View source for Italian cruiser Aquila

{{short description|Italian ''Aquila''-class scout cruiser}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{otherships|Italian ship Aquila}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Aquila espl1.jpg
|Ship caption=Plan and right elevation line drawing of the {{sclass|Vifor|destroyer}}s as completed for Italy as {{nowrap|[[scout cruisers]].}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Kingdom of Romania
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Romania|naval}}
|Ship name=''Vifor''
|Ship namesake=[[Storm]]
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=[[Romanian Naval Forces|Royal Romanian Navy]] (planned)
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=1913
|Ship builder=[[Cantiere Pattison]], {{nowrap|[[Naples]], [[Kingdom of Italy]]}}
|Ship original cost=
|Ship laid down=11 March 1914
|Ship fate=Requisitioned by [[Kingdom of Italy]] 5&nbsp;June&nbsp;1915
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Kingdom of Italy
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Italy|naval}}
|Ship name=''Aquila''
|Ship namesake=[[Eagle]]
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=''[[Regia Marina]]'' (Royal Navy)
|Ship acquired=5 June 1915
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship launched=26 July 1916
|Ship completed=8 February 1917
|Ship commissioned=8 February 1917
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship fate=*Unofficially transferred to {{nowrap|[[Francoist Spain|Spanish Nationalist]] Navy}} 11&nbsp;October&nbsp;1937
*Officially transferred 6&nbsp;January&nbsp;1939
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship reclassified=[[Destroyer]] 5&nbsp;September&nbsp;1938
|Ship struck=6 January 1939
|Ship motto=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Spain
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Spain|1936}} {{shipboxflag|Spain|1945}}
|Ship name=''Melilla''
|Ship namesake=[[Melilla]], a Spanish city on the coast of {{nowrap|[[North Africa]]}}
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=*[[Francoist Spain|Spanish Nationalist]] Navy {{nowrap|(1937–1939)}}
*[[Spanish Navy]] {{nowrap|(1939–1950)}}
|Ship acquired=*11 October 1937 (unofficial transfer)
*6 January 1939 (official transfer)
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=1950
|Ship fate=Scrapped
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=(as built)
| Ship class = [[Vifor-class destroyer|''Vifor''-class destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1594|LT|t|}} ([[Normal displacement|normal]])
* {{convert|1760|LT|t}} ([[Full load displacement|full load]])
|Ship length={{cvt|94.7|m|ftin}} ([[Length overall|overall]])
|Ship beam={{cvt|9.5|m|ftin}}
|Ship draft={{cvt|3.6|m|ftin}}
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|34|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|3000|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn}} 
|Ship power=*4 [[Thornycroft boiler]]s
* {{convert|40000|shp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on|0}}
|Ship complement=146
|Ship armament=*3 × single [[QF 6 inch /40 naval gun|{{cvt|152|mm|0}} guns]]
* 4 × single [[Cannon 76/40 Model 1916|{{cvt|76|mm|0}}]] [[AA gun]]s
* 2 × twin 457&nbsp;mm (17.7&nbsp;in) [[torpedo tube]]s
* 24 [[Naval mine|mines]]
}}
|}
'''''Aquila''''' was an Italian ''[[Regia Marina]]'' (Royal Navy) [[scout cruiser]] in commission from 1917 to 1937. She was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] for the [[Royal Romanian Navy]] as the [[destroyer]] '''''Vifor''''' but the [[Kingdom of Italy]] requisitioned her while she was under construction. She served in the ''Regia Marina'' during [[World War I]], seeing action in the later stages of the [[Adriatic Campaign of World War I|Adriatic campaign]]. In 1928, she took part in rescue operations in the [[Adriatic Sea]] for the sunken Italian [[submarine]] {{ship|Italian submarine|F 14||2}}.

In 1937, Italy transferred her to [[Francoist Spain|Nationalist Spain]]. Reclassified as a [[destroyer]] and renamed '''''Melilla''''', she served in the Spanish Nationalist Navy during the [[Spanish Civil War]] and subsequently in the [[Spanish Navy]]. She was stricken in 1950 and scrapped.

