Italian destroyer Baleno

Baleno was one of four s built for the (Royal Italian Navy) in the early 1930s. Completed in 1932, she served in World War II.
Design and description.
The "Folgore"-class destroyers were essentially copies of the preceding , although their beam was reduced in an unsuccessful attempt to improve their speed over that achieved by the earlier ships. The "Folgore"s had an overall length of , a beam of and a mean draft of and at deep load. They displaced at standard load, and at deep load. Their complement during wartime was 185 officers and enlisted men.
The "Folgore"s were powered by two Belluzzo geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft using steam supplied by three Thornycroft boilers. The turbines were designed to produce and a speed of in service, although the ships reached speeds of during their sea trials while lightly loaded. They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of at a speed of .
Their main battery consisted of four guns in two twin-gun turrets, one each fore and aft of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft (AA) defense for the "Folgore"-class ships was provided by a pair of AA guns in single mounts amidships and a pair of twin-gun mounts for machine guns. They were equipped with six torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships. Although the ships were not provided with a sonar system for anti-submarine work, they were fitted with a pair of depth charge throwers. The "Folgore"s could carry 52 mines.
Construction and career.
"Baleno" was laid down by Cantieri navali del Quarnaro at their Fiume shipyard on 1 October 1929, launched on 22 March 1931 and commissioned on 15 June 1932.