Artigliere-class destroyer

The Artigliere class was a class of two destroyers of the Italian Navy. They entered service in 1951, with the last one being decommissioned in 1975.

Artigliere
Class overview
Name	Artigliere class
Builders	Union Iron Works Boston Navy Yard
Operators	Italian Navy
Preceded by	Soldati class
Succeeded by	Fante class
Subclasses	Benson class Gleaves class
Built	1939-1941
In commission	1951-1975
Planned	2
Completed	2
Retired	2
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	(Artigliere): 1,620 long tons (1,646 t) (Aviere): 2,500 long tons (2,540 t)
Length	(Artigliere): 347 ft 9 in (105.99 m) (Aviere): 376.5 ft (114.8 m)
Beam	36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
Draft	(Artigliere): 17.4 ft 8 in (5.51 m) (Aviere): 13 ft 2 in (4.01 m)
Propulsion	4 × boilers, 50,000 shp (37 MW) 2 × screws
Speed	(Artigliere): 37.6 knots (69.6 km/h; 43.3 mph) (Aviere): 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	276
Sensors and processing systems	1 × AN/SPS-6 air-search radar 1 × AN/SPS-10 surface-search radar 1 × Mark 37 Director
Armament	4 × single 5"/38 cal guns 4 × twin 40 mm bofors 2 × single 40 mm bofors 2 × Depth charge tracks

History

The Artigliere-class destroyers consisted of two former United States Navy destroyers, purchased by the Italian Navy in 1951 as part of its post-war reconstruction phase. These were the Benson class USS Woodworth, which became Artigliere, and the Gleaves class USS Nicholson, which became Aviere. Although they were from two different US Navy classes, they had the same general characteristics, so much so that the class is often identified as the Livermore class.

The two ships of the class entered service together with the Aldebaran-class frigates as part of a naval upgrade program started in 1950, and although they dated back to the early 1940s, their four 127/38mm guns enhanced the artillery component of the Italian Navy. Surface naval vessels of the Italian Navy, at the same time were increasing their anti-aircraft capabilities. Along with weapons, the new electronic equipment for firing direction and air-naval surveillance also represented the starting point for personnel training on new generation systems that would later be adopted in a more widespread and generalized way.

Ships in the class

Pennant	Name	Builders	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned
D 553	Artigliere	Union Iron Works	30 April 1941	29 November 1941	1951	1971
D 554	Aviere	Boston Navy Yard	20 July 1942	31 July 1943		1975