regia marina Faa di Bruno

[WayOfTheWolk 1,573]

Faa di Bruno

Introduction:

Spoiler

In the late 19th and early 20th century coastal monitors were seen as a cheap alternative to pursuing battleships by many of the European powers while maintaining overwhelming firepower and armor over mobility. When it might be not financially feasible or even optimal to construct traditional capital ships the monitor offers the benefit of a low free board capable of traversing shallow waters where their counterparts cannot. In War Thunder I believe the addition of monitors as a new class can offer players a unique play style in their role as support vessels.

Service History:

Spoiler

Faa di Bruno was originally designed by Royal Italian navy rear admiral Guiseppe Rota in early 1915 as essentially as a self-propelled barge. Due to the cancellation of the Francesco Caracciolo battleship the 38cm guns had nowhere to go after being built and it was decided to place them on their own mobile platform. Faa di Bruno was launched on 10 October 1915 and commissioned the 1st of April 1917. She took part in the Battle of Isonzo come August that same year. Along with a joint British-Italian naval task force Faa di Bruno bombarded Austro-Hungarian positions to effect though the results were minimal. Due to her low free board she was tasked with defending Italian positions around shallower parts of the coast. Following the Battle of Caporetto Faa di Bruno was further tasked with defending the city of Ancoma to which she traveled. During the voyage she endured a heavy storm and broke her tow line. Faa di Bruno ran aground near the mouth of the Esino River on 18 November 1917 and was removed from the naval register in 1924. During World War 2 Faa di Bruno was raised and recommissioned into the Regia Marina following repairs as floating battery GM 194. She was stationed at Genoa for the rest of the conflict only firing three shells against Royal Navy ships before a hit temporarily crippled her electrical system on 9 February 1941. The Germans captured her in 1943 following the Armistice turning her over to the newly created National Republican Navy. She was later scuttled by retreating German forces in 1945 at Savona and scrapped in the post-war era.

Photos & Blueprints:

Spoiler

Technical Data:

Spoiler

Specifications:

Displacement: 2809 tonnes

Length: 55.6 m

Beam: 27.0 m

Draught: 2.20 m

Installed Power: 1 x Kess boiler (465 hp)

Propulsion: 2 x shafts, 2 x VTE engines

Speed: 3.3 knots

Crew: 45 men

 

Armor:

Belt: 2900 Concrete Cofferdam

Deck: 40 mm

Barbette: 60 mm (narrow vertical plating at turret base)

Turret: 70 mm 

Turret Cupola: 20+20 mm

 

Armament:

2 x 381/40 S1914 guns

4 x 76/30 A1916 guns

2 x 40/39 VT1915 auto-cannons

Towing Feature:

Spoiler

Some of you have inquired about the ship's abysmally slow top speed. I acknowledge this would be a serious issue in-game and in response I propose a unique solution for the Faa di Bruno. Historically the monitor was towed by tugboats when going long distances and her engines only used for maneuvering the ship in position. As a permanent feature I would suggest having an AI tug tow the Faa Di Bruno into the heart of a map on a timed excursion. From there on she would be completely self-propelled and independent on her survival. 

Sources:

Spoiler

• Buxton, Ian (2008). Big Gun Monitors: Design, Construction and Operations 1914–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906-1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press
• http://www.navypedia.org/ships/italy/it_bb_faa_di_bruno.htm

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by Private_Wolk

[Miki_Hoshii 2,449]

Open for discussion.

[Handorik 539]

Only one ''little'' question, how do you immagine the gameplay of this pontoon? (where it should spawn, what would be its BR, what it should do, etc). Because i'm a bit afraid it would be useless or at least unbalanceable.

 

Another thing, the tecnical data are ''quite'' messed up (''quality'' stuff from navypedia i presume). As example, look at crew: 743 men on a 50m lenght raft.... It was party hard time? 

(Crew was 45 men...but also other things are incorrect and exaggerated)

Edited March 28, 2020 by Handorik

[WayOfTheWolk 1,573]

6 hours ago, Handorik said:

Only one ''little'' question, how do you immagine the gameplay of this pontoon? (where it should spawn, what would be its BR, what it should do, etc). Because i'm a bit afraid it would be useless or at least unbalanceable.

 

Another thing, the tecnical data are ''quite'' messed up (''quality'' stuff from navypedia i presume). As example, look at crew: 743 men on a 50m lenght raft.... It was party hard time? 

(Crew was 45 men...but also other things are incorrect and exaggerated)

I'm glad you point that out, do you have the correct stats on hand?

[WayOfTheWolk 1,573]

6 hours ago, Handorik said:

Only one ''little'' question, how do you immagine the gameplay of this pontoon? (where it should spawn, what would be its BR, what it should do, etc). Because i'm a bit afraid it would be useless or at least unbalanceable.

 

Another thing, the tecnical data are ''quite'' messed up (''quality'' stuff from navypedia i presume). As example, look at crew: 743 men on a 50m lenght raft.... It was party hard time? 

(Crew was 45 men...but also other things are incorrect and exaggerated)

Monitors are a very unique class. They are rather slow and bulky but they offer great protection and firepower. Her speed obviously is an issue which is why I would rather support her implementation as a premium or event ship. Perhaps as a feature she could get a "tow" within certain limits of a map and take over from there. While her main guns are powerful they have a long reload and once again she would struggle getting out of difficult situations due to her speed. Maybe a low of BR 4.3 and a high of 5.0 to balance her out.

