List of battleships of Italy
Starting in the 1890s, the Italian
By the time that the Regina Elenas had been built in the early 1900s, the British battleship HMS Dreadnought had been completed, a revolutionary design that rendered all previous battleships obsolete. Therefore, a new dreadnought-type battleship was needed. The new ship was Dante Alighieri, and was designed by Rear Admiral Edoardo Masdea.[4] The Italian Navy built five further battleships to two similar designs: the Conte di Cavour and Andrea Doria classes. These six dreadnoughts formed the core of the Italian fleet during World War I, as a further four-ship class was cancelled.[5] Both the Italian and Austro-Hungarian navies adopted cautious fleet policies and neither chose to risk their capital ships in a major engagement; as a result, the Italian battle line spent the war in harbor and did not see combat.[6] Nevertheless, the dreadnought Leonardo da Vinci was destroyed by a magazine explosion in August 1916.[7] The pre-dreadnought Benedetto Brin was also destroyed by an internal explosion in September 1915, and her sister Regina Margherita was sunk by a German mine in December 1916.[8] The remaining battleships of the Ammiraglio di Saint Bon and Regina Elena classes were discarded after the end of the war.[1]
In the
Armament | The number and type of the primary armament |
---|---|
Armor | The thickness of the belt armor
|
Displacement | Ship displacement at full combat load |
Propulsion | Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed/horsepower generated |
Service | The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate |
Laid down | The date the keel began to be assembled |
Commissioned | The date the ship was commissioned |
Pre-dreadnought battleships
Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class
The first of the Italian Navy's modern battleships, the Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class were smaller than their contemporaries due to limitations imposed by the Italian government and indecision in the naval design staff over what kind of battleship should be built. They were designed under the supervision of Admiral
Both ships served in the active duty squadron early in their careers, and participated in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912. They took part in the Italian offensives in North Africa and the island of Rhodes, but did not see combat with the Ottoman fleet.[17] They were reduced to harbor defense ships by the outbreak of World War I, and spent the war in Venice. The ships were discarded shortly after the end of the war, both having been stricken in 1920.[15]
Ship[15] | Armament[15] | Armor[15] | Displacement[15] | Propulsion[15] | Service[15] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Ammiraglio di Saint Bon | 4 × 10 in (254 mm) guns | 9.8 in (249 mm) | 10,531 long tons (10,700 t) | 2 shafts, 2 ) | 18 July 1893 | 24 May 1901 | Discarded, 1920 |
Emanuele Filiberto | 9,940 long tons (10,100 t) | 5 October 1893 | 16 April 1902 |
Regina Margherita class
The pattern of experimentation in Italian capital ship construction continued with the Regina Margherita class. The negative experience with the Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class convinced the constructors, led by Benedetto Brin, to design a larger battleship that could engage its foreign counterparts. The new class was designed specifically to counter the new Habsburg-class battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. For this purpose, the ships were armed with the 12-inch (305 mm) gun that had become standard for most pre-dreadnought battleships of the day. As was typical for Italian capital ships of the period, armor protection was reduced in order to secure high speed.[18] Brin died during the construction process, and the Italian Navy named the second vessel after him.[15]
The two ships also saw action in the Italo-Turkish War, alongside the Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class in the 3rd Division of the fleet. Benedetto Brin took part in the attack on Tripoli in October 1911, and both ships were involved in the campaign to seize Rhodes in the eastern Aegean Sea.[19] The Regina Margherita class had become obsolete by the outbreak of World War I and had been reduced to training ships. Both were lost during the war: Benedetto Brin to an internal explosion in Brindisi in September 1915, and Regina Margherita to a German mine in December 1916.[15]
Ship[15] | Armament[15] | Armor[15] | Displacement[15] | Propulsion[15] | Service[15] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Regina Margherita | 4 × 12 in (305 mm) guns | 6 in (152 mm) | 14,093 long tons (14,319 t) | 2 shafts, 2 triple-expansion steam engines, 20,000 ihp (15,000 kW), 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) | 20 November 1898 | 14 April 1904 | Sunk, 1916 |
