Marcello class submarine

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Marcello class submarine
General characteristics
Displacement:	1,060 tons surfaced 1,313 tons submerged
Length:	73 m
Beam:	7.19 m
Draft:	5.1 m
Propulsion:	2 CRDA diesel engines (first 9 vessels) 2 Fiat diesel engines (last 2 vessels) 2 CRDA electric engines (all vessels)
Speed:	17.4 knots surfaced 8 knots (15 km/h) submerged
Range:	2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h) surfaced 7,500 miles at 9.4 knots surfaced 8 nautical miles (15 km) at 8 knots (15 km/h) submerged 120 nautical miles (220 km) at 3 knots (6 km/h) submerged
Complement:	58
Armament:	8 x 533 mm torpedo tubes (4 bow, 4 stern), 2 x 100/47 mm guns, 4 x 13.2 mm machine guns

The Marcello-class was a class of submarines of the Italian Regia Marina (Navy). They were long-range single hull boats with internal ballast tanks and external blisters, derived directly from the Glauco-class. They had a maximum operational depth of 328 ft (100 m), and a normal fuel load of 59 tons. They were among the best Italian submarines of World War II, with good speed, strength, and manoeuvrability.

All eleven boats were deployed in the Mediterranean when Italy declared war on the Allies in 1940. After the Provana was sunk the remaining members of the class were transferred to the newly activated German naval base at Bordeaux in August 1940. Four of these boats were sunk in the Atlantic, and two, the Barbarigo and the Cappellini, were converted to transports to trade with Japan.

The only member of the class to survive the war in an operational state was the Dandolo, which was stricken in 1947.

[edit] Submarines of the class

• Mocenigo, built by CRDA, launched 20 November 1937, commissioned 16 August 1938, sunk by aerial bombardment in the port of Cagliari.
• Dandolo, built by CRDA, launched 20 September 1937, commissioned 25 March 1938, surrendered to the Allies 8 September 1943 and stricken in 1947.
• Veniero, built by CRDA, launched 14 September 1938, commissioned 5 June 1938, sunk by a British Sunderland in the Mediterranean.
• Provana, built by CRDA, launched 16 March 1938, commissioned 25 July 1938, damaged by depth charges and then rammed by the French gun boat La Curieuse near Oran.
• Marcello, built by CRDA, launched 20 September 1937, commissioned 5 March 1938, sunk in the Atlantic 22 February 1941 by depth charges.
• Nani, built by CRDA, launched 16 January 1938, commissioned 5 September 1938, sunk by the British corvette HMS Anemone near Iceland 7 January 1941.
• Barbarigo, built by CRDA, launched 12 June 1938, commissioned 19 September 1938, lost about 16 June 1943 in the Bay of Biscay.
• Emo, built by CRDA, launched 29 June 1938, commissioned 14 October 1938, scuttled 10 November 1942.
• Morosini, built by CRDA, launched 28 July 1938, commissioned 11 November 1938, sunk 11 August 1842 by a British aircraft in the Atlantic.
• Cappellini, built by CRDA, launched 14 May 1939, commissioned 23 September 1939, transferred to the Kriegsmarine and captured by the Japanese 8 September 1943 in Sapang.
• Faà di Bruno, built by CRDA, launched 18 June 1939, commissioned 23 October 1939, sunk 31 October 1940 in the Atlantic.

[edit] References

• Regia Marina
• Erminio Bagnasco, Submarines of World War Two, Cassell & Co, London. 1977 ISBN 1-85409-532-3
• Reference to Nani at uboat.net