Libeccio was one of four built for the (Royal Italian Navy) in the early 1930s. Completed in 1934, she served in World War II.
She was present during the Battle of Taranto, and suffered a direct bomb hit, however it passed through her hull without exploding. She was also present at the disastrous Battle of the Duisburg Convoy, though survived only to be torpedoed the next day by HMS Upholder when she returned to the scene to search for survivors, she was taken in tow but soon sank.
Design and description The Maestrale-class destroyers were a completely new design intended to rectify the stability problems of the preceding . They had a length between perpendiculars of and an overall length of . The ships had a beam of and a mean draft of Whitley, p. 168 and at deep load.Brescia, p. 121 They displaced at standard load, and at deep load. Their complement during wartime was 190 officers and enlisted men.Roberts, p. 300
The Maestrales were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by a trio of three-drum boilers. The turbines were designed to produce and a speed of in service, but Libeccio briefly reached a speed of during her sea trials while lightly loaded. The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of at a speed of and at a speed of .
Their main battery consisted of four guns in two twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure.Fraccaroli, p. 55 Amidships were a pair of 15-caliber 120-millimeter star shell guns. Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Maestrale-class ships was provided by four machine guns. They were equipped with six torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships. Although the ships were not provided with a sonar system for anti-submarine work, they were fitted with a pair of depth charge throwers. The Maestrales could carry 56 mines.
Citations
Bibliography
Thomas P. Lowry, John Wellham (1995). Attack on Taranto. Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books.
External links Libeccio Marina Militare website