Editing Italian battleship Giulio Cesare

{{Short description|Dreadnought battleship of the Italian Royal Navy}}
{{redirect|Soviet battleship Novorossiysk|other ships with that name|Russian ship Novorossiysk}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Battleship Giulio Cesare.jpg
|Ship caption=''Giulio Cesare'' after reconstruction
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=Kingdom of Italy
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Italy|naval}}
|Ship name=''Giulio Cesare''
|Ship namesake=[[Julius Caesar]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=	[[Gio. Ansaldo & C.|Ansaldo]], [[Genoa]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=24 June 1910
|Ship launched=15 October 1911
|Ship operator=[[Regia Marina]]
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=14 May 1914
|Ship commissioned=7 June 1914
|Ship decommissioned=18 May 1928
|Ship in service=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship recommissioned=3 June 1937
|Ship decommissioned=15 December 1948
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=15 December 1949
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Transferred to [[Soviet Navy]], 4 February 1949
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Soviet Union
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Soviet Union|naval}}
|Ship name=''Novorossiysk'' ({{langx|ru|Новороссийск}})
|Ship namesake=[[Novorossiysk]]
|Ship acquired=4 February 1949
|Ship commissioned=6 February 1949
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=24 February 1956
|Ship fate=Sunk by explosion, 29 October 1955
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(as built)
|Ship class={{sclass|Conte di Cavour|battleship|0}} [[dreadnought battleship]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|23088|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|25086|LT|t}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|176|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[Length overall|o/a]])
|Ship beam={{convert|28|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|9.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*24 × [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s
*{{convert|31000|shp|abbr=on|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=4 × shafts; 4 × [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed={{convert|21.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|4800|nmi|abbr=on|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=31 officers and 969 enlisted men
|Ship armament=* 3 × triple, 2 × twin [[305 mm /46 Model 1909|{{convert|305|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} guns]]
* 18 × single {{convert|120|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns
* 14 × single [[QF 14 pounder naval gun Mk I & II naval gun|{{convert|76.2|mm|in|abbr=on|0}} guns]]
* 3 × {{convert|450|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s 
|Ship armor=*[[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{convert|80|-|250|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|24|-|40|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
*[[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|240|-|280|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
*[[Barbette]]s: {{convert|130|-|230|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{convert|280|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(after reconstruction)
|Ship displacement={{convert|29100|LT|t}} (deep load)
|Ship length={{convert|186.4|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|28.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{cvt|10.42|m|ftin}}
|Ship power=*8 × [[Yarrow boiler]]s
*{{convert|75000|shp|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbines
|Ship speed={{convert|27|kn}}
|Ship range={{convert|6400|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|13|kn}}
|Ship complement=1,260
|Ship armament=* 2 × triple, 2 × twin [[320 mm Model 1934 naval gun|{{convert|320|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}]] guns
* 6 × twin 120&nbsp;mm guns
* 4 × twin [[Škoda 10 cm K10#OTO 100.2F47 History|{{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}]] [[AA gun]]s
*6 × twin [[Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda)|{{cvt|37|mm}}]] AA guns
*6 × twin [[Breda Model 1931 Machine Gun|{{cvt|13.2|mm|2}}]] AA [[Machine gun|MGs]]
|Ship armor=*Deck: {{convert|135|-|166|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
*Barbettes: {{convert|130|-|280|mm|in|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''''Giulio Cesare''''' was one of three {{sclass|Conte di Cavour|battleship|0}} [[dreadnought battleship]]s built for the Royal Italian Navy ({{lang|it|[[Regia Marina]]}}) in the 1910s. Completed in 1914, she was little used and saw no combat during the [[First World War]]. The ship supported operations during the [[Corfu Incident]] in 1923 and spent much of the rest of the decade in [[Reserve fleet|reserve]]. She was rebuilt between 1933 and 1937 with more powerful guns, additional armor and considerably more speed than before.

