Dante Alighieri (1910) Italy (1910) Dreadnought Battleship The first Italian Dreadnought With limited industrial capabilities compared to the UK, Italy could not compete in numbers or construction time, when the first world war broke out. Therefore only six of them were built, a “prototype”, the Dante Alighieri, and two series, the Cesare and Cavour, five … Read more
Admiral Spaun & Novara class cruisers Austria-Hungary (1909-13) SMS Admiral Spaun, Novara, Saida, Helgoland. The last Austro-Hungarian cruisers The Novara class was also called often “Admiral Spaun” by mixing the two classes, very close. Since it’s the case we will see both. There was the prototype, first local cruiser fitted with steam turbines, and the … Read more
German Empire, Light Cruiser One of the oldest German cruisers in 1914: SMS Gefion was the second oldest German cruiser in service when the first world war broke out (After SMS Kaiserin Augusta (1892)). She was planned in 1890 as an unprotected cruiser of the German Kaiserliche Marine, intended for colonial duties and scouting. She … Read more
France (1899) – France’s strangest pre-dreadnought Background The French Navy was under the influence of the ‘Jeune Ecole‘ (‘Young School’) during the years 1820-1909. There has been a collection of concepts and experiments to compensate the French inferiority in numbers compared to the arch-rival, the Royal Navy, by innovation. France has been very active in … Read more
Romania (1899) Romania’s only cruiser The flagship of the Romanian navy, the protected cruiser Elisabeta was built in Armstrong, Elswick with a typical design for an export cruiser of the time. The term of “cruiser” seems derogatory compared to those of the 1930 generation, at 1300 tons and 73m long. But has quite a punch … Read more
Introduction: After the Winter war ended, the 1940 treaty of Moskow allocated to USSR surrounding islands, several coastal artillery sites, harbor facilities and a large area suitable for an airfield, which they built quickly. Irritated by the numerous troop transports from USSR Finland soon accepted German transit in Northern Finland. This weighted much to precipitate … Read more
Frigates Studied Shtandard HMS Surprise Hermione USS Constitution HMS Trincomanlee La Belle Poule Dom Fernando HNLMS Bonaire Birth of a new warship: The Frigate “Frigates” is a familiar term of naval nomenclature today. With naval technology advances and growth, the type is admitted stuck between two classes: Destroyers and Corvettes. They are in service in … Read more
Almirante Latorre class battleships Almirante Latorre, Almirante Cochrane (1916) The Roots of local naval rivalry Last of the “dreadnought race”: Chile’s Latorre class – Third naval power of South America, Chile at some point in 1890 possessed certainly the largest and most powerful navy of the continent, before the Argentines ordered four brand-new armoured cruisers … Read more
Rivadavia class Battleships Rivadavia, Moreno (1915) The “dreadnought race” as a spark – Argentina just ended in 1904 a naval arms race with Chile when the Brazilian Government revealed the acquisition in UK of two brand new dreadnought battleships, the Minas Gerais class. Not only they were the best armed for their time but also … Read more
Minas Geraes, São Paulo (1911) The first South American dreadnought – The Minas Geraes class caused an immense sensation when it was revealed to the press worldwide. It was a bold move from the ageing Brazilian Navy, weakened by years of neglect whereas Argentina and Chile competing among themselves, modernized their fleet. In 1904 Both … Read more
