Giussano-class cruiser


The Alberto da Giussano class of light cruisers were a sub-class of the built before World War II for the Italian Regia Marina, to gain predominance in the Mediterranean Sea. They were designed by general Giuseppe Vian and were named after Condottieri of the Italian Mediaeval and Renaissance periods.
Between the World Wars, the world powers started a rush to gain the supremacy on the seas. In 1926, France started to produce the of destroyers, which were superior in displacement and firepower to other destroyers of that period. To counter the French menace, the Regia Marina decided to produce a new class of cruiser that would be of intermediate size between the new French destroyer class and cruisers. The Italian ships equated to the British cruisers.
There were 4 ships, all laid down in 1928:,, and.
Meant to hunt down and overwhelm the big French destroyers, the emphasis on firepower and speed resulted in these ships being virtually unprotected against gunfire and underwater threats; this was a major factor in all four ships being sunk by torpedoes.

Ships

ShipBuilderLaid downLaunchedCompletedFate
Ansaldo, Genoa16 April 192823 August 19309 June 1931Sunk 13 December 1941, by a group of Royal Navy and Dutch destroyers during the Battle of Cape Bon.
Ansaldo, Genoa29 March 192827 April 19305 February 1931Sunk 13 December 1941, by a group of Royal Navy and Dutch destroyers during the Battle of Cape Bon.
Ansaldo, Genoa21 June 192821 December 193010 February 1932Sunk 19 July 1940, during the Battle of Cape Spada.
R. C. di Castellammare di Stabia31 October 192827 April 193027 April 1931Sunk 1 April 1942, torpedoed by British submarine while off Stromboli.