Spanish Civil War, five operational submarines conducted seven special assignments in support of Franco's forces; however, these missions yielded limited success.

Throughout 1938 and 1939, the deployment of these submarines underwent considerable reorganization. Initially, a single squadron comprising four submarines was maintained at La Spezia, while another group of four formed the 23rd Squadron at Naples, and an additional five were stationed at Leros. By 1939, no submarines from this series remained at La Spezia, with the squadron at Leros having been reinforced. In the same year, four submarines from the bases at Naples and Taranto were redeployed to Tobruk.

At the onset of World War II, each base at La Spezia, Cagliari, Messina, and Taranto had four submarines assigned. Additionally, one submarine, Macallé, was positioned at the Red Sea naval base in Massawa.

See also

• Italian submarines of World War II

References

• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.

External links

• Italian Submarines Class "600"