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The Condottieri class was a sequence of five, different,
light cruiserA 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...
classes of the
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(Italian Navy), although these classes show a clear line of evolution. They were built before
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to gain predominance in the
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. The ships were named after military commanders (condottieri) of Italian history.
Each class is known after the first ship of the group:
:
Cadorna class:
Montecuccoli class:
Duca d'Aosta class:
Duca degli Abruzzi class:
Evolution
The first group, the four Di Giussanos, were built for speed, with virtually no armour and a large power plant - equivalent to that of the heavier Trento class. The two Cadornas retained the main characteristics, with minor changes.
Major changes were introduced for the next pair, the Montecuccolis. Heavier ships, with significantly better protection, and uprated power-plants to maintain the required high speed. The two Duca d'Aostas continued the trend, thickening the armour and increasing the power plant again.
The final pair, the Duca degli Abruzzis completed the transition, sacrificing a little speed for further armour and extra guns for main and secondary batteries.
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