The Archimede class were a group of four submarines built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in the early 1930s.

They were an enlarged version of the Settembrini-class submarine with ballast tanks rearranged, greater range, fuel and torpedo capacity for ocean service.

Like most of the later ocean-going submarines of the Italian navy, their deck armament consisting of two 100 mm (3.9 in) guns was conceived to deal with armed merchantmen in surface combat.

Torricelli and Archimede took part in the Spanish Civil war under the Italian flag since 1936, carrying out undercover operations.

Eventually both submarines were secretly delivered to the Spanish nationalists in April 1937.