Nino Bixio

13.9

Nino Bixio

Cruiser | Italy | Tier II

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price100 exp

Purchase price85,000

Hit Points15,500

Main Battery

120 mm/50 Elswick Pattern "EE" on a shielded mount8 х 1 pcs.

Rate of Fire5.45 shots/min.

Reload Time11 sec.

Rotation Speed8 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time22.5 sec.

Firing Range10.34 km.

Maximum Dispersion104 m.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell0 %

AP Shell120 mm proiettili AP 1909

Maximum AP Shell Damage2,100

Initial AP Shell Velocity850 m./s.

AP Shell Weight22.75 kg.

Maximum SAP Shell Damage2,600

Initial SAP Shell Velocity840 m./s.

Secondary Armament #1

76 mm/50 Model 1909 on a single mount6 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range3.2 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell76 mm proiettili HE 1909

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,100

Initial HE Shell Velocity815 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell4 %

AA Defense

7.7 mm Lewis2 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second3.2

. . . Firing Range0.99 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed26.8 knot

Turning Circle Radius480 m.

Rudder Shift Time6.7 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range7.86 km.

Air Detectability Range3.96 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

13.9

Nino Bixio

Cruiser | Italy | Tier II

Tech Tree Position

stock

 top

General

Research price100 exp

Purchase price85,000

Hit Points16,600

Main Battery

120 mm/50 Elswick Pattern "EE" on a shielded mount8 х 1 pcs.

Rate of Fire5.45 shots/min.

Reload Time11 sec.

Rotation Speed8 deg./sec.

180 Degree Turn Time22.5 sec.

Firing Range11.37 km.

Maximum Dispersion104 m.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell0 %

AP Shell120 mm proiettili AP 1909

Maximum AP Shell Damage2,100

Initial AP Shell Velocity850 m./s.

AP Shell Weight22.75 kg.

Maximum SAP Shell Damage2,600

Initial SAP Shell Velocity840 m./s.

Secondary Armament #1

76 mm/50 Model 1909 on a single mount6 х 1 pcs.

Firing Range3.2 km.

Rate of Fire10 shots/min.

Reload Time6 sec.

HE Shell76 mm proiettili HE 1909

Maximum HE Shell Damage1,100

Initial HE Shell Velocity815 m./s.

Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell4 %

AA Defense

40 mm/39 Vickers-Terni Model 1917 on a single mount2 х 1 pcs.

. . . Average Damage per Second11.2

. . . Firing Range2.01 km.

Maneuverability

Maximum Speed26.8 knot

Turning Circle Radius480 m.

Rudder Shift Time4.8 sec.

Concealment

Surface Detectability Range7.86 km.

Air Detectability Range3.96 km.

Battle Levels

12345678910

II

85,000

Nino Bixio — Italian Tier II cruiser.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the idea of a fast scout cruiser was popular in many countries. The first ship of that kind in the Italian Navy was armored cruiser Quarto. This was followed by the Nino Bixio class—they were larger than their predecessor and had more convenient artillery arrangement. During World War I, the lead ship of the series participated in the interception of Austro-Hungarian raiders and in the defense of the Entente transports. Nino Bixio served in the Navy until the end of the 1920s.

Modules

	Rate of Fire (shots/min)	180° Turn Time (sec)	Maximum Dispersion (m)	Maximum HE Shell Damage (HP)	Chance of Fire on Target Caused by HE Shell (%)	Maximum AP Shell Damage (HP)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
120 mm/50 Elswick Pattern "EE" on a shielded mount	5.5	22.5	104			2,100		0	8,500

	Hit Points (HP)	Armor (mm)	Armor (mm)	Main Turrets (pcs.)	Secondary Gun Turrets (pcs.)	AA Mounts (pcs.)	Torpedo Tubes (pcs.)	Hangar Capacity (pcs.)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Nino Bixio (A)	15,500	6	100	8	6	2				0	10,500
Nino Bixio (B)	16,600	6	100	8	6	2				300	25,000

	IDS_SHIP_PARAM_SUO_INCREASE_DIST (%)	Maximum Firing Range (km)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
SDT 2 mod.1		0		0	5,000
SDT 2 mod.2		0		180	15,000

	Maximum Speed (knot)		Research price (exp)	Purchase price ()
Propulsion: 23,000 hp	26.8		0	4,000

Compatible Upgrades

Slot 1

Player Opinion

Performance

Tier II Italian cruiser Nino Bixio is the first characteristic ship of her line. Her main appealing features include the trademark SAP shells, excellent maneuverability, and high speed.

