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Italian cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi (1936)
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian
Duca degli Abruzzi class light cruiser
, that served in the Regia Marina
during World War II
. After the war she was retained by the Marina Militare
and upgraded. She was built by CRDA
, in Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino
shipyard
Trieste
and named after the Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi
.
Decommissioned in 1953, Giuseppe Garibaldi was converted between 1957 and 1961, at the La Spezia
shipyards, into a guided missile cruiser
.
and were larger and better protected than their predecessors. The armament was also increased by two extra 152 mm guns, triple turrets replaced twins in the A and Y positions. The machinery was also revised which led to these ships having a slightly slower maximum speed than their predecessors.
After the armistice (8 September 1943), she operated in the South Atlantic together with Allied ships against potential German raiders.
After the war she was retained by the Marina Militare and modernized with minor changes of the armament and a radar
. She was decommissioned in 1953 and reconstructed as a guided missile cruiser.
The new ship was rebuilt in the La Spezia
Arsenal starting from 1957, and, at her completion in 1961, she was named flagship of the Italian Navy.
The reconstruction included a complete overhauling of the superstructure, while the hull kept its original dimensions.
Apart from some minor changes, much of the latter's rebuilding included four launchers for US UGM-27 Polaris
nuclear ballistic missiles. Despite the successful launching tests, the US never provided the missiles, due to political convenience. Instead the Italian Government set to develop an indigenous missile, called Alfa
, with a successful program, officially halted by Italian NNPT ratification.
The propulsion system remained the same. The rest of the armament was radically altered: a RIM-2 Terrier
missile launcher made Giuseppe Garibaldi the first missile cruiser in Europe. The previous artillery was replaced by four 135/45 mm guns in two twin turrets and eight Oto Melara
76/62mm Type MMI
AA guns.
Electronics included several radars and fire control systems.
She was decommissioned in 1971 and scrapped the following year.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Duca degli Abruzzi class light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
, that served in the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war she was retained by the Marina Militare
Marina Militare
The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...
and upgraded. She was built by CRDA
Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico
Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico was an Italian manufacturer in the sea and air industry which was active from 1930 to 1966. This shipyard is now owned by Fincantieri....
, in Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino
Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino
Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino was a private shipbuilding company based in Trieste from the mid-19th to early 20th century, and the most important naval shipbuilding firm of the Austro-Hungarian Empire....
shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and named after the Italian general Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Giuseppe Garibaldi was an Italian military and political figure. In his twenties, he joined the Carbonari Italian patriot revolutionaries, and fled Italy after a failed insurrection. Garibaldi took part in the War of the Farrapos and the Uruguayan Civil War leading the Italian Legion, and...
.
Decommissioned in 1953, Giuseppe Garibaldi was converted between 1957 and 1961, at the La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
shipyards, into a guided missile cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
.
Design
The Duca degli Abruzzi class cruisers were the final version of the Condottieri classCondottieri class cruiser
The Condottieri class was a sequence of five, different, light cruiser classes of the Regia Marina , although these classes show a clear line of evolution. They were built before World War II to gain predominance in the Mediterranean Sea...
and were larger and better protected than their predecessors. The armament was also increased by two extra 152 mm guns, triple turrets replaced twins in the A and Y positions. The machinery was also revised which led to these ships having a slightly slower maximum speed than their predecessors.
1940
- 9 July: Battle of CalabriaBattle of CalabriaThe Battle of Calabria, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in World War II. It was fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. The battle occurred 30 miles to the east of Punta Stilo, the "toe" of Italy , on 9 July 1940...
. Along with her sister Duca degli AbruzziItalian cruiser Duca degli AbruzziLuigi di Savoia Duca Degli Abruzzi was an Italian Duca degli Abruzzi class light cruiser, which served in the Regia Marina during World War II. After the war, she was retained by the Marina Militare and decommissioned in 1961...
she fired the first rounds of the battle. During the engagement, a 6" round from Giuseppe Garibaldi hit HMS NeptuneHMS Neptune (20)HMS Neptune was a Leander class light cruiser which served with the Royal Navy during World War II.Neptune was the fourth ship of its class and was the ninth Royal Navy vessel to carry the name...
, damaging her catapult and the reconnaissance aircraft beyond repair. - 1 September: Hats convoy
- 29 September: Operation MB 5
- 11 November: present during the Battle of TarantoBattle of TarantoThe naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
when Italian fleet was attacked at anchor by Royal NavyRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
aircraft
1941
- 27 March: Battle of Cape MatapanBattle of Cape MatapanThe Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...
. The commander of the ship was CaptainCaptain (naval)Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Stanislao Caraciotti - 8 May: Tiger convoy
- 28 July: damaged by British submarine HMS UpholderHMS Upholder (P37)HMS Upholder was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 30 October 1939, launched on 8 July 1940 by Mrs. Doris Thompson, wife of a director of the builders. The submarine was commissioned on 31 October 1940...
1942
- 3 January: Italian convoy M 43
- 7 March: Operation V 5
- 14 June: Action against convoy VigorousOperation VigorousOperation Vigorous was a World War II Allied operation to deliver a supply convoy that sailed from Haifa and Port Said on 12 June 1942 to Malta. The convoy encountered heavy Axis air and sea opposition and returned to Alexandria on 16 June....
for MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
After the armistice (8 September 1943), she operated in the South Atlantic together with Allied ships against potential German raiders.
Recommissioning as a guided missile cruiser
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. She was decommissioned in 1953 and reconstructed as a guided missile cruiser.
The new ship was rebuilt in the La Spezia
La Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
Arsenal starting from 1957, and, at her completion in 1961, she was named flagship of the Italian Navy.
The reconstruction included a complete overhauling of the superstructure, while the hull kept its original dimensions.
Apart from some minor changes, much of the latter's rebuilding included four launchers for US UGM-27 Polaris
UGM-27 Polaris
The Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fuel nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile built during the Cold War by Lockheed Corporation of California for the United States Navy....
nuclear ballistic missiles. Despite the successful launching tests, the US never provided the missiles, due to political convenience. Instead the Italian Government set to develop an indigenous missile, called Alfa
Alfa (rocket)
Alfa was the designation of an Italian solid propellant SLBM program. Starting as a development effort for a study on efficient solid-propellant rockets, the Alfa rocket was planned as two-stage rocket...
, with a successful program, officially halted by Italian NNPT ratification.
The propulsion system remained the same. The rest of the armament was radically altered: a RIM-2 Terrier
RIM-2 Terrier
The Convair RIM-2 Terrier was a two-stage medium-range naval surface-to-air missile , and was among the earliest surface-to-air missiles to equip United States Navy ships. Originally, the Terrier had a launch thrust of 23 kN , and weight of 1392 kg...
missile launcher made Giuseppe Garibaldi the first missile cruiser in Europe. The previous artillery was replaced by four 135/45 mm guns in two twin turrets and eight Oto Melara
Oto Melara
Oto Melara is an Italian defence company with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. It was founded in 1905 as a joint venture of Vickers and Terni. During World War I, Vickers Terni produced many weapons with calibre 40 mm and upwards. In 1929 the company was renamed Odero Terni Orlando with the...
76/62mm Type MMI
76/62mm Allargato
The 76mm/L62 Allargato is a single barrel, medium caliber, dual purpose automatic naval cannon designed and produced in the 1960s by the Italian defence firm of OTO-Melara as the cannon armament for all medium and large class warships built for the Italian Navy in that decade...
AA guns.
Electronics included several radars and fire control systems.
She was decommissioned in 1971 and scrapped the following year.