Zara-class cru… EN

Introduction
Design
General characteristics
Armament and armor Zara-class cruiser
Ships Connected to: Regia Marina Fleet review Italian Navy
Service history
Notes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
References
The Zara class was a group of four heavy
cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina
(Royal Navy) in the late 1920s and the early
1930s. The class comprised the vessels Zara,
Fiume, Gorizia, and Pola, the last of which was
completed to a slightly different design. The
ships were a substantial improvement over the
preceding Trento-class cruisers, incorporating
signi cantly heavier armor protection at the
cost of the very high speed of the Trentos.
They carried the same main battery of eight
203 mm (8.0 in) guns and had a maximum
speed of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph). Among
the best-protected heavy cruisers built by any
navy in the 1930s, the heavy armor was
acquired only by violating the terms of the
Washington Naval Treaty, which limited cruiser
displacement to 10,000 long tons (10,160 t).

All four ships served with the main eet in the

interwar period, where they were primarily
occupied with training exercises and
eet reviews. During the Spanish Civil
War, Gorizia evacuated Italian nationals
and Pola took part in non-intervention
patrols. All four ships supported the
Italian invasion of Albania in April 1939,
shortly before the outbreak of World
War II. After Italy joined the wider
con ict in 1940, the four ships saw
extensive action in the Mediterranean Zara before the war
Sea against British forces. The ships Class overview
took part in the battles of Calabria and
Name: Zara class
Cape Matapan, and in the latter
Operators:  Regia Marina
engagement, Zara, Pola, and Fiume were
Preceded by: Trento class
all sunk in a one-sided night action with
three British battleships. Succeeded by: Bolzano

Built: 1929–1932
Gorizia continued in service, seeing
In commission: 1931–1944
further action at the First and Second
Completed: 4
Battles of Sirte. She was seriously
Lost: 4
damaged by American heavy bombers in
April 1943 and towed to La Spezia, General characteristics
where she was still under repair when Class and type: Heavy cruiser
Italy surrendered in September. Displacement: 11,326 to 11,712 long tons (11,508 to
Germany seized the ship when they 11,900 t) standard
occupied the port, and Italian 13,944 to 14,330 long tons (14,168 to
commandos unsuccessfully attempted 14,560 t) full load

to sink her in June 1944. In poor Length: 179.6 m (589 ft 3 in) lwl
condition by the end of the war, the 182.8 m (599 ft 9 in) loa
postwar Italian Navy decided to sell the Beam: 20.62 m (67 ft 8 in)
ship for scrap in 1947. Draft: 7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
Installed 8 three-drum Thornycroft boilers

Design
power: 95,000 shp (71,000 kW)
Propulsion: 2 Parsons turbines
While the preceding Trento class of Speed: 32 knots (37 mph; 59 km/h)
heavy cruisers were still being built, Complement: 841
elements of the Italian naval command
Armament: 4 × 2 - 203 mm (8.0 in) / 53 caliber
began to doubt the effectiveness of the
guns
new vessels, which sacri ced armor 8 × 2 - 100 mm (4 in) / 47 caliber guns
protection in favor of very high speeds. 4 × 1 - 40 mm (2 in) / 39 caliber anti-
They advocated a more balanced design aircraft guns (early)
that would incorporate more 4 × 2 - 37 mm (1 in) / 54 caliber anti-
comprehensive armor, with a main belt aircraft guns (late)
that was 200 millimeters (7.9 in) thick, 6 × 2 & 2 × 1 - 20 mm (0.79 in) /

while retaining the battery of eight 65 caliber anti-aircraft guns (Gorizia

203 mm (8.0 in) guns and a speed of at only)

4 × 2 - 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns
least 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph). The
designers quickly found that these Armor: Deck: 70 mm (2.8 in)
Belt: 150 mm (5.9 in)
characteristics could not be
Turret faces: 150 mm
incorporated into a vessel that
Barbettes: 150 mm
remained within the 10,000 long tons
Conning tower: 150 mm
(10,160 t) limit imposed by the
Aircraft 2 × seaplanes
Washington Naval Treaty. The naval
carried:
command agreed to allow the new ships
to exceed the displacement limits, but
instructed the designers to eliminate unnecessary features to save as much weight as
possible. As a result, the belt armor was reduced in thickness and the planned torpedo tubes
were removed. The ush deck of the Trentos was abandoned, with the ships instead
incorporating a forecastle deck and a stepped-down main deck. In addition, the Zara design
would be powered by just two propellers driven by lightweight machinery, unlike the four-
shaft arrangement used in the Trentos. Nevertheless, the ships still exceeded the
displacement limit by at least 1,300 long tons (1,300 t). By 1928, the work was nished on what
would become the Zara class, and the rst two ships, Zara and Fiume, were ordered for the
1928–1929 building program. Gorizia followed in the 1929–1930 construction year, and Pola
was ordered under the 1930–1931 program. All four ships were named for formerly Austro-
Hungarian cities that were annexed to Italy in the aftermath of World War I.[1][2]

