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Italian battleship Giulio Cesare

Battleship Giulio Cesare.jpg
Giulio Cesare after reconstruction
History
 Kingdom of Italy
Name: Giulio Cesare
Namesake: Julius Caesar
Builder: Gio. Ansaldo & C., Genoa
Laid down: 24 June 1910
Launched: 15 October 1911
Completed: 14 May 1914
Commissioned: 7 June 1914
Decommissioned: 18 May 1928
Recommissioned: 3 June 1937
Decommissioned: 15 December 1948
Struck: 15 December 1949
Fate: Transferred to Soviet Navy, 4 February 1949
 USSR
Name: Novorossiysk (Russian: Новороссийск)
Namesake: Novorossiysk
Acquired: 4 February 1949
Commissioned: 6 February 1949
Struck: 24 February 1956
Fate: Sank 29 October 1955; Scrapped, 1957
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type: Conte di Cavour-class dreadnought battleship
Displacement:
Length: 176 m (577 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam: 28 m (91 ft 10 in)
Draught: 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Installed power:
Propulsion:
Speed: 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph)
Range: 4,800 nmi (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement: 31 officers and 969 enlisted men
Armament:
Armor:
General characteristics (after reconstruction)
Displacement: 29,100 long tons (29,600 t) (deep load)
Length: 186.4 m (611 ft 7 in)
Beam: 33.1 m (108 ft 7 in)
Installed power:
Propulsion:
  • 2 × Shafts
  • 2 × Geared steam turbines
Speed: 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Range: 6,400 nmi (11,900 km; 7,400 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement: 1,260
Armament:
Armor:
  • Deck: 166–135 mm (6.5–5.3 in)
  • Barbettes: 280–130 mm (11.0–5.1 in)

Giulio Cesare was one of three Conte di Cavour-class dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) in the 1910s. She served in both World Wars, although she was little used and saw no combat during the former. The ship supported operations during the Corfu Incident in 1923 and spent much of the rest of the decade in reserve. She was rebuilt between 1933 and 1937 with more powerful guns, additional armor and considerably more speed than before.

Both Giulio Cesare and her sister ship, Conte di Cavour, participated in the Battle of Calabria in July 1940, when the former was lightly damaged. They were both present when British torpedo bombers attacked the fleet at Taranto in November 1940, but Giulio Cesare was not damaged. She escorted several convoys to North Africa and participated in the Battle of Cape Spartivento in late 1940 and the First Battle of Sirte in late 1941. She was designated as a training ship in early 1942, and escaped to Malta after Italy surrendered. The ship was transferred to the Soviet Union in 1949 and renamed Novorossiysk. The Soviets also used her for training until she was sunk, with the loss of 608 men, when an old German mine exploded in 1955. She was salvaged the following year and later scrapped.

Named after Julius Caesar, Giulio Cesare was 168.9 meters (554 ft 2 in) long at the waterline, and 176 meters (577 ft 5 in) overall. The ship had a beam of 28 meters (91 ft 10 in), and a draft of 9.3 meters (30 ft 6 in). She displaced 23,088 long tons (23,458 t) at normal load, and 25,086 long tons (25,489 t) at deep load. She had a crew of 31 officers and 969 enlisted men. The ship's machinery consisted of four Parsons steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft. Steam for the turbines was provided by 24 Babcock & Wilcox boilers, half of which burned fuel oil and the other half burning both oil and coal. Designed to reach a maximum speed of 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph) from 31,000 shaft horsepower (23,000 kW), Giulio Cesare failed to reach this goal on her sea trials, despite generally exceeding the rated power of her turbines. The ship only made a maximum speed of 21.56 knots (39.93 km/h; 24.81 mph) using 30,700 shp (22,900 kW). She had a cruising radius of 4,800 nautical miles (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).


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