Completed on 14 May 1914, Giulio Cesare was a Conte di Cavour-class dreadnought battleships built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy). She saw little service during the First World War, spending most of her time in port, ready to sortie if the Austro-Hungarian battlefleet sought a decisive engagement.
During the inter-war period, she was heavily rebuilt. Her main 305mm guns were re-bored to 320mm, her machinery upgraded and additional armour added. The result was an increase from 23,000 tonnes to 29,000 tonnes. Despite this, the new machinery increased her speed from 21.5 knots to 27 knots.
Early in the Second World War, Giulio Cesare took part in the Battle of Calabria (also known as the Battle of Punta Stilo) during which she was struck by a shell from HMS Warspite. This damaged her funnel and reduced her speed, forcing the Italians to break off the engagement.
She was present at Taranto on the night of 11 November 1940, when the Royal Navy launched an air attack. During the attack, her sister ship Conte di Cavour was sunk, Duilo badly damaged and run-aground and Littorio severely damaged. Giulio Cesare however remained undamaged.
For the remainder of her active duty, she escorted convoys to Africa. From January 1942 she was reduced to a training ship. After the Italian surrender she was interned at Malta, where she stayed until 17 June 1944.
Post war, she was allocated to Russia as part of war reparations and renamed Novorossiysk. On the night of 28/29 October 1955 an explosion ripped a 4-by-14-meter (13 by 46 ft) hole in the forecastle forward of ‘A’ turret. The flooding could not be controlled, and she capsized with the loss of 617 men, including 61 men sent from other ships to assist. The most likely cause of the explosion was determined to be a World War Two German mine.
Fitting of the 305 mm Modello 1909 guns in a triple turret of Giulio Cesare, Genoa, 1913Giulio Cesare under construction 11 November 1910Giulio Cesare under construction on a slipway in Genoa, 1911Giulio Cesare being launched 15 October 1911Giulio Cesare being launchedA turbine being fitted onto Giulio Cesare, Genova Sestri-Ponente shipyard (Ansaldo), ca. 1912One of the 305 mm main guns being fitted on Giulio Cesare, Genoa, 1914
Giulio Cesare Before Reconstruction
Giulio Cesare during the first period of sea trials, 14 September 1913Giulio Cesare running speed trials, 1914Andrea Doria (foreground) and Giulio Cesare (background) in Taranto Harbor during 1917 Giulio Cesare at Taranto 3rd June 1917Giulio Cesare, Andrea Doria and Duilio (left to right) moving out from Taranto, between 1916 and 1918Giulio Cesare, around 1924-5Giulio Cesare in 1926Taranto in June 1932; from left, light cruiser Taranto, Andrea Doria, Giulio Cesare and DuilioGiulio Cesare in La Spezia shortly before reconstruction, 1933Giulio Cesare, with its crew manning the railsGiulio Cesare shown during exercises before her 1933-37 rebuildGiulio CesareGiulio CesareGiulio CesareItalian seamen posing under a triple 305 mm (12 inch) turret of Giulio Cesare, 1926The aft 450 mm submerged torpedo tube of Giulio CesareControls of one of the rudders of Giulio Cesare
Giulio Cesare After Reconstruction
Giulio Cesare during her modernization in the port of Genoa in 1935The aft 320 mm turrets of Giulio Cesare, at the end of her reconstructionGiulio Cesare, sometime between 1937 and 1940Giulio Cesare undergoing gunnery practice with its main armament while at night, between 1937 and 1938Giulio Cesare during live fire exercises, between late 1937 and early 1938Giulio Cesare circa 1938Giulio Cesare, likely late 1930’sConte di Cavour and Giulio Cesare in Naples 1938Conte di Cavour and Giulio Cesare with an unidentified cruiserGiulio CesareGiulio Cesare at Malta, June, 1938Giulio Cesare leaving Malta in 1938Giulio Cesare at MaltaGiulio Cesare passing the Ponte Girevole in Taranto, 1937-1938Giulio Cesare 5 May 1938 at the Naval review off Naples torpedo boats Spica and Aldebaran in the backgroundGiulio Cesare, but after completion of her October 1933 to October 1937 reconstruction, but before WWIIGiulio Cesare (left) and Conte di Cavour (right), between 1937 and 1940Giulio Cesare during Operation M 43 (escorting a convoy bound for Tripoli), between 3 and 5 January 1942Giulio Cesare underwayVittorio Veneto (left), Littorio (upper center) and Giulio Cesare (lower center) in Taranto, in the days before Operation JudgementGiulio CesareGiulio CesareGiulio Cesare after her reconstruction
Giulio Cesare at the Battle of Calabria
View from Conte Di Cavour as Giulio Cesare opens fire during the Battle of Calabria, 9 July 1940Giulio Cesare after a hit from the HMS Warspite during the Battle of Calabria, 9 July 1940Damage control party aboard Giulio Cesare, after it was struck by a shell from HMS Warspite, 9 July 1940
Giulio CesareAs Novorossiysk
Novorosiysk (ex-Giulio Cesare) in 1950 at SevastopolNovorossiysk (Ex-Giulio Cesare) in the USSR NavyNovorossiysk (Ex-Giulio Cesare) in the USSR NavyNovorosiysk (ex-Giulio Cesare)
Novorossiysk was a Conte di Cavour-class battleship operated by the Soviet Union from 1949 to 1955. Originally the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) battleship Giulio Cesare, she was awarded to Russia as part of war reparations.
