Italia-class ironclad

Illustration of Italia c. 1891
Class overview
Name	Italia class
Operators	Regia Marina
Preceded by	Duilio class
Succeeded by	Ruggiero di Lauria class
Built	1876–1887
In service	1885–1921
Completed	2
Retired	2
General characteristics [1]
Type	Ironclad battleship
Displacement	Normal: 13,678 long tons (13,897 t ) Full load : 15,407 long tons (15,654 t)
Length	124.7 m (409 ft 1 in) length overall
Beam	22.54 m (74 ft)
Draft	8.75 m (28 ft 8 in)
Installed power	15,907 ihp (11,862 kW) 26 fire-tube boilers
Propulsion	4 × compound steam engines 4 × screw propellers
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)
Range	5,000 nautical miles (9,260 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement	37 officers 719 enlisted men
Armament	4 × 432 mm (17 in) guns 8 × 149 mm (5.9 in) guns 4 × 120 mm (4.7 in) guns 4 × 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes
Armor	Deck: 76 to 102 mm (3 to 4 in) Barbette: 480 mm (19 in) Conning tower: 300 mm (11.8 in)

The Italia class was a

Despite serving for over thirty years, the ships had uneventful careers. They spent their first two decades in service with the Active and Reserve Squadrons, where they were primarily occupied with training maneuvers. Lepanto was converted into a training ship in 1902 and Italia was significantly modernized in 1905–1908 before also becoming a training ship. They briefly saw action during the Italo-Turkish War, where they provided gunfire support to Italian troops defending Tripoli. Lepanto was discarded in early 1915, though Italia continued on as a guard ship during World War I, eventually being converted into a grain transport. She was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1921.

Design

Starting in the 1870s, following the Italian fleet's defeat at the Battle of Lissa, the Italians began a large naval expansion program, at first aimed at countering the Austro-Hungarian Navy.^[2] The Italias were the second class of the program, which also included the Duilio class, designed in the early-1870s by Insp Eng Benedetto Brin.^[3] The Italia class was ordered by Admiral Simone Antonio Saint-Bon, the Italian naval minister, who envisioned an improved version of the Duilio class that also had the ability to carry large numbers of soldiers, as the Navy had been given the responsibility of defending Italy's lengthy coastline.^[4]

Brin prepared the initial design in 1875. The need to keep the size of the ships under control, coupled with developments in

Brin originally planned for the ships to displace 13,850 long tons (14,070 t), to have a main battery of two 450 mm (17.7 in) guns in individual barbettes, a secondary armament of eighteen 149 mm (5.9 in) guns, and to carry 3,000 long tons (3,000 t) of coal for increased range over that of the Duilio class. Brin opted to use open barbettes over the heavy, enclosed gun turrets of the Duilios to save weight, which permitted the addition of a full upper deck. This, in turn, provided the space to carry a division of 10,000 soldiers according to Saint Bon's requirements.^[4][6]

As the design evolved, developments in related technologies prompted changes to Brin's design. The development of slow-burning propellants led General Rosset, an artillerist in the Italian Army, suggested that slightly smaller, 432 mm (17 in) guns could be built with longer barrels for the same weight as the 450 mm guns. The longer barrels could take advantage of the slow-burning propellant to increase muzzle velocity, giving the guns better penetrating power. After the original guns were bought by Britain during a war scare with the Russian Empire in 1878, Brin altered the design to incorporate Rosset's ideas. The single 450 mm guns were replaced with pairs of 432 mm guns. By that time, he had made other changes, including reducing the 149 mm armament to eight weapons, and the coal capacity to 1,700 long tons (1,700 t), on 15,000 long tons (15,241 t) displacement. The number of 149 mm guns was reduced because it was found that the additional guns could not have been manned when the 432 mm guns were in use.^[6][7]

The ships were authorized in 1875, with funding allocated to begin construction the following year, though design work continued even after they had been laid down in 1876.^[4] They were faster and more seaworthy than the preceding Duilio class, owing to their higher freeboard.^[8] They were very large and fast warships for their time, displacing over 15,000 tons at full load; Italia could make 17.8 knots (33.0 km/h), while Lepanto could achieve 18.4 knots (34.1 km/h).^[5] Other ironclads of the era could not make more than 15 knots (28 km/h).^[8] Their high speed, powerful main battery, and thin armor protection has led to some naval historians to characterize the ships as proto-battlecruisers.^[9] Designed at a time when the primary threat to capital ships was a slow-firing gun equipped with cast iron shot, the Italias had the poor luck to enter service after quick-firing guns with explosive shells had been developed, rendering their protection scheme useless.^[10]

