The Navigatori class were a group of Italian destroyers built in 1928-29. These ships were named after Italian explorers. They fought in 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...

. Just one unit, the Nicoloso Da Recco, survived the conflict.

Design

These ships were built for the Regia Marina

Regia Marina

The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...

 as a reply to the large contre-torpilleurs of the Jaguar

Chacal class destroyer

The Chacal-class, sometimes known as the Jaguar class, were a group of six French navy large destroyers built commencing 1923. Designed as larger, more capable counterparts to the Bourasque class, they set a standard for French destroyer design until the mid-1930s...

 and Guepard

Guépard class destroyer

The Guépard-class destroyers of the French navy were laid down in 1927 and commissioned in 1930. They were similar to the previous Chacal class, with a larger hull and with a slightly improved speed and gun armament with 138mm guns of a new design...

 classes built for the French Navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

. These ships were significantly larger than other contemporary Italian destroyers and were classed as esploratori or scouts.

The main armament was a new model 120 mm gun

Naval artillery

Naval artillery, or naval riflery, is artillery mounted on a warship for use in naval warfare. Naval artillery has historically been used to engage either other ships, or targets on land; in the latter role it is currently termed naval gunfire fire support...

 (Ansaldo 1926 pattern, 50 calibre) in 3 twin turrets which allowed for 45° elevation. The torpedo

Torpedo

The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...

 launchers consisted of two triple banks, each unusually comprising two 533 mm (21 in) separated by one 450 mm (18 in). Two rangefinder

Rangefinder

A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure ; others measure distance using trigonometry...

 positions were provided; one above the bridge and one in the after superstructure.

Unit machinery was used comprising 4 boiler

Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

s in two widely spaced boiler rooms and two turbine rooms. The forward unit drove the port shaft and the aft unit drove the starboard shaft. Trials were run light and with overloaded machinery leading to speeds of up to 43.5 knots which were not achievable under service conditions.

The ships were fast, but were found to lack stability and were rebuilt with a clipper bow, inreased beam and reduced superstructure in the late 1930s.

During the war the torpedoes were replaced by triple 21 inch tubes and extra AA guns

Anti-aircraft warfare

NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...

 were added.

