Foca-class submarine
{{Short description|Group of three minelaying submarines built for the Royal Italian Navy in the 1930s}}
{{For|the Brazilian submarine class|Foca-class submarine (Brazil)}}
| {{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption=Foca-class submarine}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=Субмарина Фока.jpg |Ship caption=Foca in 1937 }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=Foca class |Builders=Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto |Operators={{Navy|Kingdom of Italy|name=Regia Marina}} |Class before=Pietro Micca |Class after=None |Cost= |Built range=1936–1938 |In service range= 1936–1947 |In commission range= |Total ships completed=3 |Total ships lost=1 |Total ships scrapped=2 }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption=(as built) |Ship type=Minelaying submarine |Ship displacement=*{{Cvt|1305|LT|t|0|disp=flip|lk=on}} (surfaced)
|Ship length={{convert|82.85|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship beam={{convert|7.17|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship draft={{convert|5.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship power=*{{cvt|2880|bhp|lk=on}} (diesels)
|Ship propulsion=*2 shafts; diesel-electric
|Ship speed=*{{convert|15.2|kn|lk=in}} (surfaced)
|Ship range=*{{convert|7800|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|8|kn}} (surfaced)
|Ship test depth={{convert|90|m|ft|abbr=on}} |Ship complement=60 |Ship armament=*6 × {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)
|Ship notes= }} |
The Foca class were a group of three minelaying submarines built for the {{lang|it|Regia Marina}} (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1930s. All three sister ships played minor roles during the Second World War. One was lost to unknown causes while trying to lay a minefield off British Palestine in 1940, but the other two survived the war to be discarded in 1947.
Design and description
The Foca-class submarines were improved versions of the preceding Pietro Micca. They displaced {{convert|1305|LT|t|sp=us|lk=on|order=flip}} surfaced and {{convert|1625|LT|t|sp=us}} submerged. The submarines were {{convert|82.85|m|ftin|sp=us}} long, had a beam of {{convert|7.17|m|ftin|sp=us}} and a draft of {{convert|5.2|m|ftin|sp=us}}. They had an operational diving depth of {{convert|90|m|sp=us}}. Their crew numbered 60 officers and men.Chesneau, p. 305
For surface running, the boats were powered by two {{convert|1440|bhp|lk=on|0|adj=on}} diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a {{convert|625|hp|0|adj=on}} electric motor. They could reach {{convert|15.2|kn|lk=in}} on the surface and {{convert|7.4|kn}} underwater. On the surface, the Foca class had a range of {{convert|7800|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|8|kn}}, submerged, they had a range of {{convert|120|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|7|kn}}.Bagnasco, p. 156
The boats were armed with six internal {{convert|53.3|cm|in|1|adj=on|sp=us}} torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern, for which they carried eight torpedoes. They were also armed with one Škoda 10 cm K10#OTO 100.2F47 History deck gun for combat on the surface. The gun was initially mounted in the rear of the conning tower, but this was re-sited on the forward deck later in the war in the surviving boats and the large conning tower was re-built to a smaller design. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two pairs of Breda Model 1931 Machine Gun machine guns. The Focas carried a total of 36 mines. Twenty mines were stored in a central chamber, while the remaining 16 mines were kept in two aft chutes through which the mines were ejected.
Boats
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data |
| scope="col" | Ship
! scope="col" | BuilderFraccaroli, p. 113 ! scope="col" | Laid down ! scope="col" | Launched ! scope="col" | FateRohwer, p. 45 |
|---|
| scope="row" | {{ship|Italian submarine|Foca|1937|2}}
| rowspan=3 | Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto | 15 January 1936 | 26 June 1937 | 6 November 1937 | Lost 13 October 1940 off Haifa, British Palestine |
| scope="row" | {{ship|Italian submarine|Atropo|1938|2}}
| 10 July 1937 | 20 November 1938 | 14 February 1939 | rowspan=2 | Discarded, 23 March 1947 |
| scope="row" | {{ship|Italian submarine|Zoea|1937|2}}
| 3 February 1936 | 5 December 1937 | 12 February 1938 |
Service
The lead boat, Foca, was lost to unknown causes on 13 October 1940 while laying mines off Haifa. Atropo and Zoea, the second and third vessels of the class, were used after Italy's 1943 surrender by the Allies for anti-submarine training.Bagnasco, p. 157 Both were scrapped in 1947.
See also
References
- {{cite book|last=Bagnasco |first=Erminio |title=Submarines of World War Two |year=1977 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=0-87021-962-6}}
- {{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
- {{cite book |last1=Fraccaroli |first1=Aldo |title=Italian Warships of World War II |date=1968 |publisher=Ian Allan |location=Shepperton, UK |isbn=0-7110-0002-6}}
- {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2|authorlink=Jürgen Rohwer}}
External links
- [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/sommergibili.aspx Sommergibili] Marina Militare website
{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}
{{Foca class submarines}}
{{WWII Italian ships}}