700-25 RN GIULIO CESARE (1914) ITALIAN NAVY BATTLEHIP

Giulio Cesare was an Italian, and later a Soviet, battleship (the so-called dreadnought) from the period of both world wars and the post-war period. The keel for the vessel was laid in 1910, and its launch took place a year later. Entry into service in the Regia Marina took place in 1914. The length of the ship was 186.4 meters and a width of 28.03 meters. Full displacement reached approx. 29,100 tons, and the maximum speed - at the time of launching - to approx. 21-22 knots. The deck armament, at the time of launching, consisted of, among others: 13 305 mm guns, 18 120 mm guns or 14 76.2 mm guns. Giulio Cesare was the second of three ships of the Conte di Cavour class of ships. The ship was built at the Italian shipyard Ansaldo in Genoa. At the time of launch, it was a relatively modern unit, using 3-gun turrets, with good top speed, but relatively weak main armament compared to the newest British battleships. This mighty ship played almost no role in World War I, spending the lion's share of it in the port. In 1923, however, he took part in an Italian military demonstration in the area of the island of Corfu. In the years 1933-1937, the battleship underwent a thorough modernization, in the course of which the ship received, among other things: a completely new engine room, a new shape of the bow and the main armament in the form of 10 320 mm guns. The ship also received modern anti-aircraft artillery. Giulio Cesare took an active part in World War II, including participating in the Battle of Cape Stilo in 1940. The battleship luckily survived the war, but in 1949 - as part of war reparations - it was transferred to the USSR, where it served until 1956 under the name Novorossiysk.