General characteristics
The ships of the Zara class were 179.6 meters
(589 ft) long at the waterline and 182.8 m (600 ft)
long overall. They had a beam of 20.62 m (67.7 ft)
and a draft of 7.2 m (24 ft). The ships had a standard
displacement of 11,326 to 11,712 long tons (11,508 to
Line-drawing of Pola; Zara was similar in
11,900 t), and displaced 13,944 to 14,330 long tons
appearance
(14,168 to 14,560 t) at full load, with Fiume being the
lightest of the four and Gorizia the heaviest. The
rst three ships were built with light superstructures as a weight saving measure, but Pola,
intended to serve as a agship, received a much larger bridge structure to accommodate an
admiral's staff. All four ships received two tripod masts, with the forward mast erected over
the bridge. They had a crew of 841 of cers and enlisted men. The ships carried a pair of IMAM
Ro.43 seaplanes for aerial reconnaissance; the hangar was located under the forecastle and a
xed catapult was mounted on the centerline at the bow.[1][2]

The ships' power plant consisted of two Parsons steam turbines powered by eight oil- red
Thornycroft boilers, with the exception of Fiume, which received Yarrow boilers. The boilers
were trunked into two funnels amidships.[1] Their engines were rated at 95,000 shaft
horsepower (71,000 kW) and produced a top speed of 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph), though on
sea trials all four vessels signi cantly exceeded those gures, reaching a minimum of
118,000 shp (88,000 kW) and speeds of 33 to 34 knots (61 to 63 km/h; 38 to 39 mph).
Nevertheless, in service, their practical speeds were in the range of 31 to 32 knots (57 to
59 km/h; 36 to 37 mph). The vessels each carried 2,300 to 2,400 long tons (2,300 to 2,400 t) of
fuel oil, which allowed them to steam for 4,850 to 5,400 nautical miles (8,980 to 10,000 km;
5,580 to 6,210 mi) at a cruising speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). When operating at
maximum speed, their operational radius fell to 1,150 to 1,900 nautical miles (2,130 to
3,520 km; 1,320 to 2,190 mi),[2] though due to the fact that Italian naval vessels were intended
to operate only within the narrow con nes of the Mediterranean Sea, their relatively short
cruising range was not a signi cant problem.[3]

Armament and armor

The Zaras were armed with a main battery of eight
203 mm (8.0 in) Mod 29 53-caliber guns in four gun
turrets. The turrets were arranged in super ring
pairs forward and aft. The guns red 125-kilogram
(276 lb) shells at a muzzle velocity of 940 meters
per second (3,080 ft/s), with a rate of re of about
three and a half rounds per minute. The turrets
allowed elevation to 45 degrees, which provided a
maximum range of 31,500 meters (34,400 yd). Each
ship carried 157 shells per gun.[1] Like the Trentos,
the Zara-class ships suffered from shell dispersion
that hampered accuracy. The problem was in large
part due to poor quality control in Italian munition
factories, which failed to ensure tight
manufacturing tolerances necessary for accurate
shells.[4] In addition, the single cradle mounts
required the guns to be very close together; this
caused the shells to interfere with each other in
ight and contributed to the dispersion problem.[5]
In an attempt to rectify the dispersion problem, the Fiume launching a seaplane in 1935; note the
guns were supplied with modi ed shells that red closeness of the main battery guns

at 900 meters per second (3,000 ft/s).[6]

Anti-aircraft defense was provided by a battery of sixteen 100 mm (4 in) 47-cal. guns in twin
mounts, four Vickers-Terni 40 mm/39 guns in single mounts and eight 13.2 mm (0.52 in) guns
in twin mounts.[1] The 100 mm guns were copies of Austro-Hungarian guns designed in 1910
by Škoda that were placed in newly designed dual-purpose mounts that elevated to
85 degrees for a maximum range of 15,240 m (50,000 ft).[7] The ships' secondary battery was
revised several times during their careers. Two of the 100 mm guns and all of the 40 mm guns
were removed in the late 1930s and eight 37 mm (1.5 in) 54-cal. guns were installed in their
place. Two 120 mm (4.7 in) 15-cal. star shell guns were added in 1940. In 1942, the star shell
guns aboard Gorizia, by this time the only surviving member of the class, were replaced with
four more 37 mm guns. The following year, a battery of fourteen 20 mm (0.79 in) guns in six
twin and two single mounts replaced the 13.2 mm (0.52 in) machine guns.[1]

