Italian dreadnought Conte di Cavour 1910-1914

Italian Dante Alighieri

French Courbet-class

Italian Conte di Cavour-class

Laid down at the la Spezia Arsenale, La Spezi, Italy on 10 August 1910, launched on 10 August 1911, completed 1 April 1915, modernized at the CRDA Trieste shipyard between October 1933-June 1937, grounded after an British aircraft attack on the harbour of Taranto, Italy with just superstructure and gun turrets above the water on 12 November 1940, refloated on 9 June 1941, brought towards Trieste, repairs stopped still unfinished in June 1943, captured by German forces on 8 September 1943, converted into a hulk, capsized on 23 February 1945 after being damaged by an Allied aircraft attack on the 17th and finally broken up in 1946.

Italian Conte di Cavour-dreadnought class consisting of the Conte di Cavour, Giulio Cesare and Leonardo da Vinci. General original 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 20 Blechynden water tube boilers (8 fuel-oil fied and 12 oil-coal) supplied via 4 shafts 31.000 (design)-31.278 (trials) shp allowing a speed of 22,2 (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.

After the modernisation was became the displacement 26.560 tons/26.140 long tons (standard)-29.600 tons/29.100 long tons (deep load) and the dimensions 186,4 c 28,6 x 10,02 metres of 611.7 x 93.10 x 32.10 feet. The crew numbered now 1.260 men. The number of propeller shafts was reduced to two and instead of 4 Parsons steam turbines now two Belluzzo geared steam turbines with 8 Yarrow boilers (original 20) supplying 75.000 ship resulting in a maximum speed pf around 27 knots and with a speed of 13 knots a range of 6.400 nautical miles. The armament was also changed and consisted now of 2x3&2x2-32c,m/1”2.6” guns, 6x2-12cm guns, 4x2-10cm/3.9” anti aircraft guns, 6x2-3,7c,m/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.