Benedetto Brin | 14,737 long tons (14,973 t) | 30 January 1899 | 1 September 1905 | Destroyed, 1915 |
Regina Elena class
The final class of Italian pre-dreadnoughts were designed by
All four ships served in the 1st Division of the Italian fleet during the Italo-Turkish War, and were the workhorses of the operations off North Africa and in the eastern Mediterranean.[22] During World War I, the ships were primarily based in Brindisi, Taranto, and Valona;[23] they saw no action during the war due to the cautious fleet policies adopted by both the Italian and Austro-Hungarian navies.[6] The ships remained in the Italian fleet for a few years after the war, but all were discarded and broken up for scrap by 1927.[24]
Ship[24] | Armament[24] | Armor[24] | Displacement[24] | Propulsion[24] | Service[24] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Regina Elena | 2 × 12 in guns | 9.8 in | 13,914 long tons (14,137 t) | 2 shafts, 2 triple-expansion steam engines, 20,000 ihp (15,000 kW), 22 kn (41 km/h; 25 mph) | 27 March 1901 | 11 September 1907 | Discarded, 1923 |
Vittorio Emanuele | 18 September 1901 | 1 August 1908 | |||||
Roma | 20 September 1903 | 17 December 1908 | Discarded, 1927 | ||||
Napoli | 21 October 1903 | 1 September 1908 | Discarded, 1926 |
Dreadnoughts
Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri was the first dreadnought battleship built by the Italian Navy, and was designed by Rear Admiral Edoardo Masdea. Cuniberti's call for heavy artillery arranged to emphasize broadside fire led to the placement of four triple 12-inch gun turrets along the centerline.[4] This allowed a broadside of all twelve guns, while the first generation of British dreadnoughts could only fire eight of their guns on the broadside.[25] Dante Alighieri was the first battleship to mount her main battery in triple turrets, though the Austro-Hungarian SMS Viribus Unitis was completed first.[26]
The ship had a very limited service life. At the outbreak of World War I, she was the flagship of the 1st Battle Squadron, based in Taranto. But due to the policy of restraint adopted by the Italian Navy, Dante Alighieri and the other battleships of the Italian fleet saw no action.[4] Financial limitations in the post-war period forced the navy to scrap the ship to reduce the naval budget.[13] The ship was accordingly stricken on 1 July 1928 and sold for scrap.[12]
Ship[12] | Armament[12] | Armor[12] | Displacement[12] | Propulsion[12] | Service[12] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Dante Alighieri | 12 × 12 in guns | 10 in | 21,600 long tons (21,947 t) | 4 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 32,190 shp (24,000 kW), 22.83 kn (42.28 km/h; 26.27 mph) | 6 June 1909 | 15 January 1913 | Discarded, 1928 |
Conte di Cavour class
The first design in the second generation of Italian dreadnoughts, the Conte di Cavour class was also designed by Edoardo Masdea. They were ordered in response to the French
The three ships had limited careers during World War I, and did not see action.[28] On the night of 2/3 August 1916, Leonardo da Vinci was sunk by an internal explosion.[7] She was raised in 1919; the navy planned to repair and modernize her, but lacked sufficient funds,[12] and she was sold in 1923.[29] The two surviving ships were heavily rebuilt in the mid-1930s, and both saw action during World War II. On the night of 11/12 November 1940, both ships were attacked by British torpedo bombers in the Battle of Taranto. Conte di Cavour was badly damaged, and had not been fully repaired when Italy surrendered in September 1943.[30] Giulio Cesare meanwhile escaped unscathed, and participated in the battles of Cape Spartivento and First Sirte in November 1940 and December 1941, respectively.[31] After the end of the war, Conte di Cavour was scrapped,[32] and Giulio Cesare was surrendered to the Soviet Union. Renamed Novorossiysk, she was ultimately sunk in October 1955 by an old German mine left over from World War II. Her wreck was later salvaged in 1957 and broken up thereafter.[33]
Ship[12] | Armament[12] | Armor[12] | Displacement[12] | Propulsion[12] | Service[12] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Conte di Cavour | 13 × 12 in guns | 10 in | 24,250 long tons (24,639 t) | 4 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 31,278 shp (23,324 kW), 22.2 kn (41.1 km/h; 25.5 mph) | 10 August 1910 | 1 April 1915 | Scrapped, 1947–1952 |
Giulio Cesare | 24,801 long tons (25,199 t) | 4 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 30,700 shp (22,900 kW), 21.56 kn (39.93 km/h; 24.81 mph) | 24 June 1910 | 14 May 1914 | Ceded to the USSR , 1948 destroyed in 1955 by a mine
| ||
Leonardo da Vinci | 24,677 long tons (25,073 t) | 4 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 32,300 shp (24,100 kW), 21.6 kn (40.0 km/h; 24.9 mph) | 18 July 1910 | 17 May 1914 | Sunk, 1916 |
