Post by regiamarina1939 on Apr 3, 2017 0:24:31 GMT
-Background: The ultimate expression of Talian naval power, these ships were the largest surface combatants built for the navy ever. They were over 900 feet long and displaced over 150,000 tons. Laid down in 1937, they were so massive that they did not complete construction until 1941. They were designed to be virtually impregnable, while retaining the capability to destroy every other surface combatant afloat. 4 were laid down, all were completed. Their names were: Impero, Duce, Dittatore, and Dominatore.
-Armament: The Impero's were some of the largest capital ships ever seen, so it only made sense that they would have an armament to match. The primary armament of the ships consisted of 4 x main turrets, each mounting 3 x 20-inch 45-calibre guns. These fired a 4,500-pound shell to a range of 30 miles distant. The power of the guns was enough to knock sailors who were unprepared overboard. Secondary armament consisted of 8 x 6-inch guns turrets each carrying 3 x 6-inch 55-calibre rapid fire guns. This battery was provided with a dual-purpose radar fire-control directors, making them equally viable against both ships and aircraft. For this purpose, they were supplied with burst-fuze shells based on foreign developments. The guns had an overall fire rate of around 8 rounds a minute, mediocre but acceptable. Dedicated anti-aircraft weaponry consisted of 20 x single-mount 90-mm guns in motorized turrets, 36 x 37-mm autocannons in twin mountings scattered about the ships, and 120 x 20-mm Scotti machine guns in both twin and single mounts. Weaponry was completed by a quartet of 4.7-inch guns for firing illumination shells, and a pair of triple 21-inch torpedo launching sets.
-Armor: Impero and her sisters were armored to withstand fire from 24-inch guns. This meant that they were protected against some of the largest shells ever, and could withstand serious punishment. Her armor belt consisted of 20 inches of rolled steel plating, angled at 35 degrees. This was shown to be able to deflect 18-inch shells at medium to short range, estimates being made that it could withstand punishment from greater calibres. The belt terminated in 14-inch plates at the extremes, and 16-inches on the upper part. A 2.5-inch de-capping plate was also present on the main belt. The turret faces were armored in 22-inches, while the roofs carried 12-inches of plating. The above-deck barbettes were fitted with 18-inch protection, while the below-deck portion carried between 16 and 12-inches of armoring. This was deemed sufficient to protect the ammunition hoists and traversing gear. The conning tower was extremely heavily armored, with 28-inches of armor protection. This was the heaviest armor ever carried by a Talian ship. The deck was armored as well, with 4.5-inch plates over the majority of it's area, thickening to 6-inches over vitals.
-Propulsion: These massive ships attained a top speed of 27 knots during trials, which was a tremendous feat of engineering in and of itself. Propulsion was super-sized to the extreme, and consisted of 6 main engine assemblies. Each assembly included 6 x Yarrow 3-drum oil-fired boilers with superheaters, driving a pair of Belluzzo steam turbine sets. Each assembly drove one of 6 shafts, with a 32-foot 4-bladed Bronze propeller. The engines developed a combined total of over 250,000 horsepower. 12 Diesel generators were provided for electric power.
Impero's launching at the Ansaldo Yard in Genoa.
-Armament: The Impero's were some of the largest capital ships ever seen, so it only made sense that they would have an armament to match. The primary armament of the ships consisted of 4 x main turrets, each mounting 3 x 20-inch 45-calibre guns. These fired a 4,500-pound shell to a range of 30 miles distant. The power of the guns was enough to knock sailors who were unprepared overboard. Secondary armament consisted of 8 x 6-inch guns turrets each carrying 3 x 6-inch 55-calibre rapid fire guns. This battery was provided with a dual-purpose radar fire-control directors, making them equally viable against both ships and aircraft. For this purpose, they were supplied with burst-fuze shells based on foreign developments. The guns had an overall fire rate of around 8 rounds a minute, mediocre but acceptable. Dedicated anti-aircraft weaponry consisted of 20 x single-mount 90-mm guns in motorized turrets, 36 x 37-mm autocannons in twin mountings scattered about the ships, and 120 x 20-mm Scotti machine guns in both twin and single mounts. Weaponry was completed by a quartet of 4.7-inch guns for firing illumination shells, and a pair of triple 21-inch torpedo launching sets.
-Armor: Impero and her sisters were armored to withstand fire from 24-inch guns. This meant that they were protected against some of the largest shells ever, and could withstand serious punishment. Her armor belt consisted of 20 inches of rolled steel plating, angled at 35 degrees. This was shown to be able to deflect 18-inch shells at medium to short range, estimates being made that it could withstand punishment from greater calibres. The belt terminated in 14-inch plates at the extremes, and 16-inches on the upper part. A 2.5-inch de-capping plate was also present on the main belt. The turret faces were armored in 22-inches, while the roofs carried 12-inches of plating. The above-deck barbettes were fitted with 18-inch protection, while the below-deck portion carried between 16 and 12-inches of armoring. This was deemed sufficient to protect the ammunition hoists and traversing gear. The conning tower was extremely heavily armored, with 28-inches of armor protection. This was the heaviest armor ever carried by a Talian ship. The deck was armored as well, with 4.5-inch plates over the majority of it's area, thickening to 6-inches over vitals.
-Propulsion: These massive ships attained a top speed of 27 knots during trials, which was a tremendous feat of engineering in and of itself. Propulsion was super-sized to the extreme, and consisted of 6 main engine assemblies. Each assembly included 6 x Yarrow 3-drum oil-fired boilers with superheaters, driving a pair of Belluzzo steam turbine sets. Each assembly drove one of 6 shafts, with a 32-foot 4-bladed Bronze propeller. The engines developed a combined total of over 250,000 horsepower. 12 Diesel generators were provided for electric power.
Impero's launching at the Ansaldo Yard in Genoa.