Bragadin-class submarine

The Bragadin-class submarines were built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during the late 1920s. Both boats participated in the Second World War and were discarded in 1948.

Design and description
The Bragadin-class submarines were essentially minelaying versions of the earlier Pisani-class submarine. They shared that class's problems with stability and had to be modified to correct those problems after completion. They displaced 981 t surfaced and 1167 t submerged. As built the submarines were 71.5 m long, had a beam of 6.15 m and a draft of 4.8 m. In 1935 the stern was shortened and the boats were bulged to improve their stability. They now measured 68 m in length and had a beam of 7.1 m and draft of 4.3 m. They had an operational diving depth of 90 m. Their crew numbered 56 officers and enlisted men.

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 750 bhp diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 500 bhp electric motor. They could reach 11.5 kn on the surface and 7 kn underwater. On the surface, the Bragadin class had a range of 4180 nmi at 6.5 kn, submerged, they had a range of 86 nmi at 2.2 kn.

The boats were armed with four internal 53.3 cm torpedo tubes in the bow for which they carried six torpedoes. In the stern were two tubes which could accommodate a total of 16 or 24 naval mines, depending on the type. They were also armed with one 102 mm deck gun for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two 13.2 mm machine guns.