Extraneous
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[4979 Giulio Cesare - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 93,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 28 knots
.B Main armament: 10 x 12.6-inch (320mm), 12 x 4.7-inch (120mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 29,032 tons
.B Thickest armour: 10-inch (belt)
.P The three battleships of the Cavour-class were built for the Regia Marina
(RM) between 1910 and 1914. They were the first of the Italian dreadnoughts. One
ship of the class, Leonardo da Vinci, failed to survive the First World War,
having been sunk in 1916, but her sister ships were modernised between the wars
and both saw action during the Second World War.
.P The extensive modernisation work was completed in 1937 for both ships and upon
completion they were essentially new battleships, albeit with many of their
original weaknesses still in place. The technical detail above reflects how the
ships appeared in June 1940.
.P Their 12-inch main armament was reduced from thirteen guns to ten with the
removal of the midships triple turret. However, the remaining guns, mounted in
two triple and two double turrets, were improved. They were both re-bored to give
a 12.6-inch calibre gun and they were provided with a greater degree of elevation
to improve their range. Their casemate mounted secondary armament was removed and
replaced with twelve 4.7-inch guns mounted in six twin turrets, which were fitted
amidships, three per side. Anti-aircraft (AA) weaponry was considerably increased
to meet the growing aerial threat and this was achieved by the fitting of four
triple 100m, six twin 37mm and six twin 13.2mm guns.
.P Armour protection was much enhanced and improved and included a new underwater
protection system, although this Pugliese design was to prove less than ideal.
The belt armour remained 10-inches at its maximum thickness, but the horizontal
protection was increased from 2-inches thick to 3.1-inches over the machinery
spaces and doubled over the magazines.
.P The ships received completely new machinery which added six knots to their
original speed, giving a respectable 28 knots.
.P Visually, the ships were completely changed from their original look,
including new superstructure and an increase in length, courtesy of a new bow and
stern.
.P The three ships of the class were named after famous "Italians", Giulio Cesare
being named after the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, Conte Di Cavour was named in
honour of Camillo Benso, a leading figure in the Italian unification movement and
Leonardo da Vinci was named after the famous painter, scientist and inventor.
.P On the 10th June, Giulio Cesare (Cesare) was one of only two battleships that
the RM could call upon. She was based at the main naval base of Taranto as part
of the 5th Division along with her sister Cavour.
.P Almost one month after Mussolini took Italy to war, the first fleet encounter
in the Mediterranean Sea took place. Like the majority of battles that would
follow in this theatre, the Battle of Punta Stilo (known more commonly as
Calabria to the British) was fought as a result of both the Italians and British
trying to destroy each other's convoys, while at the same time protecting convoys
of their own.
.P The Italian navy needed to get an important convoy to North Africa as part of
the build-up of troops and equipment in Libya; this build-up was ahead of a
planned offensive aimed at wresting control of Egypt from the British at the
earliest opportunity.
.P The Italian convoy sailed on July 6 from various Italian ports headed for
Benghazi Libya. The 2nd Cruiser Division, (CL Bande Nere and CL Colleoni), with
the 10th Destroyer Squadron and six torpedo boats provided close escort. While
the convoy itself consisted of one troop transport (carrying over 2,000 soldiers)
and five other vessels (laden with tanks, motor vehicles, fuel, food and ammunition).
.P The RM were aware that the British were planning a convoy to Malta at around
the same time. In order to provide distant escort for their own convoy, and to be
in a position to attack the Royal Navy if the opportunity presented itself, two
fleets were ordered to sea on the 7th. 1st Fleet, commanded by Admiral Inigo
Campioni consisted of Giulio Cesare, Conte Di Cavour, the 4th Cruiser Division
(CL Barbiano and CL Guissano), the 8th Cruiser Division (CL Abruzzi and CL Garibaldi),
with the 7th and the 14th Destroyer Squadrons.
