italian ironclad italian ironclad battleship build italian regia marina royal_navy lead ship class single sister ship lengthy construction times laid january launched september completed october armed main battery guns mounted central barbette capable speed knots mph unusually ships era armored deck typical belt armor spent decades career took annual training maneuvers rest fleet withdrawn service significant modernization returning service employed training ship italo turkish war ship provided fire support italian troops defending tripoli libya floating battery italy entered world war ship rebuilt grain carrier december june served capacity short time stricken november scrapped design meters long overall beam average draft displaced metric tons long tons short tons normally long tons short tons load propulsion system consisted compound steam engines driving single screw propeller steam supplied coal fired oval boilers sixteen fire tube boilers engines produced speed knots mph indicated horsepower steam nautical miles speed knots mph crew officers men armed main battery guns mounted pairs central barbette guns caliber guns fourth slightly longer caliber version carried secondary battery seven caliber guns caliber guns customary capital ships period carried torpedo tubes unlike ships built time vertical belt armor designer believed contemporary steel effectively defeat armor piercing shells day discarded completely instead protected armored deck thick conning tower armored steel plate barbette steel armor service history construction nearly years laid shipyard january originally spent half years building ways launched september completed years construction finally finished october nonetheless completed months sister took years build completed smaller caliber guns added including guns caliber guns revolver cannon machine guns took annual fleet maneuvers ironclads protected cruiser torpedo cruisers numerous smaller vessels maneuvers consisted close order drills simulated attack defense later year ship present naval review held german kaiser visit italy served flagship 2nd fleet maneuvers ironclad torpedo cruiser torpedo boats maneuvers lasted august september ships simulated french attack italian fleet assigned ironclads assigned active reserve squadrons took annual fleet maneuvers year early 1890s italian navy considered rebuilding lines received new quick firing inch guns place slow inch guns sister guns replaced new inch guns plan abandoned costly went drydock major reconstruction lasted funnels reduced second mast erected guns guns revolver cannon removed returning service served torpedo training ship served capacity start italo turkish war assigned fleet sister december sent tripoli replacing class ironclads support italian garrison captured city ships sent large large shells employed training ship petty officers stationed taranto guard ship laid june stricken naval register days later despite having secondary guns removed ship towed april shortly italy entered world war defend harbor formally returned naval register day italy declared war recommissioned june class auxiliary remained december taken conversion grain carrier retaining guns transferred initially june quickly reassigned state railways july remained briefly returning navy january finally stricken november subsequently broken scrap
Italian ironclad Italia