An item reported that in the US navy budget was regulated that all new to built capital ships should have a comparable strength to what ever foreign capital ship.(1) For this purpose was the British HMS Dreadnought (2) used as example. At that moment intended Italy to built an even larger ship causing a possible altering of the plans.(3)
American USS South Carolina-class
British HMS Dreadnought
Italian Dante Alighieri
Notes
1. The first American dreadnoughts were the USS South Carolina (BB-26) and Michigan (BB-27) of the South Carolina-class with a displacement of 16.257 (standard)-17.900 (full load) tons and dimensions 137-138 x 24 x 7 metres or 4500452.9 x 80.3 x 24.6 feet and an armament of 4x2-30,5cm/12” /45 Mark 5 guns, 22x7,6cm/3” /50 guns, 2-4,7cm/1.85”/3pd /40 guns, 8-13,7cm/1.46”/1pd guns and 2-53,3cm/21” submerged torpedo tubes. South Carolina laid down by William Cramp and Sons, Philadelphia, USA on 18 December 1906, launched on 11 July 1909 and commissioned on 1 March 1910. Michigan laid down by New York Shipbuilding Corporation on 17 December 1906, launched on 26 May 1908 and commissioned on 4 January 1910.2. Her keel was laid down at the HM Dockyard at Portsmouth on 2 October 1905, launched on 2 December a year later, commissioned on 2 December, decommissioned in 1919 and broken up in 1923. With a displacement of 18.420/18,120 long tons (standard)-21.060 tons/20.730 long tons (deep load) tons were her dimensions 161 x 25 x 7,9 metres. Her engines supplied 22.500 hp allowing a speed of 21 knots. Her crew numbered between 695 and 773 men. The armament consisted of 5x2-30,5cm guns, 27x1-12pdr guns and 5-45,5cm torpedo tubes. She was protected by armour consisting of a 4-11” thick belt, a 0.75-3” inch deck, the barbettes by 4-11”, gun turrets by 3-12”, the conning tower by 11” and further more 8” bulkheads. Her design was revolutionary and since then there were pre-dreadnoughts of a dated design.
3. This must be the Dante Alighieri laid down at the Castellammare yard on 6 June 1909, launched on 20 August 1910 and completed on 15 January 1013 with a displacement of 19.552 (normal load)-21.600 (deep load) tons and as dimensions 158,4-168,1 x 26,6 x 8,8 metres or 519.8-551.6 x 87.3 x 28.10 feet and an armament of 4x3-30,5cm/12” guns, 12x1&4x2-12cm/4.7: guns, 13x1-7,62cm/3” guns and 3-45cm/17.7” torpedo tubes. Designed by rear admiral engineer Edoard Masdea using the principles of Vittorio Cunibertu who developed the idea of a dreadnought design before HMS Dreadnought was built.