2nd Fleet commanded by Vice- Admiral Paladini consisted of 1st Cruiser Division
(CA Gorizia, CA Fiume and CA Zara), 3rd Cruiser Division (CA Bolzano, CA Pola and
CA Trento), the 7th Cruiser Division (CL d'Aosta, CL Attendolo, CL Montecuccoli and CL di Savoia),
with the 9th, 11th and 12th Destroyer Squadrons.
.P The British adopted a plan that was to become familiar with subsequent Malta
operations. Force H, the small troubleshooting force built around the aircraft
carrier Ark Royal and based at Gibraltar, was ordered east to launch a
diversionary attack on Sardinia. Meanwhile the Mediterranean Fleet, under Admiral
Cunningham, sailed from Alexandria as cover for two Malta bound convoys. The RM's
plan was to ignore Force H; it was Cunningham's Mediterranean Fleet, consisting
of the carrier Eagle; the battleships Warspite, Royal Sovereign and Malaya; five
light cruisers and three Destroyer Flotillas that would occupy their attention.
.P During the day of the 8th July, Italian bombers attacked Cunningham's ships,
and were successful in planting a hit on the cruiser Gloucester. Her bridge was
badly damaged in the blast and her captain was amongst the eighteen men killed.
Despite this, Campioni decided his priority was to the Benghazi bound convoy and
he did not set course to intercept the British fleet.
.P The Italian convoy duly reached Benghazi safely on the evening of the 8th, and
the 1st and 2nd Fleets were ordered to turn north that afternoon. Meanwhile
Cunningham, desperate to lock horns with the RM, had by then already decided that
he would sail his fleet toward the Italian mainland and so put himself in a
position between the returning Italian fleets and their homeports. The stage was
set for an epic encounter the next day, although what actually transpired proved
to be a disappointment for both Campioni and Cunningham.
.P Thanks to the efforts of reconnaissance aircraft flying from Malta, Cunningham
knew the whereabouts of Campioni's ships. As a result he was able to launch an
airstrike from Eagle against Paladini's heavy cruisers just after 1300hrs. Just
nine bi-plane Swordfish aircraft were available for the attack. No torpedo hits
were recorded against the cruisers, and no Swordfish were brought down. However,
much to Campioni's frustration, the Regia Aeronautica were faring no better and
failed to launch any further attack against Cunningham. Notwithstanding this
failure, Campioni set course to take the battle to the Royal Navy.
.P Campioni had ordered his ships to sail toward the British in four distinct
columns that were each approximately five miles apart. Light cruisers were placed
in the left and right columns; the 7th Division in the former and the 4th and 8th
Divisions in the latter. The one battleship and two heavy cruiser divisions were in
the two central columns. Destroyers screened each column.
.P Cunningham however, had his forces split into three groups ten miles
apart. The light cruisers, commanded by Vice-Admiral Tovey, and now without the
previously damaged Gloucester, led the fleet. They were followed by Warspite and
her screening destroyers and lastly, bringing up the rear, were the old; slow
battleships Malaya and Royal Sovereign and their destroyer group.
.P Starting at 1445hrs the ships of the two fleets began sighting each other as
the range closed and at 1520hrs Campioni ordered firing to commence at a range of
just under 24,000 yards. The British ships were able to open their account once the
range reduced to 22,000 yards. The RM got the better of the opening exchanges
and shell fragments rendered Neptune’s catapult and seaplane hors de combat.
The Royal Navy was having trouble hitting the target and even when, at
1525hrs, Warspite's 15-inch guns came into play, the Italian cruisers were not
troubled. The battleship's shells were getting closer however and the cruisers turned
away pending the arrival of their own battleships.
.P Warspite herself had to turn at this time as Cunningham was trying to buy time
for his other two battleships to get into range. Cesare opened up her main
armament against Warspite at 1552hrs, closely followed by her sister, who was
targeting the newly arrived HMS Malaya; the latter's guns were still not in range
but she began firing regardless. Warspite was not hit, although shell splinters
caught three of her destroyer escorts.
