Italian destroyer Baleno

Baleno was one of four Folgore-class destroyers built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in the early 1930s. Completed in 1932, she served in World War II.

Design and description
The Folgore-class destroyers were essentially copies of the preceding Freccia-class destroyer, although their beam was reduced in an unsuccessful attempt to improve their speed over that achieved by the earlier ships. The Folgores had an overall length of 96.05 m, a beam of 9.2 m and a mean draft of 3.3 m and 4.3 m at deep load. They displaced 1238 t at standard load, and 2090 t at deep load. Their complement during wartime was 185 officers and enlisted men.

The Folgores were powered by two Belluzzo geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by three Thornycroft boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 44000 shp and a speed of 30 kn in service, although the ships reached speeds of 38 - 39 kn during their sea trials while lightly loaded. They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 3600 nmi at a speed of 12 kn.

Their main battery consisted of four 120 mm guns in two twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Folgore-class ships was provided by a pair of 40 mm AA guns in single mounts amidships and a pair of twin-gun mounts for 13.2 mm machine guns. They were equipped with six 533 mm torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships. Although the ships were not provided with a sonar system for anti-submarine work, they were fitted with a pair of depth charge throwers. The Folgores could carry 52 mines.

Construction and career
Baleno was laid down by Cantieri navali del Quarnaro at their Fiume shipyard on 1 October 1929, launched on 22 March 1931 and commissioned on 15 June 1932.