Spica-class torpedo boats sustained Italy's convoy war

Although officially torpedo boats, the thousand-ton Spica class carried three 3.9-inch guns, numerous light anti-aircraft weapons, four 18-inch torpedoes, and up to twenty mines. The torpedo-gunboat label reflects how that gun battery made them effective against smaller coastal craft. They were normally outmatched by full destroyers, which brought heavier construction, more guns and torpedoes, and often radar, but that comparison does not make the Spicas unsuccessful ships. Their escort work was indispensable to the Regia Marina's ability to operate and protect convoys in the Mediterranean, while their 100 mm guns made them dangerous opponents for British motor torpedo boats.