My Italy

Venice is a bit wet and cold in winter. Although the tall Alps block the cold air from going south, there are always fish that slip through the net, so people wrap up in thick winter clothes to spend this wet and cold winter.

Although the weather in Venice is relatively wet and cold, it is in full swing at the Venice Naval Shipyard. Today is also a big day for the navy, as one of its new warships is about to be launched. For this battleship, not only the top brass of the navy gathered together, but even His Majesty the King came.

Yes, this battleship is the latest masterpiece of naval ship chief designer Sir Cuniberti, the Dreadnought battleship.

That's the name, and there's a story behind it. At that time, the Navy considered many names for this new battleship, such as the Dante, the Cavour, the Leonardo da Vinci, etc., but in the end His Majesty the King strangely rejected all opinions and chose the Dreadnought. name. According to His Majesty, the name Fearless symbolizes the fearless spirit of the Italian Navy.

Although it sounds a bit awkward, since the king has said this, how can the navy still refute it? Therefore, this warship with the largest displacement in the history of the Italian Navy has a very un-Italian name.

Well, no matter what its name is, it does not affect the ship's status as the most combat-effective battleship of the Italian Navy.

"What a beautiful battleship."

King Carlo saw this new battleship for the first time, which he forcibly named the Dreadnought. Although it lacks eight main guns and has four large holes in the artillery positions, you can tell by looking at other buildings. The tall bridge and the command tower are very compactly combined, and behind it is a huge chimney that merges several flues. This is a very typical Italian battleship style.

"Your Majesty is right. This is indeed a very beautiful warship. What do you think, Sir Cuniberti?"

Admiral Yagier, who was accompanying Carlo, also praised the good appearance of this battleship, because compared with other battleships that looked slightly messy, the appearance of the Dreadnought was indeed much better, and the uniform layout was closer to gold. The beauty of the split ratio.

As for Cuniberti, who was asked by the admiral, he had a calm and satisfied smile on his face. This battleship was indeed his hard work.

"I think it does look beautiful, but I'm still waiting for the sea trial after the ship is launched and outfitted. I still need to see if its various indicators can meet my requirements."

"The indicator can definitely be achieved, but it just depends on how much higher it can be. It has been verified that your choice is correct on the Sierra and Lamasa. There is nothing to worry about."

The two battleships with the slogan of Admiral Yagier are representatives of the new small battleships of the Italian Navy.

After a number of new technologies such as steam turbines and oil-fired boilers were used, the Italian Navy saw not only large warships, but also small warships. Because naval battles require the cooperation of many battleships, a naval battle cannot be won by just one kind of battleship. Even tall and mighty battleships are still afraid of those elusive torpedo boats.

The Italian Navy, using new technologies, has proposed a new concept, a new type of small warship that can follow large warships throughout the entire naval battle. Don't look at small warships. These tedious tasks such as reconnaissance, cover, warning, and lightning strikes all require these small warships. To be fair, the officers and soldiers of small battleships are more tired and more dangerous than the officers and soldiers of large battleships.

Since small warships have so many benefits, how could the Navy turn a blind eye? Therefore, although the Navy has been somewhat weak in the construction of large warships in recent years, the construction of small warships has never been interrupted. Every year, there are many torpedo boats, Destroyers and cruisers were launched.

The Sierra is a destroyer using new power, with a total length of 81.7 meters (waterline length of 81.4 meters), a total width of 7.5 meters, and a draft of 3.0 meters. The standard displacement is 851 tons, and the full load displacement is 1,067 tons. It is equipped with four 105mm 45x single-barrel guns, two triple 450mm torpedo launch tubes, and a maximum speed of 32 knots.

Although the tonnage of the USS Sierra is already very heavy among destroyers, the Navy Department believed after testing the destroyer USS Sierra that although the ship can follow the actions of the large fleet, it is still not ideal and the Navy Department also wants to redesign it. A large destroyer with a displacement of about 1,200 tons. It's just that there are still disputes within the navy, so it has been unable to make a decision.

The Lamasa is a new type of cruiser. Its total length is 118 meters, width is 13.6 meters, draft is 5.8 meters, standard displacement is 3890 tons, and full load displacement is 4527 tons. The important parts of the ship's sides are equipped with 80-110 mm thick armor. The deck thickness is about 18 mm, but some positions are strengthened to 78 mm. The command tower is 110 mm thick and equipped with 12 105 mm 45x twin guns. , 4 75mm guns, equipped with 2 triple 450mm torpedo tubes.

The power system is 2 steam turbines and 8 oil-fired boilers, with a power of 26,000 horsepower, a speed of 26.5 knots, and a range of 4,300 nautical miles/12 knots.

The reason for building the Lamasa was that the Navy wanted a sword-carrying guard that could escort the main fleet. Because according to the thinking of the Navy Ministry, possible enemy navies in the future will also carry this kind of destroyer that can follow the main fleet. The reason is simple, because it is suitable for too many tasks, and which navy will turn a blind eye to it. If you want to stop these destroyers carrying lethal weapons, you must have a escort cruiser that can be faster than the main battleship, and the Lamasa is a masterpiece of this concept.

Moreover, this cruiser's artillery demonstrates its anti-destroyer role, because it is not equipped with the 5-6-inch naval gun that should generally be equipped at this tonnage.

Of course, these two warships are an exploration of the future by the navy, so the specific details still need to be continued by the Italian Navy.

As for now, the priority is to focus on the launching of the Intrepid. This new battleship, which cost 41.6 million lire, holds three new records for the Navy (largest displacement, most expensive construction, and largest number of personnel).

"Your Majesty, the launching ceremony is about to begin."

An officer arrived to inform Carlo, who was watching the battleship.

"We're coming right now."

Under the leadership of Carlo, senior navy officials walked into the launching ceremony. Although there were very few people in attendance due to the confidentiality of the event (it could only last a day), the atmosphere was no less than a normal ceremony.

Carlo watched with a smile. A woman held a bottle of champagne and slammed it against the bow of the ship. The champagne fell to pieces after hitting the bow. After several cannons were fired, the battleship slowly slid towards the sea. , after a splash, the battleship floated steadily on the sea.

Then a burst of cheers came, and the naval officers and shipbuilders who were watching the ceremony applauded this new battleship.