Argonauta-class submarine should not be confused with Argonaute-class submarine.
The Argonauta-class submarine was the first sub-class of the 600 Series of coastal submarines built for the Italian: [[Regia Marina]] (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1930s. Some of these boats played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists. Of the seven boats built in this class, only a single one survived the Second World War.
The Argonauta class was derived from the earlier s. They displaced 650LT surfaced and 800LT submerged. The submarines were 61.5m (201.8feet) long, had a beam of 5.7m (18.7feet) and a draft of 4.7m (15.4feet). They had an operational diving depth of 80m (260feet). Their crew numbered 44 officers and enlisted men.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 7500NaN0 diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 400hp electric motor. They could reach 14kn on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the Settembrini class had a range of 5000nmi at ;[1] submerged, they had a range of 110nmi at .[2]
The boats were armed with six 53.3cm (21inches) torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern for which they carried a total of 12 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 102mm deck gun forward of the conning tower for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two single 13.2adj=onNaNadj=on machine guns.[1]
[1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone | 9 November 1929 | 19 January 1931 | 1 January 1932 | Sunk by British aircraft 28 June 1940 | |
| 20 November 1929 | 2 May 1931 | 5 June 1932 | Sunk by 28 September 1941 | ||
| Odero Terni Orlando, Muggiano | 20 January 1930 | 15 June 1932 | 16 March 1933 | Discarded 1 February 1948 | |
| 20 January 1930 | 16 May 1932 | 1 March 1933 | Sunk by 5 July 1941 | ||
| Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone | 30 November 1929 | 10 December 1931 | 25 September 1932 | Sunk by 30 January 1942 | |
| Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto | 23 April 1930 | 8 May 1932 | 12 December 1932 | Sunk by 27 June 1941 | |
| 23 April 1930 | 28 February 1932 | 12 November 1932 | Scuttled at Ancona 12 September 1943 |
The seven Argonauta-class submarines saw action during the Second World War. Five were sunk in action during the conflict and a sixth was scuttled at the Italian armistice in 1943. The last surviving boat of the class was stricken in 1948.