Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-03
ITALYS FINE NAVY.


Might Be Made.
NEW YORK, April 2-Italy has afioat and in
service seven huge armored battle ships of dis
placements between 1OSOO and 14,OO0 tons
Their Characteristic feature is great develop
| ment of gun power and speed at the expense OF
absraining to a large extent from the use of side
| armor where some other sytems employ it as a
protection to stability. Their plating is wholly
used to protect the motive power, the maya.
zines, the big guns. and their gunners. Each
| one OF these vessels carries in its main battery
four Armstrong breechloading guns of about
17-inch caliber, and weighing from 10l TO lOS
| tons. The maximum speed of the slowest of
| the big ships is 10 knots and that of the fastest
| is above IL knots. Such combination of bat
| terry power and speed in armored vessels makes
| them very formidable.
| The pioneers of this feet are the DulIo and
| Dandolo. built years ago. They are of a little
over II. 600 tons displacement, and are $40 feet
long by 641a feet beam and q feet draught.
| Their engines of 100 indicated horse power
| give them about Is knots speed. Their maxi
| mum thickness of armor at the water line Is q
| inches. Each carries four l0l-ton Armstrong
guns besides 20 rapid fire and machine guns in
the secondary battery and four torpedo tubes.
| The coal supply is $50 tons.
| Other Grim War Monsters.
Next come three ether vessels OF the same
| general type, the Andrea Doria, the francesca
| Morosini, and the Ruggiero di LAURA. These
vessels cost about s.. 000 900 each. They have a
displacement Of l0,SO0 tons, and their engines
| of 10000 indicated horse power were designed
| to give them l6 knots. But the Ruggiero di
LAURA developed II. 900 horse power at the
maximum and reached 1715 knots These three
vessels are each 328 feet long by 81 beam and q
draught. Their turrets are protected by IA
inches of armor. and each ship carries four
103-ton guns. besides two 6-inch, with 25 pieces
in the secondary battery and five torpedo
tubes. The coal supply Of the Laura is 500
tons.
The last two of these seven ships. the Le-
panto and the Italia, are the most formidable
of all. They have length of 400 feet by beam
of "a, and draught of 272a. the Lepanto reach
ing displacement of 1850 tons and the
Italia l39O0 The former was built at Castella-
mare and the latter at Leghorn. The ex-
ternal armor is placed on a citadel 107 feet
lcng, and descending about feet below the
water line. The maximum thickness OF the
armor on the breastwork is Is inches, and on
the armored tower 10 inches. In the main bat
terry of each vessel there are four 103-ton guns,
supplemented by eight six-lneh guns. In the
secondary battery there are 40 guns with four
torpedo tubes. The engines were designed for
Is, 900 horse power. but the Lepanto on trial
developed 1000 less than the contract called
for. and yet made the extraordinary speed of
Is 20 knots; while the Italia reached a maxi
mum of Is knots, and an average of I725 for TWO
hours together. By dispensing with side
armor these vessels have thus attained very
high speed, and both of them carry their guns
high up. They cost 81, 800 900 each.
New Additions to Be Made.
To this formidable fleet will soon be added
the Re Umberto. the Stella and the Sardegna,
all now under construction. They resemble the
Italia type in general dimensions being 400
feet long by 76A beam, and 2S feet inches
draught. The displacement of the two former
has been estimated at 13 800, and that Of the
Sardegna as rather more. Their barbertes have
19 inches of armor, and their steel decks are
81 inches thick. Each was designated to
carry four 1O6-ton guns, besides many
smaller ones, but at the launch of the Sar-
dogma IL was said that she would have instead
four 68-ton guns with supplement- OF eight
6inch and four 5inch rapid-fre guns, besides
the secondary battery. The armor on the tur-
rets is to be IA inches thick. The original de-
sign was for 500 horse power, but it is now
said that the Sardegna will have 22S00. and 1t
is safe to say that it will reach at least lS knots
speed.
In addition to these ten leviathans, Italy has
II other armored vessels of from 2220 to 6,274
tons displacement, but they need not be men
toned even by name. so 1ncomparably INFERIOR
are they in aImor, armament, and speed. The
two largest are the Palestro and the Principe
Amadeo each having SA-inch armor and car
The others carry smaller batteries, and have
from four to five inches OF armor. Whatever
Italy can do with her ironclads she will do with
the great vessels first enumerated.
Many Commerce Destroyers Also.
But Italy has also fine array of fast un-
armored vessels or commerce destroyers. of
I5-knot vessels she has the Amerigo Vespucci,
the Columbo, the Savoia and the Flavlo Gioja.
The Giovanni Bausan. of 3,l00 tons and 5000
horsepower, made l71 knots on her trial. and
carries two 10-inch and six 6-inch breech load
her size. She was built by Armstrong & Co.,
and resembles the Esmeralda, constructed by
the same firm. The Bausan has length of Isl
. Co. dran nf
and displacement of g. 100 tons. Her coal sup
ply is 800 tons, and her coal endurance
5000 miles at ten knots Closely resem-
bling her In size are the Etpa a;,i tne stIomoon
feet beam and 19A feet draught, displacing
$3.50 tons They also have the powerful bat
terry of two 10-inch and six 6-inch Armstrong
breechoaders, besides secondary batteries and
torpedo tubes Their coal endurance Is $50
tons. Under forced draught they have 400
indicated horse power, giving them speed OF
having length of 290 feet, breadth of 43, and
o draught of 10, displacing 1850 tons. She has
the same heavy battery already spoken OF and
about the same horse power.
One of the most efficient Of the later un-
armored vessels Of Italy is the Dogali, which
was the first warship fitted with triple-expan-
SION engines. They were made by X. ana w.
Hawthorn, Leslie & Co.. of Newcastle-on-Tyne.
She has a length of $50 feet, q breadth of 81,
and mean draught Of 141a, and her displace-
ment is $50 tons. Under forced draught she
mas roaCQoQ uOTSo pOWOfs anu haS essaihoo
speed of 1873 knots Her armament is six
sixnch guns.
A More Formidable Vessel Still.
Yet even the Dogali is outdone by the Pie
monte, built by Armstrong & Co. She is of
$500 tons and ], 800 horse power, has obtained
the extraordinary maximum speed of over 22I
knots and carries battery OF six 6inch and
six 47-inch Armstrong rapid-f1re guns. OF these
her builder has said that they will throw twice
as great an aggregate weight of shot and shell
within given time as the battery of any other
ship now afloat, not excluding the monsters of
six times her size. Taking together her speed
and her battery power, the Piemonte is
marvel.
Mere mention will be enough for other war
ships of Italy although she has, exclusive of |
those not completed, about so fighting vessels, |
besides the torpedo boats, which number more |
than a hundred about so being sea-goiug craft. |
The transports and home service ships bring |
the total number of craft above go. OF the |
torpedo vessels the most worthy Of mention are |
doubtless the swift torpedo cruisers TripOli, |
Goito Montebello and Monzambano of about |
74l tons displacement. These are all very fast, |
but are doubtless intended particularly |
for service in the Mediterranean. For the |
same reason we need hardly consider now the |
smaller torpedo vessels, like the Folgore and |
Saetta or the armed dispatch vessels like the |
Arcnimede and Galileo, of the Barbarigo class. |
Among the more notable of the minor vessels |
G. 100 TONS and the small cruiser Conhenza. |
Some of the Italian mail steamships are also |
fitted up. under the reserve navy law, so as to |
"a rrv on ms and torpedO tubes if necessary