1/350 RN Affondatore 1865 (scratchbuilt)
|
by Andrea De Bonis |
1/350 RN Affondatore 1865 (scratchbuilt)
The decade of the 1860s, when Italy first stood up as a Nation, coincided with the ironclad revolution at sea. Italy's new navy reflected the recent merger of the Genoese and Venetian fleets. Old rivalries led to a confused chain of command. Perhaps the most advanced vessel purchased abroad was RN Affondatore, an arrow-thin (93,8 m.), 4.010-tons ironclad ram with two Captain Coles turrets built at Millwall, England by Harrison's. Eight boilers powered one steam engine, generating 2,700 HP and propelling her at 11 knots. She carried 474 tonnes of coal, giving her a range of 1,647 miles at 10 knots. Affondatore was equipped with an innovative circular control room with slits; maximum protection was 127 mm of iron armor (50 mm on the deck). The main armament consisted of two rifled 228 mm. Armstrong guns and a 7.9 m. ram.
The ship, whose name means "Sinker" in Italian, reached Italy just as the Third War of Italian Independence (naval battle of Lissa) was brewing in 1866; Affondatore's paint was hardly dry when she found herself the flagship of Adm. Persano, infamous historical figure who was condemned by the Kingdom of Italy for having deceived and for incompetence.
RN Affondatore, after the battle of Lissa was refitted twice and returned
to duty with a different configuration, serving until 1907.
Original version 1:350 scale model made ??by hand without machines,
with planks and ribs of sandalwood and bamboo treated with boiling water
and steam. Victorian livery using Humbrol enamels and brush.
