Some years later Italy also led the way in developing the fast and heavily- armed protected cruiser, and she did as much as any Power to improve the torpedo boat. They had the then unequalled displacement of nearly 14,000 tons, they were 400 feet in length, steamed at what was regarded as the extraordinary speed of 18 knots, and mounted the prodigious armament of four 100- tons guns. Nearly sixty years ago she startled the world by building two monster ships, the Italia and the Lepanto, which were undoubtedly the forerunners of the modern battle cruiser. MARKED originality has always been shown by Italy in the design of her fighting ships. 6 in., a beam of 92 feet and a mean draught of 28 ft. Completed in 1914, the Giulio Cesare has an overall length of 577 ft. SPEED WAS INCREASED FROM 22 TO 27 KNOTS and horse- power from 31,000 to 75,000, when the Italian battleship Giulio Cesare (shown above) and her sister, the Conte di Cavour emerged from extensive reconstruction and modernization in 1936. The present fleet has been built almost entirely since the war, and is one of the most powerful modern fleets in existence During the war of 1914- 18 the Italian Navy did not feature in any major action but distinguished itself by outstanding feats of a dashing nature.
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