View source for Goito-class cruiser

{{Short description|Torpedo cruiser class of the Italian Royal Navy}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=November 2022}}
{{good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption= |italic title=}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Italian cruiser Goito.jpg
|Ship caption={{lang|it|Goito}} early in her career with canvas awnings erected
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Builders=
|Operators=[[Kingdom of Italy]]
|Class before={{ship|Italian cruiser|Tripoli||2}}
|Class after={{sclass|Folgore|cruiser|4}}
|Built range=1885&ndash;1890
|In commission range=1888&ndash;1920
|Total ships completed=4
|Total ships scrapped=4
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=for {{lang|it|Goito}}{{efn|Figures are for {{lang|it|Goito}}; the other three vessels varied in armament and size}}
|Ship type=[[Torpedo cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=
*Normal: {{cvt|829|LT|lk=on}}
*[[Full load]]: {{cvt|974|LT}}
|Ship length={{convert|73.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|7.88|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|3.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
*3 × [[compound engine|double-expansion]] [[steam engine]]s
*3 × [[screw propeller]]s
|Ship power=
*6 × [[locomotive boiler]]s
*{{convert|2500|to|3180|ihp|lk=in}}
|Ship speed={{convert|18|kn|abbr=on|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|1100|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=105&ndash;121
|Ship armament=
*5 × [[QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|57|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns
*2 × {{convert|37|mm|abbr=on|1}} guns
*2 × 37&nbsp;mm [[Hotchkiss gun]]s
*5 × {{convert|14|in|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|1.5|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''{{lang|it|Goito}} class''' was a group of four [[torpedo cruiser]]s built for the Italian {{lang|it|[[Regia Marina]]}} (Royal Navy) in the 1880s. The members of the class were {{ship|Italian cruiser|Goito||2}}, {{ship|Italian cruiser|Montebello||2}}, {{ship|Italian cruiser|Monzambano||2}}, and {{ship|Italian cruiser|Confienza||2}}. They were among the first torpedo cruisers built for the Italian fleet, and were built to improve on the previous vessel, {{ship|Italian cruiser|Tripoli||2}}. Experimental ships, the four {{lang|it|Goito}}-class vessels varied in their dimensions, machinery, and armament, though all were comparable in terms of capabilities, having a top speed of {{convert|17|to|18|kn}} and carrying an armament of four or five {{convert|14|in|adj=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s.

All four ships spent the majority of their time in service with the main Italian fleet, alternating between active duty for training exercises and [[Military reserve force|reserve]] status. In 1897, {{lang|it|Goito}} was converted into a [[minelayer]] and {{lang|it|Montebello}} became a [[training ship]] for engine room personnel. {{lang|it|Monzambano}} and {{lang|it|Confienza}} were simply sold for scrap in 1901. {{lang|it|Goito}} laid defensive minefields after Italy entered [[World War I]] in 1915, but otherwise did not see action during the war. The two surviving vessels remained in the Italian fleet until 1920, when they too were [[ship breaking|broken up]] for scrap.

==Design==
The first three members of the {{lang|it|Goito}} class was designed by Engineering General Inspector [[Benedetto Brin]], while {{ship|Italian cruiser|Confienza||2}} was designed by Engineering Director [[Giacinto Pullino]].{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}} Brin had previously designed several classes of very large [[ironclad warship|ironclad battleships]], including the {{sclass|Duilio|ironclad|5}} and {{sclass|Italia|ironclad|4}}es, but by the 1880s, he had begun to embrace the ideas of the {{lang|fr|[[Jeune École]]}}, which emphasized small, fast, [[torpedo]]-armed vessels that could damage or destroy the much larger battleships at a fraction of the cost.{{sfn|Sondhaus|p=149}} The four {{lang|it|Goito}}s were similar to the preceding cruiser {{ship|Italian cruiser|Tripoli||2}}, the first torpedo cruiser Brin designed. As these were among the initial designs prepared by the Italian navy, they were experimental; Brin and Pullino used different hull shapes for all four vessels and fitted them with a variety of propulsion systems and armament.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|pp=346–347}}

===General characteristics and machinery===
[[File:Italian cruiser Monzambano.jpg|thumb|left|{{lang|it|Monzambano}} shortly after entering service]]

As a result of their experimental nature, the ships of the {{lang|it|Goito}} class varied slightly in size. They all were {{convert|70|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[length at the waterline|long at the waterline]] and {{convert|73.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[length overall|long overall]], but their [[beam (nautical)|beam]] varied from {{convert|7.88|to|8.05|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and their [[draft (hull)|draft]] ranged from {{convert|3.04|to|3.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The ships were built with steel hulls. They [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|756|to|856|LT|sp=us}} normally and {{convert|955|to|974|LT|sp=us}} at [[full load]]. They  had a crew of between 105 and 121.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}

