Michelangelo
Tier IX · Cruiser · Italy · Premium
Rating B+ (Above average within its tier and class · overall score 61) · Agile cruiser
Agile cruiser, suited to spotting. It is weak against cruisers (AP deals a same-tier cruiser's HP in about 5 min on paper). 33.1 kn top speed and good turning, acceleration give it excellent mobility. Effective HP of 48,914 is 16% above average, and evasive handling, smoke help it last. AP-only, it looks for big citadel hits on broadsiding capital ships but often overpens destroyers (10% damage). Its firepower trails other cruisers, so pick favorable angles and ranges over straight DPM races.
Key stats
- HP: 43,778
- Top speed: 33.08 kn
- Surface detectability: 9.54 km
- Main battery: 320 mm 2X4 · reload 17.5 s · range 12.54 km
The Washington Naval Conference gave Italy the opportunity to build battleships from 1927. Several projects with a displacement of 18,000 to 35,000 tons were under development simultaneously; some projects relied on foreign designs—Hood, Nelson, and Dunkerque—but some were unique. The design proposed by Admiral de Feo featured a ship with eight 320 mm guns in quadruple-gun turrets placed close to the midship frames while the secondary battery mounts were moved toward the ship's fore and aft ends.