Italian submarine
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| History |
|---|
 Kingdom of Italy |
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| Name | Galatea |
| Namesake | Galatea |
| Builder | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone |
| Laid down | 1931 |
| Launched | 5 October 1933 |
| Stricken | 1 February 1948 |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Class and type | Sirena-class submarine |
| Displacement |
- 691 t (680 long tons) (surfaced)
- 850 t (837 long tons) (submerged)
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| 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 |
- 1,350 bhp (1,010 kW) (diesels)
- 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors)
|
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
- 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) (surfaced)
- 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) (submerged)
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| Range |
- 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (surfaced)
- 72 nmi (133 km; 83 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) (submerged)
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| Armament | |
Galatea was one of a dozen Sirena-class submarines, the second sub-class of the 600 Series of coastal submarines built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) during the early 1930s. She played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists.
Design and description
The Sirena class was an improved and enlarged version of the preceding Argonauta-class submarines. They displaced 691 metric tons (680 long tons) surfaced and 850 metric tons (837 long tons) submerged. The submarines were 61.5 meters (201 ft 9 in) long, had a beam of 5.7 meters (18 ft 8 in) and a draft of 4.7 meters (15 ft 5 in). Their crew numbered 45 officers and enlisted men.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 675-brake-horsepower (503 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.[2] On the surface, the Sirena class had a range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph);[1] submerged, they had a range of 72 nmi (133 km; 83 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).[2]
The boats were armed with six 53.3-centimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern for which they carried a total of 12 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun forward of the conning tower for combat on the surface. The anti-aircraft armament consisted of two or four 13.2-millimeter (0.52 in) machine guns.[1]
Construction and career
Galatea was laid down by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico at their Monfalcone shipyard in 1931, launched on 5 October 1933 and completed the following year.[1] During the Spanish Civil War, she unsuccessfully attacked three ships during a patrol off Tarragona 22 August–5 September 1937.[3]