During [[World War II]], both ''Giulio Cesare'' and her [[sister ship]], {{ship|Italian battleship|Conte di Cavour||2}}, participated in the [[Battle of Calabria]] in July 1940, when the former was lightly damaged. They were both present when British [[torpedo bomber]]s [[Battle of Taranto|attacked]] the fleet at [[Taranto]] in November 1940, but ''Giulio Cesare'' was not damaged. She escorted several convoys to [[North Africa]] and participated in the [[Battle of Cape Spartivento]] in late 1940 and the [[First Battle of Sirte]] in late 1941. She was designated as a [[training ship]] in early 1942, and escaped to [[Malta]] after the [[Armistice of Cassibile|Italian armistice]] the following year. The ship was transferred to the [[Soviet Union]] in 1949 and renamed '''''Novorossiysk''''' ({{lang|ru|Новороссийск}}). The Soviets also used her for training until she was sunk in 1955, with the loss of 617 men, by an explosion most likely caused by an old German [[naval mine|mine]]. She was [[Marine salvage|salvaged]] the following year and later [[ship breaking|scrapped]].

==Description==
The ''Conte di Cavour'' class was designed to counter the French {{sclass|Courbet|battleship|0}} dreadnoughts which caused them to be slower and more heavily armored than the first Italian dreadnought, {{ship|Italian battleship|Dante Alighieri||2}}.<ref>Giorgerini, p. 269</ref> The ships were {{convert|168.9|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[length at the waterline|long at the waterline]] and {{convert|176|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[length overall|overall]]. They had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|28|m|ftin|sp=us}}, and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|9.3|m|ftin|sp=us}}.<ref name=randal259>Fracaroli, p. 259</ref> The ''Conte di Cavour''-class ships  [[Displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|23088|LT|t|lk=on}} at normal load, and {{convert|25086|LT|t}} at [[deep load]]. They had a crew of 31 officers and 969 enlisted men.<ref name=g012>Giorgerini, pp. 270, 272</ref> The ships were powered by three sets of [[Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company|Parsons]] [[steam turbine]]s, two sets driving the outer [[propeller shaft]]s and one set the two inner shafts. Steam for the turbines was provided by 24 [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s, half of which burned [[fuel oil]] and the other half burning both oil and coal. Designed to reach a maximum speed of {{convert|22.5|kn|lk=in}} from {{convert|31000|shp|lk=on}}, ''Giulio Cesare'' failed to reach this goal on her [[sea trial]]s, reaching only {{convert|21.56|kn|1}} from {{convert|30700|shp|abbr=on}}. The ships carried enough coal and oil<ref>Giorgerini, pp. 268, 272</ref> to give them a range of {{convert|4800|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}.<ref name=randal259/>

===Armament and armor===
[[File:Conte di Cavour class main weapon.svg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Layout of the main armament]]
The [[main battery]] of the ''Conte di Cavour'' class consisted of thirteen [[305 mm /46 Model 1909|305-millimeter Model 1909 guns]], in five {{nautical term|centerline}} [[gun turret]]s, with a twin-gun turret [[superfire|superfiring]] over a triple-gun turret in fore and aft pairs, and a third triple turret [[amidships]].<ref name=hore175>Hore, p. 175</ref> Their [[secondary armament]] consisted of eighteen {{convert|120|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us|1}} guns mounted in [[casemate]]s on the sides of the hull. For defense against [[torpedo boat]]s, the ships carried fourteen [[QF 14 pounder naval gun Mk I & II naval gun|{{convert|76.2|mm|adj=on|sp=us|0}} guns]]; thirteen of these could be mounted on the turret tops, but they could be positioned in 30 different locations, including some on the [[forecastle]] and upper decks. They were also fitted with three submerged {{convert|450|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s, one on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] and the third in the stern.<ref>Giorgerini, pp. 268, 277–278</ref>

The ''Conte di Cavour''-class ships had a complete [[waterline]] [[Belt armor|armor belt]] that had a maximum thickness of {{convert|250|mm|in|1|sp=us}} amidships, which reduced to {{convert|130|mm|in|sp=us|1}} towards the stern and {{convert|80|mm|in|sp=us|1}} towards the bow. They had two armored [[deck (ship)|deck]]s: the main deck was {{convert|24|mm|abbr=on}} thick on the flat that increased to {{convert|40|mm|sp=us|1}} on the slopes that connected it to the main belt. The second deck was {{convert|30|mm|sp=us|1}} thick. Frontal armor of the gun turrets was {{convert|280|mm|in|0|sp=us}} in thickness and the sides were {{convert|240|mm|in|sp=us|1}} thick. The armor protecting their [[barbette]]s ranged in thickness from {{convert|130|to|230|mm|in|sp=us|1}}. The walls of the forward [[conning tower]] were 280 millimeters thick.<ref>Giorgerini, pp. 270–272</ref><ref>McLaughlin, p. 421</ref>

