Italian cruiser Gorizia entered service in December 1931
as the third of the Zara-class ships.
At the time, these ships were considered
some of the most heavily armored Washington Treaty cruisers.
The design for this cruiser resulted from further development
of the balanced cruiser concept pioneered by the earlier Trento class,
which aspired to embody a harmonious combination of firepower, speed, and armor.
It was in the latter component, however, that the Trentos were found to be lacking—
an issue that the Italian Navy sought to fix with the new Zara class.
Initial plans saw the armor belt of these new ships reach a thickness of 200 mm,
which would have led to the ships exceeding the Washington Naval Treaty’s
displacement limit of 10,000 tons by 40%.
So, like veritable Michelangelos of their craft,
the Italian naval designers chiseled away at the superfluous weight
until the ship only exceeded the limit by 1,500 tons,
though the Italians were still not keen on advertising it.
After entering service, the Zara class became the core of the Italian fleet
due to its battleships by this time being seriously outdated.
Gorizia and her sisters were well protected from light cruiser shells,
with their armor-belt thickness ranging from 100 to 150 mm;
armored decks of 70 mm;
and superstructure, main battery turrets, and barbettes reaching 150 mm.
The main battery of these cruisers was composed of eight new 203 mm Ansaldo guns
guns with a barrel length of 53 calibers,
which used heavier shells than the guns aboard Trento-class cruisers.
The secondary battery was made up of eight 100 mm twin gun mounts,
two of which were removed in 1937.
In addition, Gorizia hosted three floatplanes in a hangar
located under the forecastle deck, in front of the bow main battery turret.
The catapult for launching them was placed directly in front of the hangar.
Fully loaded, the ship could build up a speed of 32 knots.
With Italy’s entry into the Second World War,
Gorizia, along with her sisterships,
was charged with escorting Axis supply convoys to North Africa,
as well as raiding Allied convoys.
During the decisive British air raid on the Italian fleet at Taranto,
Gorizia’s anti-aircraft gunners shot down one torpedo bomber.
In the spring of 1941, Gorizia was sent to La Spezia to undergo repairs.
Thanks to this, she avoided participation in the disastrous battle of Cape Matapan,
where all three of her sisterships were sunk by a Royal Navy squadron.
For the next 2 years, the ship would continue to play an active role
in the Mediterranean convoy war.
On April 10, 1943,
Gorizia was severely damaged during an Allied air raid
on the Italian naval base of Maddalena.
The ship was again sent to La Spezia for repairs,
where she would remain until the conclusion of the peace treaty
between Italy and the Allied powers on September 9.
The very next day, German troops entered the city
with the intention of capturing the Italian warships moored there.
However, Gorizia was so seriously damaged
that they did not attempt to put her back into action.
When the Germans abandoned the city in April 1945,
they sunk her in the harbor.
After the war,
the mangled remains of the ship were raised from the bottom and sold for scrap.
In World of Warships, Gorizia is a Tier VII Premium cruiser.