Andrea Doria class
Vice Admiral Giuseppe Valsecchi was responsible for the next battleship design, the Andrea Doria class. The class comprised two vessels—Andrea Doria and Duilio—and the design was based on the previous Conte di Cavour with minor modifications. These two ships were ordered in response to the French Bretagne class.[34] As with the Conte di Cavours, the two Andrea Doria-class battleships were significantly modernized in the late 1930s along similar lines: the central turret was removed, the propulsion system was completely replaced with more efficient machinery, and the secondary battery was replaced with new turret-mounted guns.[35][36]
The two ships entered service in 1916, and were based in Taranto with the rest of the main fleet for the duration of World War I. Both ships were involved in the Corfu incident in 1923. The ships' modernization work was completed after Italy entered World War II. Duilio was damaged at the Battle of Taranto, while Andrea Doria was not hit. Both ships were present at the First Battle of Sirte, though only Andrea Doria engaged British forces. The two ships survived the war, and were the only battleships the Allies permitted Italy to retain after the conclusion of hostilities. They served in the Italian Navy for another decade until they were discarded in the mid-1950s.[37]
Ship[38] | Armament[38] | Armor[38] | Displacement[38] | Propulsion[38] | Service[38] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Andrea Doria | 13 × 12 in guns | 10 in | 24,729 long tons (25,126 t) | 4 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 30,000 shp (22,000 kW), 21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph) | 24 March 1912 | 13 March 1916 | Discarded, 1956 |
Duilio | 24,715 long tons (25,112 t) | 24 February 1912 | 10 May 1915 |
Francesco Caracciolo class
The next Italian battleship design represented a major qualitative step forward. The design was prepared by Rear Admiral Edgardo Ferrati, and was intended to match the latest foreign battleships, such as the British Queen Elizabeth class. The new ships were to be armed with a main battery of eight 15 in (381 mm) guns and had a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph), much faster than any contemporary design. The Francesco Caracciolo class was ordered in 1914; the lead ship was laid down that year, and the other three vessels were laid down in 1915. After Italy entered World War I in May 1915, work slowed dramatically, as resources were diverted to more pressing needs. Work on the ships stopped completely by March 1916, and the three ships begun in 1915 were scrapped shortly after the end of the war.[38] In 1919, the Italian Navy considered completing Francesco Caracciolo as an aircraft carrier similar to the British HMS Argus or as a floatplane carrier, but both proposals were too expensive for the cash-strapped navy. Ultimately, she was broken up for scrap in 1926.[39]
Ship[38] | Armament[38] | Armor[38] | Displacement[38] | Propulsion[38] | Service[38] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Francesco Caracciolo | 8 × 15 in (381 mm) guns | 11.875 in (301.6 mm) | 34,000 long tons (34,546 t) | 4 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 105,000 shp (78,000 kW), 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph) | 16 October 1914 | — | Scrapped, 1926 |
Cristoforo Colombo | 14 March 1915 | Discarded, 1921 | |||||
Marcantonio Colonna | 3 March 1915 | ||||||
Francesco Morosini | 27 June 1915 |
Littorio class
The final group of Italian battleships was the Littorio class. These ships, which weighed in excess of 40,000 long tons (41,000 t)
The first two ships entered service in August 1940, shortly after Italy joined World War II. Littorio was badly damaged in the November 1940 raid on Taranto, and repairs lasted until March 1941. Vittorio Veneto was undamaged, and later that month took part in the Battle of Cape Spartivento. In March 1941, she was damaged by British torpedo bombers after the inconclusive
Ship[44] | Armament[44] | Armor[44] | Displacement[44] | Propulsion[44] | Service[44] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laid down | Commissioned | Fate | |||||
Littorio/Italia | 9 × 15 in guns | 11 in (279 mm) | 45,236 long tons (45,962 t) | 4 shafts, 4 steam turbines, 128,200 shp (95,600 kW), 30 kn (56 km/h; 35 mph) | 28 October 1934 | 6 May 1940 | Scrapped, 1948–1955 |
Vittorio Veneto | 45,029 long tons (45,752 t) | 28 October 1934 | 28 April 1940 | Scrapped, 1948–1951 | |||
Roma | 45,485 long tons (46,215 t) | 18 September 1938 | 14 June 1942 | Sunk, 1943 | |||
Impero | 45,236 long tons (45,962 t) | 14 May 1938 | — | Scrapped, 1948–1950 |
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Fraccaroli 1979, pp. 343–344.
