Italian submarine Antonio Sciesa

Antonio Sciesa was one of four Balilla-class submarines built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during the late 1920s. She played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists.

Design and description
The Balilla-class submarines were the first cruiser submarines built for the Regia Marina. They displaced 1427 LT surfaced and 1874 LT submerged. The submarines were 86.5 m long, had a beam of 7.8 m and a draft of 4.7 m. They had an operational diving depth of 110 m. Their crew numbered 77 officers and enlisted men.

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 2450 bhp diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 1100 hp electric motor. The submarines were also fitted with an auxiliary diesel cruising engine that gave them a speed of 7 kn on the surface. They could reach a maximum speed of 17.5 kn on the surface and 8 kn underwater. On the surface, the Balilla class had a range of 12000 nmi at 7 knots; submerged, they had a range of 110 nmi at 3 kn.

The boats were armed with six internal 53.3 cm torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern, for which they carried a dozen torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 120 mm deck gun, forward of the conning tower, for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two 13.2 mm machine guns.

Construction and career
Antonio Sciesa was laid down by Odero-Terni-Orlando at their Muggiano shipyard on 20 October 1925, launched on 12 August 1928 and completed on 12 April 1929. During the Spanish Civil War she unsuccessfully attacked two ships during a patrol off Alicante on 6–20 August 1937.