Difference between revisions of "RN Dante Alighieri"

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{{Specs-Card
 
{{Specs-Card
 
|code=it_battleship_dante_alighieri
 
|code=it_battleship_dante_alighieri
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the first part of the description, cover the history of the ship's creation and military application. In the second part, tell the reader about using this ship in the game. Add a screenshot: if a beginner player has a hard time remembering vehicles by name, a picture will help them identify the ship in question.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Italian battleship {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]].
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The '''RN Dante Alighieri''', launched on 20 August 1910 and entering service on 15 January 1913, was the first Italian dreadnought type battleship to be built. Despite her employment during the First World War, her service was devoid of significant events. In 1913, she embarked King Vittorio Emanuele III in Livorno to go to Castellammare di Stabia to attend the launching of the battleship [[RN Duilio|Duilio]]. During the war, she mainly carried out patrol activities in the southern Adriatic Sea. Her only significant action during the First World War was her presence at the bombardment of the port of Durazzo on 2 October 1918; Admiral Thaon di Revel raised her insignia in protection of the Italian-British task force against retaliatory Austro-Hungarian action.
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 +
In 1923, she was refitted: all boilers were converted to run on oil, a new quadruped foremast was installed to replace the original tripod, and the funnels were lengthened to reduce the discharge of combustion smoke onto the deck. In 1925, the ship was equipped to take on board an M.18 reconnaissance seaplane and in 1927, together with the Duilio, she visited the city of Zara. At the end of the 1920s, the distressed state of the Italian economy in the aftermath of the First World War did not allow for the maintenance of a sizeable fleet, and it was therefore decided to reduce the naval budget; consequently, the construction of the Caracciolos was suspended, it was decided to dismantle the battleship Leonardo da Vinci, which had been scheduled for refit after its recovery in the port of Taranto, and to withdraw the battleships Dante Alighieri and [[RN Conte di Cavour|Cavour]] from service. Thus, on 1 July 1928, the ship was laid up, to be decommissioned and dismantled shortly afterwards.
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Introduced in [[Update "Red Skies"]], the  '''{{Specs|1=name}}''' manoeuvrability is not bad for a battleship. The main armament consisting of 305 mm cannons allows you to destroy even heavy and light cruisers in one shot; however, against battleships and battlecruisers, targeting weakpoints in their hulls with APHE will be required to cause them as much damage as possible. The anti-air armament is quite poor, being composed only of two 40 mm cannons. Finally, Dante Alighieri's armour proves capable of resisting both torpedoes and enemy battleships.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Armour}}
 
<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.'' -->
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''Talk about the vehicle's armour. Note the most well-defended and most vulnerable zones, e.g. the ammo magazine. Evaluate the composition of components and assemblies responsible for movement and manoeuvrability. Evaluate the survivability of the primary and secondary armaments separately. Don't forget to mention the size of the crew, which plays an important role in fleet mechanics. Save tips on preserving survivability for the "Usage in battles" section. If necessary, use a graphical template to show the most well-protected or most vulnerable points in the armour.''
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[[File:RN Dante Alighieri Armor.jpg|thumb|Overview of the protection scheme]]
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The RN Dante Alighieri has a crew of 970 sailors, which is about average for a dreadnought. As is typical for dreadnoughts, the Dante uses a distributed armour scheme. This simply means that the armour of the vessel is spread across almost the entire hull rather than being concentrated on key compartments. The Dante has a main belt of 250mm, which is below average for a dreadnought and is approaching battlecruiser levels of thickness, however it is backed up by a 50mm turtleback layer and an array of coal bunkers which help halt penetrating shells and limit fragmentation. The entire main deck is covered in a uniform 28mm of armour which, combined with the 32mm lower deck, give a grand total of 60mm of protection against plunging fire. Not great, but is to be expected from an early dreadnought.
 +
 
