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Italian Navy / Marina Militare Italiana
- Guided Missile Destroyer D 560 ITS Luigi Durand de la Penne (ex Animoso) |
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Type,
class: Guided Missile Destroyer; De la Penne class Builder: Fincantieri SpA, Riva Trigoso (Genoa), Italy STATUS: Laid down: January 20, 1988 (as Animoso) Launched: October 20, 1989 renamed Luigi Durand de la Penne in 1992 Commissioned: March 18, 1993 IN SERVICE Homeport: Taranto Namesake: Luigi Durand de la Penne (1914-1992) Ships Motto: UTIQUE VINCE (wherever it wins) Technical Data: see INFO > Durand de la Penne class Guided Missile Destroyer |
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                 Oto-Melara 127/54C gun fire                 2 x AN/SPG-51D fire control radars for RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-1MR - Mk.13 single-arm launcher  twin and single box launcher for Otomat/Teseo SSM or Milas ASW missile - SAGAIE decoy launcher - triple torpedo tubes         flight deck and hangar   hangar for 2 helicopters  an Aspide SAM missile was fired from the Albatros launcher  Albatros box-launcher for 2x4 Aspide SAM  Albatros box-launcher for 2x4 Aspide SAM |
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Luigi Durand de la Penne (February 11, 1914 - January 17,
1992) ... was an Italian Navy naval diver in the Decima MAS (Decima Flottiglia Mezzi d'Assalto - 10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla) during World War II. De la Penne was born in Genoa, where he also died. He graduated from the Italian Naval Academy in Livorno in 1934. He joined the Decima MAS in 1935. Iride submarine crew rescue action: On 22 August 1940, in the Gulf of Bomba, the Italian submarine Iride, being a human torpedo carrier, was sunk by a torpedo released by a British Fairey Swordfish bomber. The air attack happened during an exercise, in shallow water, when four human torpedo squads were around, including officers Teseo Tesei and Luigi Durand de la Penne. The divers were able to make an immediate rescue action. Of the 12 Iride crewmen who survived, two died during an unsuccessful attempt to surface, nine were retrieved alive (two of them died soon, due to wounds), and one was too shocked to leave the sunken submarine. De la Penne tried to persuade him to surface, and even gave him his own aqualung, but the seaman refused surfacing and died. Sinking of HMSValiant: As part of a team of divers he took part in the human torpedo attacks on British vessels in the Mediterranean. In December 1941, he was one of a team of six (Emilio Bianchi, his second; Antonio Marceglia with Spartaco Schergat; Vincenzo Martellotta with Mario Marino) that attacked Alexandria harbour. They used an Italian manned torpedo known as S.L.C. (Siluro Lenta Corsa, also known as "maiale"), actually a small underwater assault vehicle with a crew of two. As a result, four ships were disabled: the British battleships HMS Queen Elizabeth (by Marceglia and Schergat) and HMS Valiant (by Martellotta and Marino), and the oil tanker Sagona and the destroyer HMS Jervis. De la Penne personally placed the limpet mine under the hull of the Valiant. Of the three teams of frogmen, only de la Penne and Bianchi were captured before the devices exploded. As de la Penne refused to inform the ship's captain (Charles Morgan) of specifics of his missiom, mines, he and his mate were confined in a cell under-deck, actually in a place just above where the mine had been placed. Few minutes before the detonation, De la Penne informed Captain Morgan of the imminent explosion, in order to allow the British to evacuate the ship, but continued to refuse to disclose where the mine had been placed. The two frogmen were immediately sent back to their confinement place. Few minutes later, the mine exploded. Although hurt by the explosion, the frogmen reached the deck of the Valiant just in time to see the other mines explode under the Queen Elizabeth, Sagona and Jervis. Although both ships settled on the sea bed, their decks were still clear of the waterline. As all six frogmen were eventually captured and both vessels appeared to be operational, the success of the attack in neutralising the British ships became known by the Italian Navy only after some days. For this action, de la Penne was awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour, the Italian highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" (equivalent to the Victoria Cross). In May 1945, at the end of the war, the then Admiral Charles Morgan - who was the Valiant's Captain at the time of the attack in Alexandria - wanted to confer himself the medal to de la Penne in a ceremony in Taranto. With the Allies in La Spezia: After the 8 September 1943 Armistice, de la Penne was offered the opportunity to be released from prison and fight for the Allies. He accepted and returned to duty as a frogman. On 22 June 1944, he participated in a joint Italian/British operation against the Germans. A team formed of British and Italian divers was transported by the Italian destroyer Grecale in an attack on La Spezia harbour, at the time in German hands. They sank the cruisers Gorizia and Bolzano before they could be used to block the harbour entrance. Post-war career: After the war, Durand de la Penne stayed in the Marina Militare. He was promoted to Capitano di Fregata (Commander) in 1950 and Capitano di Vascello (Captain) in 1954. In 1956 he was appointed as Naval Attaché in Brazil. He was also Deputy of the Parliament of Italy for the second through the sixth legislatures as an independent candidate. He retired with the rank of Ammiraglio di Squadra (Vice-Admiral). source: wikipedia - - - - - another biography: The ship bears the name of Admiral Luigi Durand de la Penne, who was awarded the Gold Medal for Valour for his heroic deed on December 18 and 19, 1941. His mission was to force the English stronghold in Alexandria with slow-running torpedoes (S.L.C.) and to sink as many ships as possible berthed in the harbour. The attack units were released very short of the barrage by the submarine “Sciré”, commanded by Lieutenant Junio Valerio Borghese. Lieutenant Luigi Durand de la Penne, acting in his capacity as leader of S.L.C. 221, 222 and 223, respectively ridden by Durand de la Penne himself, the Italian Navy Weapons Officer Vincenzo Martellotta, and Lieutenent Engineer Antonio Marceglia, assisted by P.O. Emilio Bianchi, CPO Mario Marino, and Leading Seaman Spartaco Schergat, on December 19, 1941 at daybreak, sunk the English battleship “Valiant”. At the same time, Marceglia and Schergat were sinking the Dreadnought “Queen Elizabeth,” while Martellotta and Marino sunk the oil tanker “Sagona” and damaged the destroyer “Jervis.” Durand de la Penne placed the charges under the Valiant’s fore towers by himself, for his operator had lost consciousness and surfaced. But right afterwards, he was captured together with P.O. diver Emilio Bianchi and jailed on the same ship, in a room next to the ammunition magazine where he was confined, although he had informed the Commander of the English Unit, Captain Morgan of the imminent explosion of the charge to allow him bring his crew to safety. He survived the explosion that sank the ship and was later confined for some time to Yol, India. In February 1944, he was repatriated and participated in the liberation war with the Attack Units Group. The ceremony where he was awarded the Medal for Valour was held in Taranto in March 1945, a historical place and date: in fact it was the very Commander of the Valiant, Sir Charles Morgan, Admiral by then, who decorated Luigi Durand de la Penne, under the invitation of the Lieutenant of the Italian Kingdom, Umberto of Savoy, who chaired the ceremony. “An extraordinary example of bravery and genius.” «Winston Churchill» source: Italian Navy
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ITS Luigi Durand de la Penne (D 560): ... history wanted |
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