==Design==
The [[Kingdom of Romania]] ordered the ship as ''Vifor'', the [[lead ship]] of a planned 12-ship {{sclass|Vifor|destroyer|4}} of [[destroyer]]s for the [[Royal Romanian Navy]] envisioned under the Romanian 1912 naval program.<ref>Fraccaroli, p. 421</ref> Romanian specifications called for the ''Vifor''-class ships to be large destroyers optimized for service in the confined waters of the [[Black Sea]], with a 10-hour endurance at full speed and armed with three {{convert|120|mm|1|adj=on}} guns, four 75-millimetre guns, and five [[torpedo tube]]s.<ref name=f6>Fraccaroli, p. 266</ref>

After Italy requisitioned the first four ''Vifor''-class ships — the only four of the planned 12 ever constructed — the Italians completed them as [[scout cruiser]]s to modified designs. Each ship was {{convert|94.7|m|ftin}} in length [[Length overall|overall]], with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|9.5|m|ftin}} and a draught of {{convert|3.6|m|ftin}}. The power plant consisted of a pair of [[Franco Tosi Meccanica|Tosi]] [[steam turbine]]s and five [[Thornycroft boiler]]s, generating a designed output of {{convert|40000|shp|lk=on|0}} powering two shafts, which gave each ship a designed top speed of {{convert|34|kn|lk=in}}, although the ships actually achieved between {{convert|35|and|38|kn}}, depending on the vessel. The ships had a range of {{convert|1,700|nmi|sigfig=3}} at {{convert|15|kn}} and {{convert|380|nmi|sigfig=2}} at {{convert|34|kn}}. Each ship had a complement of 146. Armament varied among the ships, and sources disagree on ''Aquila''′s armament when she entered Italian service: According to one source, as completed ''Aquila'' had two twin {{convert|120|mm|adj=on|1}} guns, two [[Gio. Ansaldo & C.|Ansaldo]] [[Cannone da 76/45 S 1911|{{convert|76|mm|adj=on|0}} guns]], two twin {{convert|457|mm|adj=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s, and two {{convert|6.5|mm|adj=on}} [[machine gun]]s,<ref name=f6/> but other sources claim that she was completed with five [[Cannone da 152/45|{{convert|152|mm|adj=on|0}}]] and two [[Cannon 76/40 Model 1916|{{convert|76|mm|adj=on|0}}/40]] guns as well as the four torpedo tubes and two machine guns.<ref>[http://www.warshipsww2.eu/shipsplus.php?language=E&id=504506 Warship 1900-1950]</ref><ref>[http://oceania.pbworks.com/enwiki/w/page/8464564/INS%20Nibbio-1918 pbworks]</ref><ref name="Marina Militare">[http://www.marina.difesa.it/storiacultura/storia/almanacco/Pagine/ABCD/aquila_esploratore.aspx ''Marina Militare''<!-- Title generated automatically --> (in Italian)].</ref>

==Construction, acquisition, and commissioning==
Ordered by the Royal Romanian Navy in 1913,<ref name = "Ramoino-SM">Pier Paolo Ramoino, ''Gli esploratori italiani 1919-1938'' in ''Storia Militare'', No. 204, September 2010 (in Italian).</ref> the ship was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] as ''Vifor'' at ''[[Cantieri Pattison]]'' ("Pattison [[Shipyard]]") in [[Naples]], [[Italy]], on 11&nbsp;March&nbsp;1914.<ref name = "Marina Militare">[http://www.marina.difesa.it/storiacultura/storia/almanacco/Pagine/ABCD/aquila_esploratore.aspx ''Marina Militare''<!-- Title generated automatically --> (in Italian)].</ref><ref name="warshipww2">{{Cite web|url=http://www.warshipsww2.eu/shipsplus.php?language=E&id=504506|title=Italian Aquila, Spanish Melilla (Nationalist Navy) - Warships 1900-1950|website=Warships of World War II|language=cs, en|access-date=3 December 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130412155818/http://www.warshipsww2.eu/shipsplus.php?language=E&id=504506|archive-date=12 April 2013}}</ref> [[World War I]] broke out in late July&nbsp;1914, and Italy entered the war on the side of the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]] on 23&nbsp;May&nbsp;1915. ''Vifor'' was 60 percent complete when Italy requisitioned her on 5&nbsp;June&nbsp;1915<ref name="warshipww2"/> for service in the ''Regia Marina''. Renamed ''Aquila'', she was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 26&nbsp;July&nbsp;1916. She was completed and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 8&nbsp;February&nbsp;1917.<ref name=f6/><ref name = "Marina Militare"/>