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The upper belt is 203mm with the casemate guns above having a 100mm layer of armour. This does not give much protection against shells that hit above the main armour belt. The lower armoured deck is placed under the 100mm belt, though the 32mm of protection isn't of much use against an opponent that isn't at extremely close range, and even then you could have some of the more powerful AP shells going through anyway.
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 +
The turrets of the ship have similar levels of protection. The turret faces have 250mm, the turret sides and rears have 220mm, the gunshields are 203mm and the main barbettes are 240mm, with the lower barbettes thinning to 120mm. Again, not bad but not great.
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 +
The bow of the vessel has a layer of 100mm armour extending all the way around from both forward ends of the main belt, which is backed by a continuation of the 50mm turtleback and the 32mm armour deck, whilst the citadel has a 100mm bulkhead, all together providing decent protection against shells hitting the ship bow on, though can still be penetrated by battleship calibre guns at closer ranges.
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 +
The aft of the ship is protected by a 76mm belt, the same 28 and 32mm decks as before, the 50mm turtleback, as well as a 76mm bulkhead on the citadel. There are a lot of layers of armour that a shell might have to go through when hitting the aft of the ship, but none of these layers are particularly thick and many battleships won't have too much difficulty getting past them.
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 +
Altogether, the Dante has a level of protection that you could say is somewhere between a battlecruiser and battleship. Whilst not especially heavily protected, the vessel is more than capable of shrugging off cruiser fire and can tank some of the more intermediate battleship shells, though don't expect the ship to last very long while under fire from top tier battleships or battlecruisers.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
{{Specs-Fleet-Mobility}}
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.'' -->
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''Write about the ship's mobility. Evaluate its power and manoeuvrability, rudder rerouting speed, stopping speed at full tilt, with its maximum forward and reverse speed.''
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The RN Dante Alighieri is powered by 12 pairs of engines, which in turn power 4 propellers, generating enough power to bring the ship to a maximum speed of 44 km/h, and 25 km/h in reverse. In typical dreadnought fashion, the acceleration and turning speed are both awful.
  
 
{{NavalMobility}}
 
{{NavalMobility}}
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{{main|305 mm/46 Armstrong model 1909 (305 mm)}}
 
{{main|305 mm/46 Armstrong model 1909 (305 mm)}}
  
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''Provide information about the characteristics of the primary armament. Evaluate their efficacy in battle based on their reload speed, ballistics and the capacity of their shells. Add a link to the main article about the weapon: <code><nowiki>{{main|Weapon name (calibre)}}</nowiki></code>. Broadly describe the ammunition available for the primary armament, and provide recommendations on how to use it and which ammunition to choose.''
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The primary armament is composed of 4 triple-gun turrets of 305 mm/46 Armstrong model 1909 cannons, equipped with Semi Armour-Piercing (SAP) and Armour-Piercing (AP) shells.
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The SAP shell is the mainstay of the Dante, capable of outputting the most damage of the two shell types and is the better shell for general purpose anti-surface gunfire. The 31kg worth of filler is respectable by battleship standards and the penetration is enough to cleave through cruisers and threaten capital ships that are at close range or have thin armour.
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The AP shell is far more specialised. This shell has some of the highest penetration statistics of any naval gun in the game, especially for its calibre, however the bursting charge is puny. With only 5.66kg worth of filler, this shell has the least filler of any battleship shell in the game, less even than the infamously low filler of the Scharnhorst's 283mm guns, and is more comparable with the level of explosive filler found in cruiser guns. What this means is that whilst the shell should be able to get through the vast majority of any armour it comes across, the post penetration damage will be awful and will require the shells to hit in just the right places to be useful in battle.
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Both of the shell types have a slightly above average muzzle velocity of 861m/s. Not especially fast, but certainly not slow either.
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{{:305 mm/46 Armstrong model 1909 (305 mm)/Ammunition|305 mm SAP, 305 mm APCBC}}
  
 
=== Secondary armament ===
 
=== Secondary armament ===
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{{main|120 mm/50 Armstrong model 1909 (120 mm)|76 mm/40 Armstrong mod.1897/1910 (76 mm)}}
 
{{main|120 mm/50 Armstrong model 1909 (120 mm)|76 mm/40 Armstrong mod.1897/1910 (76 mm)}}
  
