Italian submarine Velella (1936)

For other ships with the same name, see Italian submarine Velella.

Velella was one of a pair of submarines ordered by the Portuguese government, but taken over and completed for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1930s.

History
Kingdom of Italy
Name	Velella
Builder	Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone
Launched	12 December 1936
Fate	Sunk by HMS Shakespeare, 7 September 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	Argo-class submarine
Displacement	793 t (780 long tons) (surfaced) 1,016 t (1,000 long tons) (submerged)
Length	63.15 m (207 ft 2 in)
Beam	6.93 m (22 ft 9 in)
Draft	4.46 m (14 ft 8 in)
Installed power	1,500 bhp (1,100 kW) (diesels) 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion	2 shafts; diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) (surfaced) 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (submerged)
Range	10,176 nmi (18,846 km; 11,710 mi) at 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) (surfaced) 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) (submerged)
Test depth	90 m (300 ft)
Armament	1 × single 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun 4 × single 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)

Design and description

The Argo-class submarines displaced 793 metric tons (780 long tons) surfaced and 1,016 metric tons (1,000 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 63.15 meters (207 ft 2 in) long, had a beam of 6.93 meters (22 ft 9 in) and a draft of 4.46 meters (14 ft 8 in). They had an operational diving depth of 90 meters (300 ft). Their crew numbered 46 officers and enlisted men.

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 750-brake-horsepower (559 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 400-horsepower (298 kW) electric motor. They could reach 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) underwater. On the surface, the Argo class had a range of 10,176 nautical miles (18,846 km; 11,710 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph); submerged, they had a range of 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).

The boats were armed with six internal 53.3-centimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern for which they carried a total of 10 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 100-millimeter (3.9 in) deck gun, forward of the conning tower, for combat on the surface. The light anti-aircraft armament consisted of four single 13.2-millimeter (0.52 in) machine guns.

Service

Velella was built by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico in its Monfalcone shipyard. The submarine had initially been ordered in 1931, but was acquired by the Italians when Portugal cancelled the order. She was launched in 1936, and saw action in the Second World War.

References

• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
• Brescia, Maurizio (2012). Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.

External links

• Velella Marina Militare website