The Soldati star-shell gun was a short 120 mm/15 weapon intended for illumination. Sharing the main battery's bore did not give it the same value as an additional fighting gun. Some ships had that weapon replaced with a single 120 mm/50 gun, particularly in the second series built during the war. This provided a fifth full-length gun, although its position in the middle of the ship retained the dispersed layout criticised elsewhere in the design. The distinction matters when comparing gun totals between individual ships and construction batches.
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Soldati star-shell guns and fifth-gun refits
Replacing a short illumination gun with a 120 mm/50 weapon increased some Soldati ships' fighting battery, especially in the wartime second series.