Antonio Sciesa was one of four s built for the Italian: [[Regia Marina]] (Royal Italian Navy) during the late 1920s. She played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists.
The Balilla-class submarines were the first cruiser submarines built for the Italian: Regia Marina. They displaced 1427LT surfaced and 1874sp=usNaNsp=us submerged. The submarines were 86.5m (283.8feet) long, had a beam of 7.8m (25.6feet) and a draft of 4.7m (15.4feet). They had an operational diving depth of 110m (360feet). Their crew numbered 77 officers and enlisted men.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 24500NaN0 diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 1100hp electric motor. The submarines were also fitted with an auxiliary diesel cruising engine that gave them a speed of on the surface. They could reach a maximum speed of 17.5kn on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the Balilla class had a range of 12000nmi at 7 knots; submerged, they had a range of 110nmi at .[2]
The boats were armed with six internal 53.3cm (21inches) torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern, for which they carried a dozen torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 120sp=usNaNsp=us deck gun, forward of the conning tower, for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two 13.2sp=usNaNsp=us machine guns.[1]
Antonio Sciesa was laid down by Odero-Terni-Orlando at their Muggiano shipyard on 20 October 1925, launched on 12 August 1928 and completed on 12 April 1929.[3] During the Spanish Civil War she unsuccessfully attacked two ships during a patrol off Alicante on 6–20 August 1937.[4]