General characteristics

The ships of the Italia class were 122 meters (400 ft) long between perpendiculars and 124.7 m (409 ft) long overall. Italia had a beam of 22.54 m (74 ft), while Lepanto was slightly narrower, at 22.34 m (73.3 ft). The ships had a draft of 8.75 m (28.7 ft) and 9.39 m (30.8 ft), respectively. Italia displaced 13,678 long tons (13,897 t) normally and up to 15,407 long tons (15,654 t) at full load, while Lepanto displaced 13,336 long tons (13,550 t) normally and 15,649 long tons (15,900 t) fully laden.^[5] The ships' great size allowed the designers to use very fine hull lines, which gave them high hydrodynamic efficiency and contributed to their speed.^[11]

Both ships'

The ships carried a secondary battery of eight medium caliber guns in single

bow-chaser, four were on the broadside forward of the main battery, another pair were astern of the main guns, and the eighth gun was on the upper deck as a stern-chaser. These were supported by a battery of four 120 mm (4.7 in) guns, also in single mounts. The ships also carried a pair of 75 mm (3 in) mountain guns and two machine guns for use by landing parties ashore.^[20] As was customary for capital ships of the period, they carried four 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes.^[5] These were placed on the broadside above the waterline.^[15] The torpedoes carried a 125 kg (276 lb) warhead and had a range of 600 m (2,000 ft).^[21]

Armor

Instead of belt armor the ships were protected by a

shells before they could penetrate very far into the ships; confining the resulting explosion and flooding to limited areas, dampening and containing the effect.^[5][8]

For rest of the ship's protection, recently developed

compound armor was selected for Italia, which was manufactured by the British firms Cammell Laird and John Brown & Company. Lepanto received an improved steel that had been developed by the French company Schneider-Creusot. The ships' conning tower was armored with 300 mm (11.8 in) of plate on the sides. The barbettes had 480 mm (19 in) on the sides to protect the guns, back with a layer of teak that was 521 mm (20.5 in) thick. The tops of the barbettes had two layers of 15 mm (0.59 in) to protect the gun crews from small arms fire from enemy fighting tops. Each ship had armored tubes connecting the barbettes to the magazines below; these had 400 mm (15.7 in) thick sides. The bases of the funnels, where the boiler uptakes connected to them, also received 15.7 in of armor.^[5][22]

Modifications

Their secondary batteries were revised over the course of their careers. During a refit in the late 1890s, the ships were given a tertiary battery for close-range defense against torpedo boats. Each ship received twelve 57 mm (2.2 in) Hotchkiss guns and twelve 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss guns in individual mounts. In another refit completed by 1908, Italia had her 150 mm guns replaced with seven 152 mm weapons, and her anti-torpedo boat armament was reduced to six 57 mm guns and two 37 mm guns. The historian Sergei Vinogradov notes that some sources report that two additional torpedo tubes were fitted to Italia at this time, but states that "this seems unlikely." The refit also saw the removal of the central military mast and the installation of two light pole masts.^[23]

By 1911, Lepanto had had a second refit as well, which removed all of her 152 mm guns and torpedo tubes and reduced her tertiary battery to nine 57 mm and six 37 mm guns. While serving as a floating battery at Brindisi during World War I, Italia had all of her secondary and tertiary guns removed, and in 1918, when she was converted into a grain transport vessel, her main battery was removed as well, though she received two 120 mm 32-caliber guns for defense.^[24]

Construction

Construction data

Name	Builder[5]	Laid down[5]	Launched[5]	Completed[5]
Italia	Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia	3 January 1876	29 September 1880	16 October 1885
Lepanto	Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando	4 November 1876	17 March 1883	16 August 1887

Service history

Italia and Lepanto spent the first decade of their careers alternative between the Active and Reserve Squadrons of the Italian fleet. Italia served as the

laid up in late 1890 and Lepanto was similarly deactivated the next year. Over the following five years, both ships alternated between active and reserve status.^[25] During their active careers, they were primarily occupied with training exercises. As Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance at the time, the simulated opponent in these maneuvers was typically France; during the 1893 annual fleet maneuvers, both ships served in the squadron simulating an attack on the Italian coast.^[26]

In 1896, both ships began to serve in auxiliary roles, Italia as a gunnery

Diamond Jubilee.^[27] The ships continued to alternate between the squadrons for the rest of the decade, with 1897 and 1898 in the Reserve,^[28][29] and 1899 in the Active Squadron.^[30] During this period, the Italian Navy considered rebuilding the ships along the same lines as the ironclad Enrico Dandolo, but the project proved to be too costly, and by 1902 the plan was abandoned.^[31]

Lepanto was removed from front-line service in 1902 and converted into a gunnery training ship; to aid in this task, the ship received a variety of light weapons that trainees would go on to use in the fleet. During this period, she also took part in annual training exercises with the rest of the fleet. In October 1910, she was reduced to a barracks ship. Italia was modernized in 1905–1908, losing two of her funnels and several of her small-caliber guns; from 1909 to 1910, she served as a torpedo training ship. She was then used as a barracks ship in 1911.^[5][27][32] Both ships were reactivated in September 1911 after the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War, initially assigned to the 5th Division. After the capture of Tripoli in October, Italia and Lepanto were intended to be sent to the city to provide gunfire support for the soldiers defending it,^[33] but the plan came to nothing and they remained in Italy.^[27]

