some additional length, the Italians intended to adopt the unit system of machinery in which each turbine was paired with two boilers, each in their own compartment and using their own funnel, so that one "unit" of machinery could still work if the other was knocked out. Armament and sensors Their main battery would have consisted of 45-caliber Cannone da 135/45 OTO Mod. 1937 guns, the number of which and distribution varied between the ships. The first series of eight ships would have had four single shielded mounts, one superfiring pair fore and aft of the superstructure. The second and third series would have had an extra single mount at the aft end of the superstructure. The guns fired shells at a muzzle velocity of to a range of at their maximum elevation of 45 degrees. The secondary armament of the first series of the Comandanti Medaglie d'Oro-class ships was provided by a dozen single mounts for 54-caliber Breda Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 Mod. 1939 AA guns. It had an effective range of with its projectiles fired at a muzzle velocity of . Its rate of fire was selectable, with settings for 60, 90 and 120 rounds per minute. The later ships were intended to have two quadruple mounts for the 37 mm guns abreast the bridge on the forecastle deck and a pair of quadruple mounts for German 65-caliber Flakvierling AA guns on the centerline amidships. Nighttime illumination was to be provided by a pair of multi-barrel rocket launchers, one mount on each side of the bridge. The ships would have been equipped with six torpedo tubes for SI 270 torpedoes in two triple mounts amidships. Possessing a warhead, the torpedo had ranges of at and at . The Italians intended to provide them with a sonar system of an unknown type for anti-submarine work. They would have been fitted with a pair of depth charge throwers and 64 depth charges. The Comandanti Medaglie d'Oros would have been able carry 52 mines as well. The first-series ships would have been fitted with a single RM-2 gunnery director on the roof of the bridge which was equipped with an EC-3 ter (Owl) search radar. The second series were intended to incorporate another director amidships between the torpedo tubes to control the aft guns. Ships The ships were named after captains who were posthumous recipients of the (Gold Medal of Military Valor).