Italian destroyer Espero (1927)
Italian destroyer Espero was one of eight s built for the (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1920s. She was named after a westerly wind, Espero, or Ponente, common in summer in the Mediterranean. Completed in 1928, Espero was sent to Shanghai after the Shanghai Incident on 28 January 1932. After encountering heavy seas, she had to stop at Saigon, French Indochina, then stayed in the Far East even after a truce had been negotiated between China and Japan. After Italy entered World War II on 10 June 1940, Espero was part of the 2nd Destroyer Squadron, based at Taranto. Only seventeen days after Italy's entry into the war, Espero was sunk during the Battle of the Espero Convoy as she covered the convoy's retreat, the first surface engagement between Allied and Italian warships. The ship was the first Italian destroyer to be lost in World War II. Design and description The Turbine-class destroyers were enlarged and improved versions of the preceding . They had an overall length of , a beam of and a mean draft of . They displaced at standard load, and at deep load. Their complement was 12 officers and 167 enlisted men. The Turbines were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by three Thornycroft boilers. The turbines were rated at for a speed of in service, although Espero reached a speed of during her sea trials while lightly loaded. They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of at a speed of . Their main battery consisted of four guns in two twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Turbine-class ships was provided by a pair of AA guns in single mounts amidships and a twin-gun mount for machine guns. They were equipped with six torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships. The Turbines could carry 52 mines. Construction and career Espero was laid down by Gio. Ansaldo & C. at their Genoa-Sestri Ponente shipyard on 29 April 1925, launched on 31 August 1927 and commissioned on 30 April 1928. Together with , and , after completion Espero was assigned to the 1st Squadron of the I Destroyer Flotilla, based in La Spezia. After the Shanghai Incident of January 1932 which led to hostilities between China and Japan, Italy decided to send two warships and the San Marco Battalion to protect their colony in Shanghai. and Espero were selected for the mission. Both vessels departed from Gaeta on 5 February 1932 under command of Admiral Domenico Cavagnari. Trento reached Shanghai on 4 March, while Espero, slowed down by rough weather, had to stop at Saigon before reaching China three days later. After a truce was negotiated between Japan and China, Trento left Shanghai on 14 May 1932 for the return journey to Italy, while Espero stayed behind for a year to complement and strengthen Italian naval squadron in the Far East. In 1934 Espero, along with Ostro,