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Italian cruiser Giovanni dalle Bande Nere
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 1928 |
| Launched: | 27 April 1930 |
| Commissioned: | 1 January 1931 |
| Fate: | Sunk |
| Struck: | 1 April 1942 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 6,571 tons standard,
6,954 tons full load |
| Length: | 169.3 m |
| Beam: | 15.5 m |
| Draught: | 5.3 m |
| Propulsion: | 6 boilers, 2 shafts, 95,000 hp |
| Speed: | 37 knots (67 km/h) |
| Range: | 3,800 miles at 18 knots |
| Complement: | 507 |
| Armament: | 8 × 152 mm / 53 caliber in 4 dual mountings,
6 × 100 mm / 47 caliber (anti-aircraft), 8 × 37 mm / 54 caliber, 8 × 13.2 mm, 4 × 533 mm torpedo tubes |
| Aircraft: | 2 |
| Protection: | side 20 mm., deck 24 mm., turrets 23 mm. |
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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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, eighth convoy escorts, three mine layings, for an overall total of 35,000 miles.
- 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 9am, the group was intercepted by the British submarine HMS Urge: a torpedo broke the Bande Nere into two sections, and she sank quickly.