Soldati-class destroyer
# Soldati-class destroyer

The Soldati class (also known as Camicia Nera class, meaning Blackshirt) were a group of destroyers built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during World War II. The ships were named after military professions (Artigliere, for example, meaning "artilleryman"). There were two batches; twelve ships were built in 1938–1939, and a second batch of seven ships were ordered in 1940, although only five were completed.

Ten ships of the class were lost during the war. Three of the survivors were transferred to the French Navy and two to the Soviet Navy as war reparations, while two served in the Italian post-war navy, the Marina Militare.

## Design

In 1936, the Italian Regia Marina placed an order for twelve examples of a new destroyer design, the Soldati class. The design was essentially a repeat of the previous Oriani destroyer design, which was itself a development of the Maestrale class. The design featured an identical main gun armament of four 120 mm/50 calibre guns in two twin turrets, one forward and one aft, while torpedo armament was two triple 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. A short (15 calibre) 120 mm gun was mounted on a pedestal between the banks of torpedo tubes for firing starshell, while the anti-aircraft armament consisted of twelve 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns. A single ship (Carabiniere) was completed with a fifth 120 mm 50 calibre gun replacing the starshell gun. The ships' powerplant, with two geared steam turbines driving two shafts and generating 48,000 shaft horsepower (36,000 kW), and with one large funnel, was similar to that in the Oriani class and was sufficient to propel the destroyers to 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph).

Orders for a second batch of seven destroyers were placed in 1940. All except one of these ships were to carry the five main gun armament of Carabiniere.

## Construction and modifications

The first batch of ships were laid down in 1937, being completed between 1938 and 1939, with the second batch being laid down in 1940–1941, with five completing in 1942.

Four more of the first batch (Ascari, Camicia Nera, Geniere and Lanciere) were modified in 1941–1942 by replacing the starshell gun with a full power 120 mm gun. The anti-aircraft machine guns were gradually replaced by 20 mm cannon, with up to 10–12 being fitted by 1943. Five ships (Carabiniere, Granatiere, Fuciliere, Legionario and Velite) had the aft set of torpedo tubes replaced by two 37 mm (1.5 in) 54 cal. guns , while Fuciliere and Velite also had their starshell guns replaced by a further pair of 37 mm cannon. Fuciliere and Velite were fitted with Italian radar, while Legionario was fitted with a German radar.

The Germans captured Squadrista incomplete in September 1943, and transferred the ship, renamed TA33, to Genoa for completion as a fighter direction ship carrying a long-range Freya radar and German 105 mm and 20 mm guns, but she was sunk by Allied bombing in 1944.

The two destroyers remaining in Italian service after the war were rebuilt as anti-submarine escorts in 1953–1954, with their torpedo tubes removed and the anti-aircraft armament changed to six 40 mm/39 pom-pom guns.

## Ships

### Batch 1

Construction data for Batch 1 :

| Ship | Hull letters | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Alpino | AP | CNR, Ancona | 2 May 1937 | 18 September 1938 | 20 April 1939 | Lost after bombing by USAAF aircraft in La Spezia Harbour, 19 April 1943 |
| Artigliere | AR | O.T.O., Livorno | 15 February 1937 | 12 December 1937 | 14 November 1938 | Lost 13 October 1940, sunk by HMS York after being damaged at the Battle of Cape Passero the previous day. The wreck was discovered in 2017. |
| Ascari | AI | O.T.O., Livorno | 11 December 1937 | 31 July 1938 | 6 May 1939 | Sank 24 March 1943 after striking three mines |
| Aviere | AV | O.T.O., Livorno | 16 January 1937 | 19 September 1937 | 31 August 1937 | Torpedoed and sunk by the British submarine HMS Splendid on 17 December 1942 |
| Bersagliere | BG | CNR, Palermo | 21 April 1937 | 3 July 1938 | 1 April 1939 | Lost after being bombed in Palermo harbour, 7 January 1943; |
| Camicia Nera (later Artigliere) | CN (AR) | O.T.O., Livorno | 21 January 1937 | 8 August 1937 | 30 June 1938 | Renamed Artigliere, 30 July 1943; survived the war, given to the Soviet Navy as war reparations as Lovky (Russian: Ловкий); retired 1960 |
| Carabiniere | CB | CT, Riva Trigoso | 1 February 1937 | 23 July 1938 | 20 December 1938 | Survived the war and served in the post war Italian Navy (Marina Militare), decommissioned, 18 January 1965 |
| Corazziere | CZ (CR) | O.T.O., Livorno | 7 October 1937 | 22 May 1938 | 4 March 1939 | Scuttled at Genoa following Italian Armistice, 9 September 1943; raised by Germans but sunk by air raid, 4 Sep 1944 |
| Fuciliere | FC | CNR, Ancona | 2 May 1937 | 31 July 1938 | 10 January 1939 | Survived the war, given to the Soviet Navy as war reparations, serving as Lyogky (Russian: Лёгкий); retired 1960 |
| Geniere | GE | O.T.O., Livorno | 26 August 1937 | 27 February 1938 | 14 December 1938 | Sunk by USAAF bombing while in drydock in Palermo, 1 March 1943 |
| Granatiere | GN | CNR, Palermo | 5 April 1937 | 24 April 1938 | 1 February 1939 | Survived the war and served in the post war Italian Navy; stricken 1 July 1958 |
| Lanciere | LN | CT, Riva Trigoso | 1 February 1937 | 18 December 1938 | 25 March 1939 | Capsized and sank in heavy storm following Second Battle of Sirte, 23 March 1942 |

### Batch 2

Construction data for Batch 2 :

| Ship | Hull letters | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Bombardiere | BR | CNR, Ancona | 7 October 1940 | 23 March 1942 | 15 July 1942 | Sunk 17 January 1943 by HMS United |
| Carrista | CR | O.T.O., Livorno | 11 September 1941 | N/A | N/A | Captured on slipway by Germans following Italian armistice; given prospective name TA34 but scrapped incomplete. |
| Corsaro | CA | O.T.O., Livorno | 23 January 1941 | 16 November 1941 | 16 May 1942 | Sunk by mines laid by HMS Abdiel, 9 January 1943 |
| Legionario | LG | O.T.O., Livorno | 21 October 1940 | 16 April 1941 | 1 March 1942 | Joined Allies 1943; transferred to France as war reparation, 15 August 1948; renamed Duchaffault; stricken 12 June 1954 |
| Mitragliere | MT | CNR, Ancona | 7 October 1940 | 28 September 1941 | 1 February 1942 | Interned Port Mahon, Majorca 1943; to Allies 1944; to France as Jurien de la Gravière, 8 Aug 1948; stricken 12 June 1954 |
| Squadrista | SQ | O.T.O., Livorno | 4 September 1941 | 12 September 1942 | — | Captured incomplete by Germany, September 1943; towed to Genoa for completion as TA33; sunk while undergoing trials at La Spezia, 4 September 1944 |
| Velite | VL | O.T.O., Livorno | 19 April 1941 | 31 August 1941 | 31 August 1942 | Badly damaged by torpedo from submarine HMS P228, 21 November 1942; repaired and joined Allies, 1943; transferred to France as Duperré, 24 July 1948; stricken 1961 |