The ships were protected with an armored citadel that covered the ships' vitals, including the
machinery spaces and ammunition magazines. Vertical protection consisted of an armored
belt that was 150 mm (5.9 in) thick at the waterline and reduced to 100 mm (3.9 in) at the
bottom edge of the belt. Their main armor deck was 70 mm (2.8 in) thick, and the box formed
by the belt and deck was capped at either end by armored bulkheads that were 120 mm
(4.7 in) thick in the upper portion and 90 mm (3.5 in) in the lower section. The main deck was
supplemented with an upper deck that was 20 mm (0.79 in) thick, which was intended to
detonate the fuses of incoming shells before they struck the main deck; the upper deck was
connected to an upper belt that was 30 mm (1.2 in) thick. The gun turrets had 150 mm thick
plating on the faces and the barbettes they sat in were also 150 mm thick. The main conning
tower had 150 mm thick sides and an 80 mm (3.1 in) thick roof.[1]

The Zara class carried three times the armor protection of the preceding Trentos.[1] Their
heavy armor made the Zaras the best-protected cruisers until the introduction of the Des
Moines class, laid down in 1945 by the United States.[8] This additional armor would have made
the ships decidedly nose-heavy, so to offset this the rear of the ship was raised by one deck
behind the front funnel.[9] The result was excellent watertight integrity and protection.[10]

Ships
Name Builder[1] Laid down[1] Launched[1] Completed[1]
Zara Odero Terni Orlando 4 July 1929 27 April 1930 20 October 1931
Fiume Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino 29 April 1929 27 April 1930 23 November 1931
Gorizia Odero Terni Orlando 17 March 1930 28 December 1931 23 December 1932
Pola Odero Terni Orlando 17 March 1931 5 December 1932 21 December 1932

Service history
After entering service in the early 1930s, the four
members of the Zara class took part in training
exercises with the Italian eet and participated in
eet reviews held for foreign leaders, including
Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany and Miklós Horthy,
the Regent of Hungary. Gorizia and Pola were
involved in the Spanish Civil War; in 1936 Pola
conducted non-intervention patrols and Gorizia
carried Italian nationals from Gijon, Spain, to Le
Verdon-sur-Mer, France that year. After
departing France, Gorizia visited Germany, and Top: Zara, Fiume, and Pola in Naples in 1938. Bottom:

on the way back, she suffered a major explosion Gorizia at a eet review in Naples.

in an aviation gasoline tank that forced her to put

into Gibraltar for repairs. There, British shipyard
inspectors discovered that the ship was grossly over the Washington Treaty's displacement
restriction. In March 1939, all four ships sortied to prevent a squadron of Republican warships
from reaching the Black Sea, forcing them to stop in Bizerte, Tunisia, where they were
interned. The following month, Zara, Pola, and Gorizia provided gun re support to Italian
forces invading Albania.[11]

The Zara-class cruisers saw extensive service during World War II, having taken part in
several sorties to catch British convoys in the Mediterranean as the agship of the 1st
Division.[11] At the Battle of Calabria in July 1940, torpedo bombers from the British aircraft
carrier HMS Eagle attacked the Zara-class cruisers, but they failed to score any hits. The
ships steamed ahead to the front of the Italian line of battle and joined the attack on the
leading British battleship, Warspite, but they scored no hits. British cruisers attacked as the
Italians withdrew, but heavy re from the Italian cruisers drove them off.[12] All four ships
escaped damage at the Battle of Taranto in November 1940.[11] In March 1941 at the Battle of
Cape Matapan, Pola was immobilized by a torpedo from a Sword sh torpedo bomber
launched by the British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable; Zara and Fiume were detached from
the rest of the eet to protect Pola, and all three and a pair of destroyers were sunk in a
close-range night engagement with the battleships Barham, Valiant, and Warspite.[11] Italian
casualties were very heavy, with 783 killed aboard Zara, 328 killed aboard Pola, 812 aboard
Fiume.[13] The survivors, mostly from Pola, were rescued primarily by British destroyers,
though Greek destroyers and an Italian hospital ship picked up others over the following few
days.[14][15][16]

Gorizia, the sole surviving member of the class, saw action at the First Battle of Sirte in
December 1941 and Second Sirte in March 1942, where she was heavily engaged with British
light cruisers and destroyers.[17] As the action took place at very long range, neither side
scored any hits.[18] During this period, the ship also took part in convoy escort operations to
supply Italian and German forces in North Africa. While the ship was moored in La Maddalena
on 10 April 1943, a major attack from United States Army Air Forces heavy bombers sank the
heavy cruiser Trieste and hit Gorizia with three bombs, in icting serious damage. She was
still under repair in La Spezia when Italy surrendered to the Allies in September, and she was
seized by German forces when they occupied much of the country. On 22 June 1944, Italian
frogmen used Chariot manned torpedos to enter the harbor and sink Gorizia and the heavy
cruiser Bolzano, which was also out of service due to battle damage, to prevent them from
being used as blockships though Gorizia survived the attack. She was nevertheless sold for
scrap in 1947, since it would have been cost-prohibitive to repair her.[19]

Notes

References

Categories

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Cover photo is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Credit: A. Bernini (see original le).

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