Turbine was the lead ship of her class of eight destroyers built for the (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1920s. Her name means whirlwind.
Design and description The Turbine-class destroyers were enlarged and improved versions of the preceding . They had an overall length of , a beam of and a mean draft of .Whitley, p. 161 They displaced at standard load, and at deep load. Their complement was 12 officers and 167 enlisted men.
The Turbines were powered by two Parsons geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by three Thornycroft boilers. The turbines were rated at for a speed of in service,Roberts, p. 299 although Turbine reached a speed of during her sea trials while lightly loaded.McMurtrie, p. 280 They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of at a speed of .
Their main battery consisted of four guns in two twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure.Fraccaroli, p. 47 Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Turbine-class ships was provided by a pair of AA guns in single mounts amidships and a twin-gun mount for machine guns. They were equipped with six torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships. The Turbines could carry 52 mines.
Construction and career Turbine was laid down by Odero-Terni-Orlando at their Genoa-Sestri Ponente shipyard on 24 March 1925, launched on 21 April 1927 and completed on 27 August. Upon completion, Turbine, together with , and was assigned to the 2nd Squadron of the I Destroyer Flotilla based at La Spezia. Between 1929 and 1932 the destroyer carried out a number of training cruises in the Mediterranean.Destroyer Turbine In 1931 Turbine together with , Aquilone and as well as older , and formed 1st Destroyer Flotilla, part of II Naval Division. In 1934 after another reorganization Turbine as well as Aquilone, Nembo and Euro were again reunited, now forming the 8th Destroyer Squadron, part of II Naval Division. Together with Nembo she was temporarily deployed to the Red Sea to conduct training in tropical climate in 1934.
Spanish Civil War After the Civil War started in Spain in July 1936, both Italy and Nazi Germany supported the Nationalists of General Franco, whereas Soviet Union was actively supporting the Republicans. During the first year of the war, the Soviets used the Republican controlled ports of Bilbao and Santander in the North of Spain adjacent to the French border, but after their fall in the summer of 1937, the USSR was forced to use ports in the Mediterranean to continue supplying the Republicans. Both Italy and Germany deployed their submarines in the Mediterranean in early 1937 to interdict with Republican shipping, but without much success. On 3 August 1937 Franco made an urgent plea with Mussolini to use the Italian fleet to prevent the passage of a large Soviet transport convoy, which just departed from Odessa. Originally, only submarines were supposed to be used, but Mussolini was convinced by Franco to use Italian surface ships too against the Soviets. The Italian blockade was put into effect immediately, with two light cruisers, and , eight torpedo boats and eight destroyers, including Turbine, being deployed in and around the Strait of Sicily and Strait of Messina. At the time Turbine was under command of captain Virgilio Rusca.
On 17 August Turbine and while on patrol off the African coast sighted Republican steamer sailing under the British flag. The freighter, however, managed to escape her pursuers by entering French territorial waters, and continuing close to the coast until she reached the port of Algiers.
On 30 August 1937 Turbine was on patrol together with Ostro, when they encountered the Soviet cargo ship around 16:00. The destroyers continued shadowing the ship until darkness fell, and around 21:00 Turbine launched two torpedoes at the Soviet vessel, and Ostro launched one. The cargo ship was hit by two torpedoes in quick succession and rapidly sank in the position , approximately 74 miles east of Algiers. Two lifeboats with all 29 survivors were towed to Dellys by local fishing boats, and successfully reached the shore at 01:00 on 31 August. The Soviet steamer was not a blockade runner, and was transporting 2,834 tons of coal from Cardiff to Port Said.
In September 1937 the Nyon Conference was called by France and Great Britain to address the "underwater piracy" conducted against merchant traffic in the Mediterranean. On 14 September an agreement was signed establishing British and French patrol zones around Spain (with a total of 60 destroyers and airforce employed) to counteract aggressive behavior by submarines. Italy was not directly accused, but had to comply with the agreement and suspend the maritime operations.
World War II At the time of Italy entry into World War II Turbine together with Euro, Nembo and Aquilone formed 1st Destroyer Squadron based in Tobruk. Initially, she was assigned escort and anti-submarine duties.
On 6 June 1940, in preparation for hostilities, the ships of 1st Destroyer Squadron together with the auxiliar cruiser Bartletta laid fourteen minefields (540 mines) around Tobruk.
During her first war patrol she was on an anti-submarine mission in the Gulf of Taranto together with . At 23:21 pm on 13 June 1940, Strale sighted an enemy submarine () at the entrance of the Gulf of Taranto, and proceeded to attack her with gunfire and attempted to ram the submarine. Odin managed to get away with some damage, however, she was later that night sunk by Italian destroyer .
