Novorossiysk

Giulio Cesare was laid down at the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa in 1910. She participated in World War I. The ship underwent a complete modernization process between 1933 and 1935 and received new weapons and enhanced armor. During World War II, she participated in the battle of Punta Stilo, as well as in hunts for Maltese convoys and in other operations. After the end of the war, she was transferred to the U.S.S.R. and received the name Novorossiysk. On October 29, 1955, an explosion erupted under the hull of the ship with the equivalent power of 1,000 kg of TNT—617 people lost their lives in that tragedy, and the cause of the explosion has yet to be determined.