Aquila-class cruiser

The Aquila class was a group of flotilla leaders built in Italy during the First World War. Initially ordered in 1913 by Romania, the four ships saw service in both world wars, but for different owners and under different designations.

Construction and specifications
The four warships were ordered in 1913 by Romania, from the Pattison Shipyard in Naples. Designed by engineer Luigi Scaglia and based on Romanian specifications, the ships were to be large destroyers armed with three 120 mm guns, four 75 mm guns, five torpedo tubes, and have a 10-hour endurance at full speed, as they were required to operate in the limited perimeter of the Black Sea. However, the four ships were interned on 5 June 1915, soon after Italy joined the war. At that time, one ship was completed 60%, one 50%, one 20% and the fourth was yet to be laid down. They were completed as scout cruisers (esploratori) and commissioned on 27 July 1916, with the names Aquila, Falco, Nibbio and Sparviero. Aquila was the first to be completed, on 8 February 1917, followed by Sparviero on 15 July, Nibbio on 15 May 1918 and Falco on 20 January 1920.

Each cruiser measured 94.7 meters in length, with a beam of 9.5 meters and a draught of 3.6 meters. Power plant consisted of Tosi turbines and five Thornycroft boilers, generating a designed output of 40,000 hp powering two shafts, which gave each warship a designed top speed of 34 knots. However, this actually oscillated between 35 and 38 knots, depending on the vessel. Each ship had a complement of 146, with ranges of 1,700 nautical miles at 15 knots and 380 nautical miles at 34 knots. Nibbio and Sparviero were each armed with three 152 mm Armstrong guns and four 76 mm dual-purpose (naval/AA) Ansaldo guns, while Aquila and Falco were each armed with two twin 120 mm guns and two 76 mm Ansaldo guns. Each warship also carried two twin 457 mm torpedo tubes and two 6.5 mm machine guns. Nibbio and Falco could also carry mines, 24 and 38 respectively.

Each warship had a displacement of 1,820 tons.

Sparviero and Nibbio were sold to Romania on 1 July 1920, being renamed Mărăști and Mărășești.

Romanian service
Mărăști and Mărășești were the second most heavily-armed Axis warships in the Black Sea, and had the second greatest displacement, after the cruiser-sized submarine tender Constanța. The succeeding Regele Ferdinand-class destroyers were more modern, but not as heavy despite being more heavily armed. Upon commissioning by Romania on 1 July 1920, Mărăști and Mărășești were re-classified as destroyers. However, English-language sources of the period refer to the two warships as flotilla leaders, most likely on account of their three cruiser-typical 152 mm guns. Mărăști and Mărășești were refitted at the Galați shipyard in Romania in 1925, and sent back to Naples for rearming in 1926. The two rearmed warships are also known as the Mărăști-class. When Romania entered World War II in June 1941, the two warships were armed with four 120 mm guns in twin mounts, two 37 mm anti-aircraft guns, two twin 13 mm Hotchkiss machine guns and two depth charge throwers. They also retained their four 457 mm torpedo tubes (two pairs, one on each side of the ship). Later during the war, they were fitted with two more 37 mm guns and four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. The two destroyers could also carry up to 50 mines each. Despite being rearmed as destroyers, the two warships still presented some cruiser characteristics, such as having their torpedo tubes mounted on the broadsides instead of the centerline.

On 26 June 1941, Mărăști helped repel a Soviet naval attack against the main Romanian port of Constanța, together with the destroyer Regina Maria and the minelayer Amiral Murgescu. Surprised by the level of resistance and the accuracy of the return fire, the Soviet fleet withdrew, losing the destroyer leader Moskva into a Romanian minefield, laid by the Romanian minelayers Amiral Murgescu, Regele Carol I and Aurora on 19 June that year. Amiral Murgescu claimed to have shot down two Soviet aircraft during the battle and Mărăști claimed one.

Both warships were active during the Romanian Naval campaign in the Black Sea in World War II, mainly providing escort for Axis supply convoys between Romania, the Crimea and the Bosphorus. Throughout the war, Mărăști carried out a total of 28 escort missions and Mărășești 21. There were 6 escort missions in which both warships took part, resulting in a grand total of 55 escort missions. During these missions, the Axis convoys were attacked numerous times by Soviet submarines and aviation, and many Soviet mines were also encountered. Four of the escorted ships were sunk, one by Soviet aircraft and three by Soviet submarines. On the opposite side, 1 Soviet submarine was sunk, 1 aircraft was shot down and 14 mines were shot and destroyed.

After over 1 year in Soviet service (August 1944-October 1945), the two destroyers were returned to Romania and the last one, Mărășești, served until 1965.

Spanish service
Aquila and Falco were sold to the Nationalist Spanish Navy, which, in 1937 only had one destroyer available (Velasco). They were renamed Melilla and Ceuta, and saw heavy service, in spite of their poor condition. To conceal the fact that Italy was selling ships to Franco's side, the two warships were often referred to as Velasco-Ceuta and Velasco-Melilla. For further concealment and to increase the similarity to Velasco, a fourth funnel (false) was installed. After the war, they were retained by the Spanish Navy and served mainly as training ships, the last one being stricken in late 1950.

Soviet service
Both ships were surrendered to the Soviets in August 1944, on the Capitulation of Romania, and were incorporated into the Black Sea Fleet as Lovkiy (Ловкий, ex-Mărăști) and Lyogkiy (Лёгкий, ex-Mărășești) but were returned to Romania in October 1945.

Ships
The former Aquila and Falco served in the Spanish Navy as Melilla and Ceuta until 1949