P. During this time, Paladini's heavy cruisers had come into range and Trento began
firing on Cunningham's flagship while the others attacked Tovey's cruisers.
The Italians now had more ships with heavier guns being brought to bear, but with
the time at around 1600hrs, a salvo from Warspite changed the complexion of the
battle. At a distance of 26,000 yards, a 15-inch shell smashed into Cesare's aft
funnel and then caused the ignition of one of her AA magazines. Fumes from the
resulting fires resulted in four of her boilers being closed down and Cesare's
speed fell to less than 20 knots. Fortunately for Campioni the salvo that had hit
Cesare was the last Warspite fired before she turned once more to allow Malaya
to get into battle.
.P With Cesare's speed limiting Campioni's freedom of action, the Italian
commander felt there was only one choice to be made and he ordered his two
battleships to withdraw under cover of smoke. The fighting though had not ended.
Paladini and Tovey continued their cruiser duel, and this time it was the Royal
Navy's turn to inflict the greater damage despite the Italian superiority in
numbers and calibre of gun. Three shells from Neptune hit Bolzano, causing her
rudder to jam, water to flood into her aft section, damage to her B turret and,
worst of all, an explosion in her torpedo room. Remarkably, Bolzano remained in
the fight and for her trouble found herself under attack from another Swordfish
air strike. As with the Swordfish encounter earlier that afternoon, no damage was
caused to either of the targets, Bolzano or Trento, and no Swordfish were hit.
.P Whilst his battleships were withdrawing, Campioni had also ordered a torpedo
attack by his destroyers, but no torpedoes found their target and one by one, the
attackers withdrew. The Regia Aeronautica finally put in an appearance at around
the time of the last torpedo attack at 1645hrs. No direct hits were recorded
against any of the British ships but Eagle was lightly damaged by near misses.
.P The fighting was over; both sides had achieved their convoy aims and both were
to claim victory at Punta Stilo. In truth however, the battle was a victory for
neither. For Cesare, her damage resulted in a month in dock for repairs but she
was repaired in time for the RM's next encounter with the Royal Navy.
.P Cesare was part of the Italian Fleet for what proved to be perhaps the biggest
missed opportunity for the RM in World War II. The Royal Navy were attempting a
supply operation to Malta, Operation HATS, covered by the Mediterranean Fleet.
The Italian Fleet had an overwhelming superiority in fire-power and ship numbers
but their fleet was recalled to base rather than remain at sea (see Conte Di
Cavour); it was a golden opportunity missed.
.P At the end of September the British launched a supply and troop reinforcement
operation from Alexandria to Malta, again covered by the Mediterranean Fleet.
Cesare was part of the Italian Fleet that sortied briefly, but then returned to
base when spotted by aircraft from Illustrious.
.P She was at Taranto on the 11th / 12th of November when the Royal Navy carried
out their air attack on the naval base. Cesare avoided damage however (see
Littorio). At the end of that month, she took part in the inconclusive Battle of
Cape Teulada in which the Italians failed to defeat a weaker Royal Navy force,
although they did cause damage to the heavy cruiser Berwick (see Fiume).
.P After the Taranto attack, the main fleet sailed for Naples for safety against
further attack. However, long range British bombers were able to bomb Naples and
after an air raid on the 8th January in which Cesare was damaged, the fleet were
moved further north to La Spezia.
.P After being patched up, Cesare sailed from La Spezia on the 8th February in
response to reports that Force H was at sea. The Italian high command believing
that a Malta convoy operation was underway ordered the fleet to sea, but the
attempt at interception proved to be a failure (see Andrea Doria).
.P Further action was limited over the course of 1941, but then in December
almost the entire fleet was ordered to see as part of a vital convoy operation to
supply troops in North Africa. This operation led to the First Battle of Sirte
and Cesare played a part in this action (see Caio Duilio). A further important
supply convoy was escorted the following month, although on this occasion no
encounter took place and the convoy reached its destination successfully.
