Pontone Italian Monitiors

[tigercat]

Hi Evberyone I was reading a Ship Modelling thread about Monitors that mentioned Italian Monitors or Pontone does anyone have any more information about them?

[Antoine]

Hi!
Here's information from the Conway:

[dorupantos]

pics of Faa di Bruno italian monitor in WW1 . (Faa di Bruno was more a floating battery then a monitor , that's my oppinion and other more experts than me)

[culverin]

I am not sure if these are positively horrendous or stupendous.
They certainly make the British Monitors look positively sensible and seaworthy.
Were these italian contraptions manned by submariners or just those with a death wish.

[astraltrader]

I think they do look fairly bizarre!
I have some examples drawn by the Italian artist Aldo Cherini which I include here.

The first three date from WW1 and the second two from WW2.

[designeraccd]

The "turtle shell" over that 15" turret just rather adds the finishing touch to a bizarre looking...uhh...ship! Truly ugly, quite unlike most Italian ships. DFO :eek:

[astraltrader]

I have to agree Dennis - it looks like it was built from an uneasy amalgamation of a giant dustbin with lid combined with a large corrugated roofed shed!! :eek:

[MelQuick]

Hi Everyone

Surely, they must have anchored them before firing the gun?

Does anyone have any other photographs of them? Most interesting.

Mel

[culverin]

I got out my copy of Italian warships ofWW1 by Aldo Fraccaroli to investigate further these monitors and self propelled batteries.There were an equally odd group of unpowered floating batteries of numerous and assorted sizes, and most were designed for action against Austro Hungarian troops ashore.
Looking for more weird and wonderful i learn of the assault craft, barchini saltatori or jumping boats, like a floating naval tank with lateral caterpillar chains.
Theres more..
The mignatta (leech) human self propelled mine..quote.
S1 apparatus,constructed in Spring-Summer 1918, two Italian naval officers forced the barrages of the Austrian base of Pola and sank, in the early hours of 1-11-1918 the Austrian dreadnought Viribus Unitis, 21,370 metric tons, which the Yugoslavs had renamed a few hours previously Jugoslavija, and the steamer Wien.
The sheer ingenuity of it all. Truly remarkable.
Full and all credit to Aldo Fraccaroli, his book and all details contained therein.
A must have for all interested, and the best of this Ian Allen series published in the early 1970s.

[designeraccd]

Here are some pics of a model of this weird little tub, plus one of the "ship". A real speed demon: supposedly could move along at a blazing THREE knots! Obviously headwinds or currents could probably push her BACK!! DFO :eek::D

[designeraccd]

Also a deck view I found.........must have been a very CALM day for wind!! DFO :D

Here is a link to a site (where the pic came from) with info + other shots of these 15" guns: http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNIT_15-40_m1914.htm