Santorre di Santarosa was one of four s built for the (Royal Italian Navy) during the late 1920s. Completed in 1929, she played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists.
Design and description The Bandiera class was an improved and enlarged version of the preceding s. They displaced surfaced and submerged. The submarines were long, had a beam of and a draft of . They had an operational diving depth of . Their crew numbered 53 officers and enlisted men.Chesneau, p. 307
For surface running, the boats were powered by two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the Bandiera class had a range of at ; submerged, they had a range of at .Bagnasco, p. 143
The boats were armed with eight torpedo tubes, four each in the bow and stern for which they carried a total of 12 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single deck gun forward of the conning tower for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two machine guns.
Construction and career Santorre Santarosa was laid down by Odero-Terni-Orlando at their Muggiano shipyard in 1928, launched on 22 October 1929 and completed later that year.Chesneau, pp. 307–308 During the Spanish Civil War, Santorre Santarosa was attempting to attack the tanker during nightfall on 11 August 1937 off Ras el Mustafa, French Tunisia, when the torpedoed and sank the tanker before the submarine could reach firing position.Frank, p. 97
Notes
References
External links Santorre Santarosa Marina Militare website Regia Marina The Italian Navy in World War II