Riccardo Paladini (12 September 1879 – 19 March 1943) was an Italian admiral during

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Biography

Riccardo Paladini was born in

Montopoli in Val d'Arno Montopoli in Val d'Arno is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence and about east of Pisa. Montopoli in Val d'Arno borders the following municipalities: Castelfranco ...

, in the Province of Florence in 1879 and was admitted to the

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

in 1893, graduating five years later with the rank of ensign.Paolo Alberini, Franco Prosperini, ''Dizionario Biografico Uomini della Marina 1861-1946'', Ufficio Storico della Marina Militare, p. 395. In the following years he served on the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

''Amerigo Vespucci'', the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

''Enrico Dandolo'', and in 1908–1909 on the protected cruiser ''Ettore Fieramosca'', stationed in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. In 1911-1912 he participated in the Italo-Turkish War with the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

, initially assigned on the protected cruiser ''Piemonte'' and later as

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...

of the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

''Espero''. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Paladini initially commanded some torpedo boats; in 1917 he was promoted to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

and commanded the destroyers ''Ostro'', ''Euro'' and , receiving a War Cross for Military Valor and a

War Merit Cross The War Merit Cross (german: Kriegsverdienstkreuz) was a state decoration of Nazi Germany during World War II. By the end of the conflict it was issued in four degrees and had an equivalent civil award. A " de-Nazified" version of the War Merit ...

. After the war, he became naval commander of the island of Lussino between 1919 and 1920. After promotion to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in 1920, in 1923–1924 Paladini served as commander of the defense of

Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...

, and in 1924–1925 he was the commanding officer of the Mobile MAS Flotilla; between 1925 and 1926 he commanded the destroyer ''Leone'', and in 1926 he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Between 1927 and 1929 he was head of the officer division at the Ministry of the Navy, then he commanded the Scout Group from 1929 to 1932, with flag on the destroyer ''Antonio Da Noli''. He then became deputy commander of the Livorno Naval Academy; in 1933 he was promoted to ''Contrammiraglio'' (

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

) and appointed secretary of the Superior Council of the Navy. From 1934 to 1936 Paladini was in command of the Naval Academy, and in 1935 he was promoted to ''Ammiraglio di Divisione'' ( vice admiral). For a year he commanded first the 1st Naval Division and then the 3rd Naval Division (from 1 October 1936, with insignia on the heavy cruiser ''Trento''); in 1937–1938 he was commander of the Autonomous Naval Command of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and then (after promotion to ''Ammiraglio di Squadra'',

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

) he was commander of the Naval Department of the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

and Otranto Channel. On 16 August 1939 he became commander of the 2nd Naval Squadron, consisting of the heavy cruisers of the 1st and 3rd Division and the light cruisers of the 7th division, with flag on the heavy cruiser ''Pola''. At the time of Italy's entry into

, 10 June 1940, Paladini still commanded the 2nd Naval Squadron, and in this role he participated, on 9 July 1940, in the

Battle of Calabria The Battle of Calabria, known to the Italian Navy as the Battle of Punta Stilo, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the World War II, Second World War. Ships of the Kingdom of Italy, Italian ''Regia Marina'' were oppose ...

.Giorgio Giorgerini, ''La guerra italiana sul mare. La Marina tra vittoria e sconfitta 1940-1943'', p. 172 His active participation in the conflict ended abruptly after only a month and a half: on 25 July 1940 Paladini came down with angina pectoris and had to leave his command, replaced by Admiral

Angelo Iachino Angelo Iachino (or ''Jachino''; April 24, 1889–December 3, 1976) was an Italian admiral during World War II. Early life and career Iachino was born in Sanremo, Liguria, in 1889, Birth name: Angelo Francesco Jachino. the son of Giuseppe I ...

. In September 1940 he returned to the command of the Naval Academy; during this period, in 1942, he was promoted to ''Ammiraglio di Squadra designato d'armata''. On 12 September 1942 he was placed in auxiliary due to age limits, but he was immediately recalled to service, always as the commander of the Naval Academy; in January 1943 he was promoted to ''Ammiraglio d'Armata'' (

). He suddenly died in Livorno, on 19 March 1943, of heart problems.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paladini, Riccardo 1879 births 1943 deaths Regia Marina personnel of World War II Italian military personnel of World War I Italian admirals People from Montopoli in Val d'Arno