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Trento file photo [5327]

Trento-class Heavy Cruiser

CountryItaly

Contributor:

This article refers to the entire Trento-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

ww2dbaseThe Trento-class heavy cruisers were designed with speed in mind. Sacrificing armor protection, these heavily-gunned ships could steam as fast as destroyers. Aside from the perceived advantage by having high speed, which was important for a country like Italy which had a long coast line, the sacrifice of armor also meant that these otherwise heavy ships would fall within the limits of the Washington Naval Treaty. Construction of the first ship, Trento, began in 1925, but it was the second ship, Trieste, that was completed first. The third ship, Bolzano, was started in 1930 with several design changes as the engineers learned from the first two ships; due to the changes, some consider Bolzano to be at least of a different sub-class, rather than purely the third ship of the Trento-class.

ww2dbaseIt was later concluded that these cruisers, although fast, were at a disadvantage because they were so lightly armored. As a result, the Zara-class heavy cruisers were designed in the 1930s as essentially better armored Trento-class ships.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Nov 2007

Trento-class Heavy Cruiser Interactive Map

Trento-class Heavy Cruiser Operational Timeline

1 Jan 1928 Trieste was commissioned into service.
1 Jan 1929 Trento was commissioned into service.
11 Jun 1930 The keel of cruiser Bolzano was laid down by Ansaldo Sestri Ponente at Genoa, Italy.
31 Aug 1932 Cruiser Bolzano was launched at Genoa, Italy.
19 Aug 1933 Bolzano was commissioned into service.
21 Nov 1941 British submarine HMS Utmost attacked and damaged Italian cruiser Trieste 10 miles east of Catania, Sicily, Italy at 2312 hours.
13 Aug 1942 British submarine HMS Unbroken damaged cruisers Bolzano and Muzio Attendolo 21 miles north of Capo d'Orlando, Sicily, Italy.
22 Jun 1944 A group of Italian Navy commandos loyal to the co-belligerent government in the south raided La Spezia, Italy using British Chariot manned torpedoes; they succeeded in capsizing Italian cruiser Bolzano.




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More on Trento-class Heavy Cruiser
Ships of this Class:
» Bolzano
» Trento
» Trieste

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