Monarca vs Amerigo Vespucci ships

[archipeppe]

While everybody knows the story of the famous and very beautiful ITS "Amerigo Vespucci", very few ones know that this is essentially a steel version of the "Monarca" (Monarch) the admiral ship of the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

After the Civil War and Unification of Italy the same ship was renamed "Re Galantuomo" ("Gentlmen King") and incorporated within the stllborn Regia Marina del Regno d'Italia (Italian Kingdom Royal Navy).
Like the original "Monarca" both "Amerigo Vespucci" and his sister "Cristoforo Colombo" (given to USSR after the WWII and lost in 1963 after the Soviets transformed it in a wood transport) were built in Castellammare di Stabia shipyards, the same one that give birth to the later "Vittorio Veneto" and more recently to the "Trieste" LHD.

 

[Grey Havoc]

On a side note:

https://www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn/comments/lparxi

View: https://www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn/comments/lparxi/the_most_beautiful_ship_in_the_world_is_now_90/

 

[archipeppe]

The only main difference between Monarca and Vespucci is the overall lenght, the Monarca was 58 meters while Vespucci is 70 meters long.
While the two ships had essentially the same width of 15,5 meters.
Another difference is that the Monarca was heavily armed (for that times) with 64 cannons while the Vespucci is a training ship without armament.

When the Monarca was laid down (in 1850) it was the biggest and most powerful ship of all Italy, in the first part of its career it was only a sailing ship. In 1858 the Monarca was equipped with a steam engine of 450 hp (with only one propeller) built by Maudslay & Field, making it the very first military ship powered by steam of Italy.