Italian destroyer Lanciere (1907)
| 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) (waterline)
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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 × QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun (76 mm/40 calibre) guns
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Lanciere ("Lancer") belonged to the Error: {{sclass2}} missing required parameter: ship type (help) (Soldier) class of destroyers operated by the Italian Regia Marina ("Royal Navy"). Entering service in 1907, she participated in both the Italo-Turkish War and World War I before being removed from the naval register in 1923.
Design
The propulsion system of Lanciere consisted of two vertical triple-expansion steam engines powered by three Thornycroft water-tube boilers, delivering an estimated output of 6,000 indicated horsepower (4,474 kW) to drive twin propellers. Upon completion, she was capable of achieving speeds up to 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph). Initially, her fuel storage held 95 tonnes (93 long tons) of coal, which provided a cruising range of approximately 1,500 nautical miles (2,800 km; 1,700 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and around 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 up to 65 tonnes (64 long tons). Armament included four 76 mm/40 calibre quick-firing guns and three 450 mm torpedo tubes.
Construction and commissioning
The construction of Lanciere commenced with her keel being laid on 24 July 1905 at the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard located in Genoa, Italy. She was subsequently launched on 27 February 1907 and finalized on 1 August 1907. The vessel officially entered service in August 1907.
1907–1911
On 28 December 1908, a catastrophic earthquake struck the Strait of Messina, followed by a tsunami that devastated Messina in Sicily and Reggio Calabria on the Italian mainland. In response, on 2 January 1909, Lanciere along with the auxiliary vessels Atlante, Olimpia, Orfeo, and Verde arrived at Messina to provide aid during the rescue efforts.
Italo-Turkish War
The Italo-Turkish War commenced on 29 September 1911 when the Kingdom of Italy declared war on the Ottoman Empire. At that time, Lanciere was assigned to the 4th Destroyer Division of the 2nd Squadron alongside her sister ships Bersagliere, Garibaldino, and Granatiere. By 30 September 1911, she participated in the blockade of Tripoli together with Bersagliere, Garibaldino; the battleships Napoli and Roma; armored cruisers Francesco Ferruccio, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Varese; the torpedo cruiser Coatit; as well as destroyers Euro, Freccia, Ostro, and Strale.
On 5 May 1912, Lanciere, Coatit, and the auxiliary cruiser Duca di Genova conducted patrols in the Aegean Sea between Bodrum and Smyrna along the Anatolian coast to prevent Ottoman torpedo boats stationed at Bodrum from interfering with the Italian invasion of Rhodes. After observing no hostile activity from Ottoman forces at Bodrum, these Italian ships returned to Rhodes. On the morning of 17 May 1912, Lanciere supported Italian ground forces advancing through the Psithos valley on Rhodes alongside the battleship Emanuele Filiberto, targeting the last Ottoman defenders entrenched on the island. The conflict concluded on 18 October 1912 with an Italian victory.
1915
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 this juncture, Lanciere, commanded by Capitano di corvetta (Corvette Captain) Comolli, served within the 3rd Destroyer Squadron, stationed at Brindisi. This squadron also comprised Bersagliere, Garibaldino, and their sister ships Artigliere and Corazziere.[2] On 24 May 1915, just one day after Italy's entry into war, Lanciere, Garibaldino, along with sister ships Alpino, Carabiniere, and Fuciliere, undertook a patrol mission in the northern sector of the Adriatic Sea.[2]
On 29 May 1915, Lanciere, together with Artigliere, Bersagliere, and Garibaldino, launched a bombardment against the Adria Werke chemical plant located in Monfalcone, a facility known for producing poison gases. Support was provided by Alpino, Corazziere, and their sister ship Pontiere during the operation.[2] A subsequent shelling of the Adria Werke plant occurred on 7 June 1915.[2]
Throughout the ongoing conflict, Lanciere also fulfilled escort duties. Notably, on 8 January 1918 she escorted the sizable passenger steamers San Giovanni and San Guglielmo as they departed from Genoa, Italy, en route to New York City. The convoy was instructed to maintain proximity to the Italian coastline. Near Savona, escort responsibilities were transferred from Lanciere to Bersagliere. Soon after this handover, the convoy came under attack by the Imperial German Navy submarine U-63, which torpedoed and sank San Guglielmo in the Gulf of Genoa approximately 800 metres (870 yd) off Loano at coordinates 44°07′N 008°18′E / 44.117°N 8.300°E.[3][4]
By the end of October 1918, Austria-Hungary had essentially collapsed. The signing of the Armistice of Villa Giusti on 3 November 1918 took effect on 4 November 1918, ceasing 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
On 1 July 1921, Lanciere underwent reclassification to serve as a torpedo boat. She was taken out of active service in 1923 and officially removed from the naval register on 4 March 1923. Following her decommissioning, the vessel was dismantled and scrapped.
Citations
- ↑ Fraccaroli 1985, p. 268.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Favre, pp. 67, 70, 97–98..
- ↑ Centro Sub Tigullio Archived 31 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian).
- ↑ Passenger steamer San Guglielmo - Ships hit by U-boats - German and Austrian U-boats of World War One - Kaiserliche Marine - uboat.net.
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.