Italian cruiser Lombardia

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bender the Bot (talk | contribs) at 08:33, 22 October 2016 (→‎References: http→https for Google Books and Google News using AWB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Lombardia's sister ship Etruria in 1895
History
NameLombardia
NamesakeRegion of Lombardy
Laid down19 November 1889
Launched12 July 1890
Commissioned16 February 1893
FateSold for scrap, 4 July 1920
General characteristics
Class and typeTemplate:Sclass2-
DisplacementFull load: 3,110 t (3,060 long tons; 3,430 short tons)
Length84.8 m (278 ft)
Beam12.03 m (39.5 ft)
Draft4.87 m (16.0 ft)
Installed power4 water-tube boilers, 6,010 ihp (4,480 kW)
Propulsion2 shaft triple-expansion engines
Speed18.4 knots (34.1 km/h; 21.2 mph)
Range2,100 nmi (3,900 km; 2,400 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement213–278
Armament
  • 4 × 15 cm (5.9 in) guns
  • 6 × 12 cm (4.7 in) guns
  • 1 × 75 mm (3.0 in) gun
  • 8 × 57 mm (2.2 in) guns
  • 2 × 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes
Armor

Lombardia was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built in the 1890s. The ship was the second of six vessels in its class, but was the first to enter service. Named for the region of Lombardy, she was laid down in November 1889, was launched in July 1890, and was completed in February 1893. The ship was equipped with a main armament of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and six 12 cm (4.7 in) guns, and she could steam at a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).

Lombardia served in a variety of roles throughout her career. She was initially assigned as a scout for the main Italian fleet before a stint abroad in South America, where an outbreak of yellow fever killed half of her crew. Another period in the main fleet followed in the late 1890s, and in 1901, the ship was deployed to the China station. In late 1903, she cruised off Italian Somaliland, and in 1906 she was converted to a depot ship for submarines. She served in this role for the remainder of her career, including during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911–12 and World War I in 1915-18. Lombardia was eventually sold for scrap in July 1920.

Design

Main article: Regioni-class cruiser

Lombardia was 84.8 meters (278 ft) long overall and had a beam of 12.03 m (39.5 ft) and a draft of 4.87 m (16.0 ft). She displaced up to 3,110 metric tons (3,060 long tons; 3,430 short tons) at full load. Her propulsion system consisted of a pair of horizontal triple-expansion engines, with steam supplied by four cylindrical water-tube boilers.[1] On her speed trials, she reached a maximum of 18.4 knots (34.1 km/h; 21.2 mph) at 6,010 indicated horsepower (4,480 kW).[2] The ship had a cruising radius of about 2,100 nautical miles (3,900 km; 2,400 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). She had a crew of between 213–278.[1]

Lombardia was armed with a main battery of four 15 cm (5.9 in) L/40 guns mounted singly, with two side by side forward and two side by side aft. Six 12 cm (4.7 in) L/40 guns were placed between them, with three on each broadside. Light armament included ten 57 mm (2.2 in) guns and a pair of machine guns. She was also equipped with two 45 cm (18 in) torpedo tubes. Lombardia was protected by a 50 mm (2.0 in) thick deck, and her conning tower had 50 mm thick sides.[1]

Service history

Lombardia was built by the Regio Cantieri di Castellammare di Stabia in the eponymous city; her keel was laid on 19 November 1889. She was launched on 12 July 1890, and after completing fitting-out work, the new cruiser was commissioned into the Italian fleet on 16 February 1893, the first member of her class to enter service.[1] The new ship did not immediately enter active service, however, and in 1894 was still kept in reserve status along with her sisters Umbria and Etruria.[3] In 1896, Lombardia was in South American waters. An outbreak of yellow fever decimated the ship's crew while she was in Rio de Janeiro; 134 men died as a result of the epidemic. The men were buried in local cemeteries and were eventually re-interred in a large mausoleum in Rio de Janeiro in 1904.[4] After returning to Italy in 1897, the ship was assigned to the cruiser squadron, alongside Etna and Dogali.[5] For the periodic fleet maneuvers during the year, Lombardia was assigned to the First Division of the Reserve Squadron, which was centered on the ironclad battleships Caio Duilio, Ruggiero di Lauria, and Lepanto.[6] She remained in the Reserve Squadron the following year.[7]

