The ''Freccia''-class destroyer was a
class of
destroyers built for the (Royal Italian Navy) in the 1930s. Four modified ships were built and delivered in 1933 for
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
.
Ships
Italian Navy
*
:Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente
:launched 6 September 1930, completed 25 January 1932
:Captured by the
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
and renamed ''TA31''. Scuttled on 24 April 1945.
*
:Built by CT Riva Trigioso
:launched 3 August 1930, completed 21 October 1931
:In the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlism, Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebeli ...
, on 15 August 1937, she shelled, torpedoed and disabled the
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
nian tanker ''George McKnight'' off
Tunis
''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois
, population_note =
, population_urban =
, population_metro = 2658816
, population_density_km2 =
, timezone1 = CET
, utc_offset1 ...
.
:Sunk on 8 August 1943 off
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of t ...
by bombing.
*
:Built by CT Riva Trigioso
:launched 17 January 1932, completed 10 May 1932
:In the Spanish Civil War, on 11 August 1937, she torpedoed and sank the
Spanish Republican
The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...
tanker ''Campeador'' in the
strait of Sicily
The Strait of Sicily (also known as Sicilian Strait, Sicilian Channel, Channel of Sicily, Sicilian Narrows and Pantelleria Channel; it, Canale di Sicilia or the Stretto di Sicilia; scn, Canali di Sicilia or Strittu di Sicilia, ar, مضيق ص ...
.
:Sunk by a mine on 3 February 1943 with the loss of 170 men including Lt. Cdr. Enea Picchio, the commanding officer, while 39 men survived.
*
:Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente
:launched 26 March 1931, completed 6 February 1932
:Rammed and sank UK submarine on 14 June 1940. Beached herself on 21 June 1942 near
Cape Bon
Cape Bon ("Good Cape") is a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia, also known as Ras at-Taib ( ar, الرأس الطيب), Sharīk Peninsula, or Watan el Kibli;
Cape Bon is also the name of the northernmost point on the peninsula, also known as Ra ...
and was finished off by torpedoes from the submarine .
Hellenic Navy
The Greek Navy ordered four destroyers from Italy in 1929 to a modified design as the ''Kountouriotis'' class. The chief difference with the Italian ships was the substitution of four single 120 mm guns (
Ansaldo
Ansaldo Energia S.p.A. is an Italian power engineering company. It is based in Genoa, Italy. The absorbed parent company, Gio. Ansaldo & C., started in 1853. It was taken over by Leonardo S.p.A. In 2011, Leonardo S.p.A. sold 45% stake in An ...
Model 1926) for the twin turrets used in the Italian Navy ships.
*
:Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente
:launched 21 October 1931, commissioned November 1932
:Sunk by German aircraft, 22 April 1941.
*
:Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente
:commissioned May 1933
:Served 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 ...
, decommissioned in 1946, Scrapped 1947.
*
:Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente
:commissioned May 1933
:Sunk by German aircraft, 20 April 1941.
*
:Built by Odero, Sestri Ponente
:launched 29 August 1931, commissioned November 1932
:Served in World War II, decommissioned and scrapped in 1946.
The two surviving ships, ''Spetsai'' and ''Kountouriotis'', served in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of the Free Greek Navy until late 1943. They were then laid up at
Port Said
Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
for want of Italian spare parts, and because their crews were needed for new ships built in the UK for the Free Greek Navy.
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Freccia (1930) Marina Militare website
{{WWII Italian ships
Destroyer classes