WŁOSKI NISZCZYCIEL DARDO

The Dardo was an Italian WWII destroyer. The vessel was launched in September 1930, and in 1932 the vessel was commissioned. Its length at the time of launching was 96.2 meters and a width of 9.75 meters. Full displacement reached about 2,200 tons, and maximum speed - to about 38 knots. The armament included: 4 120 mm guns, 2 40 mm AA guns and 6 533 mm torpedo tubes. The Dardo was one of the destroyers belonging to the Freccia class (also known as the Dardo class). This class of ships was built on the basis of a slightly modified but enlarged design of the Turbine class destroyer. Compared to their predecessors, they had almost identical weapons, combat capabilities, and differed only marginally in greater maximum speed and size. Interestingly, four Freccia-class destroyers were built for the Greek Navy. They differed from the Italian Regia Marine units in using turrets with single 120mm guns rather than twin turrets. Dardo took part in the Second World War under the Italian flag, but after the capitulation of Italy in 1943, it was quickly taken over by the Germans and renamed TA-31. While already under the German flag, the destroyer was damaged in an air raid in October 1944, and in April 1945 it was sunk by its own crew.