==Modifications and reconstruction==
[[File:ONI Drawing of Conte di Cavour-class battleship.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|[[Office of Naval Intelligence]] drawing of the ''Conte di Cavour'' class, January 1943]]
Shortly after the end of World War I, the number of 76.2&nbsp;mm guns was reduced to 13, all mounted on the turret tops, and six new 76.2-millimeter [[Anti-aircraft gun|anti-aircraft (AA) guns]] were installed abreast the aft funnel. In addition two [[license-built]] [[QF 2 pounder naval gun|2-pounder ({{cvt|40|mm|order=flip|adj=on}})]] AA guns were mounted on the forecastle deck. In 1925–1926 the foremast was replaced by a four-legged (tetrapodal) mast, which was moved forward of the [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]s,<ref name=g7>Giorgerini, p. 277</ref> the [[Rangefinding telemeter|rangefinders]] were upgraded, and the ship was equipped to handle a [[Macchi M.18]] [[seaplane]] mounted on the amidships turret. Around that same time, either one or both of the ships was equipped with a fixed [[aircraft catapult]] on the port side of the forecastle.{{#tag:ref|Sources disagree if ''Giulio Cesare'' was fitted with a catapult or not. Giorgerini says both ships received one;<ref name=g7/> Whitley, Bagnasco & Grossman and Bargoni & Gay say that only ''Conte di Cavour'' received one.<ref name=w8>Whitley, p. 158</ref><ref name=eb4>Bagnasco & Grossman, p. 64</ref><ref>Bargoni & Gay, p. 18</ref>|group=Note}}

''Giulio Cesare'' began an extensive reconstruction in October 1933 at the [[Cantiere navale di Riva Trigoso|Cantieri del Tirreno]] shipyard in [[Genoa]] that lasted until October 1937.<ref name="Bargoni19">Bargoni & Gay, p. 19</ref> A new bow section was grafted over the existing bow which increased her length by {{convert|10.31|m|ftin|sp=us}} to {{convert|186.4|m|ftin|sp=us}} and her beam increased to {{convert|28.6|m|ftin|sp=us}}. The ship's draft at deep load increased to {{convert|10.42|m|ftin|sp=us}}.<ref name=eb4/> All of the changes made increased her displacement to {{convert|26140|LT|t}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|29100|LT|t}} at deep load. The ship's crew increased to 1,260 officers and enlisted men.<ref>Brescia, p. 58</ref> Two of the propeller shafts were removed and the existing turbines were replaced by two Belluzzo geared steam turbines rated at {{convert|75000|shp|abbr=on}}.<ref name=eb4/> The boilers were replaced by eight [[Yarrow boiler]]s. On her sea trials in December 1936, before her reconstruction was fully completed, ''Giulio Cesare'' reached a speed of {{convert|28.24|kn}} from {{convert|93430|shp|abbr=on}}.<ref>McLaughlin 2003, p. 422</ref> In service her maximum speed was about {{convert|27|kn}} and she had a range of {{convert|6400|nmi}} at a speed of {{convert|13|kn}}.<ref>Bagnasco & Grossman, pp. 64–65</ref>

The main guns were bored out to [[320 mm Model 1934 naval gun|{{convert|320|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}]] and the center turret and the torpedo tubes were removed. All of the existing secondary armament and AA guns were replaced by a dozen 120&nbsp;mm guns in six twin-gun turrets and eight [[Škoda 10 cm K10#OTO 100.2F47 History|{{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on|0}}]] AA guns in twin turrets. In addition the ship was fitted with a dozen [[Società Italiana Ernesto Breda|Breda]] [[Cannone-Mitragliera da 37/54 (Breda)|{{convert|37|mm|sp=us|adj=on|1}}]] light AA guns in six twin-gun mounts and twelve [[Breda Model 1931 Machine Gun|{{convert|13.2|mm|sp=us|adj=on|2}} Breda M31 anti-aircraft]] [[machine gun]]s, also in twin mounts.<ref name=eb5>Bagnasco & Grossman, p. 65</ref> In 1940 the 13.2&nbsp;mm machine guns were replaced by [[Breda Model 35|{{convert|20|mm|in|abbr=on}}]] AA guns in twin mounts. ''Giulio Cesare'' received two more twin mounts as well as four additional 37&nbsp;mm guns in twin mounts on the forecastle between the two turrets in 1941.<ref name=w8/> The tetrapodal mast was replaced with a new forward conning tower, protected with {{convert|260|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on|1}} thick armor.<ref name="Bargoni21">Bargoni & Gay, p. 21</ref> Atop the conning tower there was a [[Fire-control system#Naval fire control|fire-control director]] fitted with two large stereo-rangefinders, with a base length of {{convert|7.2|m|sp=us|1}}.<ref name="Bargoni21"/>