Nino Bixio’s firepower includes eight 120mm guns in single turrets, with three each on the port and starboard sides, and two aft. Because of this peculiar layout, not all of Nino Bixio’s guns can be aimed at any single enemy. While her guns have potential for a high alpha strike, her slow reload time of 12 seconds prevents her from rapidly damaging enemies. The main feature of her guns is her access to Semi-Armor Piercing (SAP) shells, instead of HE shells found on most other ships. This allows Nino Bixio to heavily damage destroyers and other lightly armored targets. However, this strength is held back by her inability to set fires or effectively damage ship modules. In terms of AP performance, her unusually good ballistics compared to other Tier II cruisers and penetration allow her to outclass many cruisers at her tier, despite her smaller 120mm guns.

Nino Bixio does not get access to torpedo armament, which is a disadvantage in close range engagements, where many of her peers have torpedoes. Being a cruiser designed before World War I, Nino Bixio has incredibly poor AA defenses. However, being a Tier II ship, she will not face any aircraft carriers in battle. In addition, she has poor secondary armament, featuring inaccurate guns of a low caliber, and below average damage output.

Nino Bixio’s survivability on paper appears to be quite poor. This is partly true, as she has a feeble health pool of only 16,600 when fully upgraded. Her armor is just as bad; she is covered in a mere 6 millimeters of armor. However, Nino Bixio does have access to a steep turtleback armor layer, whose 38 millimeter thickness can protect her against some low caliber AP shells. Because of her slim hull shape, many battleship AP shells are liable to either overpenetrate Nino Bixio, or miss her entirely at closer ranges.

In terms of handling, Nino Bixio is strong. She is the fastest cruiser at her tier, reaching speeds close to 27 knots without Sierra Mike equipped. She also features a quick rudder shift time of 4.8 seconds fully upgraded, and a very tight turning circle of only 480 meters. Captains of Nino Bixio should be alert to incoming fire, and use her superb handling to evade the enemy’s shells, as her armor and health are weak. Nino Bixio also features excellent concealment for her tier, allowing her to effectively control engagements, and carry out surprise attacks on enemies.

Taking all of her characteristics into account, captains of Nino Bixio should adopt a conservative playstyle, using allies and islands as cover to stay safe while crippling enemy cruisers and destroyers with her effective SAP rounds. She should avoid close range fights, as her weak armor and lack of torpedoes will mean a quick punishment for overly aggressive play.

Pros:

• SAP shells are quite effective against destroyers and lightly armored targets
• Excellent handling allows her to evade a great deal of incoming fire
• The fastest Tier II cruiser
• Good Handling
• Good AP penetration

Cons:

• Weak armor and a small HP pool
• Long reload time of 12 seconds
• No torpedoes
• Cannot effectively damage highly armored targets due to lack of fire starting capabilities
• Small caliber guns compared to her peers

Research

1. Hull: Upgrade to Hull (B) first. Research of this module also unlocks progression to Tier III Taranto.
2. Gun Fire Control System: Upgrade to SDT 2 mod.2 for an extra 10% range on the main battery.

Optimal Configuration

Upgrades

Recommended:

