Italian destroyer Audace (1913)

Audace was the lead ship of the Audace-class destroyers of the Italian Regia Marina ("Royal Navy"). Commissioned in 1914, she served during World War I, participating in the Adriatic campaign and operating as a convoy escort until she sank after a collision in 1916.

Design
The ships of the Audace class were 74.8 m long at the waterline and 75.5 m long overall, with a beam of 7.5 m and a draft of 2.6 m. They displaced 740 LT standard and up to 840 LT at full load. They had a crew of four to five 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 16000 shp for a top speed of 30 kn, though in service they reached as high as 36.1 kn with 15000 shp. At a more economical speed of 14 kn, the ships could cruise for 950 nmi.

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

The design of the Audace-class ships was based on that of the preceding Indomito-class destroyer. During operations, the Audace class revealed somewhat disappointing characteristics.

Construction and commissioning
Audace was laid down at the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando ("Orlandi Brothers Shipyard") in Leghorn (Livorno) in May 1912 and was launched on 4 May 1913. She was commissioned in March 1914.

1915–1916
World War I broke out in 1914, and the Kingdom of Italy entered the war on the side of the Allies with its declaration of war on Austria-Hungary on 23 May 1915. At the time, Audace, under the command of Capitano di corvetta (Corvette Captain) Cantu, and the destroyers ITALIAN DESTROYER Animoso, ITALIAN DESTROYER Ardente, ITALIAN DESTROYER Ardito, and ITALIAN DESTROYER Francesco Nullo made up the 1st Destroyer Squadron, based at Brindisi, with the squadron under the command of Capitano di corvetta (Corvette Captain) Caccia. On 24 May Audace, Animoso, and Ardito carried out an anti-submarine patrol in the Gulf of Drin off the coast of the Principality of Albania and subsequently off Cattaro, a major base of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. On 9 June 1915, Audace, Animoso, Ardente, Ardito, the destroyers ITALIAN DESTROYER Indomito, ITALIAN DESTROYER Intrepido, ITALIAN DESTROYER Impetuoso, ITALIAN DESTROYER Irrequieto, and ITALIAN DESTROYER Insidioso, and the protected cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Quarto escorted the armored cruisers ITALIAN CRUISER Giuseppe Garibaldi and ITALIAN CRUISER Vettor Pisani as they bombarded the lighthouses at the Cape of Rodon and Shëngjin (known to the Italians as San Giovanni di Medua) on the coast of Albania.

On 11 July 1915 Audace, Ardito, Animoso, and Ardente escorted Quarto to the Palagruža (known to the Italians as the Pelagosa) archipelago in the Adriatic Sea, where they landed the vanguard of an occupation force. The auxiliary cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Città di Palermo, the protected cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Marsala, the destroyer ITALIAN DESTROYER Strale, and the torpedo boats ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT Airone, ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT Arpia, ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT Astore, ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT Calliope, ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT Cassiopea, and ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT Clio also took part in the operation, which went smoothly: Two Austro-Hungarian signalmen, who first hid from and then surrendered to the Italians, made up the archipelago's entire garrison.

On 13 June 1916 Audace, under the command of Capitano di fregata (Frigate Captain) Piazza, and the destroyers ITALIAN DESTROYER Antonio Mosto, ITALIAN DESTROYER Pilade Bronzetti, and ITALIAN DESTROYER Rosolino Pilo provided escort and support to the motor torpedo boats MAS 5 and MAS 7, which, after the coastal torpedo boats ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT 35 PN and ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT 37 PN towed them to a starting position, penetrated the harbor at Austro-Hungarian-occupied Shëngjin. The incursion was unsuccessful: MAS 5 and MAS 7 found no ships moored in the harbor. MAS 5 and MAS 7 withdrew under Austro-Hungarian artillery fire without suffering any damage. On the night of 25–26 June 1916, while Audace, Insidioso, Marsala, and the destroyers ITALIAN DESTROYER Impavido and ITALIAN DESTROYER Irrequieto operated in distant support, Antonio Mosto, Pilade Bronzetti, Rosolino Pilo, and the destroyer ITALIAN DESTROYER Giuseppe Cesare Abba escorted the coastal torpedo boats ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT 34 PN and ITALIAN TORPEDO BOAT 36 PN as 34 PN and 36 PN towed MAS 5 and MAS 7 to a point 2.5 nmi off Durrës (known to the Italians as Durazzo) in Albania. MAS 5 and MAS 7 then dropped their tow cables and raided the harbor at Durrës. The attack resulted in serious damage to the 1,111-gross register ton steamship SS Sarajevo.

Loss
On the night of 29–30 August 1916 Audace was escorting the steamer SS Brasile from Taranto, Italy, to Thessaloniki, Greece, when she collided with Brasile. She sank in the Ionian Sea off Capo Colonna, Italy, in the predawn hours of 30 August 1916.

Wreck
Audace′s wreck was found in 2007 at a depth of between 110 and 120 m. It was largely intact, with its bow oriented toward the south.