==Service history==
===''Regia Marina''===
====World War I====
=====1917=====
After commissioning, ''Aquila'' was stationed at [[Brindisi]], Italy.{{sfn|Favre|pp=193, 197, 202, 204, 222, 253, 255, 271.}} During World War I, she operated in the [[Adriatic Sea]], participating in the [[Adriatic Campaign of World War I|Adriatic campaign]] against [[Austria-Hungary]] and the [[German Empire]], taking part primarily in small naval actions involving clashes between [[torpedo boat]]s and support operations for Allied [[motor torpedo boat]] and air attacks on [[Central Powers]] forces.<ref name = "Marina Militare"/>

On the night of {{nowrap|14–15 May 1917}}, the [[Battle of the Strait of Otranto (1917)|Battle of the Strait of Otranto]] began when the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] staged a two-pronged attack against the [[Otranto Barrage]] in the [[Strait of Otranto]] aimed both at destroying [[naval drifter]]s — armed [[fishing boat]]s that patrolled the [[Antisubmarine warfare|anti-submarine]] barrier the [[Barrage (military science)|barrage]] formed — and, as a diversionary action, at destroying an Italian convoy bound from the [[Kingdom of Greece]] to the [[Principality of Albania]]. At 04:10 on 15&nbsp;May, after receiving news of the attack, ''Aquila'', the [[protected cruiser]] {{ship|Italian cruiser|Marsala||2}}, the scout cruiser {{ship|Italian destroyer|Carlo Alberto Racchia||2}}, the destroyers {{ship|Italian destroyer|Impavido|1913|2}}, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Indomito|1912|2}}, and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Insidioso||2}}, and the British [[Royal Navy]] [[light cruiser]] {{HMS|Liverpool|1909|6}} made ready for sea at Brindisi. At 05:30 the formation left Brindisi together with the British light cruiser {{HMS|Dartmouth|1911|6}} and two other destroyers, joining various Allied naval formations steering to intercept the Austro-Hungarians. At 07:45 the Allied force sighted the Austro-Hungarian destroyers {{SMS|Balaton||2}} and {{SMS|Csepel||2}}. ''Aquila'' and the Italian destroyers steered to attack the two Austro-Hungarian ships at 08:10 and opened fire on them at 08:15. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, ''Balaton'' suffered damage and immediately afterwards ''Aquila'' was hit and immobilized at 0905. The Austro-Hungarian scout cruisers {{SMS|Helgoland|1912|2}}, {{SMS|Novara|1913|2}}, and {{SMS|Saida||2}} closed with her. ''Dartmouth'', the British light cruiser {{HMS|Bristol|1910|6}}, and the Italian destroyers {{ship|Italian destroyer|Antonio Mosto||2}} and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Giovanni Acerbi||2}} placed themselves between ''Aquila'' and the Austro-Hungarian ships and opened fire on them at 09:30 at a range of {{convert|8,500|m|yd|sigfig=2}}. The three Austro-Hungarian ships retreated toward the northwest and the British and Italian ships pursued them at distances of between 4,500 and 10,000 metres (4,900 and 10,900 yd), continuing to fire. The battle ended at 12:05 when the ships approached the major Austro-Hungarian naval base at [[Kotor|Cattaro]], where the fleeing Austro-Hungarian ships took shelter under the cover of Austro-Hungarian [[Coastal artillery|coastal]] [[Artillery battery|artillery batteries]] and the Austro-Hungarian [[armored cruiser]] {{SMS|Sankt Georg||2}} and destroyers {{SMS|Tátra||2}} and {{SMS|Warasdiner||2}} [[sortie]]d to intervene in the engagement.{{sfn|Favre|pp=115, 140, 145–147, 156, 160, 172, 195, 197, 201, 202}} After the battle ended, ''Aquila'' was [[Towing|towed]] back to port for repairs.<ref name = "Marina Militare"/>

