Italian submarine Pier Capponi

Pier Capponi was one of four Mameli-class submarines built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1920s.

History
Kingdom of Italy
Name	Pier Capponi
Builder	Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto, Taranto
Laid down	27 August 1925
Launched	19 June 1927
Completed	1929
Commissioned	19 January 1929
Fate	Sunk by HMS Rorqual, 31 March 1941
General characteristics
Type	Mameli-class submarine
Displacement	823 t (810 long tons) (surfaced) 1,009 t (993 long tons) (submerged)
Length	64.6 m (212 ft)
Beam	6.51 m (21 ft 4 in)
Draft	4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Installed power	1,550 bhp (1,160 kW) (diesels) 550 hp (410 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion	2 shafts; diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) (surfaced) 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (submerged)
Range	4,360 nmi (8,070 km; 5,020 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (surfaced) 110 nmi (200 km; 130 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) (submerged)
Test depth	90 m (300 ft)
Armament	1 × single 102 mm (4 in) deck gun 2 × single 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)

Design and description

The Mameli class was one of the Regia Marina's first classes of submarines to be built after the First World War. They displaced 823 metric tons (810 long tons) surfaced and 1,009 metric tons (993 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 64.6 meters (211 ft 11 in) long, had a beam of 6.51 meters (21 ft 4 in) and a draft of 4.3 meters (14 ft 1 in). They had an operational diving depth of 90 meters (300 ft). Their crew numbered 49 officers and enlisted men.

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 1,550-brake-horsepower (1,156 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 550-horsepower (410 kW) electric motor. They could reach 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) on the surface and 7.2 knots (13.3 km/h; 8.3 mph) underwater. On the surface, the Mameli class had a range of 4,360 nautical miles (8,070 km; 5,020 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph); submerged, they had a range of 110 nmi (200 km; 130 mi) at 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).

The boats were armed with six 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 102-millimeter (4 in) deck gun forward of the conning tower for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two single 13.2-millimeter (0.52 in) machine guns.

Construction and career

Pier Capponi was laid down by Cantieri navali Tosi di Taranto at their Taranto shipyard on 27 August 1925, launched on 19 June 1927, and completed in 1929. She was commissioned on 19 January 1929. During World War II, the Royal Navy submarine HMS Rorqual torpedoed and sank her in the Tyrrhenian Sea south of Stromboli at 38°32′N 015°19′E on 31 March 1941.

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.
• Colombo, Lorenzo (June 2, 2024). "R.Smg. Pier Capponi". regiamarina.net. Cristiano D'Adamo. Retrieved June 2, 2024. Operational History