Modernization as a signal of commitment

Although the refit is usually dated to 1904-1905, the main changes were not complete until about 1907. The work replaced the old battery with French-pattern 120 mm and 75 mm guns, removed the 37 mm weapons, and retained the fourteen-inch torpedo tubes. By then Elisabeta could not realistically survive a fight with a dreadnought-era capital ship, so the modernisation was no attempt at naval parity. The new battery improved her usefulness against smaller opponents and signalled that Romania still took the cruiser and its regional naval presence seriously.