.P 1942, Italy's last full year in the war, proved to be one of mounting
frustration for the RM. A lack of fuel meant that many ships had to remain at
port and Cesare was one of these.
.P When the Italians surrendered in September 1943, Cesare was in the Adriatic,
and she sailed for Malta, her war over.
.P After the war, Cesare was given over to the Soviet Union as part of Italy's
war reparations. She was re-named Novorossiysk and she became, for a time, the
flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. She met her end in 1955 when she sank in
mysterious circumstances while moored at Sevastopol. One possibility is that she
she triggered a mine laid by the Germans thirteen years previously.
You might want to note that RM stands for Regia Marina (Italian Navy).
Novorossiysk
The Soviet Navy recommissioned the battleship as the Novorossiysk. Novorossiysk was based at Sevastopol from July 1949, serving as a flagship of the Black Sea Fleet and later as a gunnery training vessel. On 29 October 1955, the Novorossiysk was moored in Sevastopol Bay, 300 meters (1000 feet) from shore and opposite a hospital. At 1:30am, an explosion estimated to be the equivalent of 1,200 kilograms of TNT under the bow of the ship pierced all decks from the bottom plating to the forecastle deck. In the forecastle deck there was one hole which measured 14×4 meters in size. The damage extended aft from the bow 22 meters.
The ship sank slowly from the bow, capsizing at 4:15am, 2 hours 45 minutes after the explosion, and 18 hours later became fully submerged. The capsizing resulted in the death of 608 sailors, most of whom were staying in the ship's compartments. It became the worst disaster in Soviet naval history. Because of the politics of the Cold War, the fate of the Novorossiysk remained clouded in mystery until the late 1980s.
The cause of the explosion is still unclear. The official cause of the sinking, regarded as most probable, is a magnetic RMH naval mine, laid by the Germans during World War II. During the next two years after the disaster, divers found 19 German mines on the bottom of Sevastopol Bay. Eleven of the mines were as powerful as the estimated blast under Novorossiysk . There is, however, some doubt that the blast was caused by a mine. The area where Novorossiysk sank was considered swept of mines, and other ships had used the area without triggering the mine. Some experts place the maximum battery life of the magnetic mines at 9 years, and thus contend that such a mine would be unlikely to trigger by the time of the explosion. Another problem some experts claim is that the size of the crater (1 - 2.1 m deep) was too small for such a big mine. On the other hand, according to some research, damage to the ship corresponded to an explosion equivalent to 5,000 kilograms of TNT.
A more theatrical conspiracy explanation was that Italian frogmen were avenging the transfer of the formerly Italian battleship to the USSR. Covert action by the Italian special operations unit Decima Flottiglia MAS has often been surmised, and there were rumors that not long thereafter a group of Italian Navy frogmen received high military awards. However, no firm evidence for this hypothesis exists or ever surfaced.
Another theory states that explosives were hidden in the ship before she was given to the Russians. No evidence of sabotage has been found, though Soviet enquiries did not rule out the possibility because of the poor safeguarding of the fleet base on the night of the explosion. The goal of covertly destroying the battleship would be a small prize compared to the risk of provoking war if discovered, so the motive of such an Italian operation is questionable and does not support these theories.
There is also a conspiracy theory that Novorossiysk was sunk by Soviet secret service divers in order to blame Turkey for the sabotage as justification to take control of Bosporus and Dardanelles, and that the plan was eventually abandoned. There is no strong evidence to support this hypothesis.
< Message edited by Extraneous -- 9/18/2010 1:28:46 PM >
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University of Science Music and Culture (USMC) class of 71 and 72 ~ Extraneous (AKA Mziln)
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RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land - 
- changes now made.
It's just not done. 
hiding behind a merchant vessel, but I think arguing with three battleships, two heavy cruisers and ten destroyers with his 6-inch gunned ships would have been a little unwise....
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