7007 ITALIAN LIGHT CRUISER SCIPIONE AFRICANO, WW2

Scipione Africano was an Italian, and later a French, light cruiser (different classification: flotilla leader) from the Second World War and the post-war period. The keel was laid under this vessel in 1939, the launch took place in January 1941, and in April 1943 - the ship was commissioned. Its length at the time of launching was 142.2 meters and a width of 14.4 meters. Full displacement reached about 5,400 tons, and maximum speed - to about 41-43 knots. The armament included: 8 135 mm guns, 8 37 mm cannons and 8 533 mm torpedo tubes. The Scipione Africano was one of the ships of the Capitani Romani class. The ships of this type were built as a kind of Italian response to the French La Fantasque and Mogador class ships. In the new ships, special emphasis was placed on maximum speed and the strongest possible artillery armament. The Scipione Africano was built at the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando shipyard in Livorno. She was also the only ship of her class that took part in the naval combat during World War II. The event took place in July 1943, and the opponent of Scipione Africano were British torpedo boats. After the war, the unit was taken over by the French and renamed Guichen. In the years 1951-1954 it underwent a thorough modernization, which consisted in installing more modern electronic equipment and strengthening the anti-aircraft weapons. The unit was finally decommissioned in 1961.