The Bandiera-class submarines were built for the Italian: [[Regia Marina]] (Royal Italian Navy) during the late 1920s. They played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists.
The Bandiera class was an improved and enlarged version of the preceding s. They displaced 925LT surfaced and 1080LT submerged. The submarines were 69.80NaN0 long, had a beam of 7.3m (24feet) and a draft of 5.26m (17.26feet). They had an operational diving depth of 90m (300feet). Their crew numbered 53 officers and enlisted men.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 15000NaN0 diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 650hp electric motor. They could reach 15kn on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the Bandiera class had a range of 4750nmi at ; submerged, they had a range of 60nmi at .[2]
The boats were armed with eight 53.3cm (21inches) torpedo tubes, four each in the bow and 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 13.2adj=onNaNadj=on machine guns.[1] [2]
| Ship | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantiere Navale Triestino, Trieste | 11 February 1928 | 7 August 1929 | 2 June 1930 | Discarded 1 February 1948 | |
| 1 May 1928 | 5 October 1929 | 29 July 1930 | |||
| Odero-Terni-Orlando, Muggiano | 12 May 1928 | 29 December 1929 | 29 July 1930 | ||
| 1 May 1928 | 22 October 1929 | 29 July 1930 | Scuttled 20 January 1943 | ||
During the Spanish Civil War, Luigi Settembrini made one patrol in the Eastern Mediterranean in September 1937 during which she sank a Soviet cargo ship.[7]