Vittorio Emanuele was designed by Vittorio Cuniberti, the distinguished naval architect. His concept was a battleship faster than other battleships that could run down armored cruisers. The sisters Vittorio Emanuele, Regina Elena, Roma, and Napoli were faster than contemporary battleships by 3 to 4 knots, but they had an unusual armament of two 12-inch main guns and a heavy secondary armament of twelve 8-inch guns. They were considered very successful ships although contemporary battleships outgunned them. The appearances of the four sisters varied considerably. However, I think Vittorio Emanuele, with her high funnels, was a very attractive subject for a model. The model is in 1:550 scale.

Gregory Shoda

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