Orione-class torpedo boat explained

-- warship classes --> Builders: Odero, Sestri Ponente Built Range: 1905–1907 In Commission Range: 1907–1923 Total Ships Completed: 4 Total Ships Retired: 4 Ship Type: High-Seas Torpedo boat Ship Displacement: 2200NaN0 Ship Length: 51m (167feet) pp 52.65m (172.74feet) oa Ship Beam: 6m (20feet) Ship Draught: 1.530NaN0 Ship Propulsion: 2 × Vertical triple-expansion steam engines 2 Coal-fired Blechynden boilers 2900lk=inNaNlk=in Ship Speed: 25kn Ship Range: 300nmi at Ship Complement: 3 officer + 35 men Ship Armament: 3× 47 mm/40 guns 3× 4501NaN1 torpedo tubes

The Orione class was a class of four sea-going steam-powered torpedo boats of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built by the Odero shipyard of Sestri Ponente from 1905 to 1907. They served in the Italo-Turkish War and the First World War.

Construction and design

On 31 March 1905, four torpedo boats were laid down at the Italian shipbuilder Odero's Sestri Ponente, Genoa shipyard.^[1] They were 51m (167feet) long between perpendiculars and 52.65m (172.74feet) overall, with a beam of 6m (20feet) and a draught of 1.53m (05.02feet).^[1] Two coal-fired Blechynden boilers fed steam to two sets of triple expansion steam engines rated at 2900ihp, giving a design speed of .^[2] Range was at ^[2] and at .^[3] Displacement was 220t.^[1] They were fitted with a slightly unusual clipper bow (a bow that curves forward as it rises from the water) and two closely spaced funnels.^[4]

Armament was the same as the and es, with three 4501NaN1 torpedo tubes and three 47 mm guns.^[2] Crew was three officers and 35 men.^[1]

Service

The four ships of the class were completed from February 1907 to April 1908.^[1] Although the ships reached speeds of up to during sea trials,^[1] they were less seaworthy than the ships of the Pegaso class.^[2] Olimpia and Orfeo were deployed in relief efforts following the 1908 Messina earthquake that devastated Sicily and Calabria on 28 December 1908. Orione collided with the old coastal torpedo boat 128 S in April 1911. All four ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War, serving in Libyan waters and in the Dodecanese.^[3]

During the First World War, the class formed the 1st Torpedo Boat Division, carrying out escort operations in Libyan waters, and between North Africa and Italy.^[4] Their armament was modified during the war, with the 47 mm guns replaced by two 76 mm guns and one of the torpedo tubes removed.^[2] Orfeo was badly damaged in a collision with the merchant ship Calabria on 10 December 1917, but was repaired.^{[4] [5]} They were disposed of between 1920 and 1923.^[1]

Ships

Ship	Laid down	Launched	Completed	Operational History
	31 March 1905	29 March 1906	13 February 1907	Stricken 4 March 1923
	31 March 1905	5 May 1906	8 April 1907	Stricken 15 May 1921
	31 March 1905	17 July 1906	8 April 1908	Stricken 1 July 1920
	31 March 1905	23 April 1907	6 September 1907	Stricken 14 July 1923

References

• Book: Chesneau. Roger. Kolesnik. Eugene M. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. 1979. Conway Maritime Press. London. 0-85177-133-5.
• Book: Fraccaroli, Aldo. Italian Warships of World War 1. 1970. Ian Allan. London. 0-7110-0105-7.
• Book: Gardiner. Robert. Gray. Randal. Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. 1985. Conway Maritime Press. London. 0-85177-245-5.
• Orione. Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare. London. Phoebus Pub. Co.. 1978–1979. 1939–1940.

External links

• Orione-class torpedo Marina Militare website

Notes and References

1. Fraccarolli 1970, p. 82.
2. Gardiner and Gray 1985, pp. 272–273.
3. Web site: Sezione Torpediniere: Sottosezione Torpediniere da costa: Classe Orione. Marina Militare (Italian Navy). 14 February 2015.
4. Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Modern Weapons and Warfare, pp. 1939–1940.
5. Fraccaroli 1970, p. 83.