Francesco Nullo was one of four s built for the Italian: [[Regia Marina]] (Royal Italian Navy) in the 1920s. Completed in 1927, she served in World War II.
The Sauro-class destroyers were enlarged and improved versions of the preceding . They had an overall length of 90.160NaN0, a beam of 9.2m (30.2feet) and a mean draft of 2.9m (09.5feet). They displaced 1058sp=usNaNsp=us at standard load, and 1600sp=usNaNsp=us at deep load. Their complement was 8–10 officers and 146 enlisted men.
The Sauros were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by three Yarrow boilers. The turbines were rated at 36000shp for a speed of 31kn in service,[1] although Francesco Nullo reached a speed of from during her sea trials while lightly loaded.[2] The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 2600nmi at a speed of .[3]
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 Sauro-class ships was provided by a pair of 40mm AA guns in single mounts amidships and a pair of 13.2mm machine guns. They were equipped with six 533mm torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships.[1] The Sauros could also carry 52 mines.[4]
Francesco Nullo was laid down by Cantieri navali del Quarnaro at their Fiume shipyard on 9 October 1924, launched on 14 November 1925 and commissioned on 15 April 1927.[3]
. 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.