Capitani Romani Class Cruiser
The Capitani Romani class was a ship class, class of light cruisers acting as flotilla leaders for the (Italian Navy). They were built to outrun and outgun the large new French destroyers of the and classes. Twelve hulls were ordered in late 1939, but only four were completed, just three of these before the Italian armistice in 1943. The ships were named after prominent ancient Romans ( (lit. Roman Captains)). Design The Capitani Romani class were originally designed as scout cruisers for ocean operations ("ocean scout", ), although some authors consider them to have been heavy destroyers. After the war the two units still in service were reclassified as flotilla leaders (). The design was fundamentally a light, almost unarmoured hull with a large power plant and cruiser style armament. The original design was modified to sustain the prime requirements of speed and firepower. Given their machinery development of , equivalent to that of the 17,000-ton cruisers of the , the targ ...
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Light Cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to this smaller cruisers had been of the protected cruiser model, possessing armored decks only. While lighter and smaller than other contemporary ships they were still true cruisers, retaining the extended radius of action and self-sufficiency to act independently around the world. Through their history they served in a variety of roles, primarily as convoy escorts and destroyer command ships, but also as scouts and fleet support vessels for battle fleets. Origins and development The first small steam-powered cruisers were built for the British Royal Navy with HMS ''Mercury'' launched in 1878. Such second and third class protected cruisers evolved, gradually becoming faster, better armed and better protected. Germany took a lead in small c ...
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