 Trento early in her career
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Kingdom of Italy | |
| Name | Trento |
| Namesake | City of Trento |
| Builder | Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando, Livorno |
| Laid down | 8 February 1925 |
| Launched | 4 October 1927 |
| Commissioned | 3 April 1929 |
| Stricken | 18 October 1946 |
| Fate | Sunk, 15 June 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Heavy cruiser |
| Displacement | Full load: 13,334 long tons (13,548 t) |
| Length | 196.96 m (646 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 20.6 m (67 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | 4,160 nmi (7,700 km; 4,790 mi) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Armor |
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| Aircraft carried | 2 × IMAM Ro.43 seaplanes |
Trento was the first of two Trento-class cruisers; they were the first heavy cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy). The ship was laid down in February 1925, launched in October 1927, and was commissioned in April 1929. Trento was very lightly armored, with only a 70 mm (2.8 in) thick armored belt, though she possessed a high speed and heavy main battery of eight 203 mm (8 in) guns. Though nominally built under the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, the two cruisers significantly exceeded the displacement limits imposed by the treaty.
Trento frequently served as the flagship of the Cruiser Division throughout the 1930s. During the pre-war period, she also made lengthy trips abroad, including a tour of South America from May to October 1929 and a deployment to China from January to June 1932 to protect Italian nationals during the Chinese Civil War. She also took part in numerous naval reviews held for visiting foreign leaders.
After Italy entered World War II in June 1940, Trento saw extensive action in the Mediterranean Sea, including at the battles of Calabria, Cape Spartivento, and Cape Matapan in July and November 1940 and March 1941, respectively. She was also present during the inconclusive First and Second Battles of Sirte, and at the latter she severely damaged a British destroyer. Trento was also frequently tasked with escorting convoys to supply Italian forces in North Africa as well as interdicting British convoys to Malta. During one of the latter missions to attack the British Operation Harpoon convoy in June 1942, Trento was torpedoed twice, first by a Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber and then sunk by the submarine HMS Umbra with very heavy loss of life.