The deck armor was increased during the reconstruction to a total of {{convert|135|mm|in|sp=us}} over the engine and boiler rooms and {{convert|166|mm|in|sp=us}} over the [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s, although its distribution over three decks, meant that it was considerably less effective than a single plate of the same thickness. The armor protecting the barbettes was reinforced with {{convert|50|mm|in|sp=us|adj=on|0}} plates.<ref name=m12/> All this armor weighed a total of {{convert|3227|LT|t}}.<ref name=w8/> The existing underwater protection was replaced by the [[Pugliese torpedo defense system]] that consisted of a large cylinder surrounded by fuel oil or water that was intended to absorb the blast of a torpedo [[warhead]]. It lacked, however, enough depth to be fully effective against contemporary torpedoes. A major problem of the reconstruction was that the ship's increased draft meant that their waterline armor belt was almost completely submerged with any significant load.<ref name=m12>McLaughlin 2003, pp. 421–22</ref>

==Construction and service==
[[File:Sestri Ponente - Launch of Giulio Cesare.jpg|thumb|left|Launch of ''Giulio Cesare'', 15 October 1911.]]
''Giulio Cesare'', named after [[Julius Caesar]],<ref>Silverstone, p. 298</ref> was [[Keel laying|laid down]] at the [[Gio. Ansaldo & C.]] shipyard in Genoa on 24 June 1910 and [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 15 October 1911. She was completed on 14 May 1914 and served as a [[flagship]] in the southern [[Adriatic Sea]] during World War I.<ref name=s7>Preston, p. 176</ref> She saw no action, however, and spent little time at sea.<ref name=g7/> Admiral [[Paolo Thaon di Revel]], the Italian naval chief of staff, believed that Austro-Hungarian [[submarine]]s and minelayers could operate too effectively in the narrow waters of the Adriatic.<ref name="Halpern, p. 150">Halpern, p. 150</ref> The threat from these underwater weapons to his capital ships was too serious for him to use the fleet in an active way.<ref name="Halpern, p. 150"/> Instead, Revel decided to implement a blockade at the relatively safer southern end of the Adriatic with the battle fleet, while smaller vessels, such as the [[MAS (boat)|MAS torpedo boats]], conducted raids on Austro-Hungarian ships and installations. Meanwhile, Revel's battleships would be preserved to confront the Austro-Hungarian battle fleet in the event that it sought a decisive engagement.<ref>Halpern, pp. 141&ndash;142</ref>

[[File:GiulioCesare1914.jpg|thumb|''Giulio Cesare'' shortly after completion, 1914]]
''Giulio Cesare'' made port visits in the [[Levant]] in 1919 and 1920. Both ''Giulio Cesare'' and ''Conte di Cavour'' supported Italian operations on [[Corfu]] in 1923 after an Italian general and his staff [[Corfu incident|were murdered at the Greek–Albanian frontier]]; [[Benito Mussolini]], who had been looking for a pretext to seize Corfu, ordered Italian troops to occupy the island. ''Cesare'' became a gunnery training ship in 1928, after having been in reserve since 1926. She was reconstructed at [[Cantieri del Tirreno]], Genoa, between 1933 and 1937. Both ships participated in a naval review by [[Adolf Hitler]] in the [[Bay of Naples]] in May 1938 and covered the [[invasion of Albania]] in May 1939.<ref name=w1>Whitley, pp. 158–61</ref>

