# Ciclone-class torpedo boat

The Ciclone class were a group of torpedo boats or destroyer escorts built for the Italian Navy which fought in the Second World War. They were modified, slightly heavier, versions of the previous Orsa class, with improved stability and heavier anti-submarine armament. These ships were built as part of the Italian war mobilization programme and completed in 1942–43.

## Armament

All units were fitted with a sonar, and also torpedo launchers were present in the same quantity and placement for all units of the class. However, there were three different gun configurations in the class:
* Ghibli, Impavido, Impetuoso, Indomito were fitted with 3 single 100mm/47 guns, plus 4 dual 20mm/65 machine guns.
* Aliseo, Ardente, Ciclone, Fortunale, Groppo, Monsone, Tifone, Uragano with 2 single 100mm/47 guns and 8 × 20mm/65 machine guns.
* Animoso, Ardito, Ardimentoso, Intrepido with 2 single 100mm/47 guns, while the central mounting was fitted with a quadruple 20mm/65 mounting, for a total of 12 AA machine guns.

## Ships

| Ship | Builder | Launched | Operational History |
| Aliseo | Navalmeccanica | 20 September 1942 | On 8 September 1943, Aliseo engaged and destroyed several German auxiliary vessels off Bastia, right after the Cassibile armistice. War reparation to the Yugoslav Navy, 1949 as the Biokovo |
| Animoso | Ansaldo, Genoa | 15 April 1942 | Reparation to the USSR, 1949 as destroyer Ladny (Ладный), broken up 1958, sunk as target by P-15 missile, 28 August 1959. |
| Ardente | Ansaldo, Genoa | 27 May 1942 | Sank submarine HMS P48 on 25 December 1942. Sunk in collision with the destroyer Grecale 12 January 1943 |
| Ardimentoso | Ansaldo, Genoa | 27 June 1942 | Reparation to the USSR, 1949 as destroyer Liuty (Лютый), broken up 1960 |
| Ardito | Ansaldo, Genoa | 16 March 1942 | She sank submarine HMS Turbulent on 6 March 1943. The vessel took part in the action off Bastia along Aliseo, but she was eventually captured by the Germans in September 1943 and served as TA26. Either sunk 15 June 1944 by US Navy PT boats or destroyed by sabotage at Rapallo on 6 July 1944 |
| Ciclone | CRDA, Trieste | 1 March 1942 | She took part in the shooting down of three Beaufort bombers and a Beaufighter while escorting a convoy to Libya between 20 and 21 August 1942. Sunk by mines 8 March 1943 |
| Fortunale | CRDA, Trieste | 18 April 1942 | Sank submarine HMS P222 on 12 December 1942. Reparation to the USSR, 1949 as destroyer Liotny (Лётный), sunk as target ship 1959 |
| Ghibli | Navalmeccanica | 28 February 1943 | Seized by the Germans in September 1943, but not repaired. Scuttled in La Spezia 25 April 1945 |
| Groppo | Navalmeccanica | 19 April 1943 | She claimed the shooting down of a Bristol Beaufort while escorting a convoy on 23 January 1943. The Italian freighter Verona was torpedoed and sunk in the action. Groppo also captured an RAF inflatable motor boat with two airmen aboard after their Lockheed Hudson bomber was shot down by German aircraft while escorting a convoy near the Skerki Banks on 22 February. Sunk 25 May 1943, by USAAF B-17 bombers at Messina |
| Impavido | CT Riva Trigoso | 24 February 1943 | Captured by the Germans in September 1943, served as TA23. Struck a mine on 25 April 1944 and finished off by British MTBs while taken in tow |
| Impetouso | CT Riva Trigoso | 20 April 1943 | Scuttled 11 September 1943 |
| Indomito | CT Riva Trigoso | 6 July 1943 | War reparation to the Yugoslav Navy, 1949 as RE-51 Triglav [it; sl] |
| Intrepido | CT Riva Trigoso | 8 September 1943 | Captured by the Germans in September 1943, served as TA25. Sunk by US PT boats 15 July 1944 |
| Monsone | Navalmeccanica | 7 June 1942 | She beat off the attack of three British MTBs off Marettimo on 16 February 1943, while escorting a four-ship convoy along with Sirio and the Gabbiano-class corvettes Gabbiano and Antilope. The motor torpedo boats were caught in advance by the escorts' sonar. Sunk 1 March 1943 at Naples by USAAF aircraft |
| Tifone | CRDA Trieste | 31 March 1942 | Close escort of the Cigno convoy on 16 April 1943, when she shepherded the transport Belluno to Trapani. As part of the same mission, she delivered aviation fuel to Bizerte. After successfully repeating the ressuply operation in the first days of May, Tifone was damaged by USAAF aircraft and scuttled at Korbous, Tunisia, on 7 May 1943 |
| Uragano | CRDA Trieste | 3 May 1942 | Sunk by mines 3 February 1943 |

## History

Units of this class were heavily engaged in escort duties between Italy and Northern Africa, or in anti-submarine patrols. Some units were still incomplete when Italy signed the Armistice of Cassibile, and were sabotaged by the Italians, or captured by the Germans, completed and reclassified as "Torpedoboot Ausland" (Foreign Torpedo-boat).
Aliseo, with Carlo Fecia di Cossato in command, destroyed eight German auxiliary vessels near the port of Bastia, Corsica. For this success, di Cossato was given the highest Italian military decoration, the Gold Medal of Military Valor.
Five units survived the war, to be transferred to the USSR, Greece and Yugoslavia as reparation for war damages. None was left in service with Italian Navy.