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''Some ships are fitted with weapons of various calibres. Secondary armaments are defined as weapons chosen with the control <code>Select secondary weapon</code>. Evaluate the secondary armaments and give advice on how to use them. Describe the ammunition available for the secondary armament. Provide recommendations on how to use them and which ammunition to choose. Remember that any anti-air armament, even heavy calibre weapons, belong in the next section. If there is no secondary armament, remove this section.''
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Secondary armament is composed of 4 twin-mounted 120 mm/50 Armstrong model 1909 cannons, 12 single 120 mm/50 Armstrong cannons, and 12 x 76 mm/40 Armstrong cannons. The 120 mm are useful for shooting light ships like destroyers and boats, while the 76 mm can help supplement the paltry anti-air weaponry.
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{{:120 mm/50 Armstrong model 1909 (120 mm)/Ammunition|120 mm SAP}}
  
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
 
=== Anti-aircraft armament ===
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{{main|76 mm/40 Armstrong mod.1897/1912 (76 mm)|40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni mod.1915/1917 (40 mm)}}
 
{{main|76 mm/40 Armstrong mod.1897/1912 (76 mm)|40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni mod.1915/1917 (40 mm)}}
  
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''An important part of the ship's armament responsible for air defence. Anti-aircraft armament is defined by the weapon chosen with the control <code>Select anti-aircraft weapons</code>. Talk about the ship's anti-air cannons and machine guns, the number of guns and their positions, their effective range, and about their overall effectiveness – including against surface targets. If there are no anti-aircraft armaments, remove this section.''
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This ship as anti-aircraft armament has 4 x 76 mm/40 Armstrong cannons and 2 x 40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni. The 40 mm have timed-fuse HE, though their age makes them of dubious quality at best against aircraft. The 76 mm only have AP shells, which is not all that helpful when fighting aircraft.
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
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''Describe the technique of using this ship, the characteristics of her use in a team and tips on strategy. Abstain from writing an entire guide – don't try to provide a single point of view, but give the reader food for thought. Talk about the most dangerous opponents for this vehicle and provide recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of playing with this vehicle in various modes (AB, RB, SB).''
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Being a dreadnought, the RN Dante Alighieri can cause great damage to both cruisers and destroyers and, while not the heaviest hitter of battleships in this tier, it is still capable of threatening other battleships with its 305 mm cannons. The secondary 120 mm cannons can be of great help in dealing extra damage to cruisers and destroyers while the main guns reload, though their lack of penetration and filler make them ineffective against other capital ships. Whilst the anti-air capabilities are better than usual for a dreadnought, it's still weak enough that most aircraft will be able to get through without much difficulty.
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In battle, mainly use the SAP shells because of the vastly greater explosive filler compared to the AP, easily setting enemy ships alight and reducing their crew in a short time. The AP is only really useful against other battleships when the SAP can't get through the armour, or against ships where you know the exact position of their ammo racks and are close enough to aim accurately.
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When fighting battleships, aim to keep the ship as angled as possible while still being able to keep all main guns on target, in order to increase the effective thickness of your armour. Whilst you can try zig-zag from side to side to dodge enemy shells, the slow speed of the ship means this is only really feasible at extreme range and even then, it will still mess up your own aiming. A better option is to change your speed from time to time, occasionally slowing down or speeding up. This is a more subtle way of dodging that may be easy for an enemy to not notice until their shots miss, and it keeps your armour fully angled at all times. While still interrupting your aiming, to a degree, it is easier to correct for than if you were to jerk the ship from side to side.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
 
<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
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''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".''
 
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
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* Devastating firepower
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* 12 gun broadside
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* Sizable complement
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* Very high penetration for the 305mm AP
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* Better AA protection than other dreadnoughts
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* Decent survivability and crew size for its BR
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* Slightly better AA protection than other WW1 era dreadnoughts
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* Above average speed for a dreadnought
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
  
