pre-dreadnought RN Regina Margherita class Battleship

[Охраняет-Камни 6,650]

Hello, today I would like to suggest Regina Margherita class pre-dreadnoughts to join WT in the Italian Naval Tech Tree. This class of ships along with Regina Elena class pre-dreadnoughts, San Giorgio Armored Cruiser and other similar (in terms of overall characteristics) ships will help to decompress battle ratings to balance Dreadnoughts and for the health of WT Naval Battles in general. 

 

General information:

Spoiler

Regina Margherita was a class of ships which intended to replace not very good, weak and slow Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class. Regina Margherita class consisted of only 2 ships: Regina Margherita and Benedetto Brin. The class sucraficed a bit of armor for better firepower and speed. Overall it was quite a succesful class of ship. Benedetto Brin was a naval engineer who developed the ship class along with Admiral Ruggero Alfredo Micheli, who slightly modified the project after the death of the engineer Benedetto Brin.

Benedetto Brin initially wanted to arm the ships with only two of the 12-inch guns and twelve 8 in (203 mm) guns, but after his death, Admiral Micheli altered the design to double the number of 12-inch guns, at the expense of eight of the medium-caliber pieces. Compared to Regina Margherita, Benedetto Brin had shorter funnels and higher vanes. 

Both Regina Margherita and Benedetto Brin served in the active duty squadron for the first few years of their careers, and participated in the peacetime routine of fleet training. Regina Margherita frequently served as the fleet flagship before the completion of the new Regina Elena-class battleships. On 29 September 1911, Italy declared war on the Ottoman Empire, starting the Italo-Turkish War. The two ships saw action during the war in the 3rd Division in the 2nd Squadron. Benedetto Brin took part in the attack on Tripoli in October 1911, and both were involved in the campaign to seize Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

During WWI both the Italians and Austro-Hungarians adopted a cautious fleet policy in the confined waters of the Adriatic Sea, and so the two Regina Margherita-class battleships did not see action. Benedetto Brin served as a training ship based in Brindisi until she was destroyed in an internal explosion in the harbor on 27 September 1915 with heavy loss of life (454 men of the ship's crew died in the explosion). Regina Margherita served for a little bit longer, until she struck a mine laid by the German submarine SM UC-14 on the night of 11 December 1916 (though sources are conflicting, MM website tells that: "The battleship Regina Margherita out of Valona, due to bad weather conditions, sank because it ended up in a field of Italian mines placed to defend the entrance to the port of the bay."). 

 

Regina Margherita:

Worksite:

Arsenal of La Spezia Setting up: 20/11/1898 Launch: 30/05/1901 Completion: 14/04/1904 Loss: 11/12/1916

 

Benedetto Brin:

Worksite:

Castellammare di Stabia Setting up: 30/01/1899 Launch: 07/11/1901 Completion: 01/09/1905 Loss: 27/09/1915

 

Specifications:

Spoiler

Regina Margherita:

Displacement:	Normal: 13,427 Tons. Full load: 14.574 Tonn.
Dimensions:	Length: 138.6 (ft) - 130 (pp.) Mt. Width: 23.8 mt. Draft: 8.9 meters
Engine system:	28 boilers 2 alternative engines Power: 20,000 HP
Speed:	20 knots
Fuel:	1,000 tons of coal
Autonomy:	10,000 miles at 10 knots
Protection:	Vertical: 150 mm. Horizontal: 80 mm. Artillery: 220 mm. Tower: 150 mm.
Armament:	4 pieces of 305/40 mm. 4 pieces of 203/45 mm 12 pieces of 152 mm. 20 pieces of 76 mm. 2 pieces of 47 mm. 2 pieces of 37 mm. 2 machine gunners* 4 torpedo tubes
Crew:	797**

 

Benedetto Brin:

Displacement:	Normal: 13,427 t Full load: 14,574 t
Dimensions:	Length: 138.6 (ft) - 130 (pp.) M Width: 23.8 m Draft: 8.9 m
Engine system:	28 boilers 2 alternative engines Power: 20,000 HP
Speed:	20 knots
Fuel:	1,000 tons of coal
Autonomy:	10,000 miles at 10 knots
Protection:	Vertical: 150 mm. Horizontal: 80 mm. Artillery: 220 mm. Tower: 150 mm.
Armament:	4 pieces of 305/40 mm. 4 pieces of 203/45 mm 12 pieces of 152 mm. 20 pieces of 76 mm. 2 pieces of 47 mm. 2 pieces of 37 mm. 2 machine gunners* 4 torpedo tubes
Crew:	797**

* - 10mm /70 Maxim MGs

** - 797 according to MM website; 38+782 according to Aldo Fraccaroli's book and from 812 to 900 according to wikipedia (Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1860–1905. Annapolis: Conway Maritime Press.)

