Italian destroyer Artigliere (1907)

Artigliere

Company type	Destroyer
Industry	Naval warfare
Founded	24 July 1905 (keel laid)
Founder	Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard, Genoa, Italy
Defunct	1923 (stricken from naval register)
Headquarters	Genoa , Italy
Products	Warship (Destroyer)

Template:Otherships

Artigliere (meaning Artillerist, Artilleryman, or Gunner) was a destroyer commissioned by the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy). Entering service in 1907, she participated in the Italo-Turkish War and later saw action during {{nowrap:World War I}}. The vessel was officially removed from the naval register in 1923.

Design

The propulsion system of Artigliere consisted of two vertical triple-expansion steam engines powered by three Thornycroft water-tube boilers, which together generated an estimated output of 6,000 to drive two propeller shafts. Upon completion, the ship could attain a top speed of 28.5. Initially, she carried 95 tonnes (93 long tons) of coal, enabling a cruising range of approximately 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and around 400 nautical miles (740 km; 460 mi) at 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph); she was subsequently modified to utilize fuel oil, with a storage capacity of 65 tonnes (64 long tons). Armament included four quick-firing 12-pounder 12 cwt naval guns with a caliber of 76 mm (40 calibers in length) and three torpedo tubes measuring 450 mm (17.7 inches) in diameter.

Construction and commissioning

The keel of Artigliere was laid on 24 July 1905 at the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard located in Genoa, Italy. She was subsequently launched on 18 January 1907 and finalized on 26 August 1907. The vessel entered active service in September 1907.

1907–1911

On 28 December 1908, a catastrophic earthquake struck the Strait of Messina, triggering a tsunami that devastated Messina in Sicily and Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland. By 30 December 1908, Artigliere, alongside her sister ship Bersagliere and the battleship Vittorio Emanuele, had arrived at Messina to aid in relief and rescue efforts.

Italo-Turkish War

The Italo-Turkish War commenced on 29 September 1911 when the Kingdom of Italy declared war against the Ottoman Empire. At that time, Artigliere was held in reserve at Taranto under the command of Capitano di fregata Guido Biscaretti di Ruffia, who would later become an ammiraglio di squadra. On the afternoon of the war’s outbreak, Artigliere participated in one of the initial confrontations—the Battle of Preveza—alongside destroyers Alpino, Carabiniere, Zeffiro, and torpedo boat Spica. They engaged Ottoman torpedo boats Antalya and Tokad as these vessels attempted to exit Preveza harbor on what was then Ottoman Ionian Sea territory. Reports indicate that at approximately 14:00, Italian forces attacked; Artigliere inflicted serious damage on Tokad, pursuing her back toward Preveza's anchorage. Meanwhile, Carabiniere, Alpino, Spica, and Zeffiro encircled Antalya. After sustaining multiple hits, catching fire, and suffering four fatalities among her crew with numerous wounded, Antalya surrendered and grounded herself nearby. Crew members from Alpino boarded and captured the vessel, removing her flag and sole operable gun before finishing her off with gunfire. Subsequently, the Italian ships joined forces to sink both Tokad and an Ottoman gunboat within the harbor. As they withdrew, crew aboard the Greek steamer Marte applauded their actions.

In a June 1912 article and a subsequent 1913 publication based on contemporary accounts, U.S. Navy Commodore W. H. Beehler presents an alternative account of the events on 29 September 1911. According to his narrative, Italian ships spotted both Antalya and Tokad navigating north-northwest between Corfu and Preveza around mid-afternoon (either 15:00 or 16:00). The Italians opened fire while Ottoman vessels responded weakly. During this engagement, three Italian destroyers chased Tokad northward while two pursued Antalya southward. Severely damaged with fifteen hits and aflame, Tokad ran aground near Nicopolis and was destroyed; her commanding officer and eight crew members were killed or drowned. Conversely, Antalya reached Preveza unharmed. The Italian destroyers remained intact after firing approximately one hundred 76-millimeter rounds.

The conflict extended into the morning of 30 September when sources report that off Igoumenitsa, Italian forces including Artigliere encountered Ottoman torpedo boats departing Preveza. Upon reporting this sighting, they received orders to allow the torpedo boats to move away from shore before leveraging their superior speed to close in for destruction. The Italians succeeded in surrounding these vessels as they attempted to escape southward rather than return to port—a suspicious maneuver prompting pursuit by Artigliere and sister ship Corazziere. Meanwhile, destroyer Alpino scouted northward toward Preveza’s approaches, discovering steamships attempting to reach the harbor amid diversionary Ottoman torpedo boat actions; she captured one such steamer. During combat, Italian destroyers returned fire against Ottoman torpedo boats Alpagot and Hamidiye, inflicting severe damage including an ammunition magazine explosion aboard one vessel. Both torpedo boats sank within port; Italian destroyers rescued some survivors before silencing rifle fire from Ottoman crew ashore with their own return fire. Other Ottoman torpedo boats operating alongside escaped safely. Additionally, Italian forces captured the armed yacht Teties (also referred to as "Thetis" or "Tarabulus" in some accounts), which was later commissioned into the Regia Marina as gunboat Capitano Verri.

Beehler’s version diverges by detailing that an officer from Corazziere landed at Preveza on the evening of 29 September to identify anchorage positions for Ottoman vessels Alpagot and Hamidiye. Based on this intelligence, both destroyers entered Preveza harbor early on 30 September and sank these torpedo boats while anchored; all but one crew member escaped ashore. Preparing to tow the captured armed yacht "Telied" as a prize, they came under fire from local civilians but responded with suppressive fire that also damaged a fort which remained inactive during combat. The engagement lasted approximately forty-five minutes with seventy-six shells expended before they withdrew.