Lombardia was deployed to the China station in 1901 to replace her sister Elba. She was joined on the voyage by the armored cruiser Marco Polo, which in turn replaced Vettor Pisani.[8] In September 1902 Lombardia was in Nagasaki, Japan, with the Italian cruiser Piemonte.[9] The following month, she joined an international fleet that took part in the funeral of the Chinese Viceroy of Liangjiang, Liu Kunyi. Kunyi had protected Europeans during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900–01, for which he was lauded in the Western press.[10] On 10 May 1903, Lombardia went to Shanghai and steamed up the Yangtze River.[11] She thereafter departed the China station. Later that year, Lombardia was stationed in Italian Somaliland where she visited Illig, a small town on cliffs about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Hobyo. A landing party attempted to go to shore to negotiate with a group of raiders who had fortified the town, but they were driven off by rifle fire. Lombardia shelled the town in response, but to no effect.[12] The ship then made a stop in Aden in late November – early December.[13]

In 1906, Lombardia was converted into a depot ship for submarines; this work lasted until 1908.[14] By the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, she was still serving in this capacity, under the command of Prince Luigi Amedeo, then the Inspector of Torpedo Boats. Lombardia remained in the Adriatic Sea during the war and as a result she did not see action in the conflict.[15][16] She served in this capacity through World War I until 4 July 1920, when she was sold for scrap and subsequently broken up.[1][17]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Gardiner, p. 349
  2. ^ "Notes on Ships and Torpedo Boats", p. 67
  3. ^ "Naval and Military Notes", p. 777
  4. ^ Public Health Reports, p. 1999
  5. ^ "Naval Notes" February 1897, p. 232
  6. ^ "Naval Notes" June 1897, p. 789
  7. ^ Garbett 1898, p. 200
  8. ^ Garbett 1901, p. 1136
  9. ^ May, p. 84
  10. ^ "The Funeral of a Chinese Viceroy", p. 448
  11. ^ May, p. 104
  12. ^ Brassey, p. 61
  13. ^ Reeve, pp. 103–105
  14. ^ Gardiner, p. 350
  15. ^ Beehler, p. 9
  16. ^ Wilson, p. 268
  17. ^ Frothingham, p. 307

References

  • Beehler, William Henry (1913). The History of the Italian-Turkish War: September 29, 1911, to October 18, 1912. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute.
  • Brassey, Thomas A., ed. (1905). The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  • Frothingham, Thomas Goddard (1924). The Naval History of the World War. Vol. I. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. OCLC 2291383.
  • Garbett, H., ed. (1898). "Naval Notes". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLII. London: J. J. Keliher & Co.: 190–206. doi:10.1080/03071849809417280.
  • Garbett, H., ed. (1901). "Naval Notes". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLV. London: J. J. Keliher & Co.: 1124–1139. doi:10.1080/03071840109418900.
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
  • May, W. A. (1904). The Commission of H.M.S. Talbot 1901–1904. London: The Westminster Press. OCLC 563709792.
  • "Naval Notes". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLI (228). London: J. J. Keliher & Co.: 224–237 February 1897. doi:10.1080/03071849709416002.
  • "Naval Notes". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLI (232). London: J. J. Keliher & Co.: 779–792 June 1897. doi:10.1080/03071849709416039.
  • "Naval and Military Notes". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XXXVIII (197). London: Harrison & Sons: 769–788. July 1894. doi:10.1080/03071849409418598.
  • "Notes on Ships and Torpedo Boats". Notes on the Year's Naval Progress. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office: 11–94. 1896.
  • Public Health Reports. XIX. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. OCLC 1799423. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  • Reeve, A. (1904). The Commission of H.M.S. Perseus: East Indies. Including Persian Gulf and Somaliland, 1901–1904. London: The Westminster Press. OCLC 38470445.
  • Robinson, Charles N., ed. (January 1903). "The Funeral of a Chinese Viceroy". The Navy and Army Illustrated. XV (311). London: Hudson & Kearns: 448.
  • Wilson, Herbert Wrigley (1926). Battleships in Action. Vol. 1. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd. OCLC 59779583.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Italian_cruiser_Lombardia&oldid=745627944"