RN Eugenio di Savoia
Contents
Description
Eugenio di Savoia was the second ship of Duca D'Aosta-subclass of Condottieri cruisers. Launched in 1935, she began her career with a minor participation in the Spanish Civil War. The beginning of WW2 caught her as a part of the VII Cruiser Division stationed in La Spezia. During the war, she participated in the Battle of Punta Stilo, naval bombardment of the Greek-controlled island of Corfu, Battle of mid-June (where she contributed to the sinking of destroyer HMS Bedouin), and the Battle of mid-August. In December 1942, she was hit by a B-24 Liberator. In January 1943, she shot down two allied bombers. Following the Italian armistice, she was interned in Egypt and after the war she was ceded to Greece as part of war reparations.
Introduced in Update "Winged Lions", Eugenio di Savoia has improved armour protection compared to her predecessor, the Raimondo Montecuccoli, while still maintaining the same armament and speed. She's a versatile cruiser able to deal with the majority of threats, but her true strength is in chasing down enemy destroyers.
General info
Survivability and armour
The ship enjoys one of the better armour schemes among the light cruisers.
Its shells and magazines are divided into two separate rooms, both located below the waterline, with inert shells being closer to the surface and explosive magazines located deeper underwater. Unlike some other light cruisers, such as those of the Japanese navy, the ship does not store ready-to-use ammunition above the waterline, making it less susceptible to ammunition explosions.
The ship's armour includes three layers of protection: external bulges, internal citadel armour, and fuel tanks that further reduce casualties from centre-mass hits. This armour scheme allows the ship to survive multiple torpedo hits in the centre of mass, although the underwater magazines are still vulnerable to explosions from nearby torpedo impacts.
The ship's 152 mm O.T.O. Mod.1929 turrets have uparmoured faces with 90 mm RHA armour, which is superior to that of most foreign light cruisers at its battle rating or lower, and is surpassed only by the late-war US light cruisers with Mk.16 triple turrets in a higher battle rating.
This armour scheme makes Eugenio di Savoia a relatively resilient ship compared to its peers, despite having a relatively small crew count. The ship has excellent protection against destroyers at close range, but struggles against high-calibre SAP and AP shells commonly found on heavy cruisers in its battle rating range.
Mobility
With an increase in armour comparing to its predecessor comes a decrease in mobility. In real terms though, both ships are extremely capable, the slight decrease in the maximum speed doesn't have any real effect on the battlefield, and the manoeuvrability is still sufficient to avoid torpedoes after they are spotted. Comparing to the equivalents from other nations its still both: quicker and more agile, besting even the Japanese Agano.
| Mobility Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Mode | Upgrade Status | Maximum Speed (km/h) | |
| Forward | Reverse | ||
| AB | |||
| Upgraded | 81 | 34 | |
| RB/SB | |||
| Upgraded | 69 | 29 | |
Modifications and economy
| Seakeeping | Unsinkability | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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After unlocking Tools and Fire Protection System go for the 152 mm APHEBC Palla shell - it unlocks the true killing potential of this cruiser, turning it from just a destroyer hunter, into a warship that can deal with enemy cruisers. Following that there are two routes: Either going an offensive route - unlocking the three Targeting upgrades - or going the defensive route, unlocking Rudder Replacement as a third tier II upgrade, then Shrapnel Protection into Ventilation. Also the 100 mm HE-TF Contro-aerea shells can be worth consideration as the third tier III upgrade.
Tier IV offers a number of key upgrades: Engine Maintenance gives a huge improvement in mobility. Ammo Wetting prevents these ammo explosions from fires onboard. Torpedo Mode finally makes torpedoes usable on a regular basis (an upgrade especially beneficial in the arcade mode). And finally, the Hydroplane enables you to quickly capture the points, which improves the win-rate and allows for easier completion of some of the Daily and Special tasks.
There are several modifications that can be left for last, notably: Dry-Docking and Propeller Replacement take a secondary role, as the ship already enjoys a good mobility, while there are more impactful upgrades in the respective tiers. Smokescreen generally has a limited use on light cruisers unless they are used in a higher BR matches. 100 mm APHE brings little value with the low number of secondaries and poor AI accuracy while the primaries have a short reload time. Improved Rangefinder has a limited benefit even in the Realistic battles and is nearly totally useless in Arcade. And finally Bomb mortar - if other upgrades listed here are situational - this brings situational to the whole new level, and generally should be unlocked only as the very last modification on the ship.
Armament
Primary armament
Firing 8-shell 152mm broadside puts Eugenio di Savoia in an obvious disadvantage against most of its peers, and without a high rate of fire its sustained damage output per minute is not impressive either. Looking at the most extreme: Kirov can output nearly triple the HE-equivalent using respective ships default shells.
