class ironclad class group ironclad battleships built 1880s 1890s ships built culmination major naval expansion program begun 1870s following italy defeat battle incorporated innovations previous italian designs including efficient arrangement main battery installation wireless use triple expansion steam engines italian capital ship designed retained thin armor protection high speeds earlier designs ships served decade careers proved uneventful transferred outbreak italo turkish war serving training ships provided fire support italian troops fighting libya conflict took seizure ottoman ports including tripoli world war guard ship venice served floating battery reduced depot ship ships survived war broken scrap early 1920s design starting 1870s following italian fleet defeat battle italians began large naval expansion program aimed austro hungarian navy class culmination phase program saw modern ironclad battleships built ships placed italy largest navy great_britain france designed president ships authorized naval minister proposed vessel general characteristics machinery ships class differed slightly dimensions length width longer ships overall length meters beam ships displaced metric tons long tons normally long tons short tons load heaviest ships draft longer hull gave reduced draft ships fitted single military mast fighting tops amidships warships equipped new wireless telegraph ships crews varied size officers men aboard propulsion system consisted pair horizontal compound steam engines driving single screw propeller steam supplied eighteen coal fired cylindrical fire tube boilers ships engines manufactured based design sons field instead received pair triple expansion steam engines number type boilers italian warship equipped triple expansion engines ships boilers funnels aft conning tower aft engines produced speed knots mph indicated horsepower knots mph ihp reached knots mph ihp specific figures ship cruising radius survived ships class steam nautical miles speed knots mph armament armor ships class armed main battery caliber guns mounted twin gun turrets end ship efficient arrangement previous designs pairs guns mounted central barbette limited arcs fire guns pattern type manufactured guns fired pound capped armor piercing shells brown powder charge produced muzzle velocity feet second guns elevate degrees degrees elevation controlled hand loading required guns elevated degrees carried secondary battery caliber guns placed singly shielded mounts atop upper deck broadside close range defense torpedo boats provided battery sixteen guns casemates upper deck aboard broadside guns supported sixteen caliber guns guns customary capital ships period carried torpedo tubes water launchers torpedoes carried range speed knots mph ships lightly armored size savings weight allowed high speed typical italian capital ships period especially true designed argued armor technology time defeat contemporary heavy guns ships armor consisted steel manufactured protected belt armor thick armored deck thick forward conning towers armored steel plate sides main battery turrets thick faces supporting barbettes thick steel secondary guns thick gun shields construction service history decade service ships saw duty italian fleet early careers uneventful visits britain germany opening ships involved international naval demonstration crete turkish war ships transferred having supplanted modern pre dreadnought battleships classes ships saw significant action italo turkish war primarily conducting operations support italian troops fighting libya october december ships stationed tripoli bombarded ottoman defenses prepare initial landing provided fire support italian forces seized city returning italy resupply ships tasked escorting troop convoys attack ports libya june august war depot ship new dreadnought taranto depot ship genoa italy entered world war stationed venice flagship naval forces defending port returned service floating battery catastrophic defeat battle november withdrawn venice later taranto converted assault ship planned attack main austro hungarian naval base war ended attack carried stricken broken scrap followed
Re Umberto-class ironclad