An Interview with Vice-Admiral Costanzo Ciano, RMI
Vice-Admiral Ciano is the commanding officer of Italy’s Second Fleet, based at Taranto. We spoke with him aboard his flagship, the cruiser Alberico di Barbiano.
JQNR: Admiral, Italy has shown a definite willingness to experiment and try a variety of new things. For instance, Italy was the first nation to seriously pursue light warships equipped with quadruple gun mountings. How has that worked out?
CC: Ah yes, the Cantore Class Destroyers. Italy bought the 100 mm quadruple turrets from Iberia, we had wondered why they weren't previously mounted on Iberian ships, now we know why. For Mediterranean use the turret is insufficient. The rate of fire has been only 4 rpm in a seaway. However, with 8 guns that still gives 32 rounds per minute. The design is actually a turret, not a deck mount and so since their commissioning we've discovered that they stand up to Atlantic weather a lot better than other destroyers. The guns are able to fire in just about any seas. As a result the class is stationed at Cadiz.
JQNR: Examining the same issue at a different scale - how does the RMI regard the Pisas?
CC: The Pisa Class Cruisers have been more successful with their 152 mm quadruple turret. Rate of fire is again a problem for the turret but 4-5 rpm is getting to be normal now. There were a few teething problems at first, but they have been mostly solved. The largest problem was excessive dispersion between the closely grouped barrels. This was solved by the introduction of delay coils which delay the firing of the outer pair by a fraction of a second. Dispersion is much more acceptable now. Similar problems were encountered with the twin mount on Condottieri I, but that has only been solved with the introduction of a completely new turret to future ships.
JQNR: Some senior Italian officials have commented on the relative impotence of naval aviation, yet at the same time the navy has or is building three large and heavily armored carriers. What is your position on the importance of naval aviation?
CC: The battleship is still the supreme arbiter of power at sea. Mitchell's tests prove my point here. Yes aircraft can sink ships, but taking days to sink a stationary ship is a luxury that cannot be afforded in wartime. However my point is also thus, that was at the beginning of the 1920s, now as we come nearer to 1930 aircraft have changed. They are no longer of wooden construction, but use metal and fly twice as fast with engines 4 times more powerful. Our latest acquisition from Fiat, the BR.2, has 1000 hp, flies as fast a fighter and carries a torpedo over 500 km. Balbo assures me that his new pet, the S.55, can fly anywhere in the Mediterranean and back carrying a torpedo. My son, Galeazzo, a keen aviation enthusiast, is filled with expectation of things to come. A good point can be made in that he is currently taking flying lessons, however nearly 1 in 5 flights are cancelled due to either bad weather or maintenance problems. I'm sure that the aircraft will continue to grow into a useful aid for the RMI, but its current limitations are apparent. I, myself, have learnt through my friends in the RN that they have used aircraft to attack the fleet in Singapore with astonishing results. I've still got to get the RA [Regia Aeronautica] to agree to similar tests here. The heavily armoured carrier is a result of being in the Mediterranean. Our ships can expect to be attacked by land-based aircraft, and these bombers are growing more powerful. At the same time, the design is also protected against shellfire.
JQNR: What lessons has Italy picked up from recent exercises and operational experiences, and how are these being incorporated into new designs?
CC: From our own exercises with Iberia and Denmark, results have been fairly inconclusive. The greatest lesson learnt was for improved communication between our naval squadrons. We need a dedicated system of communication between ships. We hope to augment this slightly by operating an exchange programme with Iberia and Denmark. Some of each countries’ officers will take up temporary positions serving on each other’s warships.
JQNR: From a technical standpoint, where is Italy at its best? Whom would you say are Italy’s rivals in these fields?
CC: I would say from experience that Italy leads the way in irregular forces. The interesting sideline of powerboat constructors has lead to the highly successful MAS. Sinking two enemy battleships in the war from very inexpensive vessels is a very good return. Only the RN matches us with its Thoryncroft boats, but these have been eclipsed by the MAS 431 type. Irregular forces were also present in the war, brave naval officers sinking Viribus Unitis and Alpini working the mountain war give Italy an edge.
JQNR: Thank you. What is your assessment of Italy’s security needs in the Red Sea?
CC: I'm not qualified to give you an overall picture of Italy's position in the Red Sea, but from a purely naval viewpoint the only cause of concern to us would be the French squadron in Djibouti. The Indian mandate in As Salif is not perceived as threatening from the history of cooperation between our two states in security matters. We both have helped to make the Red Sea safer and to protect its nations. The disturbing increase in anarchy amongst the Islamic inhabitants of the Gulf is not expected to spread to the overwhelmingly Christian EAS. With our Danish allies so close by, we are confident of dealing with any disturbances.
JQNR: And further afield in the Indian and Pacific oceans?
CC: Italy's links with South East Asia are indirect and threefold. As far as I can surmise our only links with the region are through our allies, the Netherlands, Denmark and Iberia. The Netherlands' holdings in the region are considerable but the DEI no longer supplies us with much oil, now the majority of our demand is met by Libya. Denmark also has a considerable presence in the region. Iberia's holdings are small in comparison but her links with former colonies useful for maintaining good relations. Italy has never deployed a large number of vessels to SE Asia and I am not aware of any plans to do so. I do not think there are any plans existing at this point for deployment of the RMI should the need arise. Our sailors do have some experience with the region, the exchange program has given a number of officers the chance to stay in Siam and Macau and familiarize themselves with the region.
JQNR: Tell us about your past relationship with Argentina and where you see it headed.
CC: As I understand it, our previous relationship has been between private enterprising Italian companies and Argentina, there is no “special relationship” as such between the two countries. A large quantity of Italian built ships are in use in the Argentinean Navy, this is mainly due to other nations’ unwilling to sell and subsidies offered to Italian shipbuilders. On a diplomatic level, it should be noted that Italy was the only country to at least partially support Argentina in the 1922 conflict. It is my personal belief that the so-called evidence given by Nordmark was untrue, or greatly exaggerated, they [Nordmark] just seemed to lash out at whoever was in the way, supported of course by that “neutral” SAE.
JQNR: Italy and the SAE don’t seem to have the best of relationships. Is there concern within the RMI that the SAE is a potential adversary?
CC: No comment.
JQNR: What is Italy's worst-case war-time scenario?
CC: Well obviously I can't give any detailed information as to exactly what the Italian government thinks. In Europe it would seem to the casual observer that a conflict between AANM and FAR would be most likely. However, neither side has much to gain, or can accomplish much at all. Both Italy and Iberia have adequate defenses against land attacks. A prolonged naval war in the Atlantic seems unlikely and unwinnable for either side. The worst case scenario would be a war in the far East, we currently don't have the capability to deploy for long times such a distance away.
(OOC Note: Red Admiral's idea. I posed the questions, he sent the answers, we addressed a couple of follow-ups, and voila...
...oh, and this would pre-date the Il Mundo Q2 report.)
WesWorld »
The SIM »
News and Stories »
Quoted
I like it, nice approach to doing the article!!
Saturday, September 28th 2024, 10:16pm
Go to the top of the page