During the night of 4–5 October 1917, ''Aquila'' and ''Carlo Alberto Racchia'' provided distant support to an air attack against Cattaro.{{sfn|Favre|p=197}}

An Austro-Hungarian Navy force consisting of ''Helgoland'', ''Balaton'', ''Csepel'', ''Tátra'', and the destroyers {{SMS|Lika|1917|2}}, {{SMS|Orjen||2}}, and {{SMS|Triglav|1917|2}} left Cattaro on 18&nbsp;October&nbsp;1917 to attack Italian convoys. The Austro-Hungarians found no convoys, so on on 19&nbsp;October ''Helgoland'' and ''Lika'' moved within sight of Brindisi to entice Allied ships into chasing them and lure the Allies into an ambush by the Austro-Hungarian [[submarine]]s {{ship|SM|U-32|Austria-Hungary|2}} and {{ship|SM|U-40|Austria-Hungary|2}}. ''Aquila'' got underway from Brindisi with ''Antonio Mosto'', ''Indomito'', the scout cruiser ''[[NMS Mărăști|Sparviero]]'', the destroyer {{ship|Italian destroyer|Giuseppe Missori||2}}, the British light cruisers {{HMS|Gloucester|1909|6}} and {{HMS|Newcastle|1909|6}}, and the [[French Navy]] destroyers {{ship|French destroyer|Bisson||2}}, {{ship|French destroyer|Commandant Bory||2}}, and {{ship|French destroyer|Commandant Rivière||2}} to join other Italian ships in pursuit of the Austro-Hungarians, but after a long chase which also saw some Italian air attacks on the Austro-Hungarian ships, the Austro-Hungarians escaped and all the Italian ships returned to port without damage.{{sfn|Favre|pp=193, 197, 202, 204, 222, 253, 255, 271.}}

On 28&nbsp;November&nbsp;1917, an Austro-Hungarian Navy force consisting of ''Triglav'', the destroyers {{SMS|Dikla||2}}, {{SMS|Dinara||2}}, {{SMS|Huszár|1910|2}}, {{SMS|Reka||2}}, and {{SMS|Streiter||2}}, and the torpedo boats {{SMS|TB 78||2}}, {{SMS|TB 79||2}}, {{SMS|TB 86||2}}, and {{SMS|TB 90||2}} attacked the Italian coast. While ''Dikla'', ''Huszar'', ''Streiter'' and the torpedo boats unsuccessfully attacked first [[Porto Corsini]] and then [[Rimini]], ''Dinara'', ''Reka'', and ''Triglav'' bombarded a [[railway]] near the mouth of the [[Metauro]], damaging a [[train]], the railway tracks, and [[telegraph]] lines. The Austro-Hungarian ships then reunited and headed back to the main Austro-Hungarian naval base at [[Pula|Pola]]. ''Aquila'', ''Giovanni Acerbi'', ''Sparviero'', and the destroyers {{ship|Italian destroyer|Animoso|1913|2}}, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Ardente||2}}, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Ardito|1912|2}}, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Audace|1916|2}}, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Francesco Stocco||2}}, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Giuseppe Cesare Abba||2}}, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Giuseppe Sirtori||2}}, and {{ship|Italian destroyer|Vincenzo Giordano Orsini||2}} departed [[Venice]], Italy, and, together with [[Reconnaissance aircraft|reconnaissance]] [[seaplane]]s, pursued the Austro-Hungarian formation. The seaplanes attacked the Austro-Hungarians without success, and the Italian ships had to give up the chase when they did not sight the Austro-Hungarians until they neared [[Cape Promontore]] on the southern coast of [[Istria]], as continuing beyond it would bring them too close to Pola.{{sfn|Favre|pp=193, 197, 202, 204, 222, 253, 255, 271.}}

''Aquila'' and ''Sparviero'' escorted a force of destroyers and smaller vessels as they bombarded [[Central Powers]] forces in [[Grisolera]], Italy, on 19&nbsp;December&nbsp;1917.

