Italian battleship Giulio Cesare
Service
- as Giulio Cesare7 June 1914 — 15 December 19482,193 days of the war
- as Novorossiysk (Новороссийск)6 February 1949 — 24 February 1956
- Name
- Giulio Cesare
- Namesake
- Julius Caesar
- Builder
- Ansaldo, Genoa
- Laid down
- 24 June 1910
- Launched
- 15 October 1911
- Commissioned
- 7 June 1914
- Decommissioned
- 18 May 1928
- Recommissioned
- 3 June 1937
- Struck
- 15 December 1949
- Fate
- Sunk by explosion, 29 October 1955
By accident (1955) - Status
- Wreck
Specifications — As built
- Displacement, standard
- 23,088 long tons (23,458 t)
- Displacement, full load
- 25,086 long tons (25,489 t)
- Length
- 176 m (577.4 ft) OA
- Beam
- 28 m (91.9 ft)
- Draught
- 9.3 m (30.5 ft)
- Speed
- 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h, 24.7 mph)
- Range
- 4,800 nmi (8,890 km)
- Complement
- 1,000
- Main gun
- 305 mm (12 in)
Giulio Cesare was a Conte di Cavour-class battleship dreadnought battleship built for the Regia Marina. The ship was named after Julius Caesar. Ansaldo, Genoa laid her keel on 24 June 1910. She entered service on 7 June 1914, having been launched on 15 October 1911.
Her class ran to two ships. The class followed the Italian battleship Dante Alighieri and was succeeded by the Andrea Doria-class battleship.
Displacement was 23,088 long tons standard and 25,086 long tons at full load. She measured 176 m (577 ft) long with a beam of 28 m (92 ft). Her designed speed was 21.5 knots, and she carried a complement of 1,000.
Her main battery was four 305 mm (12.0 in) guns in two twin mountings. Her machinery developed 31,000 shp.
She served with the Regia Marina as Giulio Cesare until 15 December 1948. She then passed to the Soviet Navy, serving as Novorossiysk (Новороссийск) from 6 February 1949. She was in commission for 2,193 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 18 May 1928. She recommissioned on 3 June 1937. She was struck from the register on 15 December 1949.
She was sunk on 29 October 1955 by accident, at 44°37′N 33°32′E. The wreck survives.
Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.
Armament and machinery
This vessel is recorded in 2 configurations. Wartime refits changed armament and complement substantially, so each is kept separately rather than averaged into one set of figures. The figures above are as built.
As built
- Propulsion
- 4 × shafts; 4 × steam turbines
- Power
- 24 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers
- 31000 shp
- Armament
- 3 × triple, 2 × twin 305 mm guns
- 18 × single 120 mm guns
- 14 × single 76.2 mm guns
- 3 × 450 mm torpedo tubes
- Armour
- Waterline belt: 80 - 250 mm
- Deck: 24 - 40 mm
- Gun turrets: 240 - 280 mm
- Barbettes: 130 - 230 mm
- Conning tower: 280 mm
After reconstruction
- Displacement, full load
- 29,100 long tons (29,567 t)
- Length
- 186.4 m (611.5 ft)
- Beam
- 28.6 m (93.8 ft)
- Draught
- 10.42 m (34.2 ft)
- Speed
- 27 knots (50 km/h, 31.1 mph)
- Range
- 6,400 nmi (11,853 km)
- Complement
- 1,260
- Main gun
- 320 mm (12.6 in)
- Propulsion
- 2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbines
- Power
- 8 × Yarrow boilers
- 75000 shp
- Armament
- 2 × triple, 2 × twin 320 mm guns
- 6 × twin 120 mm guns
- 4 × twin 100 mm AA guns
- 6 × twin 37 mm AA guns
- 6 × twin 13.2 mm AA MGs
- Armour
- Deck: 135 - 166 mm
- Barbettes: 130 - 280 mm
Sister ships
Sources
- Facts harvested from Italian battleship Giulio Cesare on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Photograph: An unknown serviceman of the Regia Marina — Ministero Della Difesa-Marina — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons