Carlo Cestra – författare

Scirè was an Italian Adua-class submarine, which served during World War II in the Regia Marina (the Italian Navy). She was named after the Ethiopian region, where there was a battle between the Italian and Abyssinian troops during the war in Ethiopia in 1936. She was laid down by the Italian shipbuilder “Odero-Terni-Orlando (OTO)”, in La Spezia, on January 30, 1937. She was launched on January 6, 1938 and was commissioned into “Regia Marina” on April 25, 1938. During the war, she was modified to carry three mini submarines (SLCs). Actually she is one of the most famous submarines in the world due to the missions to Gibraltar and Alexandria.

Prince of Wales was a King George V-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She was originally named King Edward VIII but upon the abdication of Edward VIII the ship was renamed even before she had been laid down. This occurred on New Year’s Day 1937 at Cammel Lairds at their Birkenhead shipyard, and hull took just over two years to build. She was launched on 4 May 1939 by the Princess Royal and she was fitting out when war was declared in September.

HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson were the only battleships of the Nelson class. HMS Rodney was built at Birkenhead Shipyards. She was launched on 28 December 1922, took the sea on 17 December 1925 and was commissioned in November 1927, three months behind Nelson. Her name was received in honor of Admiral Sir George Brydges Rodney. She fought her entire career under the motto of “Non generant aquilae columbas” (“Eagles do not breed doves”).The engineers found the perfect balance between size, armoring and armament, paying attention to achievable speeds. Her design was particular because the ship housed all the main armament towers at the bow, instead of having them distributed in the bow and stern, as it was then in use.They had a displacement that did not exceed 35,000 tons, respecting the Washington Treaty of 1922, Rodney and Nelson were two of the most powerful battleships then existing, until the new generation of all big gun ships was launched in 1936. HMS Rodney and HMS Nelson were the only British battleships to have trimmed towers, the only ones to carry 406 mm (16 inch) guns, and the liquid-loaded bulkheads under the waterline.