The first three ships had similar propulsion systems that consisted of three [[steam engine]]s, each driving a single [[screw propeller]]. {{ship|Italian cruiser|Goito||2}} and {{ship|Italian cruiser|Monzambano||2}} had [[compound engine|double-expansion engines]], while {{ship|Italian cruiser|Montebello||2}} had more advanced [[triple-expansion engine]]s. {{lang|it|Confienza}} instead used a two-shaft configuration for her double-expansion engines. Steam for the engines was supplied by coal-fired [[locomotive boiler]]s; {{lang|it|Goito}} and {{lang|it|Montebello}} had six boilers, while {{lang|it|Monzambano}} and {{lang|it|Confienza}} had four. The boilers for {{lang|it|Goito}} and {{lang|it|Monzambano}} were trunked into two [[funnel (ship)|funnels]], {{lang|it|Montebello}} had three, and {{lang|it|Confienza}} only had one.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}

Exact figures for the first three ships' performance have not survived, but they could steam at a speed of about {{convert|18|kn|lk=in}} from {{convert|2500|to|3180|ihp|lk=in}}. {{lang|it|Confienza}}, with only two screws, had a top speed of {{convert|17|kn}} from {{convert|1962|ihp|abbr=on}}. In 1894, {{lang|it|Goito}} had her center engine and screw removed and her original boilers replaced with oil-fired models. With these changes, her engines were capable of producing {{convert|17.2|kn}} from {{convert|2521|ihp|abbr=on}}. The ships had a cruising radius of {{convert|1100|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}. They were originally fitted with a [[fore-and-aft rig|fore-and-aft sailing rig]] to supplement the steam engines, though they were later removed.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}

===Armament and armor===
[[File:Italian cruiser Confienza.jpg|thumb|{{lang|it|Confienza}}; note the 4.7&nbsp;in gun on her bow]]

The primary armament for the {{lang|it|Goito}} class was five {{convert|14|in|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s, though {{lang|it|Montebello}} only had four tubes. The ships also carried a variety of light guns. {{lang|it|Goito}} was equipped with five [[QF 6-pounder Hotchkiss|{{convert|57|mm|abbr=on}}]] 40-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] (cal.) guns, two {{convert|37|mm|abbr=on|1}} 20-cal. guns, and three 37&nbsp;mm revolving [[Hotchkiss gun]]s, all mounted singly. {{lang|it|Montebello}} had six 57&nbsp;mm guns and two 37&nbsp;mm guns, and {{lang|it|Monzambano}} carried only six 57&nbsp;mm guns. {{lang|it|Confienza}} was the only vessel to carry a medium-caliber gun, a single {{convert|4.7|in|abbr=on}} 32-cal. gun mounted on her bow. She also carried six 57&nbsp;mm guns and two 37&nbsp;mm guns. The ships were protected with an armored deck that was {{convert|1.5|in|abbr=on}} thick.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}

==Ships==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data
! scope="col" | Name
! scope="col" | Builder{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}
! scope="col" | [[keel laying|Laid down]]{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}
! scope="col" | [[Ship naming and launching|Launched]]{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}
! scope="col" | Completed{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}
|- valign=middle
! scope="row" |{{ship|Italian cruiser|Goito||2}}
| {{lang|it|[[Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia]]}}, [[Castellammare di Stabia]]
|align=center| September 1885
|align=center| 6 July 1887
|align=center| 16 February 1888
|- valign=middle
! scope="row" |{{ship|Italian cruiser|Monzambano||2}}
| rowspan="3" | {{lang|it|[[Arsenale di La Spezia]]}}, [[La Spezia]]
|align=center| 25 August 1885
|align=center| 14 March 1888
|align=center| 11 August 1889
|- valign=middle
! scope="row" |{{ship|Italian cruiser|Montebello||2}}
|align=center| 25 September 1885
|align=center| 14 March 1888
|align=center| 21 January 1889
|- valign=middle
! scope="row" |{{ship|Italian cruiser|Confienza||2}}
|align=center| September 1887
|align=center| 28 July 1889
|align=center| 11 April 1890
|}

==Service history==
[[File:Italian cruiser Montebello.jpg|thumb|{{lang|it|Montebello}} early in her career]]

All four {{lang|it|Goito}}-class cruisers served with the main Italian fleet for the majority of their careers. This time was spent either [[:wikt:laid up|laid up]] in the reserve component of the fleet, or activated for yearly training maneuvers. These frequently [[Military simulation|gamed]] a French attack on Italy, as in the case of the 1888 maneuvers&mdash;for which only {{lang|it|Goito}} had been completed in time to participate&mdash;that simulated a French attack on [[La Spezia]],{{sfn|Brassey 1889|p=453}} or the 1893 maneuvers, which tested a French attack on [[Naples]].{{sfn|Clarke & Thursfield|pp=202–203}} In 1898, {{lang|it|Monzambano}} and {{lang|it|Montebello}} participated in a rare deployment for members of the class when they were assigned to the Levant Squadron that was tasked with patrolling the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea]].{{sfn|Garbett 1899|p=855}} Throughout this period, the ships of the class would either be distributed among the divisions of the fleet, as with the case of the annual training maneuvers, or stationed together while in reserve status; in 1895, for example, the four {{lang|it|Goito}}s were assigned to the 2nd Maritime Department, along with {{lang|it|Tripoli}} and the eight {{sclass|Partenope|cruiser|0}} torpedo cruisers.{{sfn|Garbett 1895|p=90}}

