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Thursday 4 February 2016

Italian armoured cruiser San Marco 1905-1949


Of the San Giorgio-class wit as sister ship the San Giorgio. Improved Pisa-class design. Building ordered on 18 September 1905, laid down at the Regio Cantieri do Castellammare di Stabia, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy on 2 January 1907, launched on 20 December 1908, reclassified as a radio controlled target ship in 1931 and converted between 1931-1935, captured by German forces at La Spezia on 9 September 1943, found back at the end of the war while sunk in 1945, stricken on 27 February 1947 and finally broken up in 1949.

She differs in many ways from her sister ship while in her none wood was used, the first with a gyroscopic compass and she was the first ever turbine powered ship with 4 screws ever. Displacement 10.969 tons/10.796 long tons (normal load)-11.900 tons/11.700 long tons (deep load) and as dimensions 131,04 (between perpendiculars)-140,89 (over all) x 21,03 x 7,76 metres or 429.11-462.3 x 60.0 x 25.6 feet. Fitted out with four steam turbines and 18 Babcock&Willcox boilers supplying via 4 screws 23.000 shp (design)-23.030 ihp (trials) allowing a speed of 23 (design)-23,75 (trials) knots. Armament consisted of 4x2-25,4cm/10” Canone da 254/45 A Modello 1908 guns, 4x2-19cm/7.5” Canone da 190/45 A Modello 1908 guns, 18x1-7,6cm/3.0 L/40 quick firing guns to be used against torpedo boats , 2x1-4,7cm/1.9” L/50 quick firing guns and 3-45cm/17.7” submerged torpedo tunes. In the First World War were 8-7,6cm guns replaced by 6-7,6cm anti aircraft guns and was one torpedo tube removed. The armour consisted of a 8cm/3.1” (at bow&stern)-20cm/7.9” (amidships) thick belt, a 5cm/2.0” thick deck with the conning tower, main gun turrets and secondary gun turrets were protected by respectively 25,4cm/10.0“, 20cm and 160cm/6.3” thick armour. Crew numbered 698-705 men.