• Slot 1: Main Armaments Modification 1

Commander Skills

Recommended Commander Skills
Cost (points)	Attack				Defense
1	Grease the Gears +15% main battery traverse speed.	Swift Fish +5% torpedo speed.	Consumables Specialist −7.5% cooldown time of all Consumables except:  Damage Control Party   Repair Party .	Gun Feeder -40% time to switch shell type.	Incoming Fire Alert Receive a warning of a salvo fired at your ship from more than 4.5km.	Last Stand The ship remains able to move and maneuver - slowly - while the engine or steering gears are incapacitated. ★★
2	Demolition Expert +1% chance of main and secondary HE shells causing a fire. +15% to the fragmentation damage area of HE ordnance fired at submarines.	Fill the Tubes -10% torpedo tubes reload time.	Consumables Enhancements +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search, Surveillance Radar, Smoke Generator, & Engine Boost.	Eye in the Sky Spotting Aircraft: • +2 charges • -50% cooldown time.	Priority Target The detection indicator will show the number of enemies targeting you with main battery. ★★	Focus Fire Training In an active priority AA sector: •  +1.5% (to 5%) immediate damage. •  +25% continuous damage. •  +1 flak burst per salvo. −10% aircraft preparation time. −15% reload time of Airstrike armament..
3	Heavy HE and SAP Shells +10% HE and SAP shell damage. +15% ship detectability guns 149mm and up. ★★	Pack a Punch +15% torpedo damage. +20% secondary battery range..	Adrenaline Rush -0.2% reload time of all armaments per 1% HP lost +0.2% AA continuous damage per 1% HP lost. ★★	Heavy AP Shells +5% damage for AP shells 190mm and larger.	Superintendent +1 charge to all consumables.	Survivability Expert +450 HP per ship tier.
4	Top Grade Gunner -10% reload time of secondary batteries If enemy ship is spotted within detectability range, -8% reload time of main battery. ★★	Outnumbered If there are fewer allies than visible enemies within the ship's base main caliber firing range: +8% ship speed -10% main battery dispersion. ★★	Radio Location Shows the direction to the nearest enemy ship. The enemy is alerted that a bearing has been taken..	Inertial Fuse for HE Shells +25% armor penetration of HE shells Base fire chance reduced by half.	Concealment Expert -10% detectability range of the ship. ★★	AAA & ASW Expert +25% continuous AA and flak damage. +15% damage inflicted by depth charges. While AAA is active: −50% ship consumables reload time..
Key: ★★★ - Extremely Useful      ★★ - Frequently Useful      ★ - Occasionally Useful     No stars - Not Useful

Consumables

Nino Bixio equips:

• Slot 1: Damage Control Party 

Signals

Recommended Signal Flags
Combat
Juliet Charlie -100% to the risk of magazine detonation. ★★	Juliet Yankee Bissotwo -20% to flooding duration.	India Yankee -20% to fire duration.	Hotel Yankee -20% to damage received when ramming the enemy. +50% to damage dealt when ramming the enemy.	Victor Lima +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +4% chance of torpedoes causing flooding.	India X-Ray +1% chance for HE bombs and shells with a caliber above 160mm causing a fire. +0.5% chance for bombs and smaller shells causing a fire. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.
Juliet Whiskey Unaone +15% chance of causing flooding. +5% to the risk of your ship's magazine detonating.	Mike Yankee Soxisix +5% to secondary battery maximum firing range. -5% to maximum dispersion of secondary battery shells. -5% to secondary battery loading time.	November Echo Setteseven +5% continuous AA damage at all ranges. +5% damage from flak bursts.	Sierra Mike +5% to the ship's maximum speed. ★★	November Foxtrot -5% reload time on all consumables. ★★	India Delta +20% to the amount of HP recovered when Repair Party  is used.
X-Ray Papa Unaone +10% action time of a Smoke Generator .	Sierra Bravo +10% action time of Hydroacoustic Search  -10% reload time of Defensive AA Fire .

Note: Use of the Juliet Charlie signal makes detonation impossible.

Gallery

Historical Info

Nino Bixio, 1914

Construction

Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia; Castellammare di Stabia, Italy

Laid down: 15 February 1911

Launched: 30 December 1911

Commissioned: 5 May 1914

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Specifications

3,575 tons displacement, normal

4,141 tons displacement, full

140.3m length

13m beam

4.4m draft (4.7m full load)

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Machinery

Fourteen (14) Blechynden mied-firing boilers

Three (3) Curtiss steam turbines

750 tons coal, 180 tons oil

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Performance

26.5 knots at 26,500 shaft horsepower

1,400 nautical miles at 13 knots

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Armor

Decks: 40mm deck and slopes

Conning tower: 100mm

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Armament

Main

Six (6x1) 120mm/50 Armstrong Modello 1909

Secondary

Six (6x1) 76mm/50 Vickers Modello 1909

Anti-Aircraft

Two (2x1) 40mm/39 Vickers-Terni Modello 1917

Torpedoes

Six (2x3) 533mm torpedo tubes

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Complement

336 (14 officers, 322 NCOs and sailors)

History

Design

After the success of the scout cruiser (esploratori) Quarto, the Regia Marina sought to procure a new class of the ship types, which would become the Nino Bixio-class.

