Argonauta-class submarine
The "Argonauta"-class submarine was the first sub-class of the 600 Series of coastal submarines built for the (Royal Italian Navy) during the 1930s. Some of these boats played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists. Of the seven boats built in this class, only a single one survived the Second World War. Design and description. The "Argonauta" class was derived from the earlier s. They displaced surfaced and submerged. The submarines were long, had a beam of and a draft of . They had an operational diving depth of . Their  crew numbered 44 officers and enlisted men. For surface running, the boats were powered by two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the "Settembrini" class had a range of at ; submerged, they had a range of at . The boats were armed with six torpedo tubes, four in the bow and two in the stern for which they carried a total of 12 torpedoes. They were also armed with a single deck gun forward of the conning tower for  combat on the surface. Their anti-aircraft armament consisted of two single machine guns. Service. The seven "Argonauta"-class submarines saw action during the Second World War. Five were sunk in action during the conflict and a sixth was scuttled at the Italian armistice in 1943. The last surviving boat of the class was stricken in 1948.