The Mirabello class were a group of three destroyers (originally scout cruisers) built for the Italian: [[Regia Marina]] (Royal Italian Navy) during World War I. was sunk by a mine in the Black Sea during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War in 1920. The remaining two ships, obsolescent by 1938, were re-rated as destroyers and participated in World War II. was also lost to a mine while escorting a convoy in 1941. The last surviving ship,, was reconfigured as a convoy escort in 1942–1943. The torpedo tubes were removed and depth charges and 20mm anti-aircraft guns added. She survived the war and was transferred to the Soviet Union as war reparations in 1946. The ship was scrapped five years later.
The ships were designed as scout cruisers (esploratori), essentially enlarged versions of contemporary destroyers.[1] They had an overall length of 103.75m (340.39feet), a beam of 9.74m (31.96feet) and a mean draft of 3.3m (10.8feet).[2] They displaced 1784t at standard load, and 2040t at deep load. Their complement was 8 officers and 161 enlisted men.[3]
The Mirabellos were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by four Yarrow boilers. The turbines were rated at 44000shp for a speed of 35kn.[2] The ships carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 2300nmi at a speed of .[3]
Their main battery consisted of eight 35-caliber Cannone da /35 S Modello 1914 guns in single mounts protected by gun shields, one each fore and aft of the superstructure on the centerline and the remaining guns positioned on the broadside amidships.[4] Carlo Mirabello was the only ship completed to this configuration as her sister ships exchanged a 40-caliber Cannone da /40 A Modello 1891 for the forward 102 mm gun; Carlo Mirabello received hers in 1917. The gun proved to be too heavy for the ships and its rate of fire was too slow. Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Mirabello-class ships was provided by a pair of 40-caliber Cannone da /40 Modello 1916 AA guns in single mounts.[2] They were equipped with four 450mm torpedo tubes in two twin mounts, one on each broadside.[4] Augusto Riboty could carry 120 mines, although her sisters could only handle 100.[2]
In 1919 the ships were rearmed with eight 45-caliber Cannone da 102/45 S, A Modello 1917 guns arranged as per Carol Mirabellos original configuration. The 76 mm guns were replaced by a pair of 39-caliber Cannone da /39 AA guns in single mounts in 1920–1922.[2]
| Ship | Laid down | Launched | Completed | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 November 1914 | 21 December 1915 | 24 August 1916 | Sunk by mines, 21 May 1941 | ||
| 10 December 1914 | 2 June 1916 | 21 December 1916 | Sunk by mines, 21 June 1920 | ||
| 27 February 1915 | 24 September 1916 | 5 May 1917 | Allocated to USSR as war reparation; scrapped, 1951 |
. Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations; An Illustrated Directory. Seaforth Publishing. Barnsley. 2011. 978-1-84832-100-7 . Norman Friedman.
. 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.