===World War II===
{{main|Battle of Calabria}}

Early in World War II, the ship took part in the Battle of Calabria (also known as the Battle of Punta Stilo), together with ''Conte di Cavour'', on 9 July 1940, as part of the 1st Battle Squadron, commanded by Admiral [[Inigo Campioni]], during which she engaged major elements of the British [[Mediterranean Fleet]]. The British were escorting a convoy from Malta to [[Alexandria]], while the Italians had finished escorting another from [[Naples]] to [[Benghazi]], Libya. Admiral [[Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope|Andrew Cunningham]], commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, attempted to interpose his ships between the Italians and their base at Taranto. Crew on the fleets spotted each other in the middle of the afternoon and the battleships opened fire at 15:53 at a range of nearly {{convert|29000|yd|order=flip|sp=us}}. The two leading British battleships, {{HMS|Warspite|03|6}} and {{HMS|Malaya||2}}, replied a minute later. Three minutes after she opened fire, shells from ''Giulio Cesare'' began to straddle ''Warspite'' which made a small turn and increased speed, to throw off the Italian ship's aim, at 16:00. Some rounds fired by ''Giulio Cesare'' overshot ''Warspite'' and near-missed the destroyers [[HMS Decoy (H75)|HMS ''Decoy'']] and ''[[HMS Hereward (H93)|Hereward]]'', puncturing their superstructures with splinters. At that same time, a shell from ''Warspite'' struck ''Giulio Cesare'' at a distance of about {{convert|26000|yd|order=flip|sp=us}}. The shell pierced the rear funnel and detonated inside it, blowing out a hole nearly {{convert|20|ft|m|order=flip|sp=us}} across. Fragments started several fires and their smoke was drawn into the boiler rooms, forcing four boilers off-line as their operators could not breathe. This reduced the ship's speed to {{convert|18|kn}}. Uncertain how severe the damage was, Campioni ordered his battleships to turn away in the face of superior British numbers and they successfully disengaged.<ref>O'Hara, pp. 28–35</ref> Repairs to ''Giulio Cesare'' were completed by the end of August and both ships unsuccessfully attempted to intercept British convoys to [[Malta]] in August and September.<ref>Whitley, p. 161</ref>

On the night of 11 November 1940, ''Giulio Cesare'' and the other Italian battleships were at anchor in Taranto harbor when they were attacked by 21 [[Fairey Swordfish]] [[torpedo bomber]]s from the British [[aircraft carrier]] {{HMS|Illustrious|R87|6}}, along with several other warships. One torpedo sank ''[[Italian battleship Conte di Cavour|Conte di Cavour]]'' in shallow water, but ''Giulio Cesare'' was not hit during the attack.<ref>Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 81</ref> She participated in the [[Battle of Cape Spartivento]] on 27 November 1940, but never got close enough to any British ships to fire at them. The ship was damaged in January 1941 by splinters from a near miss during an air raid on Naples by [[Vickers Wellington]] bombers of the [[Royal Air Force]]; repairs at Genoa were completed in early February. On 8 February, she sailed from to the [[Straits of Bonifacio]] to intercept what the Italians thought was a Malta convoy, but was actually a raid on Genoa. She failed to make contact with any British forces. She participated in the [[First Battle of Sirte]] on 17 December 1941, providing distant cover for a convoy bound for Libya, and briefly engaging the escort force of a British convoy. She also provided distant cover for another convoy to North Africa in early January 1942.<ref>Whitley, pp. 161–162</ref> ''Giulio Cesare'' was reduced to a training ship afterwards at Taranto and later [[Pula|Pola]].<ref name=b9>Brescia, p. 59</ref> After the Italian surrender on 8 September 1943, she steamed to Taranto, putting down a [[mutiny]] and enduring an ineffective attack by five German aircraft en route. She then sailed for Malta where she arrived on 12 September to be interned. The ship remained there until 17 June 1944 when she returned to Taranto where she remained for the next four years.<ref name=w2>Whitley, p. 162</ref><ref>Bargoni & Gay, p. 71</ref>{{refn|The {{GS|U-596}} claimed to have unsuccessfully attacked the ship in the [[Gulf of Taranto]] on 7 March 1944.<ref>Rohwer, p. 298</ref>|group=Note}}

