italian battleship fourth class battleship built italy royal_navy second world war fourth ship class named italian word empire case referring newly conquered territories result second italo war constructed order naval expansion program sister ship laid launched november entrance italy world war forced regia marina construction priorities escort warships meant completed italy surrendered allies september rest italian navy steamed rendezvous american contemporaries incomplete captured germans target practice sunk allied bombers february refloated scrapped venice background additional information class battleship italian leader authorize large naval old battleships class sent modernized year laid began preparing year naval building program include battleships aircraft carriers cruisers submarines smaller ships december admiral proposed things battleships class built attempt counter possible franco british alliance countries combined forces easily italian fleet postponed decision later authorized planning ships january naval expansion program december approved money appropriated named description meters long overall beam draft designed standard displacement long tons violation long ton restriction combat loading displaced long tons ship powered geared steam turbines rated shaft horsepower steam provided oil fired yarrow boilers engines provided speed knots mph range nmi mph crew completed main armament consisted millimeter caliber model guns triple turrets turrets placed forward superfiring arrangement located aft secondary anti surface armament consisted caliber model guns triple turrets amidships supplemented caliber model guns single mounts guns old weapons primarily intended fire star shells intended equipped anti aircraft battery comprised caliber model guns single mounts caliber guns twin single mounts sixteen caliber guns twin mounts ship protected main armored belt second layer steel thick main deck thick central area ship reduced critical areas main battery turrets thick lower turret structure housed barbettes thick secondary turrets thick faces conning tower thick sides fitted catapult stern equipped reconnaissance float planes fighters history authorized built new battleship keel laid launched november launching christened italy empire africa genoa bombing range france war definite possibility moved june fears french attack considered better location fitting shipyard handle battleships time machinery installed parts smaller caliber weaponry despite intent safer location hit allied bombers damaged decided shift production priorities desperately needed escorts merchant convoys result construction delayed ships work fitting engines gun fitted small caliber anti aircraft anti surface weaponry sailed propulsion venice january later time moved work ship italy capitulation allies september seized germans intended break scrap evidently completed hulk discovered allied forces war half sunk germans instead target ship allies damaged air attack february stricken naval register march hulk raised year towed venice beached scrapped time capitulation hull complete engines complete overall ship complete required eighteen months work finished key features armament electrical reworking bridge completed
Italian battleship Impero