- ^ Hore, pp. 78–81.
- ^ Beehler, pp. 9, 27–29, 66–68, 74–76.
- ^ a b c Preston 1972, p. 175.
- ^ a b Fraccaroli 1985, pp. 259–260.
- ^ a b Halpern 1995, pp. 141–142.
- ^ a b Whitley, pp. 157–158.
- ^ Hocking, pp. 79, 583.
- ^ Whitley, pp. 169–170.
- ^ Garzke & Dulin, p. 374.
- ^ Goldstein & Maurer, p. 225.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Fraccaroli 1985, p. 259.
- ^ a b Goldstein & Maurer, p. 226.
- ^ Whitley, pp. 174–178.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Fraccaroli 1979, p. 343.
- ^ Hore, p. 79.
- ^ Beehler, pp. 9, 74–75.
- ^ Hore, pp. 79–80.
- ^ Beehler, pp. 9, 66–68.
- ^ Hore, p. 81.
- ^ Fraccaroli 1979, pp. 336, 344.
- ^ Beehler, pp. 27–29, 74–76.
- ^ Halpern 2004, p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fraccaroli 1979, p. 344.
- ^ Preston 1985, pp. 21–23.
- ^ Giorgerini, p. 268.
- ^ Giorgerini, pp. 268–270, 272.
- ^ Giorgerini, p. 277.
- ^ Preston 1972, p. 176.
- ^ Cernuschi & O'Hara, pp. 81–93.
- ^ Whitley, pp. 161–162.
- ^ Brescia, p. 59.
- ^ McLaughlin, pp. 419, 422–423.
- ^ Giorgerini, p. 278.
- ^ Roberts, p. 284.
- ^ Fraccaroli 1970, p. 16.
- ^ Whitley, pp. 165–168.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Fraccaroli 1985, p. 260.
- ^ Cernuschi & O'Hara, pp. 63, 67.
- ^ Stille, p. 23.
- ^ Whitley, p. 169.
- ^ Roberts, pp. 289–290.
- ^ Whitley, pp. 172–178.
- ^ a b c d e f Roberts, p. 289.
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.
- Brescia, Maurizio (2012). Mussolini's Navy: A Reference Guide to the Regia Marina 1930–45. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-544-8.
- Cernuschi, Ernesto & ISBN 978-1-84486-110-1.
- ISBN 978-0-7110-0105-3.
- Fraccaroli, Aldo (1979). "Italy". In Gardiner, Robert (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 334–359. ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
- Fraccaroli, Aldo (1985). "Italy". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 252–290. ISBN 978-0-85177-245-5.
- Garzke, William H. & Dulin, Robert O. (1985). Battleships: Axis and Neutral Battleships in World War II. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-101-0.
- Giorgerini, Giorgio (1980). "The Cavour & Duilio Class Battleships". In Roberts, John (ed.). Warship IV. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 267–279. ISBN 978-0-85177-205-9.
- Goldstein, Erik & Maurer, John H. (1994). The Washington Conference, 1921–22: Naval Rivalry, East Asian Stability and the Road to Pearl Harbor. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-0-7146-4559-9.
- ISBN 1-55750-352-4.
- Halpern, Paul G. (2004). The Battle of the Otranto Straits: Controlling the Gateway to the Adriatic in World War I. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34379-6.
- Hocking, Charles (1990). Dictionary of Disasters at Sea During The Age of Steam. London: The London Stamp Exchange. ISBN 978-0-948130-68-7.
- ISBN 978-1-84476-299-6.
- McLaughlin, Stephen (2003). Russian & Soviet Battleships. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-55750-481-4.
- ISBN 978-0-88365-300-5.
- Preston, Antony (1985). "Great Britain". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 1–104. ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
- Roberts, John (1980). "Italy". In Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 280–317. ISBN 978-0-87021-913-9.
- Stille, Mark (2011). Italian Battleships of World War II. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-831-2.
- ISBN 1-55750-184-X.
External links
- Corazzate e Navi da Battaglia Marina Militare website (in Italian)