Italian destroyer Corazziere (1909)
| Company type | Warship |
|---|---|
| Industry | Naval military |
| Founded | 23 October 1905 |
| Headquarters | Genoa , Italy |
| Products | Destroyer (warship) |
| Hide header= | Header caption=[1] | Ship type= | Ship displacement=395–424 long tons (401–431 t) | Ship length=*64.4 m (211 ft 3 in) wl
|
Ship beam=6.1 m (20 ft 0 in) | Ship draught=2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) | Ship draft= | Ship propulsion=*2 × Vertical triple-expansion steam engines | Ship speed=28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph) | Ship range= | Ship complement=55 | Ship sensors= | Ship EW= | Ship armament=*4× 76 mm (3 in)/40 guns
|
Corazziere (meaning "Cuirassier") was a Soldato-class -class destroyer that served in the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy). Entering service in 1910, she participated in the Italo-Turkish War as well as during {{nowrap:World War I}}. The vessel was officially removed from the naval register in 1928.
Design
The propulsion system of Corazziere consisted of two vertical triple-expansion steam engines powered by three Thornycroft water-tube boilers, generating approximately 6,000 indicated horsepower (4,474 kW) to drive a pair of propeller shafts. Upon completion, the ship was capable of reaching speeds up to 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph). Initially, her fuel stores comprised 95 tonnes (93 long tons) of coal, which allowed for an operational range of around 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) cruising at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and about 400 nautical miles (740 km; 460 mi) at a higher speed of 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph). Subsequently, she was converted to utilize fuel oil, carrying approximately 65 tonnes (64 long tons) of it. Armament included four quick-firing 76 mm (3-inch)/40 caliber guns alongside three 450 mm (17.7-inch) torpedo tubes.
Construction and commissioning
The vessel Corazziere was laid down on 23 October 1905 at the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard located in Genoa, Italy. She was launched on 11 December 1909 and reached completion on 16 May 1910. The ship entered commission in the year 1910.
Italo-Turkish War
The conflict known as the Italo-Turkish War commenced on 29 September 1911 when the Kingdom of Italy formally declared war on the Ottoman Empire. At that moment, Corazziere was held in reserve at Taranto. One of the initial engagements, the Battle of Preveza, began on the afternoon of 29 September with Italian naval forces confronting Ottoman torpedo boats off what was then Ottoman-controlled waters in the Ionian Sea.
On the second day of combat, Corazziere reportedly operated near Igoumenitsa alongside other Italian vessels during the morning of 30 September 1911. The Italians observed a group of Ottoman torpedo boats departing from Preveza's harbor. After relaying this information to their command, they were instructed to permit the torpedo boats to distance themselves from shore before leveraging their superior speed to close in and destroy them. The Italian ships succeeded in encircling the torpedo boats, which then attempted to flee southward at full speed rather than returning to Preveza. This maneuver raised suspicion among the Italians; while Corazziere and her sister ship Artigliere pursued the fleeing torpedo boats, the destroyer Alpino moved northward to scout the approaches to Preveza. During this reconnaissance, Alpino intercepted steamers attempting to enter Preveza harbor, which were being diverted by the Ottoman torpedo boats’ distraction tactics, and captured one such steamer.
Meanwhile, Corazziere and Artigliere engaged the Ottoman torpedo boats, which responded with ineffective fire. Returning fire, the Italian destroyers inflicted severe damage on Alpagot and Hamidiye, causing one vessel’s ammunition magazine to explode. Both torpedo boats managed to limp back to port but sank there; survivors were rescued by the Italian destroyers. Some crew members who reached a nearby shoreline fired rifles at the Italians but were suppressed by return fire from Corazziere and Artigliere. Other Ottoman torpedo boats operating alongside Alpagot and Hamidiye retreated safely to port. In addition, Corazziere and Artigliere captured an armed yacht named Teties (also referred to as "Thetis" or "Tarabulus" in certain accounts), which was subsequently commissioned into the Regia Marina as the gunboat Capitano Verri.
