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Italy's slow 15-inch-gun monitors in the Adriatic

Italy's tiny, extremely slow 15-inch-gun vessels were monitors designed to support operations against fortified Adriatic coasts.

Adriatic Sea Coastal Warfare Italian Navy Monitors Naval Gunnery World War I

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Question

What were the Italian 630-ton vessels carrying 15-inch guns?

Short answer

They were monitors - very slow, specialized coastal bombardment vessels intended for Adriatic operations.

Notes

Their heavy gun did not make them pocket battleships: speed of only a few knots and a specialized hull confined them to coastal work. They were intended to help overcome the positional difficulties of fighting along the Adriatic shoreline.