Default HE shells are great against destroyers and other weakly or unarmoured targets, but having a relatively low explosive filler, they fail to consistently ignite enemy warships on fire. APHEBC Palla shells on the other hand are great at causing enemy magazines to explode, as the ballistic cap makes these shells perform exceptionally well against angled armour, and thus - penetrating deep into the hull even at extreme ranges. HE-TF are your typical anti-air shells, they can be relatively useful thanks to the turrets vertical guidance of up to +45° and a high shell velocity 935 m/s.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 1,000 m | 2,500 m | 5,000 m | 7,500 m | 10,000 m | 15,000 m | ||
| HE Dirompente | HE | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| APHEBC Palla | APHEBC | 277 | 229 | 168 | 125 | 95 | 70 |
| HE-TF Contro-aerea | HE-TF | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HE Dirompente | HE | 935 | 44.57 | 0 | 0.1 | 2,390 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| APHEBC Palla | APHEBC | 900 | 47.5 | 0.03 | 7 | 800 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| HE-TF Contro-aerea | HE-TF | 935 | 44.57 | 0 | 0.1 | 2,390 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Secondary armament
With just three dual-mount secondaries these guns play primarily a long-range anti-air role. Vertical guidance of +80° with 850 m/s muzzle velocity makes these guns able to harass enemy planes both: at a long range or a shorter distance, but a high altitude. Guns have a good coverage, with at least two turrets always being able to launch shells every 6.25 second.
Where these guns fail is the anti-ship and anti-boat role, as there's simply too few of them with a too poor firing arcs to effectively counter naval targets. For a rapid anti-boat duty switching to anti-air armament (default Alt+3 on PC) can be a better option except for the rear-most arc, where the 37 mm cannons cannot reach and two or even all three 100 mm turrets are available.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 100 m | 1,000 m | 2,000 m | 3,000 m | 4,000 m | 5,000 m | ||
| HE Dirompente | HE | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| APHE Perforante | APHE | 150 | 129 | 109 | 93 | 78 | 67 |
| HE-TF Contro-aerea | HE-TF* | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (s) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HE Dirompente | HE | 850 | 13.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 1,300 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| APHE Perforante | APHE | 850 | 13.8 | 0.01 | 6 | 820 | 47° | 60° | 65° | |||
| HE-TF Contro-aerea | HE-TF* | 850 | 13.2 | 0 | 0.1 | 1,300 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
Anti-aircraft armament
While far from the best, Eugenio di Savoia enjoys a considerable anti-air capability, with cannons often being able to destroy enemy bombers before they even drop the bombs (which doesn't stop them dropping the deadly payload post-mortem). Just as with most of the ships, it's best to align perpendicularly to the incoming medium or high-altitude bombers, offering the most guns on target, while being the smallest target for the falling bombs. On the other hand, against torpedo bombers it's best to go in parallel, exposing it either to three 100 mm turrets and added 20 mm Oerlikons in the rear, or four 37mm Bredas in frontal arc.
Additional armament
The RN Eugenio di Savoia carries 6 torpedoes, 3 on either side of the ship with a very wide firing angle. In the Arcade mode torpedoes from both sides have to be dropped for a reload to occur, which means you're often best to dump the torpedoes without a target. In For realistic mode cruiser doesn't carry any reload.
Torpedoes themselves are situational, with an extremely short range of 4 km being the key limiting factor. Italian designers opted for a much higher speed in exchange for range, and thus Tipo M enjoys exceptional 93 km/h speed while maintaining a relatively large and potent warhead. Torpedo Mode turns it into a respectable 12 km range at 83 km/h, which makes it one of the best torpedoes in the game.
Scout plane
Located amidships is a catapult with one Ro.43 scout plane which provides unique offensive and defensive abilities, expanding tactical options. Ship-launched scout planes fly just like regular tree units but lack munition choices and cockpit views. The Ro.43 is a 2 seater equipped with two fixed offensive light machine guns and a single defensive machine gun turret, but no bombs. It does have the scout plane ability to cap zones and lay down smoke cover (up to 3 times). Captains will be wise to remember to utilize the aircraft and consider when best to use it, for example to cap a point early or late in the match, to create a smoke screen to stymie enemy bombardment and repair, to attack enemy units directly, or perhaps something completely new!
Usage in battles
Stock Eugenio di Savoia shows its roots as a destroyer-hunter, being unable to counter heavier threats, while enjoying a relative immunity to the low-calibre shells. With an addition of APHEBC it becomes a very respectable light cruiser, being able to counter its equivalents from other nations as well as harassing heavier warships. Finally the Torpedo Mode gives a real potential for surprise attacks against Heavy Cruisers and larger warships, especially in the Arcade mode, where the ship hugely benefits from an infinite reload of the torpedoes.
A good mobility and protection make this ship a great tool for pushing cap points and asserting dominance in the area. Typically for a light cruiser, positioning is still the key though - while its good high speed allows for a relatively prompt relocation once enemy has an overwhelming firepower, it's still best to foresee enemy movement - in particular Heavy Cruisers - and simply give them space while allies inflict damage. No ship can survive being focused down by the enemies, so care should be taken to avoid positioning oneself into such a situation.