The esploratori concept was born out of the need for fast scouts that could be used to make contact with the enemy and report their position, as well as fight enemy scout vessels. For this, the Regia Marina had built an ‘unprotected’ turbine powered protected cruiser, Quarto, which had used ten Blechyden boilers (eight coal-fired, two oil-fired) and four Parsons steam turbines. This produced 25,000 shp, giving the 3,440-ton fully loaded) cruiser a top speed of 28 knots. Armor was limited to the 40mm protected deck and the 100mm conning tower, and the armament was based on powerful 120mm cannons with 76mm anti-torpedo boats as backup. Torpedo tubes and minelaying capacity were included.

Based on this design, the Regia Marina ordered two more esploratori, which were some 500 tons heavier and would have, it was hoped, more powerful machinery. The result was the Nino Bixio-class. Weighing in at 4,141 tons fully loaded they were significantly heavier than Quarto, mostly due to the more powerful machinery. The design was reduced to three shafts (with Curtiss turbines), but now had fourteen Blechynden mixed-firing boilers, with the overall length and breadth of the cruiser increasing by 7 and 0.2 meters respectively. Though the machinery was more powerful in output per shaft, overall power was reduced (to 22,500 shp - 8,000 shp on the outer shafts, 6,500 shp on the centerline) and this combined with the increased displacement caused the top speed to fall to 26.5 knots. Adding insult to injury the Curtiss turbines were far more unreliable compared to the Parsons turbines, further reducing the usefulness of the ‘improved’ vessels compared to Quarto.

Although the armament remained the same, a benefit of the longer hull was the improved placement of the guns, allowing five rather than three 120mm guns to bear to a broadside. The main battery consisted of six 120mm/50 Armstrong Modello 1909 in single mounts, which fired 22.75 kg shells at a velocity of 840 m/s and a rate of fire of six rounds per minute. The anti-torpedo boat armament consisted of six 3”(76mm)/50 Vickers Modello 1909, which fired 6 kg shells at a velocity of 815 m/s and a rate of 10 rpm. At their maximum elevation of +20°, range was 10,000 meters. Two beam 450mm single torpedo tubes were fitted, and minelaying capacity was 200 mines.

Service

Nino Bixio was laid down at the Royal Yards at Castellamare di Stabia on 15 February 1911, and was launched before the year was out (30 December 1911). Fitting out dragged on, however, and the ships was only completed on 5 May 1914. Trials had been run in 1913, and were disappointing – at a normal displacement (3,515 tons) she had managed to work up to 24,000 shp, for a top speed of only 26.82 knots, far short of the intended 29 knots. She commissioned on the day she was considered completed, and was named after Nino Bixio, a significant figure of the Risorgimento movement – he had served in the Sardinian Navy before these wars, before joining Giuseppe Garibaldi on land with his Alpine Hunters, and later accompanied Garibaldi on his expedition of the thousand. Later, he became a politician. The ship’s motto was Obbedire e tacere (Obey and be silent).

Joining the Regia Marina on 1 July 1914, Nino Bixio was initially stationed in Cyrenaica, moving from various ports in eastern Libya, until her return to Italy when she made Taranto on 16 August 1914.

When Italy entered the First World War on 23 May 1915, Nino Bixio was stationed at Brindisi along with the other Italian scout cruisers (her sister Marsala, and Quarto). This allowed them to cover the Otranto barrage, a network put in place by Entente and Allied forces to prevent Austrian and German submarines from breaking out into the Mediterranean. In practice the barrage was useless, but regardless it served as a major target for Austrian surface forces, which repeatedly attempted to attack it. On 5 June Nino Bixio, escorted by four destroyers (two French, two Italian), conducted a bombardment of Austrian positions on the islands of Lissa and Sant’Andrea.