Operated mainly as a training ship, she underwent several refits, which included replacing her lights Italian anti-aircraft guns with 37 mm 70-K AA guns. On the night of 28/29 October 1955 an explosion ripped a 4-by-14-meter (13 by 46 ft) hole in the forecastle forward of ‘A’ turret. The flooding could not be controlled, and she capsized with the loss of 617 men, including 61 men sent from other ships to assist. The most likely cause of the explosion was determined to be a World War Two German mine.
Novorosiysk (ex-Giulio Cesare) in 1950 at SevastopolNovorossiysk (Ex-Giulio Cesare) in the USSR NavyNovorossiysk (Ex-Giulio Cesare) in the USSR NavyNovorosiysk (ex-Giulio Cesare)
Imperatritsa Mariya was the lead ship of her class of battleships built for the Imperial Russian navy, along with her sister ships Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya and Imperator Aleksandr III. Launched on 19 October 1913, she was completed on 10 June 1915.
During the First World War, she supported older battleships when they sortied to bombard German positions. She twice engaged the Ottoman light cruiser Midilli, but only inflicted splinter damage. In July 1916, Imperatritsa Mariya along with Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya attempted to intercept the Ottoman battlecruiser Yavuz, which managed to escape.
On 20 October 1916, two explosions (in the forward powder magazine and 40-minutes later in the torpedo compartment) caused Imperatritsa Mariya to sink and capsize killing 228 sailors, while at anchor in Sevastopol. An enquiry concluded that the explosion was probably the result of spontaneous combustion of the nitrocellulose-based propellant as it decomposed.
A salvage operation refloated her on 18 May 1918, however, the Russian Revolution and Civil War prevented further repair work. She was sold for scrap in 1925.
Two of her gun turrets were used as the 30th Coast Defense Battery defending Sevastapol during the Siege of Sevastopol in World War II.
Imperatritsa Mariya Under Construction
Imperatritsa Mariya under constructionImperatritsa Mariya under constructionImperatritsa Mariya under constructionImperatritsa Mariya after being launchedImperatritsa Mariya after being launched
Imperatritsa Mariya in Service
Imperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa Mariya at SevastopolImperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa Mariya in 1915Imperatritsa Mariya in 1915Imperatritsa Mariya, 24 June 1915Imperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa Mariya in Sevastopol 12 May 1916Imperatritsa Mariya in SevastopolPanorama with Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova and her family in Sebastopol, 27 May 1916 in front of Imperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa Mariya at the Chersonesos lighthouseImperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa MariyaImperatritsa Mariya entering Sevastopol Sep 1916Russian Imperial family (Nicholas II and Alexandra Romanov, OTMA and Alexei) aboard Imperatritsa MariyaCommander of the Black Sea Fleet Vice-Admiral A.V. Kolchak onboard Imperatritsa Mariya
Imperatritsa Mariya After Capsizing and Being Scrapped
Imperatritsa Mariya after exploding and sinking at her moorings in SevastopolImperatritsa Mariya capsizedImperatritsa Mariya inverted after being salvaged 1919
