Italian cruiser Giovanni dalle Bande Nere
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| Career (Italy) | _crowned.svg/60px-Flag_of_Italy_(1861-1946)_crowned.svg.png){kind=small} |
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| Name: | Giovanni dalle Bande Nere |
| Namesake: | Giovanni dalle Bande Nere |
| Laid down: | 1928 |
| Launched: | 27 April 1930 |
| Commissioned: | 1 January 1931 |
| Struck: | 1 April 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk by HMS Urge (N17), 1 April 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Di Giussano-class cruiser |
| Displacement: | 6,571 tonnes (6,467 LT) (standard) 6,954 tonnes (6,844 LT) (full load) |
| Length: | 169.3 m (555 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 15.5 m (50 ft 10 in) |
| Draft: | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 6 boilers 2 shafts 95,000 hp |
| Speed: | 37 knots (69 km/h/43 mph) |
| Range: | 3,800 nmi (7,000 km) at 18 kn (33 km/h/21 mph) |
| Complement: | 507 |
| Armament: | 8 × 152 mm (6 in) in 4 twin mountings 6 × 100 mm (3.9 in) in 3 twin mountings 8 × 37 mm machine-guns 8 × 13.2 mm machine-guns 4 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes |
| Armor: | Decks: 20 mm (0.79 in) Belt: 24 mm (0.94 in) Turrets: 23 mm (0.91 in) Tower: 40 mm (1.6 in) |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 × CANT 25AR (later Ro.43) seaplanes |
| Aviation facilities: | 1 × catapult launcher |
Giovanni delle Bande Nere was an Italian Condottieri class light cruiser, named after the homonymous 16th century condottiero and member of the Medici family, that served in the Regia Marina during World War II. Her keel was laid down 1928 at Cantieri Navali di Castellammare di Stabia, Castellammare di Stabia; she was launched on 27 April 1930, and her construction was completed in 1931. She was sunk on 1 April 1942.
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[edit] Actions
Bande Nere took part to the battle of Cape Spada (19 July 1940); in this occasion, the light protection of the Condottieri class was clearly exposed, since in the fight between the two Italian light cruisers (Bande Nere and Bartolomeo Colleoni) and the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney with five British destroyers, the Allies sank Colleoni and damaged Bande Nere, while the Italian ships lightly damaged Sydney and a destroyer.
During the Second Battle of Sirte, 22 March 1942, Bande Nere was part of the Littorio flotilla, which intercepted and blocked a British convoy bound for Malta.
During the war, Bande Nere participated to fifteen missions: four interceptions, eight convoy escorts, three mine layings, for an overall total of 35,000 miles.
[edit] 1940
[edit] 1941
[edit] 1942
- 21 February: operation K 7
- 22 March: Second Battle of Sirte, damaged
- 1 April: sunk. On the morning of 1 April 1942, Bande Nere left Messina for La Spezia, escorted by the destroyer Aviere and patrol boat Libra. Eleven miles from Stromboli, at 0900, the group was intercepted by the British submarine Urge, a torpedo broke the Bande Nere into two sections, and she sank quickly.
