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La Masa Class

Angelo Bassini in 1923
Class overview
Name	La Masa class
Builders	Odero,Sestri Ponente
Operators	Regia Marina  Italian Navy
Preceded by	Giuseppe Sirtori class
Succeeded by	Audace-class destroyer
Built	1917–1919
In service	1917–1958
Completed	8
Lost	6
Retired	2
General characteristics (as built)
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	851long tons (865 t) (full load) 785 long tons (798 t) (standard)
Length	72.5 m (237 ft 10 in) (length at the waterline)
Beam	7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
Draught	2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Installed power	15,500 shp (11,600 kW) max 17,000 shp (13,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 ×Tosi steam turbines 4 ×Thornycroft boilers
Speed	33.6knots (62.2 km/h; 38.7 mph)
Range	2,230 nmi (4,130 km; 2,570 mi) at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) 410 nmi (760 km; 470 mi) at 28.5 knots (52.8 km/h; 32.8 mph)
Complement	4 officers, 74 NCOs and sailors
Armament	4 ×102 mm (4 in)/45 guns 2 ×76.2 mm (3 in)/40 AA 4 × 450 mm (18 in)torpedo tubes 10mines

TheLa Masa class was a class of eightdestroyers of the ItalianRegia Marina (Royal Navy) constructed during theFirst World War, during which one ship was lost in a collision. Like other obsolete Italian destroyers, the seven surviving ships were reclassified astorpedo boats in 1929, and served duringSecond World War. Two ships were sunk in air attacks while in Italian service during the Second World War, one was sunk by amine, and two more werescuttled. The remaining two ships survived the war and continued to serve in the post-warItalian Navy (Marina Militare) before being decommissioned in 1957–1958.

TheLa Masa class was developed from theSirtori class destroyers. Four ships were ordered in 1915, four more in 1916. All eight ships were built by theOdero shipyard inSestri Ponente nearGenoa. Their main armament was provided by four102 mm (4 in) Schneider-Armstrong 1917L/45 guns, the two bow ones side by side, the two aft one behind the other on the centre line. These guns were Italian-made licensed copies of the BritishQF 4in Mk V gun. The secondary armament was provided by two76.2 mm (3 in) L/40Ansaldoanti-aircraft guns (in place of the 40 mm (2 in) of theSirtori-class) and four6.5 mm (0.26 in)Colt-Browningmachine guns. Additionally, the destroyers carried four 450 mm (18 in) torpedo tubes in twin mounts. Also up to tenmines could be deployed. Because of these new and heavy armaments, the main armament was reduced compared to theSirtori-class from six to four. Because two aft guns were positioned on the center line, thebroadside was still made up of three guns.

The ships were 73.5 m (241 ft) longo/a, 7.3 m (24 ft) wide and had 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) draught. Their displacement was 785 long tons (798 t) standard and 851 long tons (865 t) full load. The machinery consisted of four oil-firedThornycroft boilers and twoTosisteam turbines that delivered 15,500 shp (11,600 kW). The ships had twoshafts. The maximum speed when commissioned was 33.6knots (62.2 km/h; 38.7 mph) but it had dropped to just 30knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) at the beginning ofWorld War II. The fuel storage amounted to 150 tons of oil, the range was 2,230 nmi (4,130 km; 2,570 mi) at cruising speed of 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph). Theship's complement was 4 officers and 74 ratings.

In 1929 the ships were reclassified astorpedo boats. Their armament was modified after Italy's entry into WW2, mainly in order to strengthen their anti-air capabilities. The modifications differed between ships. Between 1940 and 1942 five of the ships -Angelo Bassini,Enrico Cosenz,Nicola Fabrizi,Giuseppe La Farina,Giacomo Medici - had two or even three of their 102 mm guns and one of their two torpedo tubes removed. Six20 mm (0.79 in) Breda Model 35 L/65 anti-aircraft guns were installed in their place as well as twodepth charge throwers. OnGiacinto Carini andGiuseppe La Masa a 533 mm (21 in) triple torpedo tube set was installed behind the thirdfunnel, in addition to the 450 mm twin tube set on the aft deck. Moreover, these two ships had four 20 mm Breda Model 35 anti-aircraft guns installed in twin mounts. After the modifications, the displacement varied between 660 t (650 long tons) standard and 875 t (861 long tons) full load.

The two ships that survived the war,Giacinto Carini andNicola Fabrizi, were converted intominesweepers in 1953-4 by the Italian Navy. As minesweepers, they retained only one 102 mm gun and three 20 mm AA guns, but were now equipped withradar andmine clearing gear.

The destroyers of theLa Masa class, like their predecessors, were used in theAdriatic against theAustro-Hungariank.u.k. Kriegsmarine. One ship was lost on 10 April 1918, when theBenedetto Cairoli which had only been in service for two months, sank in theIonian Sea after a collision with hersister shipGiacinto Carini.

When the armistice came into effect at the end of theFirst World War, two ships of the class,Giuseppe La Masa andNicola Fabrizi, belonged to a squadron led byAudace, which tookTrieste with 200Carabiniere. On the night of 8 October 1919,Agostino Bertani, which was only completed in June 1919 as the penultimate ship of the class, was taken over by officers in Trieste, who wanted to joinGabriele D'Annunzio inFiume. They sailed with the destroyer to Fiume. D'Annunzio declared Fiumeindependent against the wishes of the Italian government. Italycaptured Fiume in December 1920 and the ships that defected to D'Annunzio's legionaries returned to theRegia Marina in January 1921, where they were decommissioned. Along with the other defected ships,Bertani was renamed: she was put back into service asEnrico Cosenz. The new namesakeEnrico Cosenz (1820–1898) was the first chief of staff of the Italian army.

In 1923, several destroyers of the class were deployed in theCorfu incident with the squadrons off Corfu and in the Dodecanese, which were intended to exert pressure on Greece.

• Fraccaroli, Aldo (1985). "Italy". In Gray, Randal (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 252–290.ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
• Roberts, John (1980). "Italy". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. New York: Mayflower Books. pp. 280–317.ISBN 0-8317-0303-2.
• Whitley, M. J. (1988).Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-326-1.

• Italian Three Pipers

• Destroyer classes
• La Masa-class destroyers
• World War I destroyers of Italy
• World War II torpedo boats of Italy

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