Italian destroyer Audace (1913)

Audace
History
Kingdom of Italy
Name	Audace
Launched	4 May 1913
Fate	Sunk in collision 30 August 1916
General characteristics
Class and type	Audace-class destroyer
Displacement	Full load: 840 long tons (850 t)
Length	75.5 m (247 ft 8 in) loa
Beam	7.5 m (24 ft 7 in)
Draft	2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Installed power	4 × water-tube boilers 16,000 shp (12,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 × steam turbines 2 × screw propellers
Speed	30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range	950 nmi (1,760 km; 1,090 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement	4–5 officers 65–74 enlisted men
Armament	1 × 120 mm (4.7 in) gun 4 × 76 mm (3 in) guns 2 × 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes

Audace was a destroyer of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built in the 1910s. She was the lead member of the Audace class.

Design

Main article: Audace-class destroyer (1913)

The ships of the Audace class were 74.8 m (245 ft 5 in) long at the waterline and 75.5 m (247 ft 8 in) long overall, with a beam of 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in) and a draft of 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in). They displaced 740 long tons (750 t) standard and up to 840 long tons (850 t) at full load. They had a crew of 4 to 5 officers and 65 to 74 enlisted men. The ships were powered by two Zoelly steam turbines, with steam provided by four White-Forster water-tube boilers. The engines were rated to produce 16,000 shaft horsepower (12,000 kW) for a top speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), though in service they reached as high as 36.1 knots (66.9 km/h; 41.5 mph) from 15,000 shp (11,000 kW). At a more economical speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph), the ships could cruise for 950 nautical miles (1,760 km; 1,090 mi).

The ship carried an armament that consisted of a single 120 mm (4.7 in) gun and four 76 mm (3 in) guns, along with two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. The 102 mm gun was placed on the forecastle and the two of the 76 mm guns were mounted abreast the funnels, with the remaining pair at the stern. The torpedo tubes were in single mounts, both on the centerline.

Service history

Audace was built at the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando shipyard in Livorno, and was launched on 4 May 1913.

Audace was employed as a convoy escort during World War I, and on the night of 30 August 1916, she collided with the steamer SS Brasile and sank off Capo Colonna.

References

• Fraccaroli, Aldo (1985). "Italy". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 252–290. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
• Willmott, H. P. (2009). The Last Century of Sea Power (Volume 1, From Port Arthur to Chanak, 1894–1922). Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-35214-9.