Italian destroyer Nicolò Zeno

Nicolò Zeno was one of a dozen Navigatori-class destroyers built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in the late 1920s. Completed in 1930, she served in World War II.

Design and description
The Navigatori-class destroyers were designed to counter the large French destroyers of the Jaguar-class destroyer and Guépard-class destroyeres. They had an overall length of 107.3 m, a beam of 10.2 m and a mean draft of 3.5 m. They displaced 1900 t at standard load, and 2580 t at deep load. Their complement during wartime was 222–225 officers and enlisted men.

The Navigatoris were powered by two Belluzzo geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by four Yarrow boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 55000 shp and a speed of 32 kn in service, although the ships reached speeds of 38 - 41 kn during their sea trials while lightly loaded. They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 3800 nmi at a speed of 18 kn.

Their main battery consisted of six 120 mm guns in three twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure and the third amidships. Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the Navigatori-class ships was provided by a pair of 40 mm AA guns in single mounts abreast the forward funnel 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. The Navigatoris could carry 86–104 mines.

Construction and career
Nicolò Zeno was laid down by Cantieri navali del Quarnaro at their Fiume shipyard on 5 June 1927, launched on 12 August 1928 and commissioned on 27 May 1930.