The Lampo class was a class of six destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built by the German Schichau shipyard from 1899–1901. They served in the Italo-Turkish War (where one was lost) and the surviving ships in the First World War, before being disposed of between 1920 and 1924.
Design In 1899, the Italian Navy ordered six destroyers from the German shipyard Schichau-Werke of Elbing, Prussia (now Elbląg in Poland). The design was typical for Schichau-designed destroyers of the period, with a raised turtleback forecastle, a ram bow and two funnels.Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare, p. 1616.
The ships were long between perpendiculars and overall, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and full load. They were powered by two triple expansion steam engines fed by four Thornycroft water-tube boilers which were rated at driving two shafts to give a design speed of . Sufficient coal was carried to give an endurance of at or at .
Gun armament varied between ships. , , and carried a single /40 calibre gun (capable of firing a shell to a range of at a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute per gunFraccaroli 1970, pp. 281–282.) and five 57 mm/43 guns, while and carried six 57 mm guns. Torpedo armament consisted of two torpedo tubes. The ships' crew consisted of 59 officers and men.
The six ships were laid down between 1899 and 1900 and completed between 1900 and 1902. While the ships were fast, reaching speeds of over during sea trials (corresponding to a realistic sea speed of ), seaworthiness was poor.Fraccaroli 1970, p. 56.
Service The ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912. One ship, Freccia ran aground in a storm off Tripoli, Libya, on 12 October 1911, a few days after the city was captured by the Italians.Beehler 1913, pp. 20–21. Other ships in the class took part in operations along the coast of Libya,Beehler 1913, pp. 35, 47. and in the Dodecanese.Beehler 1913, pp. 69, 74.
In 1914, the remaining ships of the class formed part of the 6th Destroyer Division, based in Libya. During the First World War, the ships of the class were modified for minelaying, being fitted to carry at least 12 mines. The ships were used as escorts in North African waters and in the Tyrrhenian Sea,Fraccaroli 1970, pp. 59, 265–266, 268–269, 272. and as such carried depth charges and anti-submarine sweeps.
The ships of the class were disposed of during the early 1920s, with the last one stricken in November 1924.
Ships Ship Laid downFraccaroli 1970, p55. Launched Completed Operational History 6 May 1899 7 October 1899 23 June 1900 Disposed of 18 March 1920Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 355. 1899 23 November 1899 25 May 1902 Ran aground off Tripoli, 12 October 191117 August 18997 February 190016 March 1901Disposed of 18 March 19207 November 189919 May 19006 July 1901Disposed of 13 January 19249 January 190027 August 190011 October 1901Reclassified as torpedo-boat 17 January 1921. Used as target ship 1923–24Renamed Strale 9 September 1924Disposed of 13 November 192423 March 19009 February 19018 December 1901Disposed of 30 September 1920
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External links Classe Lampo Marina Militare website