Sirio-class torpedo boat

The Sirio class (also known as the Saffo class) was a class of six sea-going steam-powered torpedo boats of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built by the German shipyard Schichau-Werke from 1904–1906. They served in the Italo-Turkish War and the First World War.

Design
In 1904, work began at the German shipyard of Schichau-Werke, Elbing (now Elbląg, Poland) on a class of six torpedo-boats for the Italian Navy. They were 50.00 m long between perpendiculars and 51.07 m overall, with a beam of 6.00 m and a draught of 1.60 m. Two Coal-fired Schultz-Thornycroft boilers fed Vertical triple-expansion steam engines rated at 3000 - 3100 ihp, giving a rated speed of 25 kn, which corresponded to an in-service sea speed of about 21 kn. Sufficient coal was carried to give a range of 598 nmi at 23 kn or 1920 nmi at 8 kn. Displacement was 210 t.

Three 450 mm torpedo tubes were fitted, with a gun armament of three 47 mm guns. The ships had a crew of 38 officers and men.

Service
On delivery, the ships of the class equipped the 1st Squadron of High Seas Torpedo Boats, based first at La Spezia and then at Messina. The ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, with Spica leading four Pegaso-class torpedo boats on a reconnaissance of the Dardanelles on the night of 18/19 July 1912, penetrating under fire about 11 mi before being stopped by a boom across the straits, and then escaping with little damage and no casualties. Two ships, Scorpione and Serpente, were lost following collisions during the First World War, with the remaining ships being rearmed, with two 76 mm anti-aircraft guns replacing the 47 mm guns. A third ship, Saffo was lost after running aground off Turkey on 2 April 1920. The surviving ships were disposed of in 1923.