Italian cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi (1899)

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Company type	Armored cruiser
Industry	Naval military vessel
Founded	June 8, 1898 (1898-06-08) in Genoa-Sestri Ponente, Italy
Fate	Sunk by Austro-Hungarian submarine in 1915
Headquarters	Genoa-Sestri Ponente , Italy
Products	Armored cruiser warship
Number of employees	555–578 (crew)

Overview

Giuseppe Garibaldi was the seventh vessel in the Giuseppe Garibaldi class series of armored cruisers constructed for the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) during the 1890s. This ship was commissioned to replace the original lead ship of her class, which had been sold to Argentina and renamed ARA Garibaldi. Throughout her active service, she frequently functioned as a flagship and undertook multiple missions to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. Early in the Italo-Turkish War (1911–12), she participated in the bombardment of Tripoli. In early 1912, Giuseppe Garibaldi shelled Beirut and succeeded in sinking an Ottoman ironclad stationed there. Later that year, she also targeted the fortifications guarding the Dardanelles.

Following the conclusion of the First Balkan War in 1913, the cruiser was deployed for several months off Albania to safeguard Italian strategic interests. Shortly after Italy entered World War I against the Central Powers in 1915, Giuseppe Garibaldi was torpedoed and sunk by an Austro-Hungarian submarine in the Adriatic Sea, resulting in the loss of 53 crew members. The wreck was located in 2008 and has since been subject to investigations by specialists in underwater archaeology.

Construction and Design

Giuseppe Garibaldi was laid down on 8 June 1898 at the shipyard of Gio. Ansaldo & C. in Genoa-Sestri Ponente, launched on 29 June 1899, and completed by 1 January 1901. She belonged to a class of armored cruisers characterized by a displacement of approximately 7,350 metric tons (7,234 long tons), measuring 111.8 m (366 ft 10 in) in length with a beam of 18.2 m (59 ft 9 in) and a draft of 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in).

Powered by two vertical triple-expansion steam engines connected to two shafts, supplied by 24 Niclausse boilers, she generated around 13,500 ihp (10,100 kW) enabling a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Her operational range extended to approximately 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) when cruising at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The crew complement consisted of 555 officers and enlisted personnel, increasing to 578 when serving as a flagship.

Armament included one single-mounted 10 inches (250 mm) gun, a twin turret with two 8 inches (200 mm) guns, fourteen single-mounted 6 inches (150 mm) guns, ten single 3 inches (76 mm) guns, six single-mounted Hotchkiss guns firing 47 millimetres (1.9 in) rounds, and four single torpedo tubes measuring 17.7 inches (450 mm) each.

The armor protection featured a belt ranging from 80–150 millimetres (3.1–5.9 in), deck armor of approximately 1.5 inches (38 mm), gun turrets and conning tower both reinforced with 150 millimetres (5.9 in), and gun shields about 50 millimetres (2.0 in) thick.

Fate

On 18 July 1915, shortly after Italy's entry into World War I against the Central Powers, Giuseppe Garibaldi was sunk by an Austro-Hungarian submarine while operating in the Adriatic Sea. The attack caused the death of 53 crew members. The vessel's wreck was discovered nearly a century later in 2008 and has been studied extensively by underwater archaeologists since then.

Design and description

The Giuseppe Garibaldi measured 111.8 meters (366 ft 10 in) in overall length, with a beam spanning 18.2 meters (59 ft 9 in) and a draft reaching 7.3 meters (23 ft 11 in). At standard load, her displacement was 7,350 metric tons (7,230 long tons). Propulsion was provided by a pair of vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each connected to its own shaft, powered by steam generated from 24 coal-burning Niclausse boilers. These engines were rated at 13,500 indicated horsepower (10,100 kW) and intended to enable speeds near 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). However, during sea trials conducted on 7 September 1900, the vessel fell slightly short of this target, achieving a speed of 19.7 knots (36.5 km/h; 22.7 mph) with an output of 14,713 ihp (10,971 kW). She possessed an operational range of approximately 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) when cruising at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). The standard crew complement numbered 555 personnel, expanding to 578 when serving as a flagship.

File:EB1911 Ship - Fig. 107 Italian 'Giuseppe Garibaldi'.png

Arrangement of Guns and Armour, “Giuseppe Garibaldi.”

Her primary weaponry included a single 10 inches (250 mm) gun mounted in a turret positioned forward of the superstructure, complemented by two 8 inches (200 mm) guns housed within a twin turret aft. The secondary battery comprised ten 6 inches (150 mm) guns placed in casemates amidships, with an additional four 152-millimeter guns installed on the upper deck. For close-range defense against torpedo boats, she was equipped with ten 3 inches (76 mm) quick-firing guns and six Hotchkiss 47 millimetres (1.9 in) guns. Additionally, four single torpedo tubes measuring 17.7 inches (450 mm) were installed.

Protection was provided by a waterline armor belt that reached up to 150 millimetres (5.9 in) thickness amidships and tapered down to 80 millimetres (3.1 in) towards the bow and stern. The conning tower, casemates, and gun turrets were shielded by armor plates of the same thickness as the belt’s maximum—150 millimeters. Deck armor measured 37 millimetres (1.5 in), while the upper deck’s 152-millimeter guns were safeguarded by gun shields with a thickness of 50 millimetres (2.0 in).