On 29 December 1915 Nino Bixio took part in the Battle of Durazzo. The Austrians had deployed a scout cruiser and five destroyers to destroy two Italian destroyers reported off the coast of Durazzo. The Austrian force blundered into the freshly laid Italian minefield, losing one destroyer and suffering damage to another, with another fouling a screw. The Austrian force called for backup (an armored cruiser and four torpedo boats), knowing Allied ships would soon be on top of them. Two allied forces were in a position to respond, each consisting of a pair of light cruisers with destroyer escorts. Nino Bixio was in the second force, carrying the flag of Rear Admiral Alfonso Belleni. The first group had managed to engage the Austrian force, which was fleeing northwest, but Belleni’s group was able to cut them off, forcing them to turn away to the southwest. However, in the running fight they were further behind the other forces, and so their gunfire was relatively ineffective. When the Austrians finally made their break north, they were able to slip by in the dark, with the brief gunfight resulting in a single hit to the topsides of Nino Bixio.

On 2 August 1916, Nino Bixio was briefly involved in another battle, the Action off Cattaro, where she briefly (and ineffectually) traded fire with the Austrian cruiser Aspern. Shortly after the clash, she came under attack by Austrian submarine U-4, but the two torpedoes missed the esploratori. In May of 1917 she missed another chance to grapple with her foes, as she had no steam in her boilers during the Austrian raid that resulted in the Battle of the Otranto Straits, thus preventing her from taking part. On the evening of 3 September, she, along with British cruiser Weymouth and an escort of two Italian and two French destroyers, slipped anchor to escort a force of torpedo floatplanes and MTBs for a planned raid on Cattaro, but were forced to cancel the operation and return to port due to the poor weather. This would be the last major chance she had at clashing with the Austrian surface forces, and her life continued in routine missions since then. As of 4 November 1918, when the Austro-Hungarian empire capitulated to Italy, Nino Bixio had conducted a total of 54 war missions.

Much of 1919 was spent on peacekeeping missions. Her first deployment was to Spalato (Split) from 24 February to 10 July, until she sailed to Zara (Zadar), where she remained until the 19th. She then went on a chain of diplomatic missions around the former Ottoman empire, which ended on 19 October. Another chain of missions in this theme were conducted throughout 1921-1922, before arriving in Taranto once more on 4 March 1922 for a refit. On 10 July 1924 she was put under the command of the light division, though in August she was briefly deployed to Navarino. At the end of 1925 she was assigned to the Scout Division (Divisione Esploratori). In 1927 she was assigned to the Scouting Group along with the light scout (esploratore leggere) Premuda, the former German S-113, based in Taranto, but at the end of October it was re-assigned to Pola, but this was more a paper assignment, as in reality she served as a barracks ship at Trieste for the crew of the new treaty cruiser Trieste.

Although much of the ship was still in fair condition, the ever-present issues with her machinery, which had steadily gotten worse as the cruisers aged, had left the warship with little value to the Regia Marina. Nino Bixio was disarmed on 1 March 1929, and officially stricken from the naval register on 15 March 1929, after which she was sold for scrapping,

Historical Gallery

References

• Italian cruiser Nino Bixio - Wikipedia
• Nino Bixio-class cruiser - Wikipedia

Ship Change Log

See here for links to Update notes.

• Available for testing by supertesters in the game starting from Update 0.8.7.

Testing Changes

• July 23, 2019:
  • Preliminary characteristics.
• Aug 20, 2019:
  • Removed the 10% damage limit for semi-armor-piercing shell penetrations against destroyers.
  • Improved ricochet angles of semi-armor-piercing shells from 60-85 degrees to 80-85 degrees.
• Oct 14, 2019:
  • Main battery reload time decreased from 13 to 12 s.

• Introduced in Update 0.8.10.
• Update 0.10.0:
  • Acceleration and braking dynamics were decreased to standard values.
• Update 0.10.10:
  • Secondary battery maximum firing range increased to 3.2 km.
• Update 0.11.1:
  • Ricochet angles for SAP shells changed from 80-85 degrees to 60-75 degrees in an unlisted change, likely due to sharing shells with low tier Italian destroyers which had their shells changed during testing in DevBlog 275.
• Update 12.2:
  • Maximum SAP shell damage reduced from 2,800 to 2,600.
  • Main battery reload time reduced from 12 to 11 s.
• Update 13.0:
  • Fixed Commander skill recommendations for the ship.

Ships of Italy

Cruisers