Cavour rebuild costs and hidden-hull risk

The government postponed the Duilio class work, so the definitive 1933 design initially covered only Conte di Cavour and Giulio Cesare. Reconstruction began in October 1933, with the contracts split between the San Marco yard in Trieste and CNT in Genoa. Completion was expected after a little more than two years, but both ships finished in 1937, nearly four years later. Conte di Cavour cost 161.499 million lire and Giulio Cesare 160.499 million, both above estimate. The overrun illustrates a recurring modernization problem: bilges, tanks, crawl spaces, old workmanship, and degraded material cannot be assessed fully until the hull is opened. Discoveries in those inaccessible spaces can turn preliminary costs into estimates built partly on the age and condition of the ship. Rebuilding an old warship therefore carries a different kind of schedule and budget uncertainty from constructing a new one.