 

Photos and Schemes:

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Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina_Margherita-class_battleship

2. Marina Militare official website

https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/PQRS/regina_margherita.aspx

https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/ABCD/brin.aspx

3. "Ghosts of empires in color"

https://sorokovs.livejournal.com/464213.html

4. Italian Warships of World War 1 by Aldo Fraccaroli

Spoiler

 

Edited November 1, 2021 by _Condottiero_

[Princess_Pinch 5,625]

Open for discussion. o7

[Fireraid233 4,274]

+1

[Cabaen 183]

It Could be an interesting addition +1

[Nicholas_Concu 2,634]

+1 Great suggestion, i like the idea of decompression, which is very much needed in this game. 

[Milocat 4,857]

+1 along with other pre-Dreadnoughts.

[Taffu92 557]

I really wish they started the "Big Guns" part of naval filling entirely rank V with these ships instead of rushing head on into super Dreadnoughts

 

They are a bit sluggish and don't have the best AA, but if you find yourself facing one of these in a CA you don't immediately think "ok, I'm dead", but you can actively try to take them down.

 

That's because they only have a few "big guns" and they're not really that armoured, making it easier to angle against only a couple of 305mm shells (that can also easily miss) instead of a massive salvo from an impenetrable angled BB.

 

They would'nt have made naval immediately popular, as they are not really known themselves, but they would have made it playable, creating also a nice base for the first true Dreadnoughts for every nation.

[Conte_Baracca 4,547]

I assume the AA is single shot 47 and 37 and the Maxims.  What about the 76's.  Any of those set up for AA work?  Even just a couple would be great.

 

Regardless, I support.

BTW I voted both.  One could be Event/BP/Premium.  I really think there is a niche for these ships between cruisers and Dreadnoughts.  Something the game could use.

[Охраняет-Камни 6,650]

22 minutes ago, Conte_Baracca said:

I assume the AA is single shot 47 and 37 and the Maxims.  What about the 76's.  Any of those set up for AA work?  Even just a couple would be great.

 

Regardless, I support.

BTW I voted both.  One could be Event/BP/Premium.  I really think there is a niche for these ships between cruisers and Dreadnoughts.  Something the game could use.

The same cannon as on Dante.

PS imo a lack of AA for BBs is an overrated problem, despite having only 8 or 9 battles in Dante, I have been attacked by enemy planes many times, which, yes, managed to successfully hit my BB with German heavy bombs, American torpedoes for example, but at most I got a fire on board.

[WayOfTheWolk 1,573]

2 hours ago, Conte_Baracca said:

I assume the AA is single shot 47 and 37 and the Maxims.  What about the 76's.  Any of those set up for AA work?  Even just a couple would be great.

 

Regardless, I support.

BTW I voted both.  One could be Event/BP/Premium.  I really think there is a niche for these ships between cruisers and Dreadnoughts.  Something the game could use.

The 47mm, 76mms are only low angle guns and so are the 37s but at least those are located on the top mast so they'll have a better chance.  The Maxims are really the only thing AA the ship will have, I'm curious to see how a 10mm caliber machine gun will fare against aircraft in-game.

Edited July 28, 2021 by WayOfTheWolk

[Josephs_Piano 7,044]

God no - that Japanese pre-dreadnought "battlecruiser" is such a piece of junk, and this would be just as bad.

 

The Italians desperately need more T4 ships - grinding up to the Zara is such a pain - the "cruisers" are too damned expensive!

[Охраняет-Камни 6,650]

2 hours ago, Josephs_Piano said:

God no - that Japanese pre-dreadnought "battlecruiser" is such a piece of junk, and this would be just as bad.

 

The Italians desperately need more T4 ships - grinding up to the Zara is such a pain - the "cruisers" are too damned expensive!

It seems you completely miss the point why such ships are needed, you are talking about repair costs of Italian cruisers, but have you seen the cost of Dante and other dreadnoughts? I don't want to make you upset, but Zara while having high repair cost still fights against those BBs which can kill her by few salvos and you can't do anything against most of them. Such ships as Margherita and Elena can help to make a transition brs between cruisers and dreadnoughts.

[SturmWerwolf 793]

+1 I assume it'd be similar to IJN Ikoma. More decompression as other's have stated is also a good idea. 

[Grimbergen95 362]

+1 we need a margherita in the TT

[Conte_Baracca 4,547]

On 27/07/2021 at 23:41, WayOfTheWolk said:

The 47mm, 76mms are only low angle guns and so are the 37s but at least those are located on the top mast so they'll have a better chance.  The Maxims are really the only thing AA the ship will have, I'm curious to see how a 10mm caliber machine gun will fare against aircraft in-game.

ouch.  Still it would probably still help balance between cruisers and Dreadnoughts.  Heck might be a better balancing mechanic with poor AA.  Cause this thing would still give even a Hipper fits in War Thunder.

[John4Plays 70]

Badass looking ships, I want both!

+1 from me!

[Охраняет-Камни 6,650]

Launching art:

Spoiler

 

Cannons:

Spoiler

 

[LukTroy 124]

I believe it's performance in-game will depend on the fire-rate of the main guns, as well as the secondary guns. 1.5 rpm for the main guns and 2 rpm for the secondary ones is the best I have found. It will be painful to play if it will be like that in-game....

[Conte_Baracca 4,547]

I love the predreadnoughhts.