The Naval History Museum, Venice has a very large collection of ship models on display. Here are selections of the models of 20th century warships that form part of that collection. I have split the models into four sections:
Battleships
Littorio-class Battleships
Cruisers
Condottieri-class (1st Group: Da Barbiano) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (2nd Group: Cadorna) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (3rd Group: Montecuccoli) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (4th Group: Aosta) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (5th Group: Garibaldi) Light Cruiser after her post-war conversion
Capitani Romani-class Light Cruiser
Zara-class Heavy Cruiser
Bolzano Heavy Cruiser
Destroyers, Torpedo Boats, Frigates, and Corvettes
Sirtori-class Torpedo Boat
Curatone-class Torpedo Boat
Leone-class Destroyer
Turbine-class Destroyer
Navigatori-class Destroyer
Spica-class Torpedo Boat
Soldati-class Destroyer
Gabbiano-class Corvette
Impetuoso-class Destroyer
Audace-class Destroyer
Maestrale-class Frigate
Lupo-class Frigate
Minerva-class Frigate
Comandanti-class Patrol Boat
Aircraft Carriers, Motor Torpedo Boats, Submarines, and Minecraft
Aircraft Carrier design (Possibly an early design for the unfinished Aquila)
Grillo-class 'climbing boat'
Early MAS (Motor Torpedo) Boats
MAS 526-class Motor Torpedo Boat
Sparviero-class Hydrofoil Patrol Boat
Various Submarines
CB2-class Miniature Submarine
Arogosta-class Minesweeper (ex-Ham-class)
Lerici-class Minehunter
- Battleships
- Cruisers
- Destroyers, Torpedo Boats, Frigates, and Corvettes
- Aircraft Carriers, Motor Torpedo Boats, Submarines, and Minecraft
Battleships
Littorio-class Battleships
Cruisers
Condottieri-class (1st Group: Da Barbiano) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (2nd Group: Cadorna) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (3rd Group: Montecuccoli) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (4th Group: Aosta) Light Cruiser
Condottieri-class (5th Group: Garibaldi) Light Cruiser after her post-war conversion
Capitani Romani-class Light Cruiser
Zara-class Heavy Cruiser
Bolzano Heavy Cruiser
Destroyers, Torpedo Boats, Frigates, and Corvettes
Sirtori-class Torpedo Boat
Curatone-class Torpedo Boat
Leone-class Destroyer
Turbine-class Destroyer
Navigatori-class Destroyer
Spica-class Torpedo Boat
Soldati-class Destroyer
Gabbiano-class Corvette
Impetuoso-class Destroyer
Audace-class Destroyer
Maestrale-class Frigate
Lupo-class Frigate
Minerva-class Frigate
Comandanti-class Patrol Boat
Aircraft Carriers, Motor Torpedo Boats, Submarines, and Minecraft
Aircraft Carrier design (Possibly an early design for the unfinished Aquila)
Grillo-class 'climbing boat'
Early MAS (Motor Torpedo) Boats
MAS 526-class Motor Torpedo Boat
Sparviero-class Hydrofoil Patrol Boat
Various Submarines
CB2-class Miniature Submarine
Arogosta-class Minesweeper (ex-Ham-class)
Lerici-class Minehunter
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If only I had a bath big enough to fit them in!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this with your readers Bob
:)
Geordie an Exiled FoG,
ReplyDeleteIf only!
As you might have gathered, I love the Littorio-class battleships. To me they combine firepower with good looks; a sort of naval Ferrari.
All the best,
Bob
Great set of photographs Bob considering the conditions you encountered.
ReplyDeleteWas there a model of a Cavour class battleship? My wifes father was at the receiving end of one of them at the first Battle of Calabria. He was on HMS Defender I think.
The Cavours were heavily rebuilt between the wars and it would be nice to see what they would have looked like.
I always liked the styling of the Regia Marina ships.
Jim Duncan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your very kind comment about the photographs. Between us, my wife and I took well over six hundred, and I have selected the best I could find for the blog.
Surprisingly there were no models of either the Cavour or Doria-class battleships in their original or reconstructed versions.
I have always considered that the Italian warships had a certain 'style' about them that made them attractive to look at. For example, if you compare the Gabbiano-class with their UK equivalent (the Flower-class Corvettes), the former looks elegant even if the latter looks more functional ... and was probably more robust!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteA truly magnificent set of pictures and thank you so much for sharing them all. Mr Fox has a 'thing' about the Italian Navy so I expect he will be highly delighted to see them - naval Ferraris indeed!
All the best,
DC
David Crook,
ReplyDeleteThe photographs do not do the models credit. They are much more impressive in real life.
Mr Fox has gone even higher up in my estimation. I also share his high regard for the ships of the Italian Navy, and think that their designs are often underrated.
All the best,
Bob
The more I study your collection of photographs of these ships the more I am impressed with the quality of the models themselves. They are exquisite!
ReplyDeleteI am also just as impressed by the quality of the photographs. You must have a much better camera than I have, or know how to use it more effectively then I can.
I offer great credit to you, your wife and your camera for bringing a hint of the visual spendour of this model collection to the internet and our collective eyes. Your photos are much superior to any from the museums own website.
Well done!!
Jim Duncan,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for your very kind compliments about the photographs my wife and I took.
They were taken on Nokia Coolpix digital cameras. All we did was to make sure that we did not use flash (it just lights up the glass, not the thing you are photographing) and tried to take them from angles where the reflections from the glass were not too bad. No tricks, no gimmicks, no skill ... just common sense (and a bit of luck!).
All the best,
Bob