Ship Review:
Conte di Cavour


Conte Di Cavour was the second attempt by the Italians to build a decent battleship. They somewhat succeeded. After their rebuilds, they were almost decent, and they were definitely fashionable. I won't bother with the WWI version. You shouldn't either.


Firepower: C Cavour has a nice setup with four centerline turrets and a raised X turret. As a result, with 4.5 units, she can have a 75 round haymaker, stern gun and bow sidemount,

or mount the Death Y.

This is actually somewhat decent.


Speed: B

At 26 seconds, Cavour is also pretty decent, which is to say she's not a speed bump. She's got enough speed to keep up with the battle. Unfortunately, with only twin shafts, she won't have the acceleration other ships do.


Manuverability: C

Cavour has the same inline rudder arrangement as Moltke, and you'd think that they'd be pretty similar, but with only two shafts, the wash over her rudder isn't as effective and she doesn't maneuver as well.


Target Factor: D

Cavour is also shorter than a lot of 26 second battleships, but her long, clean beautiful forecastle is just a magnet for bbs. Combined with her lack of maneuverability, she's going to take a lot of damage.


Skill Floor/Ceiling: Low/Moderate

Cavour is not for the beginner, or the faint of heart. While easy to build, she is not easy to battle effectively, and even in the hands of a skilled battler will probably take more damage than she gives.


Conclusion:

Conte Di Cavour is what you get when you do an extreme modernization of a WWI batteship that wasn't so great to start with. A very pretty boat that's just not as effective as a new one could have been. Her biggest problem is that in her speed class, there are several ships that can out turn, out accelerate, and out fight her. Moltke and company with their double haymaker setups can hold their own. Cavour just can't, and that's kind of a sad thing.


Return to the Commodore's (Axis) Ship Reviews...