Impero class battleship

[Korpen]

Laid down today at Taranto was the Regia Nautica's newest ship, the Impero. A "dreadnought" type battleship, and the first of two, her specifications are available to view below:

Impero, Italia Battleship laid down 1907

Displacement:
   14,317 t light; 15,258 t standard; 15,933 t normal; 16,473 t full load

Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
   590.00 ft / 590.00 ft x 85.00 ft x 16.00 ft (normal load)
   179.83 m / 179.83 m x 25.91 m  x 4.88 m

Armament:
      10 - 12.00" / 305 mm guns (4 mounts), 864.00lbs / 391.90kg shells, 1907 Model
     Breech loading guns in turrets (on barbettes)
     on centreline ends, evenly spread, all raised mounts - superfiring
      8 - 4.00" / 102 mm guns in single mounts, 32.00lbs / 14.51kg shells, 1907 Model
     Breech loading guns in deck mounts
     on side, all amidships, all raised mounts - superfiring
      12 - 0.80" / 20.3 mm guns in single mounts, 0.26lbs / 0.12kg shells, 1907 Model
     Breech loading guns in deck mounts
     on side, evenly spread, all raised mounts
   Weight of broadside 8,899 lbs / 4,037 kg
   Shells per gun, main battery: 125Armour:
   - Belts:      Width (max)   Length (avg)      Height (avg)
   Main:   10.0" / 254 mm   364.00 ft / 110.95 m   10.73 ft / 3.27 m
   Ends:   3.50" / 89 mm   195.98 ft / 59.73 m   10.73 ft / 3.27 m
     30.02 ft / 9.15 m Unarmoured ends
     Main Belt covers 95 % of normal length

   - Gun armour:   Face (max)   Other gunhouse (avg)   Barbette/hoist (max)
   Main:   10.0" / 254 mm   8.00" / 203 mm      8.00" / 203 mm
   2nd:   1.00" / 25 mm         -               -

Machinery:
   Coal fired boilers, steam turbines,
   Direct drive, 3 shafts, 25,739 shp / 19,201 Kw = 21.00 kts
   Range 3,000nm at 10.00 kts
   Bunker at max displacement = 1,215 tons (100% coal)

Complement:
   708 - 921

Cost:
   £1.661 million / $6.643 million

Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
   Armament: 1,112 tons, 7.0 %
   Armour: 4,098 tons, 25.7 %
      - Belts: 1,994 tons, 12.5 %
      - Torpedo bulkhead: 0 tons, 0.0 %
      - Armament: 2,104 tons, 13.2 %
      - Armour Deck: 0 tons, 0.0 %
      - Conning Tower: 0 tons, 0.0 %
   Machinery: 1,609 tons, 10.1 %
   Hull, fittings & equipment: 7,498 tons, 47.1 %
   Fuel, ammunition & stores: 1,616 tons, 10.1 %
   Miscellaneous weights: 0 tons, 0.0 %

Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
   Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
     18,735 lbs / 8,498 Kg = 21.7 x 12.0 " / 305 mm shells or 2.6 torpedoes
   Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.08
   Metacentric height 4.6 ft / 1.4 m
   Roll period: 16.7 seconds
   Steadiness   - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 54 %
         - Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.84
   Seaboat quality  (Average = 1.00): 1.08

Hull form characteristics:
   Hull has low forecastle
   Block coefficient: 0.695
   Length to Beam Ratio: 6.94 : 1
   'Natural speed' for length: 24.29 kts
   Power going to wave formation at top speed: 41 %
   Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 50
   Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 0.00 degrees
   Stern overhang: 0.00 ft / 0.00 m
   Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
      - Stem:      26.03 ft / 7.93 m
      - Forecastle (20 %):   18.57 ft / 5.66 m (20.57 ft / 6.27 m aft of break)
      - Mid (50 %):      18.57 ft / 5.66 m
      - Quarterdeck (12 %):   18.57 ft / 5.66 m
      - Stern:      18.57 ft / 5.66 m
      - Average freeboard:   19.47 ft / 5.93 m
   Ship tends to be wet forward

Ship space, strength and comments:
   Space   - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 86.0 %
      - Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 204.7 %
   Waterplane Area: 40,017 Square feet or 3,718 Square metres
   Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 98 %
   Structure weight / hull surface area: 147 lbs/sq ft or 720 Kg/sq metre
   Hull strength (Relative):
      - Cross-sectional: 0.81
      - Longitudinal: 0.90
      - Overall: 0.82
   Caution: Hull subject to strain in open-sea
   Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is adequate
   Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent

Every gunmount and turret is raised?
Also is the secondry battery pretty much to small to be usefull?
The ship is under strain while at sea, it only have a hull strength of 0,82 this gives the ship the rather nasty tendency to fall apart while at sea, the design really should have a hull strength of 1,0
But most of all, I think it would be a very, VERY good idea to put an armoured deck on the ship...

[P3D]

The ship range should be at least 6000@10. Bet armor at least 12". If you have only 4" secondaries, make sure to have at least 20 of them. But 5-6" guns might be a good idea.