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Italian 600 Series submarines

Class overview
Name: 600 Series
Operators:  Regia Marina
Subclasses:
  • Argonauta class
  • Sirena class
  • Perla class
  • Adua class
  • Acciaio class
Built: 1932–1941
In commission: 1933–1942
Completed: 59
Lost: 48
Retired: 11
General characteristics
Type: Submarine
Displacement:
  • 650–715 tonnes (640–704 long tons) surfaced
  • 810–870 tonnes (800–860 long tons) submerged
Length: 61.5–60.18 m (201.8–197.4 ft)
Beam: 5.65–6.44 m (18.5–21.1 ft)
Draught: 4.64–4.78 m (15.2–15.7 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 2 diesel 1,500–1,400 hp (1–1 MW)
  • 2 electric 800–800 hp (1–1 MW)
Speed:
  • 14–14 knots (26–26 km/h; 16–16 mph)surfaced
  • 8–7.3 knots (14.8–13.5 km/h; 9.2–8.4 mph)submerged
Range:
  • 2,300ml surfaced
  • 110-80 ml submerged
Complement: 44–48
Armament:
  • 6× 533 mm (21 in) Torpedo tube
  • 1 × 102–100 mm (4–4 in) gun
  • 2-4 13.2 mm (1 in) MG

The Italian 600 Series submarines were a series of submarine classes built for the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) during the Inter war years.

The 600 Series were sea-going submarines, though designated as coastal-type submarines, built for service in the Mediterranean. They were built to conform to the interwar naval treaties arising from the 1922 Washington and 1930 London conferences, which placed restrictions on the number and size of warships of various types that nations could build. The coastal submarine was limited to a 600-ton surface displacement, though there was no limit placed on the numbers of these vessels that could be built.

During this period Italy was involved in a rivalry with France in the Mediterranean, leading to a naval arms race. This provided the impetus for a sustained building programme, and led to Italy having the second largest submarine fleet in the world by outbreak of World War II.

The Italian 600 series was equivalent to the French 600 Series, the British S class, and the German Type VII U-boat.

The first submarines of the Argentine Navy, the Santa Fe class, derived from these Italian ships.

The 600s had a surface displacement just above 600 tons; the earliest vessels displaced 650 tons while the last built were 715 tons. They had an endurance of 2,300 miles at 14 knots, with a submerged speed of 7-8 knots. Their armament was six torpedo tubes (4 forward, 2 aft) with an outfit of 10-12 torpedoes and a single 3.9 inch/100mm gun, and four 13.2mm machine guns. They were manned by crews of 44 –48 men.


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