Italian Dante Alighieri
French Courbet-class
Italian Conte di Cavour-class
Russian Novorossiysk. Drawing made by G.J. Frans Naerebout and published in Op de Lange Deining written by G.A.J. Bovens
Laid down at Gio. Ansaldo&C., Genoa, Italy on 24 June 1910, launched on 15 October 1911, completed on 14 May 1914, commissioned on 7 June 1914, decommissioned on 18 May 1928, modernized at the Cantieri del Tirreno shipyard, Genoa, Italy between October 1933-October1937, recommissioned on 3 June 1937, decommissioned on 15 December 1948, handed over to the Soviet Union as war reparations as the Z11 at Vlorë, Albania on 4 February 1949, commissioned in the Soviet navy on 6 February 1949, served as training ship, sunk at Sevastopol probably caused by an exploding German mine on 29 October 1955, stricken on 24 February 1956, salvaged on 4 May 1957 and broken up in 1957.
Italian Conte di Cavour-dreadnought class consisting of the Conte di Cavour, Giulio Cesare and Leonardo da Vinci. General technical specifications of this class designed by rear admiral Edoardo Masdea (1), at that moment the naval chief constructor. The new class was to be an improvement of the faults of the Dante Alighieri and an answer of the French Courbet-class battleships. Succeeded by the Andrea Doria-class. Hull divided in a large number of compartments thanks to 23 longitudinal and transverse bulkheads. Displacement 23.458 tons/23.088 long tons (standard)-25.849 tons/25.086 long tons (deep load) and as dimensions 168.9cm (waterline)-176 (over all) x 28 x 9,3 metres or 554.2-577.5 x 91.10 x 30.6 feet. The four Parsons steam turbines and 24 Babcock&Wilcox boilers (12 fuel oil, 12 fuel oil-coal fired) supplied via 4 shafts 30.700 (trials)-31.000 (design) shp allowing a speed of 21,56 (trials)-22,5 (design) knots and with a speed of 10 knots and a bunker capacity of 1.470 ton coals and 860 ton fuel oil a range of 4.800 nautical miles. Their crew numbered 1.000 men. The armour consisted of a 13-25cm,/5.1-9,8” thick waterline belt, a 2,4-4cm/0.9-1.6” thick decks and with the gun turrets, barbettes and conning tower protected by respectively 24 (sides)-28 (front) cm/9.4-11”, 13-23cm/5.1-9.1” and 18-28cm/7.1-11”. The armament consisted of 3x3&2x2-30,5cm/12” 46 cal guns, 18x1-12cm/4.7” 50 cal guns, 14x1-7,62cm/3” guns and 3-45c,/17.7” torpedo tubes.
Technical specifications after her modernisation. Displacement 29.600 tons/29.100 tons (deep load) and as dimensions 186,4 x 33,1 metres or 611.7 x 108.7 feet. Now fitted out with 2 geared steam turbines and 8 Yarrow boilers supplying via two shaft in stead of the original 4 75.000 ship allowing a speed of 27 knots and with a speed of 13 knots a range of 6.400 nautical miles. The crew was now increased to a number of 1.260 men. The armour consisted now of 2x3&2-2=32cm/12.6” guns, 6x2-12cm guns, 4x2-10cm/3.9” anti aircraft guns, 6x2-3,7c,/1.5” anti aircraft guns and 6x2-1,32cm/0.52 anti aircraft guns. Armour was also improved.
Note
1. Masdea (23 July 1849 Naples, Italy-12 May 1910 Rome, Italy) had been responsible for designing the Pisa and the San Giorgio-classes but also the Dante Alighieri.