===Soviet service===
[[File:Novorosiysk-1950-Sevastopol-2.jpg|thumb|left|''Novorossiysk'' at anchor, flying the Soviet jack]]
After the war, ''Giulio Cesare'' was allocated to the Soviet Union as part of [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|war reparations]]. She was moved to [[Augusta, Sicily]], on 9 December 1948, where an unsuccessful attempt was made at sabotage. The ship was stricken from the naval register on 15 December and turned over to the Soviets on 6 February 1949 under the temporary name of ''Z11'' in [[Vlorë]], Albania.<ref name=w2/> She was renamed ''Novorossiysk'', after the [[Novorossiysk|Soviet city of that name]] on the [[Black Sea]]. The Soviets used her as a training ship, and gave her eight refits. In 1953, all Italian light AA guns were replaced by eighteen [[37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)|37 mm 70-K]] AA guns in six twin mounts and six singles. Also replaced were her fire-control systems and [[radar]]s. This was intended as a temporary rearmament, as the Soviets drew up plans to replace her secondary 120mm mounts with the 130mm/58 SM-2 that was in development, and the 100mm and 37mm guns with 8 quadruple 45mm.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kotov |first1=M |journal=Typhoon |title= Repair and Upgrade of Former German and Italian Ships by Soviet Navy |date=2002 |volume=2 |page=4}}</ref> While at anchor in [[Sevastopol]] on the night of 28/29 October 1955, an explosion ripped a {{convert|4|by|14|m|sp=us|adj=on}} hole in the forecastle forward of 'A' turret. The flooding could not be controlled, and she [[capsized]] with the loss of 617 men, including 61 men sent from other ships to assist.<ref>Karzhavin, B. A. (1991) [https://linkor-novorossiysk.ru/spisok/ "Личный состав"], p. 244 in ''Тайна гибели линкора "Новороссийск". Документальная историческая хроника''. Politekhnika. p. 244. {{ISBN|5-7325-0086-3}}</ref>

The cause of the explosion is still unclear. The official cause, regarded as the most probable, was a magnetic RMH or LMB [[bottom mine]], laid by the Germans during [[World War II]] and triggered by the dragging of the battleship's anchor chain before [[wikt:moor|mooring]] for the last time. Subsequent searches located 32 mines of these types, some of them within {{convert|50|m|sp=us}} of the explosion. The damage was consistent with an explosion of {{convert|1000|-|1200|kg|sp=us}} of [[TNT]], and more than one mine may have detonated. Other explanations for the ship's loss have been proposed, and the most popular of these is that she was sunk by Italian [[frogmen]] of the wartime special operations unit ''[[Decima Flottiglia MAS]]'' who – more than ten years after the cessation of hostilities – were either avenging the transfer of the former Italian battleship to the USSR or sinking it on behalf of [[NATO]].<ref name=m23>McLaughlin 2003, p. 423</ref><ref>McLaughlin 2007, pp. 142–52</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Bar-Biryukov|first=Oktyabr'|date=24 October 2005|title=Убить "Цезаря"|journal=Иtornи|issue=43|url=http://www.itogi.ru/archive/2005/43/62079.html|access-date=20 March 2014|trans-title=Killing Caesar|archive-date=17 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217020807/http://www.itogi.ru/archive/2005/43/62079.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.4arts.it/2013/07/25/ugo-desposito-la-corazzata-novorossiysk-affondata-nel-55-da-ex-della-xa-mas/ 
 |title=Ugo D'Esposito: la Novorossiysk affondata nel '55 da incursori della Xa MAS 
 |date=25 July 2013 
 |publisher=4Arts 
 |access-date=20 March 2014 
 |language=it 
 |trans-title=Ugo D'Esposito: the Novorossiysk was sunk in '55 by commandos of the Xa MAS 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824151816/http://www.4arts.it/2013/07/25/ugo-desposito-la-corazzata-novorossiysk-affondata-nel-55-da-ex-della-xa-mas/
 |archive-date=24 August 2013
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref>Greene & Massignani, pp. 195–98</ref> ''Novorossiysk'' was stricken from the [[naval register]] on 24 February 1956, salvaged on 4 May 1957, and subsequently scrapped.<ref name=m23/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|20em}}

