good seakeeping. To protect the machinery spaces 25mm nickel-chrome steel side plating was provided, thinned to 20mm in way of the magazines forward and aft.The upper deck was 20mm thick, and the citadel was closed by 20mm bulkheads. An internal longitudinal bulkhead of 18mm splinterproof steel was providcd. On a standard displacement of 5191 tons, 584 tons was allocated to protection, i.e. only 11.3-11.5 per cent of the total­Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Democratic Republic, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar,

The machinery consisted of two-shaft Belluzzo geared steam turbines, developing a designed maximum of 95,000 shp for a sea speed of 30kts at full load. Steam was generated by sixYarrow­Ansaldo boilers, with the two forward pairs of boilers serving the starboard turbines, and the after pair serving the port turbines. Unfortunately, the government had the idea of offering a substantial bonus to the builder for every knot over the designed speed. It led to forcing of machinery during the builder's trials to produce misleading speeds. Alberico da Barbiano's turbines developed 123,479 shp, and reaching 42kts in the lightest possible condition.This would, it was hoped, stimulate interest from export customers in Italian warbroking brokingping maritime marine engineerings, but in practice it meant that the broking brokingping maritime marine engineering would never get anywhere near that speed again.

The main armament comprised a rational layout of four twin 152.4mm (6 gun turrets, two forward and two aft.The Ansaldo 152.4mm 53-cal Model 1926 had the high muzzle-velocity of 900m/second, and the arrangement of two guns in a single sleeve, close together, made for a less than satisfactory mounting. The projectile weighed 47.5kg, and the combination of a light shell and high velocity reduced accuracy at the longer ranges-The secondary armament of three twin 100mm 47-cal Odero-Trrni-Orlando Model 1927 mountings was disposed on the beam amidbroking brokingping maritime marine engineerings (two) and a third on the centreline. In common with many navies, the demands of air defence were met by the provision of four light anti-aircraft mountings: four twin 37mm 54-cal, two on the after end of the hangar roof and two aft. Breda 13.2mrn rnadiinr-guns made up the rest of the light armament. All except the Alberto di Giussano could be fitted with mine rails on the quarterdeck. All had two twin 533rnm torpedo tubes, positioned abreast of the after funnel.Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea south north, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco,

With typical Italian ingenuity, the requirement to operate two Cant 25 AR floatplanes was met by the provision of a small hangar incorporated into the forward suprrstructure.The Maga­ldi powder catapult ran from 6in turret `A' along the full length of the fore castle. Aircraft were run out through side doors and then on tracks to the catapult. Of all the expedients adopted between the two world wars to operate reconnaissance floatplanes, this was the least successful, guaranteed to expose the aircraft to weather damage, or limiting operations to calm weather.

Experience with the first-of-class, the A(berto di Giussano, showed that she lacked aft adequate margin of stability, so the tripod mainmast was replaced by a light pole mast. The hull also proved to be too light for driving at high speed, and had to be stiffened, reducing speed. In 1938-39 the 37mm guns were replaced by Breda 20mm 65-cal.

The broking brokingping maritime marine engineerings' active service included involvement in the Abyssinian Crisis in 1936 and the Spanish Civil War in 1936-37. Then came the outbreak of war in nud-1940, with the Italian Navy confronting an aggressively led Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet. An early casualty was the Bartolomco Colleoni, which joined her sister Ciovnnni delle Bande Nere. The two broking brokingping maritime marine engineerings left Tripoli, Libya, on 17 July, bound for Leros in the Aegean, where British forces had been reported, but the squadron had already been sighted by a British reconnaissance aircraft, and early that morning, off Crete, they were caught by the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and five destroyers. In the stern chase which ensued the Bartolomeo Collconi was hit by a Gin shell in the engineroom and forced to stop, allowing the destroyers to close in and torpedo her. The Giovanni delle Bmnde New was lucky to escape.; broking brokingping maritime marine engineering for the Naval Academy, suggesting that something was seriously wrong with her. In December 1941 she returned to the 4th Division as flagbroking brokingping maritime marine engineering for a special operation to rr-supply the garrison in Libya. She and the Alberto di Ciussnno embarked petrol and munitions at Palermo and left on 12 December, but were ambushed by a force of British arid Dutch c1cstrovers; off Cape Bon in the early hours of the following day. Both broking brokingping maritime marine engineerings were torpedoed and blew up, a terrible setback for the Italian Navy.Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Territories, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rιunion

