Oriani

History: Oriani was the first ship of her class. She was completed in 1937. The ship was damaged in the Battle of Cape Matapan, She took part in the successful attack on Harpoon convoy in June 1942. The ship escaped from La Spezia during the Italian Armistice in 1943 and was interned in Malta. She was given to the French Navy as a war reparation, where she served as the D'Estaing until 1954

Class: The Oriani class (also known as the Poeti class), were a group of four destroyers built for the Italian Navy in the late 1930s. They were a repeat of the Maestrale-class destroyers, but had increased machinery power and a different anti-aircraft armament. The increase in power, however, disappointed in that there was only a marginal speed improvement. The obsolete 40 mm/39 pom-pom anti-aircraft guns were finally discontinued, being replaced by extra 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns; otherwise armament was unchanged. Significant upgrades were made to the weapons systems of the two ships that survived Matapan, similar to those made to the Maestrales. One torpedo tube mounting was replaced by two 37 mm (1.5 in)/54 guns; 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon, a 120 mm star-shell gun and depth charge throwers were also installed. Before the end of the war, one ship, Oriani had German Seetakt radar and an additional 20 mm cannon.

Nationality: Italy, a European country with a long Mediterranean coastline, has left a powerful mark on Western culture and cuisine. Its capital, Rome, is home to the Vatican as well as landmark art and ancient ruins. Other major cities include Florence, with Renaissance masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s "David" and Brunelleschi's Duomo; Venice, the city of canals; and Milan, Italy’s fashion capital.