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	Lampo circa 1900, just after delivery
Class overview
Name	Lampo class
Builders	Schichau-Werke, Elbing
Operators	Regia Marina
Preceded by	Fulmine
Succeeded by	Nembo class
Built	1899–1902
In commission	1900–1924
Completed	6
Lost	1
Scrapped	5
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	315 long tons (320 t) normal; 348 long tons (354 t) full load;
Length	60.00 m (196 ft 10 in) pp; 62.05 m (203 ft 7 in) oa;
Beam	6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
Draught	2.60 m (8 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 × Vertical triple-expansion steam engines; 4× Thornycroft boilers; 6,000 ihp (4,500 kW);
Speed	31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)
Range	290 nmi (540 km; 330 mi) at 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph); 2,000 nmi (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph);
Complement	59
Armament	1 × 76 mm (3 in)/40 gun; 5 × 57 mm/43; 2× 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes;

The Lampo class was a class of six destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built by the German Schichau shipyard from 1899–1901. They served in the Italo-Turkish War (where one was lost) and the surviving ships in the First World War, before being disposed of between 1920 and 1924.

Design

In 1899,^[1] the Italian Navy ordered six destroyers from the German shipyard Schichau-Werke of Elbing, Prussia (now Elbląg in Poland). The design was typical for Schichau-designed destroyers of the period, with a raised turtleback^[a] forecastle, a ram bow and two funnels.^[3]

The ships were 60.00 metres (196 ft 10 in) long between perpendiculars and 62.05 metres (203 ft 7 in) overall, with a beam of 6.50 metres (21 ft 4 in) and a draught of 2.60 metres (8 ft 6 in).^[4] Displacement was 315 long tons (320 t) normal and 348 long tons (354 t) full load.^[1]^[4] They were powered by two triple expansion steam engines fed by four Thornycroft water-tube boilers which were rated at 6,000 ihp (4,500 kW) driving two shafts to give a design speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).^[4]^[5] Sufficient coal was carried to give an endurance of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) or 290 nautical miles (540 km; 330 mi) at 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph).^[1]^[4]

Gun armament varied between ships. Lampo, Freccia, Dardo and Euro carried a single 76 mm (3 in)/40 calibre gun (capable of firing a 5.9 kilograms (13 lb) shell to a range of 9,850 metres (32,320 ft) at a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute per gun^[6]) and five 57 mm/43 guns, while Strale and Ostro carried six 57 mm guns. Torpedo armament consisted of two 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes.^[4] The ships' crew consisted of 59 officers and men.^[1]

The six ships were laid down between 1899 and 1900 and completed between 1900 and 1902.^[5] While the ships were fast, reaching speeds of over 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) during sea trials (corresponding to a realistic sea speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)),^[5] seaworthiness was poor.^[3]^[4]^[7]

Service

The ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912. One ship, Freccia ran aground in a storm off Tripoli, Libya, on 12 October 1911,^[5]^[8] a few days after the city was captured by the Italians.^[9] Other ships in the class took part in operations along the coast of Libya,^[10] and in the Dodecanese.^[11]

In 1914, the remaining ships of the class formed part of the 6th Destroyer Division, based in Libya.^[3] During the First World War, the ships of the class were modified for minelaying, being fitted to carry at least 12 mines.^[4] The ships were used as escorts in North African waters and in the Tyrrhenian Sea,^[3]^[12] and as such carried depth charges and anti-submarine sweeps.^[1]

The ships of the class were disposed of during the early 1920s, with the last one stricken in November 1924.^[5]

Ships

Ship	Laid down^[5]	Launched^[5]	Completed^[5]	Operational History
Lampo	6 May 1899	7 October 1899	23 June 1900	Disposed of 18 March 1920^[4]
Freccia	1899	23 November 1899	25 May 1902	Ran aground off Tripoli, 12 October 1911^[4]^[5]
Dardo	17 August 1899	7 February 1900	16 March 1901	Disposed of 18 March 1920^[4]
Strale	7 November 1899	19 May 1900	6 July 1901	Disposed of 13 January 1924^[5]
Euro	9 January 1900	27 August 1900	11 October 1901	Reclassified as torpedo-boat 17 January 1921. Used as target ship 1923–24 Renamed Strale 9 September 1924 Disposed of 13 November 1924^[4]^[5]
Ostro	23 March 1900	9 February 1901	8 December 1901	Disposed of 30 September 1920^[4]

Notes

^ A turtleback is an arched structure over the deck of a ship, normally at the ship's bow.^[2]

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Lampo: Cacciatorpediniere" (in Italian). Marina Militare. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
^ "turtleback: Definitions". wordnik.com. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare, p. 1616.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 355.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k Fraccaroli 1970, p55.
^ Fraccaroli 1970, pp. 281–282.
^ Fraccaroli 1970, p. 56.
^ "Il cacciatorpediniere "Freccia" riprendera presto il mare". La Stampa (in Italian). 16 October 1911. p. 2. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
^ Beehler 1913, pp. 20–21.
^ Beehler 1913, pp. 35, 47.
^ Beehler 1913, pp. 69, 74.
^ Fraccaroli 1970, pp. 59, 265–266, 268–269, 272.

References

Beehler, William Henry (1913). The History of the Italian-Turkish War, Sept. 29, 1911 to Oct. 18, 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Advertiser-Republican.
Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
Fraccaroli, Aldo (1970). Italian Warships of World War 1. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0105-7.
"Lampo". Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare. London: Phoebus Pub. Co.: 1616 1978–1979.