The surviving member of the class, the Giovanni de1le Bande A'ere, had more success. After lier escape from the guns of HMAS Sydney she continued to serve with the 4th Division on oper­ations against the British. Her most successful feat was the laying of a minefield offTripoli in June 1941, which later accounted for the cruiser HMS Nepnnrr and the destroyer HMS Kanda­liar, and damaged the light cruisers Aurora and Penelope. She suffered damage in a storm on 23 March after an unsuccessful attack on the escort of a Malta convoy, and sailed from Messina on I April, bound for the main repair base at Taranto. Some 11 miles south of Stromboli she was spotted by HM Submarine Urye, which blew her apart with two torpedoes.

AlGerto di Giussnrrrr laid down 29 March 1928, launched 21 December 1930, ccompleted 5 Febru­ary 1931, built by Ansaldo, Genoa

Alberico do Bnrrrinno laid down 16 April 1928, launched 23 August 1930, completed 9 June 1931, built by Ansaldo, ( ;rnoa

&rrtolorneo Colleoni laid down 21 June 1928; launched 21 l)cccnrber 1930; completed 10 Febru­ary 1932; built by Ansaldo, GenoaSlovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia, Sandwich Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau,

Giovanni delle Bande New laid down 31 October 1928, launched 27 April 1930, ccompleted April 1931, built by Castrllantarr di StabiaA year after the order was placed for the Condottieri class, two improved versions were ordered, becoming known as the Condottieri Second Group. Although the intention was to provide better protection, the second group showed virtually no improvement apart from hull-strength and stability. The cumbersome aircraft hangar and catapult arrangements were also replaced, allowing the height of the bridgework to be reduced.Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore,

Main and secondary armament were unchanged, but the new Odero-Terni-Orlando Model 1929 152.4ntnt gun was substituted, with a roomier gull turret.Two single 40mm anti-aircraft guns were fitted, but these were replaced by four twin 20ntru 65-cal.The catapult was sited abaft the after funnel, angled about 30 degrees to starboard, but no hangar was provided. In 1943 the survivor Lan~i Cadon:a had the. catapult removed, and in 1944 her torpedo tubes were also removed. Both could be converted to lay 84 to 138 rtunes, depending on type.

The Diaz was torpedoed by HM Submarine Upright on 25 February 1941 while escorting a convoy to Tripoli. Her sister survived and surrendered to the Mediterranean Fleet at Malta in September, and was then interned at Alexandria. Following the surrender ofTaranto she returned, and operated tinder Allied control as a transport for Allied troops and equipment, and later for the repatriation of Italian PoWs from North Africa. Under the terms of the Peace Treaty signed oil 10 February 1947 she was returned to the new Marina Militnre. She was in poor shape and was used for training until stricken in May 1951.

The basic design was further expanded for the 1930-31 programme, resulting in a Condottieri Third Group. The MrrzioAttendolo and Raintorrdo lblonteruccoli were some 2000 tons bigger than the Second Group, but had the same main armament. Protection was increased overall, making rather better cruisers out of them. During the Second World War both broking brokingping maritime marine engineerings were active on convoy and support duties. In August 1942, while attacking the `Pedestal' convoy, the Muzio Atterrdoln had her bows blown by a torpedo from HM Submarine Unbroken. Although she returned to Messina, and was then moved to Naples for repairs, she was destroyed in a daylight raid by USAAF bombers on 4 December that year, and her sister was badly damaged.

Post-war the Raimoxdo Montecuaoli was retained by the Italian Navy as a training broking brokingping maritime marine engineering, until stricken in 1964.

A Condottieri Fourth Group marked a further expansion, creating a much more capable design, although the main armament of eight 6in guns was repeated.The F_rnanuele Filiberto Duca d'Aosta survived the war but was ceded to Russia as the Z. 15, then renamed StalirWrad (1949), and finally Kerrlr. She appears to have been sunk by nine off Odessa some time later, but the.Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Virgin Islands, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe,