Italian cruiser Partenope

Partenope c. 1895
History
Italy
NamePartenope
NamesakeParthenope
OwnerRegia Marina
BuilderRegio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia
Laid down8 June 1888
Launched23 December 1889
Commissioned11 September 1890
FateSunk by UC-67, 24 March 1918
General characteristics
Class and typePartenope-class torpedo cruiser
DisplacementNormal: 821 long tons (834 t)
Length73.1 m (239 ft 10 in)
Beam8.22 m (27 ft)
Draft3.48 m (11 ft 5 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed18.1 to 20.8 knots (33.5 to 38.5 km/h; 20.8 to 23.9 mph)
Complement96–121
Armament
Armor

Partenope was a torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the 1880s, the lead ship of her class, which included seven other vessels. The ship was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia; she was laid down in June 1888, was launched in December 1889, and was completed in September 1890. Her main armament were her five torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns.

Partenope spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. In 1906–1908, she was converted into a minelayer, losing her torpedo tubes. During the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, she provided gunfire support to Italian forces in Libya. She was used to lay a series of minefields in the Adriatic Sea after Italy entered World War I in 1915. In March 1918, Partenope was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UC-67 off Bizerte.