Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1103

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The first-class cruisers in the following list are all of deck-protected, have more or less of side-armouring.

Marco Polo. Vettor Pisani Carlo Alberto Varese.

Qiuseppe Garibaldi Francesco Ferrucio

The turret battleship Duilio is of the central citadel turret type, represented in our own navy by the Inflexible, to which it is superior in speed and armament, but much inferior in protection. Its four 10-inch Armstrong guns are coupled in two closed turrets amidships, which are placed somewhat diagonally in relation to one another, their axes a little on either side of the keel-line. The Dandolo, originally of the same type, has been refitted and rearmed; in place of the four 100-ton muzzle-loaders, 10-inch breech-loaders have been mounted, along with seven 6-inch and five 4 7-inch quick firers. In the Italia and Lepanto, which are the heaviest of Italian battleships (15,900 tons), and among the largest war-ships afloat, there is a similar disposition of the heavy guns. Except upon the casemate and at the base of the funnels, these ships have no vertical armour, the protection being given by a 4-inch steel deck below the water-line. The Ruggiero di Lauria and her two sisters are smaller battleships (11,000 tons), but their four Armstrong guns are still heavier (105 tons). These are mounted in couples in a similar manner in two protected barbettes before and abaft the single fighting mast, and severally on the starboard and