Artigliere-class destroyer

The Artigliere class was a class of two destroyers of the Italian Navy. They entered service in 1951, with the last one being decommissioned in 1975.

Artigliere
Class overview
NameArtigliere class
Builders
Operators Italian Navy
Preceded bySoldati class
Succeeded byFante class
Subclasses
Built1939-1941
In commission1951-1975
Planned2
Completed2
Retired2
General characteristics
TypeDestroyer
Displacement
  • (Artigliere):
  • 1,620 long tons (1,646 t)
  • (Aviere):
  • 2,500 long tons (2,540 t)
Length
  • (Artigliere):
  • 347 ft 9 in (105.99 m)
  • (Aviere):
  • 376.5 ft (114.8 m)
Beam36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
Draft
  • (Artigliere):
  • 17.4 ft 8 in (5.51 m)
  • (Aviere):
  • 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m)
Propulsion
Speed
  • (Artigliere):
  • 37.6 knots (69.6 km/h; 43.3 mph)
  • (Aviere):
  • 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement276
Sensors and
processing systems
Armament

History

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The Artigliere-class destroyers consisted of two former United States Navy destroyers, purchased by the Italian Navy in 1951 as part of its post-war reconstruction phase. These were the Benson class USS Woodworth, which became Artigliere,[1] and the Gleaves class USS Nicholson, which became Aviere.[2] Although they were from two different US Navy classes, they had the same general characteristics, so much so that the class is often identified as the Livermore class.

The two ships of the class entered service together with the Aldebaran-class frigates as part of a naval upgrade program started in 1950, and although they dated back to the early 1940s, their four 127/38mm guns enhanced the artillery component of the Italian Navy. Surface naval vessels of the Italian Navy, at the same time were increasing their anti-aircraft capabilities. Along with weapons, the new electronic equipment for firing direction and air-naval surveillance also represented the starting point for personnel training on new generation systems that would later be adopted in a more widespread and generalized way.

Ships in the class

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Pennant Name Builders Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned
D 553 Artigliere Union Iron Works 30 April 1941 29 November 1941 1951 1971
D 554 Aviere Boston Navy Yard 20 July 1942 31 July 1943 1975

References

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  1. ^ "Navi e Armatori - Approdi di Passione". www.naviearmatori.net. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Navi e Armatori - Approdi di Passione". www.naviearmatori.net. Retrieved 13 June 2021.