battleship class group pre dreadnought battleships built italian regia marina class comprised ships lead ship designed armed main battery inch guns guns capable speed knots mph fastest battleships world time commissioning faster british turbine powered ships saw service italo turkish war ottoman_empire frequently supported italian ground forces campaigns north_africa islands eastern mediterranean_sea served world war italy participated saw combat result cautious policies adopted italian austro hungarian navies ships discarded broken scrap design starting began design work warship armed uniform battery inch guns armored thick belt armor capable speed knots mph displacement metric tons long tons short tons proved genesis later designs culminated british big gun hms dreadnought design project accepted turned attention new design requirement metric ton long ton short ton battleship faster british french battleships stronger armored cruisers fielded navies resulted modified version earlier design came class general characteristics machinery ships class meters long waterline long overall beam draft displaced long tons normal loading long tons combat load ships crew officers enlisted men ships initially fitted masts early careers removed battleships propulsion system consisted vertical cylinder triple expansion engines rated indicated horsepower steam engines provided coal fired belleville boilers ships boilers split boiler rooms boilers tall funnels ships propulsion system provided speed excess knots mph fastest member class reached knots mph speed trials ships range approximately nautical miles knots mph time completion fastest battleships world faster steam turbine powered armament armor armed caliber guns placed single gun turrets forward aft turrets placed clear superstructure giving wide arc fire close degrees rotation electric power training elevation turrets ammunition handling lighter main battery compared pre dreadnought type battleships typically carried twice heavy guns criticized observers writing proceedings noted borne mind pair guns turret twice good shooting single gun given limited displacement design choice fire control guns provided mounted conning tower ammunition magazines fitted systems minimize risk accidental explosions ships equipped guns twin turrets amidships electrical operation central turrets placed deck higher permit firing directly ahead astern close range defense torpedo boats provided battery sixteen guns additional guns caliber ships equipped torpedo tubes placed hull waterline ships protected krupp cemented steel manufactured main belt thick amidships reduced abreast main battery turrets thick bow stern deck thick conning tower protected armor plating main battery guns thick plating inch gun turrets thick sides ships class service histories ships class served active duty squadron commissioning participated peacetime routine fleet training september italy declared war ottoman_empire starting ships saw action war 1st division 1st squadron participated operations north_africa months war including escorting crossing italian expeditionary army sent conquer later war took seizure rhodes italy initially remained neutral world war convinced triple enter war germany austria-hungary italians austro hungarians adopted cautious fleet policy confined waters adriatic_sea regina class battleships action spent war rotating naval bases taranto end war ships class included battleships italy service terms retained years february september ships stricken naval register broken scrap
Regina Elena-class battleship