In 1897, {{lang|it|Goito}} was withdrawn from front-line service and converted in a [[minelayer]], with a capacity for 60 [[naval mine]]s in place of her torpedo tubes. {{lang|it|Montebello}} remained on active duty until 1898, when she was converted into a [[training ship]] for engine room personnel, and was re-boilered with coal- and oil-fired equipment from several manufacturers in 1903. {{lang|it|Confienza}} and {{lang|it|Monzambano}} were the last members of the class to leave active service, being stricken from the [[naval register]] on the same day, 26 August 1901 and sold for [[ship breaking|scrapping]].{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}} {{lang|it|Goito}} continued to take part in fleet maneuvers as late as 1907 in her minelayer configuration,{{sfn|Brassey 1908|p=77}} and both she and {{lang|it|Manzambano}} remained in the {{lang|it|Regia Marina}}{{'}}s inventory during the [[Italo-Turkish War]] of 1911–1912{{sfn|Beehler|p=11}} and [[World War I]]. Neither ship saw action in either conflict, though {{lang|it|Goito}} laid defensive minefields in the [[Adriatic Sea]] after Italy entered World War I in 1915.{{sfn|O'Hara, Dickson, & Worth|p=201}} {{lang|it|Montebello}} was eventually stricken on 26 January 1920, and {{lang|it|Goito}} followed her to the breakers' yard on 15 March.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=347}}

==Footnotes==
=== Notes ===
{{Notelist
| notes =
}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|20em}}

==References==
* {{cite book
  |last=Beehler
  |first=William Henry
  |title=The History of the Italian-Turkish War: September 29, 1911, to October 18, 1912
  |year=1913
  |location=Annapolis
  |publisher=United States Naval Institute
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OWcoAAAAYAAJ
  |oclc=1408563
  |ref={{sfnref|Beehler}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |editor-last=Brassey
  |editor-first=Thomas A.
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |title=Foreign Naval Manoevres
  |pages=450–455
  |year=1889
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |oclc=5973345
  |ref={{sfnref|Brassey 1889}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |editor-last=Brassey
  |editor-first=Thomas A.
  |journal=The Naval Annual
  |title=Italian Manoevres
  |pages=76–81
  |year=1908
  |location=Portsmouth
  |publisher=J. Griffin & Co.
  |ref={{sfnref|Brassey 1908}}
  |oclc=5973345
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last1=Clarke
  |first1=George S.
  |last2=Thursfield
  |first2=James R.
  |title=The Navy and the Nation, or Naval Warfare and Imperial Defence
  |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924030750636
  |year=1897
  |location=London
  |publisher=John Murray
  |oclc=3462308
  |name-list-style=amp
  |ref={{sfnref|Clarke & Thursfield}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Fraccaroli
  |first=Aldo
  |editor-last=Gardiner
  |editor-first=Robert
  |chapter=Italy
  |pages=334–359
  |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905
  |year=1979
  |location=London
  |publisher=Conway Maritime Press
  |isbn=978-0-85177-133-5
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_l2e2
  |ref={{sfnref|Fraccaroli}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |editor-last=Garbett
  |editor-first=H.
  |title=Naval and Military Notes – Italy
  |journal=Journal of the Royal United Service Institution
  |publisher=J. J. Keliher
  |location=London
  |year=1895
  |volume=XXXIX
  |pages=81–111
  |oclc=8007941
  |ref={{sfnref|Garbett 1895}}
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |editor-last=Garbett
  |editor-first=H.
  |title=Naval Notes – Italy
  |journal=Journal of the Royal United Service Institution
  |publisher=J. J. Keliher
  |location=London
  |year=1899
  |volume=XLII
  |pages=855–857
  |oclc=8007941
  |ref={{sfnref|Garbett 1899}}
  }}
* {{Cite book
  |last1=O'Hara
  |first1=Vincent
  |last2=Dickson
  |first2=David
  |last3=Worth
  |first3=Richard
  |title=To Crown the Waves: The Great Navies of the First World War
  |publisher=Naval Institute Press
  |location=Annapolis
  |date=2013
  |isbn=978-1-61251-082-8
  |name-list-style=amp
  |ref={{sfnref|O'Hara, Dickson, & Worth}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Sondhaus
  |first=Lawrence
  |title=Naval Warfare, 1815–1914
  |location=London and New York
  |publisher=Routledge
  |year=2001
  |isbn=978-0-415-21478-0
  |ref={{sfnref|Sondhaus}}
  }}

==External links==
* [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/EFGHI/goito.aspx Classe Goito] Marina Militare website {{in lang|it}}

{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}
{{Goito-class cruiser}}
{{Italian torpedo cruisers}}

[[Category:Goito-class cruisers| ]]