−
* Relatively low protection
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* Anti-air still has trouble with most aircraft
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* Can only aim a single turret immediately forward or behind
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* Below average armour for a dreadnought
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
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''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ship in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the ship and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Ship-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the ship's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''
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[[File:Dante-Alighieri-Firing.jpg|thumb|Dante Alighieri during the live-gunnery exercises]]
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After the construction of HMS Dreadnought, several nations tried to build similar ships which were then classified as dreadnoughts, because HMS Dreadnought marked the beginning of the first battleships.
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The Italian Navy was still engaged in the construction of the [[wikipedia:Italian battleship Vittorio Emanuele|Vittorio Emanuele-class fast battleships]], which was unsuccessful despite being promoted by a senior officer.
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The first Italian dreadnought was the Dante Alighieri, launched in 1910 and designed by the Naval Engineer Edoardo Masdea.
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This ship demonstrated numerous technical innovations, among which the arrangement of the 12 x 305 mm main cannons in triple turrets. To ensure maximum performance of each system, the turrets were arranged longitudinally; the system of superfiring towers was not adopted because at that time there were doubts about the system that was used by the Americans and British.
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In the end, the Dante Alighieri can be considered as a prototype for the development of the following [[Conte di Cavour (Family)|Conte di Cavour]] and [[Duilio (Family)|Duilio]] classes.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=it_battleship_dante_alighieri Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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;Images
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<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
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File:RN Dante Alighieri parte 1.png
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File:RN Dante Alighieri parte 2.png
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File:RN Dante Alighieri parte 3.png
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</gallery>
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;Videos
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{{Youtube-gallery|6kUe7pdqCC0|'''Best Battleships''' discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 00:34 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==
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* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
 
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
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''Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
  
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* ''reference to the series of the ship;''
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* [[RN Andrea Doria]]
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* [[HMS Dreadnought]]
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
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* [[wt:en/news/7181-development-dante-alighieri-a-poet-goes-to-war-en|[Devblog] Dante Alighieri: A Poet Goes to War]]
 
* [[wt:en/news/7181-development-dante-alighieri-a-poet-goes-to-war-en|[Devblog] Dante Alighieri: A Poet Goes to War]]
 +
* [[wikipedia:Italian battleship Dante Alighieri|<nowiki>[wikipedia]</nowiki> Italian battleship Dante Alighieri]]
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* [http://www.agenziabozzo.it/navi_da_guerra/c-navi%20da%20guerra/C-0014_DANTE_ALIGHIERI_1910_corazzata_carica_carbone_Bunkeraggio_1915.htm <nowiki>[Agenzia Bozzo]</nowiki> 014 C. DANTE ALIGHIERI 1910]
  
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{{ShipManufacturer Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia}}
 
{{Italy battleships}}
 
{{Italy battleships}}

Latest revision as of 17:51, 4 November 2024

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
RN Dante Alighieri
it_battleship_dante_alighieri.png
GarageImage RN Dante Alighieri.jpg
ArtImage RN Dante Alighieri.png
RN Dante Alighieri
Italy flag.png Italy
V Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
6.3 6.3 6.3
Class:
Research:230 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:640 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The RN Dante Alighieri, launched on 20 August 1910 and entering service on 15 January 1913, was the first Italian dreadnought type battleship to be built. Despite her employment during the First World War, her service was devoid of significant events. In 1913, she embarked King Vittorio Emanuele III in Livorno to go to Castellammare di Stabia to attend the launching of the battleship Duilio. During the war, she mainly carried out patrol activities in the southern Adriatic Sea. Her only significant action during the First World War was her presence at the bombardment of the port of Durazzo on 2 October 1918; Admiral Thaon di Revel raised her insignia in protection of the Italian-British task force against retaliatory Austro-Hungarian action.

In 1923, she was refitted: all boilers were converted to run on oil, a new quadruped foremast was installed to replace the original tripod, and the funnels were lengthened to reduce the discharge of combustion smoke onto the deck. In 1925, the ship was equipped to take on board an M.18 reconnaissance seaplane and in 1927, together with the Duilio, she visited the city of Zara. At the end of the 1920s, the distressed state of the Italian economy in the aftermath of the First World War did not allow for the maintenance of a sizeable fleet, and it was therefore decided to reduce the naval budget; consequently, the construction of the Caracciolos was suspended, it was decided to dismantle the battleship Leonardo da Vinci, which had been scheduled for refit after its recovery in the port of Taranto, and to withdraw the battleships Dante Alighieri and Cavour from service. Thus, on 1 July 1928, the ship was laid up, to be decommissioned and dismantled shortly afterwards.

