Sirio-class torpedo boat
{{Short description|Type of Italian warship}}
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{{Infobox ship image |Ship image= |Ship caption= }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Builders=Schichau-Werke, Elbing |Operators={{navy|Kingdom of Italy|name=Regia Marina}} |Class before={{ship|Italian torpedo boat|Pellicano | 2}}
|Class after={{sclass|Pegaso|torpedo boat|4}} |Subclasses= |Built range=1904–1906 |In commission range=1905–1923 |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=6 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost=3 |Total ships retired=3 |Total ships scrapped= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship type=High-seas Torpedo boat |Ship displacement={{convert|210|t|LT|abbr=on}} |Ship length=*{{convert|51.00|m|ftin|abbr=on}} pp
|Ship beam={{convert|6.0|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship draught={{convert|1.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship draft= |Ship propulsion=*2 × vertical triple-expansion steam engines
|Ship speed={{convert|25|kn|lk=in|abbr=on}} |Ship range={{convert|500|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} at full speed |Ship complement=3 officer + 35 men |Ship sensors= |Ship EW= |Ship armament=*3 × 47 mm/40 guns
|Ship armour= |Ship armor= |Ship aircraft= |Ship aircraft facilities= |Ship notes= }} |
The Sirio class (also known as the Saffo class{{#tag:ref|Chesneau and Kolesnik,Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 359. FockFock 1979, p. 141 and the current Italian Navy{{cite web|title=Sezione Torpediniere: Sottosezione Torpediniere da costa: Classe Sirio|url=http://www.marina.difesa.it/storiacultura/storia/almanacco/Pagine/torpediniere/sirio_classe.aspx|publisher=Marina Militare|accessdate=23 January 2015}} refer to the class as the Sirio class, while FraccaroliFraccaroli 1970, p. 78. and Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and WarfarePurnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare, p. 2138. refer to the Saffo class.|group=lower-alpha}}) was a class of six sea-going steam-powered torpedo boats of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built by the German shipyard Schichau-Werke from 1904–1906. They served in the Italo-Turkish War and the First World War.
Design
In 1904, work began at the German shipyard of Schichau-Werke, Elbing (now Elbląg, Poland) on a class of six torpedo-boats for the Italian Navy.{{#tag:ref|Work also begun in at the Pattison shipyard of Naples on four torpedo boats of similar size to a design by the British torpedo-craft specialist Thornycroft, the initial members of the {{sclass|Pegaso|torpedo boat|2}}.Fraccaroli 1970, p. 80.|group=lower-alpha}} They were {{convert|50.00|m|ftin}} long between perpendiculars and {{convert|51.07|m|ftin}} overall, with a beam of {{convert|6.00|m|ftin}} and a draught of {{convert|1.60|m|ftin}}. Two Coal-fired Schultz-Thornycroft boilers fed Vertical triple-expansion steam engines rated at {{convert|3000|-|3100|ihp|kW}}, giving a rated speed of {{convert|25|kn}}, which corresponded to an in-service sea speed of about {{convert|21|kn}}.{{#tag:ref|Speeds of up to {{convert|25.7|kn}} were reached during sea trials.|group=lower-alpha}} Sufficient coal was carried to give a range of {{convert|598|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|23|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} or {{convert|1920|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|8|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}.Fock 1979, p. 142 Displacement was {{convert|210|t|LT|0}}.
Three {{convert|450|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes were fitted, with a gun armament of three 47 mm guns. The ships had a crew of 38 officers and men.
Service
On delivery, the ships of the class equipped the 1st Squadron of High Seas Torpedo Boats, based first at La Spezia and then at Messina. The ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, with Spica leading four Pegaso-class torpedo boats on a reconnaissance of the Dardanelles on the night of 18/19 July 1912, penetrating under fire about {{convert|11|mi|km|disp=flip}} before being stopped by a boom across the straits, and then escaping with little damage and no casualties.Beehler 1913, pp. 87–90. Two ships, Scorpione and Serpente, were lost following collisions during the First World War, with the remaining ships being rearmed, with two 76 mm anti-aircraft guns replacing the 47 mm guns. A third ship, Saffo was lost after running aground off Turkey on 2 April 1920. The surviving ships were disposed of in 1923.
Ships
Notes
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Citations
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References
- {{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}}
- {{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=Fock |first=Harald |title=Schwartze Gesellen: Band 1: Torpedoboote bis 1914 |year=1979 |location=Herford, Germany |publisher=Koehlers Verlagsgesellsachft mbH |isbn=3-7822-0193-0 |language=de}}
- {{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}}
External links
- [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/torpediniere/sirio_classe.aspx Classe Sirio (1905)] Marina Militare website
{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}
{{WWI Italian ships}}