=====1918=====
On 10&nbsp;February&nbsp;1918 ''Aquila'', ''Ardito'', ''Ardente'', ''Francesco&nbsp;Stocco'', ''Giovanni&nbsp;Acerbi'', and ''Giuseppe&nbsp;Sirtori''  — and, according to some sources, the [[motor torpedo boat]] ''[[MAS (motorboat)|MAS]]&nbsp;18'' — steamed to [[Porto Levante]], now a part of [[Porto Viro]], in case they were needed to support an incursion into the harbor at [[Bakar, Croatia|Bakar]] (known to the Italians as Buccari) by MAS motor torpedo boats. Sources disagree on whether they remained in port or put to sea to operate in distant support,<ref name="danieleranocchia">[http://www.danieleranocchia.it/naval_history/grande_guerra.htm La Grande Guerra] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404041834/http://www.danieleranocchia.it/naval_history/grande_guerra.htm |date=4 April 2013 |language=it }}</ref> but in any event, their intervention was unnecessary. The motor torpedo boats carried out their raid, which became known in Italy as the ''Beffa di Buccari'' ("[[Bakar mockery]]").{{sfn|Favre|pp=193, 197, 202, 204, 222, 253, 255, 271.}}

On 5 September 1918, ''Aquila'', ''Sparviero'', and their [[sister ship]], the scout cruiser ''[[NMS Mărășești|Nibbio]]'', put to sea to provide support to the coastal torpedo boats {{nowrap|{{ship|Italian torpedo boat|8 PN||2}}}} and {{nowrap|{{ship|Italian torpedo boat|12 PN||2}}.}} Sources disagree on the purpose of the operation: According to one, the three scout cruisers were tasked to operate about {{convert|15|nmi}} west of [[Menders Point]] while the torpedo boats attacked Austro-Hungarian [[merchant ship]]s about {{convert|15|nmi}} to the east at [[Durrës]] (known to the Italians as Durazzo) on the coast of [[Albania]],{{sfn|Favre|pp=193, 197, 202, 204, 222, 253, 255, 271.}} while another claims that they were covering the recovery of a broken-down [[flying boat]] that had landed in the [[Gulf of Drin]].<ref name=cernuschipp69-71>Cernuschi & O'Hara, pp. 69, 73.</ref> In either case, they were to intervene if Austro-Hungarian warships attempted to intercept the torpedo boats. At 12:35, {{nowrap|''8 PN''}} spotted three Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats [[Minesweeping|sweeping mines]] off [[Ulcinj]] (known to the Italians as Dulcigno), Albania. The three scout cruisers steered to attack the three Austro-Hungarian ships and opened fire on them, damaging the torpedo boat {{nowrap|{{SMS|86 F||2}}}} and prompting the Austro-Hungarians to retreat toward the coast and take shelter under cover of the Austro-Hungarian coastal artillery at [[Shëngjin]] (known to the Italians as San Giovanni de Medua).{{sfn|Favre|pp=193, 197, 202, 204, 222, 253, 255, 271.}}<ref name=cernuschipp69-71/>

On 2 October 1918, while other British and Italian ships [[Shore bombardment|bombarded]] Austro-Hungarian positions at Durrës, ''Aquila'', ''Nibbio'', and ''Sparviero'' were among numerous ships which operated off Durrës in support of the bomdardment, tasked with countering any attempt by Austro-Hungarian Navy ships based at Cattaro to interfere with the bombardment.{{sfn|Favre|pp=193, 197, 202, 204, 222, 253, 255, 271.}}<ref name=cernuschipp69-71/> On 21&nbsp;October&nbsp;1918, the three scout cruisers covered a force bombarding Shëngjin.<ref name=cernuschipp69-71/>

