Post by nagato01 on Jun 6, 2017 1:56:34 GMT
So lately in two of my most recent threads and as I've noticed in previous ones the Italian navy has gotten quite a bit of flak. I have come to know much more about them now due to research I am conducting.
Hence I am creating this one to further the discussion about it. Anything about the RM can be discussed here, from weapons, to ships, to planes, and to doctrine.
I'll start it off by asking this question: Was the extensive modernization of the Cesare and Doria classes worth it for the Italians?
On one hand, Italy was in desperate need of a faster and more modern force with which to fight the French and British in a potential war. After WWI with the beginning of the "fast battleship" concept, and with technology rapidly advancing resulting in ships with much higher top speeds, it makes sense why Italy would see the need to improve these ships in the speed department.
That said, both of the modernization were so extensive that it saw the ships transform into totally new vessels. But there are a few nagging problems for me:
1. The 12 inch gun: Yes the Italians re-bored them as 12.5 inch (ish) guns, but even then this is still way smaller in caliber than anything except the 11 inch German gun. Even the 13 inch gun French battleship/battlecruisers (Dunkerque class, a whole other issue when it comes to classification), still had larger guns.
2. Resources: Italy had a VERY limited number of resources, and it is questionable to wonder as to whether or not they were best suited for ships that wouldn't truly getting the Italians their money's worth.
3. An obsolete class: Yes, many nations modernized their existing battleships, but for pretty much all nations these were ships with guns ABOVE 12 inches. Now the Italians didn't have much to work with here, but still the question remains, did the Italians simply choose the wrong system to upgrade? Back to resources, these ships were VERY expensive to modernize, and considering their potential effectiveness and their combat service, it may very well have been a massive waste of money to upgrade obsolescent ships.
What are your thoughts? What other RM topics do you guys want to discuss?
Hence I am creating this one to further the discussion about it. Anything about the RM can be discussed here, from weapons, to ships, to planes, and to doctrine.
I'll start it off by asking this question: Was the extensive modernization of the Cesare and Doria classes worth it for the Italians?
On one hand, Italy was in desperate need of a faster and more modern force with which to fight the French and British in a potential war. After WWI with the beginning of the "fast battleship" concept, and with technology rapidly advancing resulting in ships with much higher top speeds, it makes sense why Italy would see the need to improve these ships in the speed department.
That said, both of the modernization were so extensive that it saw the ships transform into totally new vessels. But there are a few nagging problems for me:
1. The 12 inch gun: Yes the Italians re-bored them as 12.5 inch (ish) guns, but even then this is still way smaller in caliber than anything except the 11 inch German gun. Even the 13 inch gun French battleship/battlecruisers (Dunkerque class, a whole other issue when it comes to classification), still had larger guns.
2. Resources: Italy had a VERY limited number of resources, and it is questionable to wonder as to whether or not they were best suited for ships that wouldn't truly getting the Italians their money's worth.
3. An obsolete class: Yes, many nations modernized their existing battleships, but for pretty much all nations these were ships with guns ABOVE 12 inches. Now the Italians didn't have much to work with here, but still the question remains, did the Italians simply choose the wrong system to upgrade? Back to resources, these ships were VERY expensive to modernize, and considering their potential effectiveness and their combat service, it may very well have been a massive waste of money to upgrade obsolescent ships.
What are your thoughts? What other RM topics do you guys want to discuss?
