Italian destroyer Granatiere (1906)
| Company type | Naval ship |
|---|---|
| Industry | Military / Naval |
| Founded | 24 July 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) at waterline
|
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
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Ship speed=28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph) | Ship range= | Ship complement=55 personnel | Ship sensors= | Ship EW= | Ship armament=*4× 76 mm (3 in)/40 caliber guns
|
Granatiere, named after the Grenadier infantry soldier, was a Error: {{sclass2}} missing required parameter: ship type (help) destroyer operated 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 removed from the naval register in 1927.
Design
The propulsion system of Granatiere consisted of two vertical triple-expansion steam engines powered by three Thornycroft water-tube boilers, delivering approximately 6,000 indicated horsepower (4,500 kW) to two propeller shafts. At launch, her maximum speed reached 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph). Initially, she carried 95 tonnes (93 long tons; 105 short tons) of coal, enabling a cruising range of around 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and approximately 400 nautical miles (740 km; 460 mi) at higher speeds near 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph). Subsequent modifications allowed her to operate on fuel oil, with a capacity of 65 tonnes (64 long tons; 72 short tons). Armament included four quick-firing 76 mm/40 caliber guns along with three torpedo tubes measuring 450 mm in diameter.
Construction and Commissioning
The keel of Granatiere was laid on 24 July 1905 at the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard located in Genoa, Italy. She was launched on 27 October 1906 and reached completion by 18 April 1907. The vessel officially entered service on 5 June 1907.
1907–1911
Initially assigned to the 3rd Destroyer Squadron within the Upper Tyrrhenian Sea Department, Granatiere conducted her early training exercises in the waters near La Spezia. On 13 May 1908, she navigated up the Tiber River to Rome to receive a battle flag, which was presented by the Royal Army's Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna" at the Port of Ripa Grande, in the presence of King Victor Emmanuel III.
Following the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that struck Messina, Sicily, and Reggio Calabria on 28 December 1908, Granatiere arrived at Messina on 1 January 1909 alongside the auxiliary vessel Volta to participate in relief efforts. In that same year, she was deployed to the Middle East to protect Italian nationals amid outbreaks of anti-Christian violence.
In 1910, Granatiere took part in the dedication ceremony of Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum and also escorted the Italian royal yacht Trinacria on voyages to Sicily and Sardinia.
Italo-Turkish War
When Italy declared war on the Ottoman Empire on 29 September 1911, marking the start of the Italo-Turkish War, Granatiere was assigned to the 4th Destroyer Division of the 2nd Squadron alongside her sister ships Bersagliere, Garibaldino, and Lanciere. Throughout 1911, she supported Italian military operations off Ottoman-controlled Libya and in the Red Sea. In 1912, her activities extended to areas including the Red Sea, Aegean Sea near Anatolia and Greece, as well as the Dodecanese islands. The conflict concluded with an Italian victory on 18 October 1912.
1915
The outbreak of World War I occurred in 1914, coinciding with maintenance work on Granatiere at the Taranto Arsenal. Italy joined the conflict alongside the Allies by declaring war against Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915. At that juncture, Granatiere was commanded by Capitano di corvetta Landi and assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Squadron, headquartered in Taranto. This squadron also comprised the destroyers Impavido, Insidioso, and Irrequieto. Throughout the war, Granatiere conducted escort missions for convoys traversing the Adriatic Sea between Italy and the Principality of Albania. Additionally, she performed antisubmarine patrols in both the northern Tyrrhenian Sea and southern Adriatic, safeguarding vessels navigating routes linking Gibraltar, Marseille, Malta, and Sicily. On 1 December 1917, she rescued 160 survivors from the auxiliary cruiser Città di Sassari, which had been torpedoed and sunk in the Gulf of Genoa near Borghetto Santo Spirito, Italy, at 44°08′N 008°14′E / 44.133°N 8.233°E by the German submarine U-65.
By late October 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was effectively collapsing. The Armistice of Villa Giusti, signed on 3 November 1918 and implemented on 4 November 1918, terminated hostilities between Austria-Hungary and the Allies. The conclusion of World War I followed shortly thereafter with an armistice between the Allies and the German Empire on 11 November 1918.
Post-World War I
Following the conclusion of World War I, Granatiere was redesignated as a torpedo boat on 1 July 1921. From 1921 through 1924, she operated within the Italian Dodecanese, based at Rhodes where she served as flagship for the senior naval commander in the area. Subsequently, between 1925 and 1927, she functioned as a training vessel at Venice’s Mechanics School.
Granatiere was officially removed from the naval register on 3 November 1927 and was later dismantled.
Citations
- ↑ Fraccaroli 1985, p. 268.
Bibliography
- Beehler, W. H. The History of the Italian-Turkish War, September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912. Annapolis, Maryland: William H. Beehler, 1913. (Originally published in the United States Naval Institute's Proceedings, with additional material) [1]
- Favre, Franco. La Marina nella Grande Guerra. Le operazioni navali, aeree, subacquee e terrestri in Adriatico. (Italian)
- Fraccaroli, Aldo. Italian Warships of World War I. Ian Allan, 1970. p. 67. ISBN 0711001057.
- Fraccaroli, Aldo. "Italy", in Randal Gray (ed.), Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, 1985, pp. 252–290. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.