Yesterday's Italian Navy

[designeraccd]

Here is a nice pre war shot show casing destroyers and in the distance, cruisers......... Anyone care to ID the ships shown?? DFO

[Brian James]

Launch day for Submarine RM Giacinto Pullino at Ansaldo Shipyards, La Spezia on July 20th 1913....She ran aground off Istria, Galiola Island on the 31st July 1916 due to a navigational error. She was salvaged but later sank under tow on August 1st 1917. Raised on February 28th 1931 by the Regia Marina and scrapped.

[designeraccd]

1938, Malta and the newly rebuilt CONTE Di CAVOUR struts her seemingly modern, self. As WW2 would demonstrate: the funds and resources Il Duce expended on rebuilding the 4 WW1 era first gen dreadnoughts was pretty much a complete waste!
They were still weakly armed and poorly protected. The air raid at Taranto by a handful of almost obsolete RN carrier torpedo planes demonstrated the weakness of their protection. Even tho she was eventually raised, her salvage was never completed, and therefore contributed nothing towards Italy's war effort. DFO

[Brian James]

Italian Navy, CB Class Midget Submarine CB-20..Captured by Germany in 1943. Transferred to the Italian Social Republic. Captured by Yugoslav partisans at Pola at the end of the war. In active service in the Yugoslav Navy from 1950–1957 as P-901. Donated to the Technical Museum at Zagreb in 1959.

[designeraccd]

A brief glimpse of all 3 LITTORIO's sailing together, one was destined to go BOOM! DFO

[Brian James]

Regia Marina Alfa Class electric Midget Submarine pictured in 1913, one of two boats built in secret at Venice in 1912/13 to survey and guard the harbour entrance. They never entered official service after passing their sea trials.