Ship Modelers Database
Italian cruiser Zara
Sunk
Zara was an Italian heavy cruiser and the lead ship of the four-vessel Zara class, built for the Regia Marina and named after the Dalmatian city of Zara (now Zadar, Croatia). She and her sisters Fiume, Gorizia, and Pola were among the most heavily armored cruisers of the interwar period, a design choice that traded speed for protection compared to the preceding Trento class.
Kits of this ship
+ Add a kit| Italian Zara Heavy Cruiser | Trumpeter | 1:350 | Injection-Molded Plastic | Available | |
No image | Italian Heavy Cruiser Zara / Fiume | Delphis Models | 1:700 | Resin | Available |
No image | Regia Marina Zara - Kit with Railings and PE Parts | Tauro Model | 1:400 | Other | Available |
Plans
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Build logs
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Resources
+ Submit a resourceHistory & specifications
- Navypedia: Zara Heavy Cruisers (1931-1932)Website
Technical data reference with builder, machinery, and dimension details useful for modeling accuracy.
- Wikipedia: Italian cruiser ZaraArticle
Main reference article covering Zara's design, specifications, and full service history including her sinking at Cape Matapan.
- Wikipedia: Zara-class cruiserArticle
Class-level article with detailed design, armament, and armor specifications useful for comparing Zara to her sister ships.
History
Specifications
Zara measured 182.8 m (600 ft) overall with a 20.6 m beam and 7.2 m draft, displacing roughly 11,680 long tons standard and up to 14,300 long tons at full load, well over the Washington Treaty's nominal 10,000-ton limit for cruisers. She carried a main battery of eight 203 mm (8-inch) guns in four twin turrets, plus sixteen 100 mm secondary guns, smaller AA guns, and two IMAM Ro.43 reconnaissance seaplanes. Armor included a 150 mm belt, 150 mm turret faces and barbettes, and a 70 mm deck, making her one of the best-protected cruisers of her era.
Service history
Commissioned in October 1931, Zara served as a fleet and divisional flagship through the 1930s, supporting the Italian invasion of Albania in 1939. During World War II she took part in the Battle of Calabria (July 1940) and was present undamaged at the Battle of Taranto (November 1940) before being sunk at the Battle of Cape Matapan on 28-29 March 1941, struck by multiple broadsides from the British battleships Warspite and Valiant in a close-range night action and then scuttled by her own demolition charges.
Notable facts
Most of Zara's crew, 783 officers and sailors including divisional commander Admiral Carlo Cattaneo, were killed when she capsized and sank, making Matapan one of the heaviest single losses suffered by the Regia Marina in the war. The wreck was formally stricken from the Italian naval register in October 1946, and the Zara class is often cited as the best-armored cruiser design of any navy prior to the US Des Moines class.