Italian cruiser Scipione Africano

	Scipione Africano surrendering at Malta on 9 September 1943
History
Italy
Name	Scipione Africano
Namesake	Scipio Africanus
Ordered	1937
Builder	O.T.O., Livorno
Laid down	28 September 1939
Launched	12 January 1941
Commissioned	23 April 1943
Decommissioned	8 August 1948
Fate	Ceded to France as war reparations, 1948
France
Name	Guichen
Namesake	Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen
Acquired	15 August 1948
Commissioned	August 1948
Decommissioned	1961
Stricken	1 June 1976
Fate	Scrapped, 1982
General characteristics
Class and type	Capitani Romani-class cruiser
Displacement	3,750 long tons (3,810 t) standard; 5,420 long tons (5,510 t) full load;
Length	142.2 m (466 ft 6 in) overall
Beam	14.4 m (47 ft 3 in)
Draught	4.1 m (13 ft 5 in)
Propulsion	2 shaft geared turbines; 4 boilers; 110,000 hp (82,000 kW);
Speed	41 knots (76 km/h; 47 mph)
Range	4,350 nmi (8,060 km; 5,010 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	418
Sensors and ; processing systems	EC-3/ter Gufo radar
Armament	4 × twin 135 mm (5.3 in) guns; 8 × single 37 mm (1.5 in) guns; 4 × twin 20 mm (0.79 in) guns; 2 × quadruple 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes; 70 × mines;
Armour	Turrets: 6–20 mm (0.24–0.79 in); Conning tower: 15 mm (0.59 in);

Scipione Africano was an Italian Capitani Romani-class light cruiser, which served in the Regia Marina during World War II. As she commissioned in the spring of 1943, the majority of her service took place on the side of the Allies - 146 wartime missions after the Armistice of Cassibile versus 15 before. She remained commissioned in the Italian navy after the war, until allocated to France as war reparations by the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947. Scipione Africano was decommissioned from the Marina Militare in August 1948 and subsequently commissioned into the Marine Nationale as Guichen, after briefly being known as S.7.

Scipione Africano was named after Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, the Roman general and later consul. Her name under French service was in honour of Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen.

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