Introduced in Update "Red Skies", the RN Dante Alighieri, 1923 manoeuvrability is not bad for a battleship. The main armament consisting of 305 mm cannons allows you to destroy even heavy and light cruisers in one shot; however, against battleships and battlecruisers, targeting weakpoints in their hulls with APHE will be required to cause them as much damage as possible. The anti-air armament is quite poor, being composed only of two 40 mm cannons. Finally, Dante Alighieri's armour proves capable of resisting both torpedoes and enemy battleships.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Citadel100 / 250 / 24 mm
Main fire tower250 / 220 / 220 mm
Hull25 mm (steel)
Superstructure16 mm (steel)
Number of section9
Displacement21 800 t
Crew970 people
Overview of the protection scheme

The RN Dante Alighieri has a crew of 970 sailors, which is about average for a dreadnought. As is typical for dreadnoughts, the Dante uses a distributed armour scheme. This simply means that the armour of the vessel is spread across almost the entire hull rather than being concentrated on key compartments. The Dante has a main belt of 250mm, which is below average for a dreadnought and is approaching battlecruiser levels of thickness, however it is backed up by a 50mm turtleback layer and an array of coal bunkers which help halt penetrating shells and limit fragmentation. The entire main deck is covered in a uniform 28mm of armour which, combined with the 32mm lower deck, give a grand total of 60mm of protection against plunging fire. Not great, but is to be expected from an early dreadnought.

The upper belt is 203mm with the casemate guns above having a 100mm layer of armour. This does not give much protection against shells that hit above the main armour belt. The lower armoured deck is placed under the 100mm belt, though the 32mm of protection isn't of much use against an opponent that isn't at extremely close range, and even then you could have some of the more powerful AP shells going through anyway.

The turrets of the ship have similar levels of protection. The turret faces have 250mm, the turret sides and rears have 220mm, the gunshields are 203mm and the main barbettes are 240mm, with the lower barbettes thinning to 120mm. Again, not bad but not great.

The bow of the vessel has a layer of 100mm armour extending all the way around from both forward ends of the main belt, which is backed by a continuation of the 50mm turtleback and the 32mm armour deck, whilst the citadel has a 100mm bulkhead, all together providing decent protection against shells hitting the ship bow on, though can still be penetrated by battleship calibre guns at closer ranges.

The aft of the ship is protected by a 76mm belt, the same 28 and 32mm decks as before, the 50mm turtleback, as well as a 76mm bulkhead on the citadel. There are a lot of layers of armour that a shell might have to go through when hitting the aft of the ship, but none of these layers are particularly thick and many battleships won't have too much difficulty getting past them.

Altogether, the Dante has a level of protection that you could say is somewhere between a battlecruiser and battleship. Whilst not especially heavily protected, the vessel is more than capable of shrugging off cruiser fire and can tank some of the more intermediate battleship shells, though don't expect the ship to last very long while under fire from top tier battleships or battlecruisers.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB51 / 29 km/h
RB44 / 25 km/h

The RN Dante Alighieri is powered by 12 pairs of engines, which in turn power 4 propellers, generating enough power to bring the ship to a maximum speed of 44 km/h, and 25 km/h in reverse. In typical dreadnought fashion, the acceleration and turning speed are both awful.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode Upgrade Status Maximum Speed (km/h) Turn Time (s) Turn Radius (m)
Forward Reverse
AB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 51 29
RB/SB Stock ___ ___
Upgraded 44 25

