Italian minelayer Lepanto

Lepanto at Yokohama in 1938
History
Italy
NameLepanto
NamesakeBattle of Lepanto
BuilderCantieri Navali Riuniti (CNR), Ancona
Laid down1925
Launched22 May 1927
Commissioned1927
FateScuttled 9 September 1943 at Shanghai
Japan
NameOkitsu (興津)
NamesakeOkitsu-juku
BuilderNavy 1st Construction Department at Shanghai
Acquired8 November 1943
Commissioned1 March 1944
Decommissioned30 September 1945
FateSurrendered to Republic of China on 15 September 1945
Republic of China
NameHsien Ning (咸寧)
NamesakeXianning
Acquired15 September 1945
Commissioned1946
Decommissioned1956
IdentificationPennant number: 79
FateScrapped in 1956
General characteristics as Lepanto
Class and typeAzio-class minelayer
Displacement615 long tons (625 t)
Length66.0 m (216 ft 6 in) (overall)
Beam8.7 m (28 ft 7 in)
Draft2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Yarrow three expansion stages reciprocating engines
  • 2 × water tube boilers
  • 2 shafts, 1,500 shp
Speed15.0 knots (27.8 km/h; 17.3 mph)
Complement66
Armament
  • 2 × 102 mm (4.0 in) naval guns
  • 1 × 76 mm (3.0 in) 76/40 Ansaldo Mod. 1917 AA gun
  • 2 × machine guns
  • 80 × naval mines
General characteristics as Okitsu
Class and typeGunboat
Displacement700 long tons (711 t) standing
Length62.18 m (204 ft 0 in) Lpp
Beam8.69 m (28 ft 6 in)
Draft2.60 m (8 ft 6 in)
Speed13.7 knots (25.4 km/h; 15.8 mph)
Complementapprox. 80
Armament
General characteristics as Hsien Ning
TypeFrigate
Armament

Lepanto was an Azio-class minelayer of the Italian Navy. She was reclassified as gunboat in 1934 and remained in Italian service in the far east from 1933 to 1943, when she was scuttled in China, during World War II. She was then recovered by the Imperial Japanese Navy and taken into service as Okitsu, spending the remainder of the war escorting convoys. She was surrendered to the Republic of China after the end of the war and served for a further ten years with its navy as the Hsien Ning.