Back in January 2012 I wrote a review of Erminio Bagnasco's and Augusto de Toro's THE LITTORIO CLASS: ITALY'S LAST AND LARGEST BATTLESHIPS 1937-1948. In my review I stated that I had always had a soft-spot for the Littorio-class, and thought they were the most attractive battleship design ever built … and I still believe that.
The Littorio-class were preceded by the Conte di Cavour-class and Duilio-class battleships, and when I discovered that Erminio Bagnasco and Augusto de Toro had written a companion volume about these two classes, I had to buy a copy. My copy of ITALIAN BATTLESHIPS: CONTE DI CAVOUR AND DUILIO CLASSES 1911-1956 arrived on Wednesday ... and since then I have spent several very pleasurable hours looking through it.
The book contains an introduction, eleven chapters, four appendices, and a bibliography:
- Introduction
- 1. The Dreadnought in Italy: from Cuniberti's Concept to the 'Caracciolo' Class
- 2. Design, Original Characteristics and Building of the 'Conte di Cavour' and 'Duilio' Class Battleships
- 3. Technical Description of the 'Conte di Cavour' and 'Duilio' Classes
- 4. Battleships and Italian Naval Policy between the two World Wars
- 5. Design and Reconstruction of the battleships of the 'Conte di Cavour' and 'Duilio' Classes
- 6. Technical Description of the Modernised 'Conte di Cavour' Class Battleships
- 7. Careers of the 'Conte di Cavour' Class between 1937 and 1940
- 8. Technical Description of the Modernised 'Duilio' Class Battleships
- 9. Wartime Careers
- 9.1. From the Initiation of Hostilities to the Beginning of the War against Greece (November 1940)
- 9.2. From the 'Night of Taranto' to the Bombardment of Genoa (November 1940-February1941)
- 9.3. The Italian Battleships in Defence of Convoys to Libya (Winter 1941-1942)
- 9.4. Inactivity of the Smaller Battleships from Spring of 1942 to 8 September 1943
- 9.5. From the Armistice to Scrapping of the 'Duilio's
- 10. Raising, Second Modernisation and Loss of the Conte di Cavour (1940-1945)
- 11. Comparisons and Conclusions
- Appendix 1: 'Conte di Cavour' and 'Duilio' Class Colour Schemes (1940-1956) – A Summary
- Appendix 2: Gunnery Performance
- Appendix 3: Movements and Locations of the 'Conte di Cavour' and 'Duilio' Class Battleships during the War
- Appendix 4: Damage Sustained by Modernised 'Conte di Cavour' and 'Duilio' Class Ships
- Sources and Bibliography
This is the sort of technical history book about ships that I enjoy, and I look forward to reading and re-reading it over the years. It is a great addition to my collection and will sit alongside its companion volume on my bookshelves.
ITALIAN BATTLESHIPS: CONTE DI CAVOUR AND DUILIO CLASSES 1911-1956 was written by Erminio Bagnasco and Augusto de Toro, illustrated by Roberto Maggi and Maurizio Brescia, and published by Seaforth Publishing in 2021 (ISBN: 978 1 5267 9987 6 [Hardback], 978 1 5267 9988 3 [ePub], 978 1 5267 9989 0 [Kindle]).
Yes, it's a delightful book, an ideal companion to their Littorio Class title. I put it on my Amazon wishlist and it turned up on my birthday last month. The only thing that distracted me from it was that another wishlist item also arrived: Norman Friedman's "U.S. Battleships", which I strongly recommend (though you probably already own it). The Italian books are much glossier though.
ReplyDeleteThe only problem is that there is always some more recent research that one would wish had made it into the books, but this is inevitable if the titles are ever to be released for publication.
Mike Hall,
DeleteIt’s a great pair of books, and they sit nicely alongside my copy of MUSSOLINI’S NAVY, which was written by Maurizio Brescia.
I have several of Friedman’s books, but one of my prized possession is a copy of Oscar Parker’s BRITISH BATTLESHIPS. I’m told that it is the definitive study … but it weighs a ton!
Research is always turning up new information, but as a writer I know that there are times when you have to draw a line and publish … and you usually make that decision a couple of days before something new turns up!
All the best,
Bob
Oddly enough I sat down this evening to watch a YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dckrJMVAGY and at 01:12:00 there is a section "USNI Book Sale and Recommendations" where he reports that the USNI is having a sale and recommends 11 of his favourites, most of which I suspect you would like to own (if you do not already do so). He actually includes a book by Erminio Bagnasco which is not about Italian Battleships (though he mentions the Littorio and Cavour books in passing so slipping in a couple of extra recommendations).There are really too many books out there even in this relatively limited part of military history.
DeleteI envy you your copy of Oscar Parkes book as I couldn't afford a copy when I wanted to buy it but was gifted a photocopy of a reference library copy (all 701 pages), something I accepted as - given that the book was out of print - neither the author nor the publisher suffered any financial loss. It's a lot less practical than a proper bound copy - good for reference bu not for browsing.
Mike Hall,
DeleteI watched the section of the video you suggested, and have to admit that I do own some of the books that are mentioned … and have considered buying several of the others. If only I had an unlimited budget!
I was lucky enough to buy my copy of Parkes from a library sale. It is not a book you can just pick up and read in one’s armchair. It is so large and heavy, you need to rest it on a table or use a substantial book rest.
All the best,
Bob