Nembo-class destroyer

In 1899, work began at the Pattison shipyard of Naples on the first ships of a new class of destroyers, the Nembo class.{{cite web|title=Nembo: Cacciatorpedinere|url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/storiacultura/storia/almanacco/Pagine/LMNO/nembo01.aspx|publisher=Marina Militare|accessdate=4 January 2015|language=Italian}} The Nembo class were based on a design by the British shipbuilders Thornycroft, and were similar to the Thirty-knotter destroyers that Thornycroft were building for the British Royal Navy (such as {{HMS|Stag|1899|6}}).Friedman 2009, p. 50.

The ships were {{convert|64.0|m|ftin}} long overall and {{convert|63.39|m|ftin}} between perpendiculars, with a beam of {{convert|5.94|m|ftin}} and a draught of {{convert|2.29|m|ftin}}. Displacement was {{convert|325|LT|t|lk=in}} normal and {{convert|380|LT|t}} full load.Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 356. Three Thornycroft boilers fed steam to two triple expansion steam engines rated at {{convert|5000|ihp|lk=in}} and driving two propeller shafts, giving a design speed of {{convert|30|kn}}.Fraccaroli 1970, p. 65. The ships featured a raised turtleback{{#tag:ref|A turtleback is an arched structure over the deck of a ship, normally at the ship's bow.{{cite web|title=turtleback: Definitions|url=https://www.wordnik.com/words/turtleback|website=wordnik.com|accessdate=2 January 2015}}|group=lower-alpha}} forecastle and two funnels.Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare, p. 1877. Crew was between 51 and 58 officers and men.

The first two ships of the class, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Nembo|1901|2}} and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Turbine|1901|2}} were armed with one 76 mm (3 in)/40 calibre gun (capable of firing a {{convert|5.9|kg}} shell to a range of {{convert|9,850|m}} at a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute per gunFraccaroli 1970, pp. 281–282.) and five 57 mm/43 guns, with two 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes, while the remaining four ships had a reduced gun armament of five 57 mm/43 guns, allowing an increased torpedo armament of four 356 mm torpedo tubes to be carried.

The six ships of the class were completed between 1902 and 1905, reaching speeds of up to {{convert|30.2|kn}} during sea trials (corresponding to a realistic sea speed of {{convert|27|kn}}).

Nembo and Turbine were rearmed in 1905 to match the other four ships. From 1908, all ships of the class were fitted with new oil-fired boilers, with a resulting change in the ships' profile, with three funnels being fitted rather than two. Sufficient oil was carried to give a range of {{convert|330|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|25|kn}} or {{convert|2200|nmi}} at {{convert|9|kn}}. The ships' armament was changed at the same time, to four 76 mm/40 guns and two 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes.

The ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912.Beehler 1913, pp. 10, 89. They were fitted for minelaying, with a capacity of 10–16 mines during the First World War, during which three destroyers were lost. Following the end of the war, the remaining three ships had a boiler removed, with the consequent loss of a funnel, together with a 76 mm gun, and were reclassified as torpedo boats.

==Ships==

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|last=Beehler|first=William Henry|title=The History of the Italian-Turkish War, Sept. 29, 1911 to Oct. 18, 1912|year=1913|publisher=Advertiser-Republican|location=Annapolis, Maryland, USA|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofitalian00beehiala}}
• {{cite book|last1=Chesneau|first1=Roger|last2=Kolesnik|first2=Eugene M|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|year=1979|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-133-5}}
• {{cite book|last=Fraccaroli|first=Aldo|title=Italian Warships of World War 1|year=1970|publisher=Ian Allan|location=London|isbn=0-7110-0105-7}}
• {{cite book|last=Fraccaroli|first=Aldo|chapter=Italy|pages=252–290|editor1-last=Gray|editor1-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-0-87021-907-8}}
• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|authorlink=Norman Friedman|title=British Destroyers: From Earliest Days to the Second World War|year=2009|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, UK|isbn=978-1-84832-049-9}}
• {{cite book|last=Grant|first=Robert M.|title=U-Boats Destroyed: The Effect of Anti-Submarine Warfare 1914–1918|year=1964|location=London|publisher=Putnam}}
• {{cite journal|title=Nembo|journal=Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare|location=London|publisher=Phoebus Pub. Co.|year=1978–1979|page=1877}}

• [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/LMNO/nembo01.aspx Classe Nembo] Marina Militare website

{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}

{{Nembo class destroyer}}

{{WWI Italian ships}}

Category:Destroyer classes

Category:World War I destroyers of Italy