The Nembo class was a class of destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy). Six destroyers were built by the Pattison shipyard of Naples between 1899 and 1905, to a design based on the contemporary destroyers of the British shipyard Thornycroft. They were active in the Italo-Turkish War and in the First World War, where three were lost.
Design In 1899, work began at the Pattison shipyard of Naples on the first ships of a new class of destroyers, the Nembo class. The Nembo class were based on a design by the British shipbuilders Thornycroft, and were similar to the Thirty-knotter destroyers that Thornycroft were building for the British Royal Navy (such as ).Friedman 2009, p. 50.
The ships were long overall and between perpendiculars, with a beam of and a draught of . Displacement was normal and full load.Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 356. Three Thornycroft boilers fed steam to two triple expansion steam engines rated at and driving two propeller shafts, giving a design speed of .Fraccaroli 1970, p. 65. The ships featured a raised turtleback forecastle and two funnels.Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare, p. 1877. Crew was between 51 and 58 officers and men.
The first two ships of the class, and were armed with one 76 mm (3 in)/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, with two 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes, while the remaining four ships had a reduced gun armament of five 57 mm/43 guns, allowing an increased torpedo armament of four 356 mm torpedo tubes to be carried.
The six ships of the class were completed between 1902 and 1905, reaching speeds of up to during sea trials (corresponding to a realistic sea speed of ).
Nembo and Turbine were rearmed in 1905 to match the other four ships. From 1908, all ships of the class were fitted with new oil-fired boilers, with a resulting change in the ships' profile, with three funnels being fitted rather than two. Sufficient oil was carried to give a range of at or at . The ships' armament was changed at the same time, to four 76 mm/40 guns and two 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes.
Service The ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912.Beehler 1913, pp. 10, 89. They were fitted for minelaying, with a capacity of 10–16 mines during the First World War, during which three destroyers were lost. Following the end of the war, the remaining three ships had a boiler removed, with the consequent loss of a funnel, together with a 76 mm gun, and were reclassified as torpedo boats.
Ships Ship Laid downFraccaroli 1970, pp. 65–66. Launched Completed Operational History 6 August 1899 18 May 1901 26 June 1902 Torpedoed by Austro-Hungarian submarine on 17 October 1916.Fraccaroli 1970, p. 66. 20 August 1899 21 November 1901 28 August 1902 Sunk by Austro-Hungarian cruiser and destroyers , and on 24 May 1915.10 September 189916 October 190212 October 1903Re-rated as torpedo boat 1 July 1921, discarded 4 March 1923.2 October 189912 December 19026 October 1903Sunk by Austro-Hungarian destroyers Csepel and 14/15 May 1917.14 May 19041 April 1905Re-rated as torpedo boat 1 July 1921, discarded 13 March 1923.9 July 19041 April 1905Renamed Turbine 16 January 1921. Re-rated as torpedo boat 1 July 1921, discarded 5 April 1923.
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External links Classe Nembo Marina Militare website