Cacciatorpediniere Classe Navigatori

Mimetization of Pigafetta in 1942
Navigatori class

This page would not be the same without the immense support of Eduardo Beck. During the war his father served as medical assistant in the Antonio Pigafetta, one of the ships of the Navigatori class.

Eduardo Beck is the responsible of one of the best and most complete page about the Antonio Pigafetta; in the Regia Marina Italiana section published in Wikipedia, in the Italian language section; he makes an impressive work which shows all his acknowledgement about their Father’s ship.

I published this site at the end of 2007. One of the first persons to contact with me was Eduardo Beck; he was profoundly interested on my work and he also showed me how amazingly he was working on the Pigafetta. He transmits me all his collaboration together with significant and profuse information about the Navigatori class.

Near mid 1942 all the remaining units of Navigatori class were painted in schemes of mimetization that were regulated near mid of 1942. All the Navigatori were coloured with different mimetization schemes.

In the year of 1942 after appalling losses in the convoy escort duties, all survivors were refitted and received new and better anti aircraft armament, disembarking the after torpedo launcher to give space for a new structure for two Breda 37/54 singles. At the same time all the older Breda 13.2mm binate and Victers-Terni 40/39 antiaircraft guns were disembarked in all remaining Navigatori. Seven or nine modern Breda 20/65 singles were installed in their places depending of the unit.

Some of the units received also German or Italian radar equipment at the beginning of 1943. They also received better anti submarine warfare equipment (ASW).

Plan views

Profile, plan and front

Antonio Da Noli: She entered in the Regia Marina service in 1929. In 1942 she was refitted and received a new anti aircraft armament in place of the after torpedo tubes that were replaced with two 37/54 singles, and seven 20/65 singles replaced the four obsolete twin 13.2mm. After the armistice she was damaged at a mine field and consequently scuttled by her crew.

Nicoloso Da Recco: In the Regia Marina service since 1930. In December 1942, in a fight with English units she was heavily damaged. Later in 1942 during the reparations work, she was refitted and received two 37/54 anti aircraft singles in place of the disembarked after torpedo tubes, and nine 20/65 singles replaced the four older twin 13.2mm. An Italian radar EC3 ter/ Gufo was also installed. The Da Recco was the only class survivor at the end of the war and she was utilized in the Marina Militare service until 1954.

Lanzerotto Malocello: In the Regia Marina service since 1930. In 1942 she was present in the battle of Pantelleria. In the same year she was refitted and received a new anti aircraft armament in which were disembarked the after torpedo tubes and replaced with two 37/54 singles, and seven 20/65 singles replaced the four obsolete twin 13.2mm. She also received a German Radar "De.te" and turn into one of the few Italian destroyers to receive that equipment. She was sunk in March of 1943 by a mine near Cape Bon during a troop transport mission to Tunisia together with the destroyers Ascari, Pancaldo and Camicia Nera.

Leone Pancaldo: She entered in the Regia Marina service in 1930. When the war begun she was employed as Fleet destroyer, after she have participated of the battle of Punta Stilo she was sunk by air attack but after recovered she had a long refitted period until December 1942. In these refit she received new anti aircraft armament in which were disembarked the after torpedo tubes and replaced with new 37/54 singles, and nine 20/65 singles replaced the four older twin 13.2mm. She also received an Italian Radar EC3 ter/ Gufo. She was sunk in April 1943 by air attack during a troop transport in voyage to Tunisia.

Antonio Pigafetta: In the Regia Marina service since 1931. In 1942 she was refitted and received a new anti aircraft armament in place of the after torpedo tubes that were replaced with two 37/54 singles, and seven 20/65 singles replaced the four obsolete twin 13.2mm. After the armistice she was captured by the Germans and renamed TA-44 during her German service. She was sunk by air attack in January 1945 in the port of Trieste.

Ugolino Vivaldi: In the Regia Marina service since 1930. Her modernization work in 1938 fixed the design lines of the modernized Series 2. She was heavily damaged at the Battle of mid June in 1942, when Italian ships attacked an allied convoy. She was repaired in a refit that includes the installation of better anti aircraft armament, two Breda 37/54 singles and nine Breda 20/65 singles. In 1943 was planned to incorporate radar equipment but the armistice suspended these plans. She was sunk on September 1943 by German coastal batteries in Corsica.

Nicoló Zeno: In the Regia Marina service since 1930. In 1942 she was refitted and received two 37/54 anti aircraft singles in place of the disembarked after torpedo tubes, and seven 20/65 singles replaced the four older twin 13.2mm. At the surrender of Italy she was still at work and was scuttled by her crew.