ITALY'S NAVY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 96, 15 October 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

ITALY'S NAVY.

WHERE DREADNOUGHTS WERE FIRST SEEN.

It is a fact if which few people are aware that thirty years ago Italy's yards were turning out battleships 2,000 tons larger than anything in the British fleet, and arming them with the heaviest guns ever put on a man-of-war. Moreover, Italy has the distention of producing the man in whj.39 mind the Dreadnought type was first evolved—the late Signor Cuniberti—who actually sketched a design which was a good forecast of Ahe "Queen Elizabeth."

Italy's first Dreadnought, the Dante Alighieri," was laid down in the summer of 1909, and completed in three years. She was the first warship in the world to have her guns mounted on the triple turret system. Following the "Dante," fire larger and more powerful ships were laid down. These vessels are all good for a speed of 23 knots, though their armour is comparatively light, having a maximum thickness if 9| inches amidships. Their broadside fire is 11,05 Mb. of metal as compared with the "Iron Dukei's/' 14,0001 h. and tibe "Queen Elizabeth's" 15,4001b. Altogether the Italian navy includes twenty-five vessels, all of which are classed as battleships. Italy also possesses four old armoured ships, eigttfc light cruisers, six older light cruisers of email value, nine old gunboats, between thirty and forty destroyers, about forty torpedo-boats (excluding old vessels), and nineteen submarines, of which probably a dozen are efficient. The fighting strength of the Italian navy, excluding the crews of destroyers, torpedo-boats, and submarines, is 37,000 officers and men. Austria has only three Dreadnoughts as compared with Italy's six. In preDreadnought battleships Austria enjoys a numerical superiority of twelve ships to eight, but six of the Austrian vessels displace less than 10,000 tons and none of them have heavier guns than the 9.4 inch. Italy again scores in regard to pre-Dreadnought armoured cruisers, of which class she has nine ships to Austria's two. Ten light cruisers, nineteen destroyers, eighty tor-pedo-boats (many of which are very old), and fourteen submarines complete the Austrian navy, which is manned by 19,000 officers and men, excluding those on destroyers," torpedo-boats, and submarines.