After an air reconnaissance revealed a large number of ships present in Tobruk harbor, including several destroyers, British command ordered an air attack on Tobruk on 12 June. The air strike was carried out by Blenheims from 45, 55, 113 and 211 Squadrons in the early morning hours of 12 June. British bombers were intercepted by CR.32s from 92nd, 93rd and 94th Squadriglias, forcing some bombers to turn away, or drop their bombs prematurely. Several bombers managed to get through and bombed the harbor between 04:52 and 05:02 causing only negligible damage.Gustavsson, pp. 41–42
In response the Italian command ordered a bombardment of Sollum. The raid was carried out both by Regia Aeronautica and Regia Marina, with twelve SM.79 bombers dropping bombs in the early morning of 15 June, while destroyers Turbine, Nembo and Aquilone shelled the town from 03:49 to 04:05, firing 220 shells of their main caliber, but dealing negligible damage to the installations due to thick fog present at the time of attack.Gustavsson, p. 51O'Hara, p.16 Another bombardment of Sollum was performed between 05:35 and 06:18 on 26 June by the same destroyer group "with considerable effectiveness" expending 541 shells in the process.Chester Times, June 1927, 1940, p. 1
On 19 June 1940 while conducting another anti-submarine mission Turbine, about 25 miles north of Tobruk, detected and attacked with depth charges another British submarine, , and sank her in the approximate position .
On 5 July 1940 there were seven s berthed in Tobruk harbor, including Turbine, together with four torpedo boats, six freighters and several auxiliary vessels.Gustavsson, pp. 95–96 Between 10:00 to 11:15 a Short Sunderland reconnaissance plane overflew the harbor at an altitude of 1,500-2,000 meters and despite the anti-aircraft fire opened against it, confirmed the presence of numerous ships in the harbor. In the late afternoon a group of nine Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers of 813 Naval Air Squadron took off from the airfield in Sidi Barrani and headed towards Tobruk.Brown, pp. 38–39 The air alarm was sounded at 20:06 but the Italians failed to detect the Allied aircraft until they were already over the harbor at 20:20. Destroyers had most of their personnel on board steamers and with exception of dedicated air defense crews.Franco Prosperini in Storia Militare No. 208 (January 2011), pp. 4–10 The attack commenced a few minutes later, and lasted only seven minutes and resulted in five Italian ships being sunk or damaged. Not encountering any aerial opposition, British torpedo bombers attacked from low altitude (around 100 feet), and released their torpedoes from 400–500 meters away, almost point-blank. was attacked first by a plane piloted by Nicholas Kennedy, whose torpedo hit the destroyer in the bow, around the ammunition depot, between the bridge and a 120 mm cannon. The explosion broke the ship into two and sank it half an hour later. Freighter was also hit, capsized and sank, while Euro and steamer were hit, and had to be beached, and the ocean liner was hit and damaged. Two planes also attacked other destroyers, including Turbine, but failed to launch their torpedoes due to intense anti-aircraft fire. The air alarm was canceled at 21:31, and by that time all nine British planes were far away.
On 19 July 1940 British command, believing that the light cruiser , damaged during the Battle of Cape Spada, had taken refuge in Tobruk, decided to launch a new bomber attack against the base.Gustavsson, pp. 111–112 Turbine was berthed deeper in the harbor, in the port itself, close to the wreck of Euro which was beached after the 5 July raid. Most personnel was on board steamers and with exception of dedicated air defense crews. Around 17:00 twelve Bristol Blenheim bombers from 55 Squadron and 211 Squadron RAF bombed the northern part of the harbor, slightly damaging an anti-aircraft battery and the port's facilities, and losing one aircraft. At 18:56 a seaplane from the 700 Naval Air Squadron launched by the British battleship appeared to investigate results of the bombing. The seaplane was immediately targeted by anti-aircraft batteries, and shot down. At 21:54 Tobruk was put on alert again after receiving reports from the Bardia and Sidi Belafarid advanced listening stations. Around 22:30 six Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers from the 824 Naval Air Squadron RAF appeared in the skies above Tobruk harbor and were met with strong anti-aircraft fire. This forced the planes to make several passes over the area trying to avoid the fire, and also to acquire the targets, the situation exacerbated by a fairly cloudy night. The British finally managed to sort out their objectives by about 01:30 on 20 July and assumed attack formation at low altitude. At 01:32 steamer was struck in the stern by a torpedo, launched from a plane piloted by squadron commander F. S. Quarry, causing her to slowly sink. At 01:34 Ostro was hit in her stern ammunition depot by a torpedo launched from another plane, causing the ship to go ablaze and sink ten minutes later. Nembo was hit by a torpedo from a plane piloted by E. S. Ashley at 01:37 and sank. The British lost one plane in the attack which crash-landed on the way back in Italian controlled territory.
Following this attack the Italian Command considered Tobruk to be too vulnerable to enemy air attacks, and decided to shift deliveries to Benghazi. The cargo was then carried along the coast of Libya by coastal convoys of 1-2 ships, sometimes accompanied by escorts. Turbine along with other destroyers and torpedo boats were relocated to Benghazi as well. During the months of August and early September 1940 the destroyer conducted patrols outside the Benghazi harbor and some coastal escorting missions.
On 13 September 1940 the Italian Army invaded Egypt and captured Sollum. A convoy was sighted travelling east along the Libyan coast on 15 September by a Short Sunderland flying boat from 230 Squadron. In attempt to help their ground force, the Royal Navy designed attacks on Italian bases, in particular, Benghazi. During the day on 16 September, British forces consisting of the battleship , the heavy cruiser , anti-aircraft cruisers and , seven destroyers and the aircraft carrier sortied from Alexandria.Gustavsson, p. 186