Ships

Ship	Named after	Builder	Commissioned	Operational History
Alvise da Mosto	Alvise Cadamosto	CNQ of Fiume	15 March 1931	Sunk by and near Tripoli, 1 December 1941
Antonio da Noli	Antonio da Noli	CT at Riva Trigoso	29 December 1929	Mined and sunk on 9 September 1943
Nicoloso da Recco Italian destroyer Nicoloso da Recco The Nicoloso da Recco was a built for the Royal Italian Navy in the early 1930s. Named after the Italian Renaissance seaman Nicoloso da Recco, she served during World War II in which she was the sole survivor of her destroyer class...	Nicoloso da Recco Nicoloso da Recco Nicoloso da Recco was an 14th century Italian navigator from Genoa, who visited the Canary Islands in 1341 on behalf of Afonso IV of Portugal. He is credited with providing the first reliable account of the language used by the aboriginal inhabitants of the Canary Islands, the Guanches.An Italian...	CNR at Ancona	20 May 1930	She shot down three Beaufort Bristol Beaufort The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....  bombers while escorting a two-freighter convoy on 21 June 1942 off Tunisia. The only destroyer of this class to survive the war, she was decommissioned on 15 July 1954
Giovanni da Verrazzano	Giovanni da Verrazzano	CNQ Fiume	25 September 1930	On 3 July 1942, while escorting three freighters from Taranto Taranto Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....  to Benghazi Benghazi Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, the main city of the Cyrenaica region , and the former provisional capital of the National Transitional Council. The wider metropolitan area is also a district of Libya...  she shot down two Beaufort bombers along with the destroyers Euro Turbine class destroyer Turbine class was a class of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the late 1920s. They were essentially larger versions of the earlier .- Turbine class ships :*Aquilone -...  and Turbine Turbine class destroyer Turbine class was a class of destroyers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the late 1920s. They were essentially larger versions of the earlier .- Turbine class ships :*Aquilone -... . Sunk 19 October 1942 by British submarine .
Lanzerotto Malocello	Lanzerotto Malocello	Ansaldo at Genoa	18 January 1930	Lost on 24 March 1943 to a mine north of Cape Bon
Leone Pancaldo	Leon Pancaldo Leon Pancaldo Leon Pancaldo, also called Leone Pancaldo was a Genoese explorer.Pancaldo was born in Savona in 1488 or 1490. He participated in the first circumnavigation of the globe led by Ferdinand Magellan...	CT of Riva Trigoso	30 November 1929	Bombed and sunk on 30 April 1943 near Tunisia.
Emanuele Pessagno	Emanuele Pessagno	CNR of Ancona	10 March 1930	Sunk by British submarine on 29 May 1942
Antonio Pigafetta	Antonio Pigafetta Antonio Pigafetta Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of Venice. He travelled with the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew on their voyage to the Indies. During the expedition, he served as Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate journal which later assisted him...	CNQ of Fiume	1 May 1931	She rescued survivors from the Trento Trento class cruiser The Trento class was an Italian heavy cruiser design of the Regia Marina from the late 1920s. The three ships of the class were named after the three unredeemed cities taken from the Austro-Hungarian empire after the victory in World War I, Trento, Trieste, and Bolzano.The Trentos were the first...  after the Italian cruiser was torpedoed and sunk by British submarine HMS Umbra during Operation Vigorous Operation Vigorous Operation 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.... , on 15 June 1942. Captured by the Germans after the Italian armistice with the Allies Armistice with Italy The Armistice with Italy was an armistice signed on September 3 and publicly declared on September 8, 1943, during World War II, between Italy and the Allied armed forces, who were then occupying the southern end of the country, entailing the capitulation of Italy... , served as the TA44 Torpedoboot Ausland The Torpedoboot Ausland were small destroyers or large torpedo boats captured by Nazi Germany and incorporated into the Kriegsmarine. They were assigned a number beginning with TA-TA 1 to TA 6:... . Sunk on 21 February 1945
Luca Tarigo	Luca Tarigo Luca Tarigo Luca Tarigo was a genoese explorer and merchant based in Caffa in the Crimea during the 14th Century. In 1347 he travelled up the rivers Don and Volga into the Caspian Sea....	Ansaldo Genoa	16 November 1929	Sunk by British destroyers on 16 April 1941, but not before torpedoing and sinking the British destroyer . See Battle of the Tarigo Convoy Battle of the Tarigo Convoy The Battle of the Tarigo Convoy was fought on 16 April 1941 between four British and three Italian destroyers during the Mediterranean Campaign, in World War II... .
Antoniotto Usodimare	Antoniotto Usodimare Antoniotto Usodimare Antoniotto Usodimare or Usus di Mare was a Genoese trader and explorer in the service of the Portuguese Prince Henry the Navigator. Jointly with Alvise Cadamosto, Usodimare discovered a great stretch of the West African coast in two known voyages in 1455 and 1456...	Odera of Sestri Ponente Sestri Ponente Sestri Ponente is an industrial suburb of Genoa in northwest Italy. It is part of the Medio Ponente municipio of Genoa.-Geography:It is situated on the Ligurian Sea to the west of the city, between Cornigliano and Pegli...	21 November 1929	Sank British submarine on 25 February 1942. Sunk by submarine Alagi Italian submarine Alagi Italian submarine Alagi was an Italian Adua-class submarine serving in the Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Amba Alagi mountain in Ethiopia.Alagi was built in the CRDA shipyard, in Monfalcone...  in a friendly fire Friendly fire Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...  incident on 8 June 1942
Ugolino Vivaldi	Ugolino Vivaldi	Odera, Sestri Ponente	6 March 1930	Sank British Submarine on 1 August 1940. She led the close escort of a four-freighter convoy to Tripoli on 26 May 1941, when she and a screen of destroyers and torpedo boats shot down two Blenheim bombers. Bombed and sunk by German aircraft while attempting to reach internment in Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...  following the Italian Armistice 10 September 1943
Nicolò Zeno	Nicolò Zeno	CNQ of Fiume	27 May 1930	Scuttled in Trieste on 9 September 1943 to prevent capture by the Germans following the Italian Armistice