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB22 774 → 28 604 Sl icon.png
RB28 736 → 36 092 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications220 000 Rp icon.png
341 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost2 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training185 000 Sl icon.png
Experts640 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 700 Ge icon.png
Research Aces720 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
450 / 600 / 100 % Sl icon.png
196 / 196 / 196 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Seakeeping Unsinkability Firepower
Mods new ship hull.png
Dry-Docking
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
340 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship rudder.png
Rudder Replacement
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship screw.png
Propeller Replacement
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship engine.png
Engine Maintenance
Research:
24 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
37 000 Sl icon.png
540 Ge icon.png
Mods ship damage control crew.png
Damage Control Division
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
340 Ge icon.png
Mods ship fire control crew.png
Fire Division
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods ship anti fragmentation protection.png
Shrapnel Protection
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods ship venting.png
Ventilation
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods new ship pumps.png
New Pumps
Research:
24 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
37 000 Sl icon.png
540 Ge icon.png
Mods ship ammo wetting.png
Ammo Wetting
Research:
24 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
37 000 Sl icon.png
540 Ge icon.png
Mods new aa caliber turrets.png
Anti-Air Armament Targeting
Research:
15 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
23 000 Sl icon.png
340 Ge icon.png
Mods new aux caliber turrets.png
Auxiliary Armament Targeting
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods tank ammo.png
305mm_it_armstrong_navy_ap_ammo_pack
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
19 000 Sl icon.png
270 Ge icon.png
Mods new main caliber turrets.png
Primary Armament Targeting
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png
Mods ship rangefinder.png
Improved Rangefinder
Research:
11 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
17 000 Sl icon.png
250 Ge icon.png

Armament

Primary armament

4 х Turret3 x 305 mm/46 Armstrong cannon, model 1909
Ammunition300 rounds
Vertical guidance-5° / 20°
Main article: 305 mm/46 Armstrong model 1909 (305 mm)

The primary armament is composed of 4 triple-gun turrets of 305 mm/46 Armstrong model 1909 cannons, equipped with Semi Armour-Piercing (SAP) and Armour-Piercing (AP) shells.

The SAP shell is the mainstay of the Dante, capable of outputting the most damage of the two shell types and is the better shell for general purpose anti-surface gunfire. The 31kg worth of filler is respectable by battleship standards and the penetration is enough to cleave through cruisers and threaten capital ships that are at close range or have thin armour.

The AP shell is far more specialised. This shell has some of the highest penetration statistics of any naval gun in the game, especially for its calibre, however the bursting charge is puny. With only 5.66kg worth of filler, this shell has the least filler of any battleship shell in the game, less even than the infamously low filler of the Scharnhorst's 283mm guns, and is more comparable with the level of explosive filler found in cruiser guns. What this means is that whilst the shell should be able to get through the vast majority of any armour it comes across, the post penetration damage will be awful and will require the shells to hit in just the right places to be useful in battle.

Both of the shell types have a slightly above average muzzle velocity of 861m/s. Not especially fast, but certainly not slow either.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
305 mm SAP SAP 418 375 314 264 224 172
305 mm APCBC APCBC 673 611 521 447 387 303
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(s) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
305 mm SAP SAP 861 401.2 0.03 17 31 47° 60° 65°
305 mm APCBC APCBC 861 452.37 0.035 17 5.66 48° 63° 71°

Secondary armament

4 х Turret2 x 120 mm/50 Armstrong cannon, model 1909
Ammunition400 rounds
12 х Turret120 mm/50 Armstrong cannon, model 1909
Ammunition200 rounds
12 х Turret76 mm/40 Armstrong cannon, mod.1897/1910
Ammunition240 rounds
Main articles: 120 mm/50 Armstrong model 1909 (120 mm), 76 mm/40 Armstrong mod.1897/1910 (76 mm)

Secondary armament is composed of 4 twin-mounted 120 mm/50 Armstrong model 1909 cannons, 12 single 120 mm/50 Armstrong cannons, and 12 x 76 mm/40 Armstrong cannons. The 120 mm are useful for shooting light ships like destroyers and boats, while the 76 mm can help supplement the paltry anti-air weaponry.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
1,000 m 2,500 m 5,000 m 7,500 m 10,000 m 15,000 m
120 mm SAP SAP 121 93 61 42 31 27
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(s) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (kg) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
120 mm SAP SAP 850 22.13 0.025 6 2.2 47° 60° 65°

