Etna-class cruiser (1941)

Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico

Industry	Shipbuilding
Headquarters	Trieste , Italy

This article is about the unfinished World War II cruisers. For the 1880s cruiser class, see Etna-class cruiser.

Template:Infobox ship class overview The Etna class consisted of two cruisers initially commissioned by Thailand in 1938 but were later taken over by the Italian Navy at the start of World War II. Neither vessel reached completion, and their damaged hulls were dismantled following the conflict.

Development

During the early 1920s, the Royal Thai Navy maintained a modest collection of outdated ships. To enhance its naval capabilities, Thailand procured new warships from Britain, Japan, and Italy. This modernization effort culminated in 1934 with an order for a total of 22 vessels—including torpedo boats, minelayers, coastal defense ships, sloops, and submarines—acquired from Japan and Italy. In 1938, Thailand placed an order for two cruisers from Italy, which were to be named Taskin and Naresuan. The original Thai specifications called for armament comprising three twin-mounted 15.2 cm guns, six 7.6 cm anti-aircraft guns, eight 13.2 mm machine guns, and two triple 53.3 cm torpedo tube sets. The design measured approximately 153.8 meters in length overall, with a beam of about 14.47 meters and a draft near 5.25 meters. Propulsion was planned to include three boilers capable of generating roughly 4,500 shaft horsepower to drive two propellers, enabling a maximum speed of around 30 knots. Known as the Taskin-class cruiser, the design also incorporated an amidships aircraft catapult, displaced roughly 5,500 tons, featured a belt armor thickness of six centimeters, and possessed an armored deck approximately three centimeters thick.

History

The vessels initially named Taskin and Naresuan were constructed by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico in Trieste, with their keels laid on 23 September and 26 August 1938, respectively. During their construction phase, Italy entered World War II. By the end of 1941, British aircraft operating from land bases inflicted severe losses on Italian merchant ships and their escorts tasked with supplying North Africa, making convoy operations increasingly perilous. In December 1941, the Italian authorities took over the two ships, intending to convert them into anti-aircraft cruisers capable of transporting cargo to Africa. Under Italian administration, Taskin was renamed Etna, while Naresuan received the name Vesuvio. This redesign became known as the Etna-class, named after prominent Italian volcanoes. The updated design was finalized by 6 August 1942, allowing work to resume.

Since both ships had already been launched, modifications by Italian engineers were constrained. The torpedo tubes and aircraft catapult were removed, and the main artillery was replaced with the 13.5 cm (5.3 in)/45 model 1938 arranged similarly to the original layout. The anti-aircraft weaponry included ten single 6.5 cm (2.6 in)/64 guns alongside ten twin 2.0 cm (0.79 in) Breda mounts. Five 6.5 mm guns were installed on each flank of the ship, while the 2.0 cm guns were positioned on the former catapult platform, an expanded bridge structure, and near the funnel. Where the catapult once stood, a deckhouse was constructed to accommodate troops; combined with other spaces aboard, these cruisers were designed to transport approximately 1,000 soldiers. Four ammunition holds adjacent to each gun position provided storage capacity of roughly 600 cubic metres (21,000 cu ft), serviced by collapsible cranes.

Ships

Ship	Laid down	Launched	Fate
Etna (formerly Taksin)	23 September 1939	28 May 1942	Scuttled September 1943
Vesuvio (formerly Naresuan)	26 August 1939	6 August 1941	Scuttled September 1943

By the time Italy capitulated to the Allies in September 1943, both hulls were approximately half finished, at around 53% completion. Despite sabotage efforts prior to German seizure, construction proceeded to some extent before being abandoned altogether. Ultimately, both vessels were scuttled in Trieste harbor in 1945. Their hulls were later raised and dismantled during the late 1950s.