By late October&nbsp;1918, Austria-Hungary had effectively disintegrated, and the [[Armistice of Villa Giusti]], signed on 3&nbsp;November&nbsp;1918, went into effect on 4&nbsp;November&nbsp;1918 and brought hostilities between Austria-Hungary and the Allies to an end. World War I ended a week later with the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|armistice]] between the Allies and the [[German Empire]] on 11&nbsp;November&nbsp;1918. In the war's immediate aftermath, ''Aquila'' and ''Sparviero'' got underway from Brindisi and took possession of [[Hvar]] (known to the Italians as Lesina), an island off the coast of [[Dalmatia]], on 15&nbsp;November&nbsp;1918.<ref>Renato Battista La Racine, "''In Adriatico subito dopo la vittoria''" in ''Storia Militare'', No. 210, March 2011 (in Italian).</ref>

====Interwar period====
According to one source, ''Aquila''′s armament was modified in 1927, when five {{convert|152|mm|adj=on|0}} guns were removed and replaced with four {{convert|120|mm|adj=on|1}} guns.<ref name = "Ramoino-SM"/>

On the morning of 6 August 1928, ''Aquila'' got underway from Pola with several other ships for an exercise that also involved the light cruiser ''[[SMS Helgoland (1912)|Brindisi]]'', steaming from [[Poreč]] (known to the Italians as Parenzo) to Pola under escort by the V Destroyer Flotilla. The exercise included a simulated attack on the formation by the submarines {{nowrap|{{ship|Italian submarine|F 14||2}}}} and {{nowrap|{{ship|Italian submarine|F 15||2}}}}.<ref name="Agonia e morte di un sommergibile">[http://www.grupsom.com/Sommergibili/F14/TragediaF14.html Tragedia dell'F14<!-- Title generated automatically --> (in Italian)].</ref><ref name = "Giorgerini">Giorgio Giorgerini, ''Uomini sul fondo. Storia del sommergibilismo italiano dalle origini a oggi'', pp. 109–111 (in Italian).</ref> Shortly after 08:40, the destroyer ''Giuseppe Missori'' accidentally rammed {{nowrap|''F 14'',}} causing {{nowrap|''F 14''}} to sink in the Adriatic Sea {{convert|7|nmi}} west of the [[Brijuni]] [[archipelago]].<ref name="Agonia e morte di un sommergibile"/><ref name = "Giorgerini"/> ''Aquila'' was among the first ships to arrive on the scene, and by dragging her [[anchor]] chain she helped speed up the identification of the location of the sunken — but largely unflooded —submarine, inside which 23 of the 27 crew members were trapped alive.<ref name="Agonia e morte di un sommergibile"/><ref name = "Giorgerini"/> However, the presence of the anchor chain hindered the recovery operations that followed: At 10:15, rescuers began to lift {{nowrap|''F 14''}} from the [[seabed]], but ''Aquila''′s anchor chain interfered with the operation by causing the submarine to [[Angle of list|list]].<ref name="Agonia e morte di un sommergibile"/><ref name = "Giorgerini"/> The [[Marine salvage|salvage]] effort had to wait until the 30-ton [[Float (nautical)|pontoon]] {{nowrap|''GA 145''}} arrived from Pola and the lifting cable was hooked to ''GA 145'' before {{nowrap|''F 14 ''}} could be freed from the anchor chain and brought to the surface,<ref name="Agonia e morte di un sommergibile"/> hours after the surviving crew of {{nowrap|''F 14''}} had fallen silent.<ref name="Agonia e morte di un sommergibile"/><ref name = "Giorgerini"/> When {{nowrap|''F 14''′s}} hatches finally were opened, rescuers discovered that her entire crew had died, asphyxiated by [[carbon dioxide]] and [[chlorine gas]].<ref name="Agonia e morte di un sommergibile"/><ref name = "Giorgerini"/>