Pros and cons
It's a true multi-role cruiser, being able to manage all kinds of threats. It's not exceptional in any way, but it doesn't have any huge weakness either. In relation to the other Light Cruisers, on the Mobility - Security - Firepower triangle it's trending towards lower firepower for a better survivability and mobility.
Pros:
- Thick belt and turret armour
- High top speed
- Effective anti-aircraft armament
- Heavily armoured conning tower/bridge
- Fast torpedoes (without torpedo mode installed)
- One scout seaplane
Cons:
- Very small explosive filler in the main gun AP shell
- Below average explosive filler in the main gun HE shell
- Only two propeller shafts
- Very short ranged torpedoes without torpedo mode installed
History
The Condottieri-class cruiser Eugenio di Savoia was the second vessel in the fourth sub-class of its class. It featured improved armour and machinery compared to her predecessor, the Raimondo Montecuccoli. The ship was named after Prince Eugene of Savoy, whose motto "Ubi Sabaudia ibi Victoria" ("Where there is (Eugene of) Savoy, there is Victory") was inscribed on the sides of turret number 4.
It was constructed by Ansaldo in Genoa, being laid down on July 6, 1933, launched on March 16, 1935, and commissioned on January 16, 1936. The Eugenio di Savoia saw her first combat action during the Spanish Civil War on February 13, 1937, and later undertook a global circumnavigation with its sister ship, the Duca d'Aosta, from 1938 to March 1939. During World War II, the cruiser participated in the Battle of Punta Stilo, the Battle of mid-June, and the Battle of mid-August. In the latter engagement, it damaged the Tribal-class destroyer HMS Bedouin near Pantelleria island. On December 4, 1942, the Eugene of Savoy was struck by a Liberator bomber, resulting in 17 deaths and 46 injuries. Repairs took 40 days, and upon its return to service in January 1943, the cruiser's anti-aircraft batteries shoot down two unidentified allied bombers.
After Italy's armistice with the Allies on 3 September 1943, she sailed to Malta and then on to Alexandria, Egypt, where she was interned with her crew. Up to that point, the ship had completed 25 war missions and sailed 25,000 nautical miles.
In October 1943, she returned to service with the Allies and served as a target for training missions for new pilots near Suez. In February 1944, she was ordered to return to Taranto, Italy in order to transport the crews of the Regia Marina back to Italy. However, on the way, the ship struck a mine near Punta Stilo on the southwest coast of Italy. She was able to reach Taranto on her own power but remained in the harbor until the end of the war.
Post-war repairs and refitting were not completed until 26 June 1951, at which point the Eugenio di Savoia was ceded to Greece as part of war reparations.
Greek service
Renamed C-24 Έλλη II (C-24 Elli II), with her ensign hoisted in June 1951, she became the headquarters of the Chief of the Greek Fleet and effectively the flagship of the newly formed Hellenic Navy. In June 1952, she carried the Greek king, Paul of Greece, on a visit to Istanbul. From 1959 to 1965, she served as the flagship of the Ionian Fleet stationed in Suda, Crete, however she rarely set sail, citing high costs for the young navy.
In 1965, the C-24 Έλλη II was decommissioned from the fleet after 14 years of service in the Hellenic Navy and 29 years of history. Her final chapter was infamous, as she was turned into a prison ship by the Greek junta and used to imprison members of the navy who opposed the dictatorship until the 1973 coup. She was eventually sold for scrap.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
Archival film of Eugenio di Savoia launching its Ro.43.
Archival film the ceremonial ship launching of the Eugenio di Savoia. Film dated 1935-03-20.
See also
Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the ship;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
- [Wikipedia] Italian cruiser Eugenio di Savoia
- [National Museum of the U.S. Navy] Eugenio di Savoia, Italian Light Cruiser, 1936-43
- [Archivio Luce] Tag: Incrociatore Eugenio di Savoia (eng.: Cruiser Eugenio di Savoia)
| Ansaldo | |
|---|---|
| Corvettes | |
| Gabbiano-class | RN Gabbiano · Folaga |
| Destroyers | |
| Leone-class | RN Leone · RN Tigre |
| Light Cruisers | |
| Condottieri-class | RN Bartolomeo Colleoni · RN Raimondo Montecuccoli · RN Eugenio di Savoia |
| Heavy Cruisers | |
| Trento-class | RN Bolzano |
| Battleships | |
| Conte di Cavour-class | Novorossiysk* |
| *RN Giulio Cesare before war reparation to the USSR | |
| Italy light cruisers | |
|---|---|
| Condottieri-class | RN Bartolomeo Colleoni · RN Raimondo Montecuccoli · RN Eugenio di Savoia · RN Duca degli Abruzzi |
| Capitani Romani-class | RN Attilio Regolo |
| Etna-class | RN Etna |