Lepanto was stricken from the

ship breakers on 27 March 1915. Italia was stricken from the register on 4 June 1914, but was not discarded before the start of World War I the following month. In April 1915, as Italy prepared to enter the conflict on the side of the Triple Entente, Italia was towed to Brindisi to be used as a guard ship, and she was restored to the naval register on 23 May. In December 1917, she was taken to La Spezia, where she was converted into a grain carrier, serving briefly with the Ministry of Transport in June 1919 before being transferred to the State Railways in July. The ship returned to the Navy in January 1921, but was stricken in November that year and sold for scrap.^[27][32]

Notes

1. ^ Figures are for Italia
2. ^ Greene & Massignani, p. 394.
3. ^ Sondhaus 1994, p. 50.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Vinogradov, p. 49.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o} Gardiner, p. 341.
6. ^ ^{a b c} Gibbons, pp. 106–107.
7. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 49, 53.
8. ^ ^{a b c} Gibbons, p. 106.
9. ^ Sondhaus 2001, p. 112.
10. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 63–64.
11. ^ Vinogradov, p. 53.
12. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 50–51, 53.
13. ^ Vinogradov, p. 51.
14. ^ Gibbons, p. 107.
15. ^ ^{a b c} Vinogradov, p. 59.
16. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 60–62.
17. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 51, 61–62.
18. ^ Friedman, p. 231.
19. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 53, 56.
20. ^ ^{a b} Vinogradov, pp. 56–57.
21. ^ Friedman, p. 347.
22. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 59–60.
23. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 57, 59, 64.
24. ^ Vinogradov, pp. 57, 59.
25. ^ Vinogradov, p. 64.
26. ^ Clarke & Thursfield, pp. 202–203.
27. ^ ^{a b c d} Vinogradov, pp. 64–65.
28. ^ Garbett 1897, p. 789.
29. ^ Garbett 1898, p. 200.
30. ^ Brassey, p. 72.
31. ^ Garbett 1902, p. 1076.
32. ^ ^{a b} Gardiner & Gray, p. 255.
33. ^ Beehler, pp. 10, 47.

References

• Beehler, William Henry (1913). The History of the Italian-Turkish War: September 29, 1911, to October 18, 1912. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute.
  OCLC 1408563
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• Brassey, Thomas A. (1899). "Chapter III: Relative Strength". The Naval Annual. Portsmouth: J. Griffin & Co.: 70–80.
  OCLC 496786828
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• Clarke, George S. & Thursfield, James R. (1897). The Navy and the Nation, or, Naval Warfare and Imperial Defence. London: John Murray.
  OCLC 640207427
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• Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
  ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7
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• Garbett, H., ed. (1897). "Naval Notes". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLI (232). London: J. J. Keliher & Co.: 779–792.
  OCLC 8007941
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• Garbett, H., ed. (1898). "Naval Notes – Italy". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLII. London: J. J. Keliher: 199–204.
  OCLC 8007941
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• Garbett, H., ed. (1902). "Naval and Military Notes – Italy". Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. XLVI. London: J. J. Keliher: 1072–1076.
  OCLC 8007941
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• Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press.
  ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5
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• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
  ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8
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• Gibbons, Tony (1983). The Complete Encyclopedia of Battleships and Battlecruisers: A Technical Directory of All the World's Capital Ships From 1860 to the Present Day. London: Salamander Books, Ltd.
  ISBN 0-86101-142-2
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• Greene, Jack & Massignani, Alessandro (1998). Ironclads at War: The Origin and Development of the Armored Warship, 1854–1891. Pennsylvania: Da Capo Press.
  ISBN 0-938289-58-6
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• Sondhaus, Lawrence (2001). Naval Warfare, 1815–1914. London and New York: Routledge.
  ISBN 0-415-21478-5
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• Sondhaus, Lawrence (1994). The Naval Policy of Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press.
  ISBN 978-1-55753-034-9
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• Vinogradov, Sergei (2020). "Italia and Lepanto: Giants of the Iron Century". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2020. Oxford: Osprey. pp. 48–66.
  ISBN 978-1-4728-4071-4
  .

Further reading

• Ordovini, Aldo F.; Petronio, Fulvio & Sullivan, David M. (2015). "Capital Ships of the Italian Royal Navy, 1860–1918, Part 2: Turret/Barbette Ships of the Duilio, Italia and Ruggerio di Lauria Classes". Warship International. LII (4): 326–349.
  ISSN 0043-0374
  .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Italia class battleship.

• Italia (1880) Marina Militare website