====Transfer to Spain====
On 11 October 1937, during the [[Spanish Civil War]], the government of [[Fascist Italy]] handed ''Aquila'' over to the navy of the [[Francoist Spain|Spanish Nationalists]], although the ship officially remained on the rolls of the ''Regia Marina'', which reclassified ''Aquila'' as a destroyer on 5&nbsp;September&nbsp;1938.<ref>[http://www.trentoincina.it/mostrapost.php?id=320 Esploratori e Navigatori<!-- Title generated automatically --> (in Italian)].</ref>  The transfer finally became official on 6&nbsp;January&nbsp;1939, when the ''Regia Marina'' struck ''Aquila'' from the navy list.<ref name = "Marina Militare"/><ref name="warshipww2"/>

===Spanish Navy===

Before Fascist Italy transferred ''Aquila'' to the Spanish Nationalists, the Nationalists controlled only one non-ex-Italian destroyer, {{ship|Spanish destroyer|Velasco||2}}.<ref name = "kbismark">[http://www.kbismarck.com/mgl/destruc.htm Buques de la Guerra Civil Española (1936-1939) - Destructores<!-- Title generated automatically --> (in Spanish).]</ref> Upon taking control of the ship, the Nationalists renamed her ''Melilla''.<ref name = "Marina Militare"/><ref name="warshipww2"/> To conceal the transfer, Italy did not make it official, and the Spanish Nationalists took steps to confuse observers as to her identity: They installed a dummy fourth [[Funnel (ship)|funnel]] to give her a greater resemblance to the four-funneled ''Velasco'' and often referred to her as ''Velasco-Melilla'' rather than as ''Melilla''.<ref name = "kbismark"/>

By 1937, ''Melilla'' was an old ship, so the Spanish Nationalists mainly employed her in surveillance and escort tasks. In August&nbsp;1938, however, she took part — together with her [[sister ship]] ''Ceuta'' (formerly the Italian scout cruiser {{ship|Italian cruiser|Falco||2}}) and the [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|Spanish cruiser|Canarias||2}} — in an action that forced the [[Spanish Republican Navy]] destroyer {{ship|Spanish destroyer|José Luis Díez||2}} to give up on running the Nationalist [[blockade]] of the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] to reach [[Cartagena, Spain|Cartagena]] and to take refuge at [[Gibraltar]] on 29 August instead.<ref name = "kbismark"/><ref name = "la flota italiana de Franco">[https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?287025-La-flota-italiana-de-Franco La flota italiana de Franco<!-- Title generated automatically -->] (in Italian).</ref>

''Melilla''′s transfer to the Spanish Nationalists became official and overt on 6&nbsp;January&nbsp;1939 when the ''Regia Marina'' struck her from the Italian navy list.<ref name = "Marina Militare"/><ref name="warshipww2"/> After the end of the Spanish Civil War in April&nbsp;1939, the [[Spanish Navy]] assigned ''Melilla'' to [[Training ship|training duties]].<ref name = "la flota italiana de Franco"/> The Spanish struck her from the navy list in 1950<ref name = "Marina Militare"/> and sold her for scrapping.

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}
=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book|editor1-last=Jordan|editor1-first=John|publisher=Conway|location=London|year=2016|title=Warship 2016 |isbn=978-1-84486-326-6|last1=Cernuschi|first1=Enrico|last2=O'Hara|first2=Vincent|chapter=The Naval War in the Adriatic, Part 2: 1917–1918|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book |first=Franco |last=Favre |title=La Marina nella Grande Guerra. Le operazioni navali, aeree, subacquee e terrestri in Adriatico |language=it}}
* {{cite book|last=Fraccaroli|first=Aldo|chapter=Italy|pages=252–290|editor1-last=Gray |editor1-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985 |location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-0-87021-907-8}}

==External links==
* [[:it:File:RN Aquila.jpg|Photo of ''Aquila'']] sometime between 1917 and 1919, at [[Italian Wikipedia]]

{{Portal bar|Italy|Romania|Spain|Engineering}}

{{Marasti-class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aquila}}
[[Category:1916 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Naples]]
[[Category:Cruisers of the Regia Marina]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of Italy]]
[[Category:Destroyers of Italy]]
[[Category:Destroyers of the Spanish Navy]]
[[Category:Spanish Civil War ships]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the Spanish Civil War (National faction)]]