Anti-aircraft armament

4 х Turret76 mm/40 Armstrong cannon, mod.1897/1912
Ammunition240 rounds
2 х Turret40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni mod.1915/1917 autocannon
Ammunition1500 rounds
Belt capacity50 rounds
Fire rate200 shots/min
Main articles: 76 mm/40 Armstrong mod.1897/1912 (76 mm), 40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni mod.1915/1917 (40 mm)

This ship as anti-aircraft armament has 4 x 76 mm/40 Armstrong cannons and 2 x 40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni. The 40 mm have timed-fuse HE, though their age makes them of dubious quality at best against aircraft. The 76 mm only have AP shells, which is not all that helpful when fighting aircraft.

Usage in battles

Being a dreadnought, the RN Dante Alighieri can cause great damage to both cruisers and destroyers and, while not the heaviest hitter of battleships in this tier, it is still capable of threatening other battleships with its 305 mm cannons. The secondary 120 mm cannons can be of great help in dealing extra damage to cruisers and destroyers while the main guns reload, though their lack of penetration and filler make them ineffective against other capital ships. Whilst the anti-air capabilities are better than usual for a dreadnought, it's still weak enough that most aircraft will be able to get through without much difficulty.

In battle, mainly use the SAP shells because of the vastly greater explosive filler compared to the AP, easily setting enemy ships alight and reducing their crew in a short time. The AP is only really useful against other battleships when the SAP can't get through the armour, or against ships where you know the exact position of their ammo racks and are close enough to aim accurately.

When fighting battleships, aim to keep the ship as angled as possible while still being able to keep all main guns on target, in order to increase the effective thickness of your armour. Whilst you can try zig-zag from side to side to dodge enemy shells, the slow speed of the ship means this is only really feasible at extreme range and even then, it will still mess up your own aiming. A better option is to change your speed from time to time, occasionally slowing down or speeding up. This is a more subtle way of dodging that may be easy for an enemy to not notice until their shots miss, and it keeps your armour fully angled at all times. While still interrupting your aiming, to a degree, it is easier to correct for than if you were to jerk the ship from side to side.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 12 gun broadside
  • Very high penetration for the 305mm AP
  • Decent survivability and crew size for its BR
  • Slightly better AA protection than other WW1 era dreadnoughts
  • Above average speed for a dreadnought

Cons:

  • Anti-air still has trouble with most aircraft
  • Can only aim a single turret immediately forward or behind
  • Below average armour for a dreadnought

History

Dante Alighieri during the live-gunnery exercises

After the construction of HMS Dreadnought, several nations tried to build similar ships which were then classified as dreadnoughts, because HMS Dreadnought marked the beginning of the first battleships.

The Italian Navy was still engaged in the construction of the Vittorio Emanuele-class fast battleships, which was unsuccessful despite being promoted by a senior officer.

The first Italian dreadnought was the Dante Alighieri, launched in 1910 and designed by the Naval Engineer Edoardo Masdea.

This ship demonstrated numerous technical innovations, among which the arrangement of the 12 x 305 mm main cannons in triple turrets. To ensure maximum performance of each system, the turrets were arranged longitudinally; the system of superfiring towers was not adopted because at that time there were doubts about the system that was used by the Americans and British.

In the end, the Dante Alighieri can be considered as a prototype for the development of the following Conte di Cavour and Duilio classes.

Media

Skins
Images
  • RN Dante Alighieri parte 1.png
  • RN Dante Alighieri parte 2.png
  • RN Dante Alighieri parte 3.png
Videos
Best Battleships discusses the RN Dante Alighieri at 00:34 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

External links


Royal Dockyard of Castellammare di Stabia (Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia)
Corvettes 
Albatros-class  Albatros · Alcione
Battleships 
Unique Ships  RN Dante Alighieri
Duilio-class  RN Duilio
Francesco Caracciolo-class  RN Francesco Caracciolo

Italy battleships
  RN Dante Alighieri*
Conte di Cavour-class  RN Conte di Cavour · RN Leonardo da Vinci
Duilio-class  RN Duilio · RN Andrea Doria
Francesco Caracciolo-class  RN Francesco Caracciolo
  *  = Unique ship

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