In a 1912 article and a 1913 publication drawing from contemporary accounts, United States Navy Commodore W. H. Beehler presents an alternative narrative for events on 30 September 1911. He recounts that an officer from Corazziere went ashore at Preveza on the evening of 29 September to determine the anchorage positions of Alpagot and Hamidiye, information which was communicated to Frigate Captain Guido Biscaretti di Ruffia, commanding officer of Artigliere. On the morning of 30 September, both destroyers entered Preveza harbor and sank the anchored torpedo boats with gunfire; nearly all crew members escaped ashore except one. Following this, Corazziere prepared to tow an armed yacht named "Telied" as a prize when shore-based hostile civilians opened fire. The destroyer returned fire, silencing them and damaging a fort at Preveza that did not engage during combat. The engagement lasted approximately 45 minutes during which 76 shells were fired before both destroyers departed with the prize.
Historian Charles Stephenson offers a differing account: he states that rather than attempting a harbor incursion at Preveza against the Ottoman torpedo boat Antalya, which had arrived there on 29 September, Italian forces proceeded instead toward waters off Igoumenitsa. There, Alpagot and Hamidiye lay anchored in harbor. On the morning of 30 September, Corazziere, Alpino, and Artigliere entered Igoumenitsa harbor; Artigliere and Corazziere sank both anchored torpedo boats with gunfire. Meanwhile, Alpino approached an armed yacht named "Trablus," whose boilers were undergoing repairs. The yacht’s crew attempted scuttling by opening seacocks before abandoning ship; however, a boarding party from Alpino closed these seacocks to prevent sinking. As they cut mooring lines, local civilians opened fire on them, prompting bombardment from Corazziere, which suppressed civilian gunfire and damaged a fort at Igoumenitsa that did not engage during fighting. Subsequently, Alpino towed the yacht out of port.
The conflict concluded with an Italian victory on 18 October 1912.
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 Corazziere, commanded by Capitano di corvetta (Corvette Captain) Failla, was assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Squadron, stationed at Brindisi. This squadron also comprised Artigliere and other sister ships such as Bersagliere, Garibaldino, and Lanciere.[2] In the early hours of 24 May 1915, Corazziere and Bersagliere entered the vicinity of Grado to provide support for the raid on Porto Buso, a naval assault carried out by the destroyer Zeffiro targeting the Austro-Hungarian border post on Porto Buso island within the Grado Lagoon, part of the larger Marano Lagoon. During this operation, while Zeffiro attacked the outpost, Corazziere and Bersagliere offered protection against Austro-Hungarian naval forces and shelled enemy positions.[2]
On 29 May 1915, Artigliere, Bersagliere, Garibaldino, and Lanciere conducted a bombardment against the Adria Werke chemical plant located in Monfalcone, a facility involved in producing poison gases. Meanwhile, Corazziere, along with Alpino and their sister ship Pontiere, provided support during this engagement.[2] The same group of ships executed a subsequent bombardment on the Adria Werke plant on 7 June 1915.[2]
On 23 February 1916, under the leadership of Capitano di corvetta Bernotti, Corazziere teamed up with Bersagliere and Garibaldino to escort a convoy consisting of twelve steamships and two tugs to Durrës (referred to by Italians as Durazzo) along the coast of the Principality of Albania.[2] The convoy was provided with distant protection by the British light cruiser HMS Liverpool, the French destroyer Casque, and the Italian destroyer Rosolino Pilo.[2]
Throughout World War I, Corazziere remained active but did not engage in any further notable operations. By late October 1918, Austria-Hungary had essentially collapsed. The Armistice of Villa Giusti, signed on 3 November 1918 and effective from 4 November 1918, ended hostilities between Austria-Hungary and the Allies. The war itself concluded a week later following an armistice between the Allies and the German Empire on 11 November 1918.
Post-World War I
On 1 July 1921, Corazziere was redesignated as a torpedo boat. She was officially removed from the naval register on 1 June 1928[3] and was subsequently dismantled.
Notes
Citations
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. (originally published in Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute with supplementary material)
- 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.