Italian destroyer Espero (1927)

Espero was one of eight Turbine-class destroyers built for the Regia Marina in the 1920s, named for the westerly wind called Espero or Ponente that is common in summer in the Mediterranean. Gio. Ansaldo & C. laid her down at its Genoa-Sestri Ponente shipyard on 29 April 1925, launched her on 31 August 1927 and commissioned her on 30 April 1928. Two Parsons geared steam turbines driving one shaft each, with steam from three Thornycroft boilers, were rated at 40,000 shaft horsepower for 33 knots, and her fuel oil gave a range of 3,200 nautical miles at 14 knots. After the Shanghai Incident of January 1932 she was sent to Shanghai with the cruiser Trento. Seventeen days after Italy entered the Second World War she was sunk in the Battle of the Espero Convoy while covering the convoy retreat, the first surface action between Allied and Italian warships. Her captain, Enrico Baroni, died aboard and was awarded the gold medal for military valour.