Baleno was one of four s built for the Italian: [[Regia Marina]] (Royal Italian Navy) in the early 1930s. Completed in 1932, she served in World War II.
The Folgore-class destroyers were essentially copies of the preceding, although their beam was reduced in an unsuccessful attempt to improve their speed over that achieved by the earlier ships. The Folgores had an overall length of 96.05m (315.12feet), a beam of 9.2m (30.2feet) and a mean draft of 3.3m (10.8feet)[1] and 4.3m (14.1feet) at deep load.[2] They displaced 1238sp=usNaNsp=us at standard load, and 2090t at deep load. Their complement during wartime was 185 officers and enlisted men.[3]
The Folgores were powered by two Belluzzo geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by three Thornycroft boilers.[3] The turbines were designed to produce 44000shp and a speed of 30kn in service, although the ships reached speeds of 38- during their sea trials while lightly loaded. They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 3600nmi at a speed of .[2]
Their main battery consisted of four 120sp=usNaNsp=us guns in two twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure.[4] Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Folgore-class ships was provided by a pair of 40mm AA guns in single mounts amidships and a pair of twin-gun mounts for 13.2mm machine guns. They were equipped with six 533mm torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships. Although the ships were not provided with a sonar system for anti-submarine work, they were fitted with a pair of depth charge throwers.[2] The Folgores could carry 52 mines.[4]
Baleno was laid down by Cantieri navali del Quarnaro at their Fiume shipyard on 1 October 1929, launched on 22 March 1931 and commissioned on 15 June 1932.[1]
. Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 2005. Third Revised. 1-59114-119-2. Jürgen Rohwer.
. Destroyers of World War 2: An International Encyclopedia . 1988. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 1-85409-521-8 . Michael J. Whitley.