The ''Acciaio''-class submarine (also sometimes called ''Platino'' classC Adamo a
regiamarina.net
/ref>) was the fifth subclass of the 600 Series of

coastal submarine A coastal submarine or littoral submarine is a small, maneuverable submarine with shallow draft well suited to navigation of coastal channels and harbors. Although size is not precisely defined, coastal submarines are larger than midget submarin ...

s built by the

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' (" ...

. They were completed during the early 1940s and saw service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Design and description

The ''Acciaio''s were a development of the and designs, with some improvements, such as a lower conning tower to improve stability and reduce the silhouette. Of the 13 vessels in the class, six were built by CRDA at Monfalcone, four by OTO at

Muggiano Lerici ( lij, Lerxi, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of La Spezia in Liguria (northern Italy), part of the Italian Riviera. It is situated on the coast of the Gulf of La Spezia, southeast of La Spezia. It is known as the pla ...

, and three by Cantieri Tosi in

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino dialect, Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an ...

, the three main Italian shipyards for submarines. They were single-hulled with side tanks, and built to a Bernardis design, though the Tosi vessels had more powerful engines (at the expense of the two stern

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed abo ...

s), giving a surface speed of . The word ''Acciaio'' means "steel", and all vessels in this class were named for metals and minerals.

Ships

Service

Of the 13 vessels completed, eight were lost in action. The submarines served in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

''Acciaio'' class at regiamarina.net

Sommergibili
Marina Militare website {{WWII Italian ships Acciaio Acciaio Acciaio Ships built by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto Ships built by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico Ships built by OTO Melara