Italian submarine Durbo

History
Italy
Name	Durbo
Builder	OTO
Laid down	8 March 1937
Launched	6 March 1938
Commissioned	1 July 1938
Fate	Scuttled, 18 October 1940
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass-
Displacement	680 tonnes (669 long tons) surfaced 844 tonnes (831 long tons) submerged
Length	60.18 m (197 ft 5 in)
Beam	6.45 m (21 ft 2 in)
Draft	4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power	1,200 bhp (890 kW) (diesels) 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) surfaced 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) submerged
Range	3,180 nmi (5,890 km; 3,660 mi) at 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) surfaced 74 nmi (137 km; 85 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	80 m (260 ft)
Complement	45
Armament	6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 1 × 100 mm (3.9 in)/47 deck gun 1 or 2 × twin 13.2 mm (0.52 in) anti-aircraft guns

The Italian submarine Durbo was an Adua-class submarine built for the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) during the 1930s.

Design and description

The Adua-class submarines were essentially repeats of the preceding Template:Sclass-. They displaced 680 metric tons (670 long tons) surfaced and 844 metric tons (831 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 60.18 meters (197 ft 5 in) long, had a beam of 6.45 meters (21 ft 2 in) and a draft of 4.7 meters (15 ft 5 in).

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 600-brake-horsepower (447 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 400-horsepower (298 kW) electric motor. They could reach 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) underwater. On the surface, the Adua class had a range of 3,180 nautical miles (5,890 km; 3,660 mi) at 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph), submerged, they had a range of 74 nmi (137 km; 85 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).

The boats were armed with six internal 53.3 cm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern. They were also armed with one 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun for combat on the surface. The light anti-aircraft armament consisted of one or two pairs of 13.2 millimeters (0.52 in) machine guns.

Construction and career

Durbo, named after Durbo in Ethiopia, was launched on 6 March 1938 in OTO's shipyard and commissioned on 1 July of the same year. She was scuttled on 18 October 1940 east of Gibraltar after being attacked by the destroyers HMS Firedrake and HMS Wrestler. The British ships were able to retrieve documents from her before she sank that allowed them to sink her sister Lafolè two days later.

References

• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.