Historian Charles Stephenson offers yet another perspective stating that Italians refrained from entering Preveza harbor after Antalya’’’s arrival on 29 September; instead they proceeded to Igoumenitsa where Ottoman torpedo boats were anchored. There, destroyers ‘’Alpino’’, ‘’Artigliere’’, and ‘’Corazziere’’ infiltrated the harbor early on 30 September; ‘’Artigliere’’ and ‘’Corazziere’’ sank ‘’Alpagot’’ and ‘’Hamidiye’’ while still at anchor. Meanwhile, ‘’Alpino’’ approached an armed yacht named "Trablus," whose boilers were undergoing repairs; upon abandonment by her crew who attempted scuttling by opening seacocks, ‘’Alpino’’’s boarding party closed these valves to prevent sinking. As they cut mooring lines under fire from shore-based civilians, ‘’Corazziere’’ bombarded the town, silencing opposition fire and damaging a fort that did not engage during combat. Subsequently, ‘’Alpino’’ towed the yacht out of port.

On 5 October 1911, a motorboat launched from ‘’Artigliere’’, conducting surveillance of an Austro-Hungarian mail steamer in Shëngjin harbor (San Giovanni de Medua), came under artillery fire from an earthwork position equipped with field guns. In response, ‘’Artigliere’’ bombarded this emplacement for forty-five minutes until depleting ammunition supplies; her fire silenced enemy guns and damaged several buildings within Shëngjin before ceasing action due to limited munitions availability. Shortly thereafter, destroyer ‘’Carabiniere’’ arrived and engaged the earthwork for twenty minutes prior to withdrawal.

In January 1912, ‘’Artigliere’’, accompanied by sister ship ‘’Garibaldino’’ and protected cruiser ‘’Piemonte’’, deployed to Red Sea waters searching for Ottoman naval units along coastal areas. On 7 January they encountered a sizeable Ottoman flotilla anchored at Kunfuda Bay comprising gunboats ‘’Ayintag’’ (also known as ‘’Antep’’), ‘’Bafra’’, ‘’Gökçedağ’’, ‘’Kastamonu’’, ‘’Ordu’’, and ‘’Refahiye’’, alongside armed tugboat ‘’Muha’’ and steam yacht ‘’Şipka’’ (previously named Fuad or Fauwette). The Ottomans initiated an attack against ’’Artigliere’’, prompting ’’Garibaldino’’ and ’’Piemonte’’ to provide support in a battle lasting three hours. Opening fire from approximately 4,500 meters range, Italians succeeded in sinking three gunboats while forcing three others ashore where crews abandoned them after escaping inland. The fate of ’’Muha’’ remains unreported in sources. Returning on 8 January with landing parties aboard, Italians completed destruction of beached vessels following salvage operations for guns and trophies before bombarding Kunfuda town itself; they also captured four Arab dhows during this operation. After Ottoman forces withdrew from the region, a landing party from ’’Piemonte’’ occupied Kunfuda. While sources vary regarding ’’Şipka’’, consensus holds that Italians seized her as a prize vessel—towing her first to Massawa then incorporating her into Regia Marina as gunboat ’’Cunfuda’’.

By June 1912, ’’Artigliere’’ concluded Red Sea operations and returned to Italy. The war formally ended on 18 October 1912 with Italy’s victory established.

World War I

The outbreak of World War I occurred in 1914, and Italy joined the conflict alongside the Allies by declaring war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915. At that time, the vessel Artigliere, commanded by Capitano di fregata (Frigate Captain) De Grossi, was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Squadron, stationed at Brindisi. This squadron also comprised Bersagliere, Corazziere, Garibaldino, and the sister ship Lanciere. On 29 May 1915, the ships Artigliere, Bersagliere, Garibaldino, and Lanciere conducted a bombardment targeting the Adria Werke chemical plant located in Monfalcone, a facility involved in producing poison gases. Meanwhile, Alpino, Corazziere, and their sister ship Pontiere provided support during this operation. The Adria Werke plant was subjected to another naval bombardment by these vessels on 7 June 1915.

Throughout World War I, Artigliere remained active but did not engage in further notable actions. By late October 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire had effectively collapsed. The Armistice of Villa Giusti, signed on 3 November 1918 and implemented on 4 November 1918, ended hostilities between Austria-Hungary and the Allied forces. The war itself concluded a week later with the signing of an armistice between the Allies and the German Empire on 11 November 1918.

Post-World War I

On 1 July 1921, Artigliere was redesignated as a torpedo boat. She was officially removed from the naval register on 14 June 1923 and was subsequently dismantled.

References

Bibliography

• Beehler, W. H. (1913). The History of the Italian-Turkish War, September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912 (PDF). Annapolis, Maryland: William H. Beehler. (reprinted from Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute with additions)
• Favre, Franco. La Marina nella Grande Guerra. Le operazioni navali, aeree, subacquee e terrestri in Adriatico (in italiano).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Fraccaroli, Aldo (1970). Italian Warships of World War I. Ian Allan. p. 67. ISBN 0711001057.
• Fraccaroli, Aldo (1985). "Italy". In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 252–290. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
• Langensiepen, Bernd & Güleryüz, Ahmet (1995). The Ottoman Steam Navy 1828–1923. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-610-1.
• Stephenson, Charles (2014). A Box of Sand: The Italo-Ottoman War 1911–1912. Ticehurst: Tattered Flag Press. ISBN 978-0-9576892-2-0.