==References==
*{{cite book|last1=Bagnasco|first1=Ermino|last2=de Toro|first2=Augusto|title=Italian Battleships: ''Conti di Cavour'' and ''Duilio'' Classes 1911–1956 |date=2021 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK|name-list-style=amp |isbn=978-1-5267-9987-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Bagnasco|first1=Erminio|last2=Grossman|first2=Mark|title=Regia Marina: Italian Battleships of World War Two: A Pictorial History|year=1986|publisher=Pictorial Histories Publishing|location=Missoula, Montana |isbn=0-933126-75-1|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last1=Bargoni|first1=Franco|last2=Gay|first2=Franco|title=Corazzate classe ''Conte di Cavour''|year=1972 |publisher=Bizzarri|location=Rome|oclc=34904733|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Brescia|first=Maurizio|title=Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regina Marina 1930–45|year=2012|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=978-1-59114-544-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Campbell|first=John|title=Naval Weapons of World War II|year=1985|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|isbn=0-87021-459-4}}
* {{cite book|last1=Cernuschi|first1=Ernesto|last2=O'Hara|first2=Vincent P.|author2-link = Vincent P. O'Hara |chapter=Taranto: The Raid and the Aftermath|pages=77–95|editor=Jordan, John|publisher=Conway|location=London |year=2010|title=Warship 2010|isbn=978-1-84486-110-1|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Fraccaroli|first=Aldo|chapter=Italy|pages=252–290|editor1-last=Gray|editor1-first=Randal|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921|year=1985|location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-0-87021-907-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Weapons of World War One|publisher= Seaforth |location=Barnsley, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84832-100-7|author-link=Norman Friedman}} 
* {{cite book|last=Giorgerini|first=Giorgio|chapter=The ''Cavour'' & ''Duilio'' Class Battleships|pages=267–279 |editor=Roberts, John|title=Warship IV|year=1980|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-205-6}}
*{{cite book|last1=Greene|first1=Jack|last2=Massignani|first2=Alessandro|title=The Black Prince and the Sea Devils: The Story of Valerio Borghese and the Elite Units of the Decima MAS|year=2004|publisher=Da Capo Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=0-306-81311-4 |name-list-style=amp}}
*{{Cite book |last=Halpern|first=Paul G.|title=A Naval History of World War I|year=1995 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=1-55750-352-4 |author-link= Paul G. Halpern}}
* {{cite book|last=Hore|first=Peter|title=Battleships|year=2005|publisher=Lorenz Books|location=London|isbn=0-7548-1407-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/battleships0000hore}}
* {{cite book|last=McLaughlin| first=Stephen|title=The Loss of the Battleship Novorossiisk| editor=Jordan, John| publisher=Conway| location=London| year=2007|series=Warship 2007| pages=139–52| isbn=  978-1-84486-041-8}}
* {{cite book|last=McLaughlin|first=Stephen|title=Russian & Soviet Battleships|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2003|isbn=1-55750-481-4}}
* {{cite book|last=O'Hara|first=Vincent P.|chapter=The Action off Calabria and the Myth of Moral Ascendancy|pages=26–39|editor=Jordan, John|publisher=Conway|location=London|year=2008|title=Warship 2008|isbn=978-1-84486-062-3}}
* {{cite journal |last=Котов|first=М.В.|title=Ремонт и модернизация бывших германских и итальянских кораблей в советском ВМФ (1945-1955) |journal=Тайфун |date=2002 |volume=02 |issue=42 |url=https://www.twirpx.com/file/2358731/}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Ordovini |first1=Aldo F.|last2=Petronio|first2=Fulvio|last3=Jurens |first3=William |last4=Sullivan|first4=David |title=Capital Ships of the Royal Italian Navy, 1860–1918: Part 4: Dreadnought Battleships |journal=Warship International |date=December 2017 |volume=LIV |issue=4 |pages=307–343 |issn=0043-0374|display-authors=2|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book|last=Preston|first=Antony|title=Battleships of World War I: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Battleships of All Nations 1914–1918|publisher=Galahad Books|location=New York|year=1972|isbn=0-88365-300-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005|edition=Third Revised|isbn=1-59114-119-2 |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
* {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984 |publisher=Hippocrene Books |location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Stille|first=Mark|title=Italian Battleships of World War II|year=2011|location=Oxford |publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn=978-1-84908-831-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Battleships of World War II|year=1998| location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=1-55750-184-X|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Fraccaroli|first=Aldo |title=Italian Warships of World War I|location=London|publisher=Ian Allan|year=1970|isbn=978-0-7110-0105-3}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/EFGHI/giulio_cesare01.aspx Giulio Cesare on the Marina Militare website]

{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}
{{Conte di Cavour-class battleship}}
{{1955 shipwrecks}}
{{Coord|44|37|7|N|33|32|8|E|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giulio Cesare}}
[[Category:Conte di Cavour-class battleships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Genoa]]
[[Category:1911 ships]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of Italy]]
[[Category:World War II battleships of Italy]]
[[Category:Italy–Soviet Union relations]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1955]]
[[Category:1955 in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Black Sea]]
[[Category:Battleships of the Soviet Navy]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by mines]]
[[Category:Ships built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Julius Caesar]]