Italian submarine Tricheco (1930)

Tricheco

Company type	Submarine
Industry	Naval military vessel
Founded	10 November 1928
Headquarters	Monfalcone , Italy
Products	Squalo-class submarines

Tricheco was among four vessels in the series constructed for the Template:Lang-it, the Royal Italian Navy, during the late 1920s. This submarine participated in operations during World War II and was ultimately sunk by the British submarine HMS Upholder in March 1942.

Design and description

The Squalo series represented a near replication of the earlier Bandiera class design. These submarines had a surfaced displacement of approximately 920 metric tons (910 long tons) and displaced around 1,125 metric tons (1,107 long tons) when submerged. The vessels measured about 69.8 meters (229 ft) in length, with a beam spanning 7.21 meters (23 ft 8 in), and a draft of 5.19 meters (17 ft). Their operational diving capability reached depths near 90 meters (300 ft). Crews consisted of 53 officers and enlisted men.

For propulsion on the surface, each submarine utilized a pair of diesel engines producing a combined output of roughly 3,000 brake horsepower (2,200 kW); each engine powered one propeller shaft. When submerged, propulsion switched to two electric motors generating around 1,300 brake horsepower (970 kW), each driving one shaft. This configuration allowed maximum speeds of approximately 15.1 knots (28.0 km/h; 17.4 mph) on the surface and up to 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) underwater. Their operational range extended to about 5,650 nautical miles (10,460 km; 6,500 mi) cruising at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) when surfaced, while submerged endurance was roughly 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) at a speed of 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).

Armament included eight internal torpedo tubes measuring 53.3 cm (21.0 in), split evenly between bow and stern positions, with a total complement of twelve torpedoes carried aboard. Surface engagements were supported by a single deck gun of caliber 102 mm (4.0 in), complemented by two single-mounted machine guns of caliber 13.2 mm (0.52 in), intended primarily for anti-aircraft defense.

Construction and service history

The submarine Tricheco, bearing the name of the walrus, was constructed beginning on 10 November 1928 at the Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CRDA) shipyard located in Monfalcone. She was officially launched on 11 September 1930 and reached completion on 25 June 1931.

See also

Italian submarines of World War II

Bibliography

• Bagnasco, Erminio. Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1977. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
• Brescia, Maurizio. Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2012. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press, 1980. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Fraccaroli, Aldo. Italian Warships of World War II. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan, 1968. ISBN 0-7110-0002-6.
• Rohwer, Jürgen. Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Third Revised Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2005. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.

External links

• Tricheco (1930) – Official page on the Marina Militare website