The Orsa class (sometimes called the Pegaso class) were a group of large torpedo boats or destroyer escorts built for the Italian Navy in the late 1930s. They were an enlarged version of the Spica-class torpedo boat, specifically tailored for the escort and anti-submarine role, with greater endurance and a heavier depth charge armament but less powerful machinery and a lighter gun armament. Four were built, with two being lost during the Second World War. The surviving pair were rebuilt as anti-submarine frigates in the 1950s.
 Torpedo boat Pegaso
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators | |
| In commission | 1936–1964 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Lost | 2 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Type | Torpedo boat |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 82.5 m (270 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 9.69 m (31 ft 9 in) |
| Draught | 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 28 knots (32 mph; 52 km/h) |
| Complement | 116 |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | Sonar |
| Armament |
|
Ships
edit| Ship | builder | Launched | Operational History |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pegaso | BS Napoletani | 8 December 1936 | Sank British submarines HMS Upholder, HMS Undaunted,[3] and HMS Thorn. She was part of the screen of destroyers and torpedo boats escorting a four-freighter convoy to Tripoli on 26 May 1941,[4] when two Blenheim bombers were shot down.[5] She also took part in the shooting down of a Beaufort bomber and a Beaufighter while escorting another convoy on 21 August 1942.[6] Pegaso was one of the most successful Axis anti-submarine warships of World War II. Scuttled 11 September 1943 |
| Procione | BS Napoletani | 31 January 1937 | Scuttled 11 September 1943 |
| Orione | CNR Palermo | 21 April 1937 | Survived the war and served in the post-war Marina Militare. Decommissioned 1964 |
| Orsa | CNR Palermo | 21 March 1937 | Along with the Spica-class Climene, she shot down three attacking British aircraft on 24 July 1942 while escorting the transport Vettor Pisani, which was beached and lost after the airstrike. Survived the war and served in the post-war Marina Militare. Decommissioned 1964 |
References
edit- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946
- ^ Marina Militare
- ^ Barrow Submariners Association
- ^ "Naval Events, May 1941, Part 2 of 2". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-05-28.
- ^ Shores, Cull & Malizia, p. 223
- ^ Shores, Cull & Malizia (1991). Malta: The Spitfire Year 1942. Grub Street, p. 524. ISBN 0-948817-16-X
External links
edit- Orsa-class torpedo Marina Militare website