Construction and service

Named in honor of General Giuseppe Garibaldi, one of Italy's founding figures, the ship’s keel was laid at the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard located in Genoa-Sestri Ponente on 21 September 1898 and launched on 29 June 1899. During initial steam trials on 12 July 1900, two boiler tubes ruptured, resulting in one fatality and two injuries among the crew. Repairs extended until 10 August, and she was officially completed on 1 January 1901. Between 23 July and 2 October 1902, Giuseppe Garibaldi undertook a Mediterranean cruise with port visits including Tripoli and locations within the Aegean Sea. The subsequent year saw stops at Algiers, Salonica, and Piraeus in Greece. In the fleet maneuvers of 1905, she formed part of the "hostile" squadron tasked with blockading La Maddalena in Sardinia. Later that year, from November to December, she participated in an international expeditionary force occupying Lemnos and Mytilene during an unsuccessful attempt to compel the Ottoman Empire to settle its debts with European powers promptly. Alongside her sister ships Francesco Ferruccio and Varese, she was present in Marseille on 15–16 September 1906 for a fleet review honoring French President Armand Fallières. Deployments to the Levant occurred in May–July 1907 and again in June 1908.

File:Amiral Paolo Thaon di Revel N53030881 JPEG 1 1DM (cropped).jpg

Portrait of Admiral Thaon di Revel

At the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War on 29 September 1911, Giuseppe Garibaldi served as flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet’s 4th Division within the 2nd Squadron under Rear Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel. She took part in bombardments against Tripoli on 3–4 October and was notably the first vessel to enter the harbor following these attacks; a small landing party disabled the breech mechanisms at Fort Hamidiye. The bombardment resulted in twelve Ottoman military fatalities and twenty-three serious injuries along with seven civilian deaths. On 13 October, she and her sister ships sailed to Augusta for refueling. In January 1912, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Varese were stationed at Tobruk while most of the fleet underwent refits in Italy.

On 24 February 1912, Giuseppe Garibaldi together with Francesco Ferruccio bombarded Beirut harbor; this attack set fire to the aging Ottoman ironclad . Subsequently entering the harbor herself, Giuseppe Garibaldi launched a torpedo that sank the ironclad, causing casualties including two officers and forty enlisted men. This action forced the Ottoman torpedo boat to scuttle itself to avoid capture or destruction. Although some sources attribute participation also to Varese, evidence predominantly credits Garibaldi and Ferruccio for this operation. they specify only Garibaldi and Varese concerning Ottoman ship histories, whereas Silverstone credits all three. The prevailing consensus attributes bombardment duties mainly to Garibaldi and Ferruccio. </ref> The bombardment caused over one hundred forty civilian deaths and more than two hundred injuries. On April 18th that year, Giuseppe Garibaldi alongside Varese shelled Dardanelles fortifications causing significant damage. Following her return to Italy later that month she underwent a refit lasting until mid-June during which her worn artillery pieces were replaced.

After hostilities ceased with the First Balkan War in May 1913,Giuseppe Garibaldi was stationed at Scutari (modern Shkodër) to oversee Montenegro’s handover of control back to Ottoman authorities while safeguarding Italian interests there before returning home in August. She later deployed to Benghazi between February and March of the following year.

File:Potopljena italijanska oklopna križarka Giuseppe Garibaldi.jpg

An Austro-Hungarian propaganda poster depicting the sinking

When Italy entered World War I against the Central Powers in May 1915,Giuseppe Garibaldi served as flagship of the Fifth Cruiser Division under Rear Admiral Eugenio Trifari, based out of Brindisi. On June 5th her division bombarded railway lines near Ragusa (present-day Dubrovnik), then departed Brindisi late on July 17th for a similar raid near Ragusa Vecchia (Cavtat) early next morning. At approximately 04:00 hours during this operation,Giuseppe Garibaldi was struck by a torpedo on her starboard side close to aft boiler rooms fired by Austro-Hungarian submarine U-4 causing her rapid sinking within minutes while remaining level in the water; fifty-three crew members lost their lives but five hundred twenty-five survivors were rescued by accompanying destroyers which stayed behind as the division withdrew promptly to avoid further submarine threats.

The upside-down wreck lies at coordinates , southeast off Dubrovnik in Croatian waters at about 122 metres (400 ft) depth. It was first located during a Czech diving expedition in 2008; however,a fatal diver accident on September9 halted investigations immediately afterward.The team lacked official permits required for exploration since it is designated as a protected war grave,resulting in their expulsion from Croatia.A subsequent Croatian-led expedition employed Closed Circuit Rebreather technology to explore and film the wreck site in August2009.Further official underwater archaeological expeditions took place in November2009 and May2010 involving international experts.

External links

• Kalajdzic, Ahmet (28 August 2009), https://www.slobodnadalmacija.hr/Mozaik/tabid/80/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/67832/Default.aspx
• Giuseppe Garibaldi (1899) – Official page on the Marina Militare website