Mameli-class submarine

The Mameli-class submarine was one of the first classes of the submarines to be built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) after the First World War. Some of these boats played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists. Of the four boats built in this class, all but one survived the Second World War.

Design and description
The Mameli class was one of the Regia Marina's first classes of submarines to be built after the First World War. They displaced 810 LT surfaced and 993 LT submerged. The submarines were 64.6 m long, had a beam of 6.51 m and a draft of 4.3 m. They had an operational diving depth of 90 m. Their crew numbered 49 officers and enlisted men.

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 1550 bhp diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 550 hp electric motor. They could reach 15 kn on the surface and 7.2 kn underwater. On the surface, the Mameli class had a range of 4360 nmi at 8 kn; submerged, they had a range of 110 nmi at 3 kn.

The boats were armed with six 53.3 cm torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern for which they carried a total of 10 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 102 mm deck gun forward of the conning tower for combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two single 13.2 mm machine guns.

Ships
SOURCES

Service history
Giovanni Da Procida is the only submarine known to have attempted to sink a ship during the Spanish Civil War, albeit unsuccessfully. The Mamelis participated in the Second World War. Three boats survived the war to be discarded in 1948.