[Handorik 539]

2 hours ago, Private_Wolk said:

I'm glad you point that out, do you have the correct stats on hand?

Beyond things that you have already correctly changed: 

The boiler was a Kess type (but isn't a big mistake).

Speed..it is a bit optimistic the 3.3 kts obtained at the trials. But she is already so slow that 1knt less don't do much difference. (It is funny that most of us could swim faster).

Protection: it isn't 110mm all around the turret. But only 70mm plus the 20+20mm of the cupola for the top protection.

Also the 60mm don't cover the entire barbette, but are only a vertical narrow stripe of plates at the base of the turret.

Armament: the one indicated i think it is referred to the one used in WWI, in this case she was armed with 4 76/30 (worse then 76/40) and i can't find any 40mm. 

For the armament of the GM194 version, i don't think it is a good idea because during the WW2 she lost any possibility to left an harbour. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Private_Wolk said:

Monitors are a very unique class. 

 

I think that is the point. She isn't a proper monitor (like Marshal Ney, Terror, etc.), she isn't even a proper ship, she is simply a self-propelled armed pontoon, when "self-propelled" means the power necessary to counter sea current or the wind to mantain position or to travel inside an harbour (for all other things she needed tugs).

German barges at least are more autonomus and.."""fast""".

 

Edit: I had almost forgotten

Quote

During World War 2 Faa di Bruno was raised and recommissioned into the Regia Marina following repairs as floating battery GM 194. She was stationed at Genoa for the rest of the conflict only firing three shells against Royal Navy ships before a single lucky shot crippled her electrical system on 9 February 1941

 

it wasn't a lucky shot.. but only a breakdown 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Handorik

[WayOfTheWolk 1,573]

1 hour ago, Handorik said:

Beyond things that you have already correctly changed: 

The boiler was a Kess type (but isn't a big mistake).

Speed..it is a bit optimistic the 3.3 kts obtained at the trials. But she is already so slow that 1knt less don't do much difference. (It is funny that most of us could swim faster).

Protection: it isn't 110mm all around the turret. But only 70mm plus the 20+20mm of the cupola for the top protection.

Also the 60mm don't cover the entire barbette, but are only a vertical narrow stripe of plates at the base of the turret.

Armament: the one indicated i think it is referred to the one used in WWI, in this case she was armed with 4 76/30 (worse then 76/40) and i can't find any 40mm. 

For the armament of the GM194 version, i don't think it is a good idea because during the WW2 she lost any possibility to left an harbour. 

Thank you for the updated data, there isn't too much detailed information on this ship. I'm assuming the 40mms were installed as a later modification. The Faa di Bruno is a bit of a meme ship I must admit but that's where the fun in it is supposed to be. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Private_Wolk

[PlanyKaanere 722]

Apparently, when the Germans captured the Faa Di Bruno they also extended the hull to improve seaworthiness, which went from 55.6 m to 130 m. It was also renamed to Biber. Do you have any pictures of this configuration?

 

Source: seawarpeace.ru , navypedia

Edited March 28, 2020 by PlanyKaanere

[eleks12 1,079]

That is the wierdest looking battleship i have ever seen! It's like a sunken house with a turret on top of it!

 

I love it! +1

[Handorik 539]

21 minutes ago, PlanyKaanere said:

Apparently, when the Germans captured the Faa Di Bruno they also extended the hull to improve seaworthiness, which went from 55.6 m to 130 m. It was also renamed to Biber. Do you have any pictures of this configuration?

 

Source: seawarpeace.ru , navypedia

 

This modification was described only by german sources afaik. I don't know if it was a true project or not..but:

 

In this photo taken in Genoa in 1945, at the end of the war, she is partially sunked and with AA platform removed, but you can see the not modificated end of the stern (where there is the pole with the flag), there is also no signs of additional masts or of the little wheelhouse(?) abaft the tripod.

So if it is true i think it remains on the paper..

 

 

 

[Admiral_Aruon 2,264]

oh my god. what is this glorious abomination? i love it! basically a mobile cofferdam that's armored, and packing a completely ridiculous armament.

 

idk about its WWII service, but  for comparison here is page 296 from the 1906-1921 Conways all the Worlds Fighting Ships, that features Faà di Bruno along with other Italian monitors.

Edited March 31, 2020 by Admiral_Aruon

[_Pixy 196]

+1

[qwert96 700]

On 28/03/2020 at 01:27, Private_Wolk said:

During the voyage she endured a heavy storm and began to take on water. Faa di Bruno sank near the mouth of the Esino River on 18 November 1917 and wash removed from the naval register in 1924. During World War 2 Faa di Bruno was raised and recommissioned into the Regia Marina

During this voyage the Faa' Di Bruno didn't sink, the pontoon that sank was the Cappellini. Faa' Di Bruno "just" ran aground and was subsequently released.

[Conte_Baracca 4,547]

HAHAH let's see this thing smoke the Graff Spee.  +1

[Nicholas_Concu 2,634]

+1 

[Milocat 4,855]

Not sure how well this would work in the game.  Maybe as an event vehicle?  Either way, +1 for the memes.  

[DMYEugen 688]

Easy +1. More meme ships.

[hienapunk 1,065]

Ain't this the ship from war of the worlds?