class battleship class known class class battleship italian navy class composed ships ships class completed built modern battleships italy world war class ships developed response french class battleships armed millimeter guns speed knots mph design considered outbreak world war interrupted construction plans ships operational early months italy participation world war formed backbone italian fleet conducted sorties mediterranean intercept british convoys notable success ships repeatedly torpedoed careers hit torpedo attack taranto november june torpedoed march escorting convoy north_africa september joined fleet june ships remained inactive june damaged series allied air attacks harbor september italy signed armistice allies renamed active battleships transferred malta interned alexandria route malta german bombers attacked fleet radio guided bombs damaging sinking reached malta interned incomplete seized germans italy withdrew war target sunk american bombers awarded united_states britain respectively war prizes broken scrap design allotted italy additional long tons total capital ship powers observing holiday battleship construction prescribed treaty france given italy possessed tons capital ship countries significant pressure signatories use allotted build smaller battleships reduced caliber main batteries italian design prepared called long tons ship armed main battery guns twin turrets opted design allowed ships ton limit allowed italian fleet units operational given time protection radius action sacrificed speed heavy armament italians value range operated primarily confined waters mediterranean later design staff prepared ship displacement long tons armed guns protected guns caliber ships followed ton ships building holiday expired funding allocated begin construction want arms race french_navy extended building holiday italy france retained right build tons new capital ships countries rejected british proposals limit new battleship designs long tons guns italian navy abandoned smaller designs altogether germany begun build class ships armed guns france turn laid class battleships counter french vessels armed guns late italian responded design similar class armed guns triple turrets long tons displacement decided smaller design impractical larger design pursued long tons design prepared mounted guns twin turrets ultimately abandoned favor ton design armed guns gun turn abandoned favor gun designs larger gun delay construction gun designed canceled class ultimately guns triple turrets adopted primary battery ships displacement excess long tons despite fact violated established naval treaties time ships entered service international arms control system fallen apart major naval powers invoked clause allowed ships long tons displacement general characteristics ships class varied slightly dimensions meters long perpendiculars long overall long overall ships draft beam displaced metric tons long tons short tons designed long tons short tons load displaced long tons short tons long tons short tons respectively displacement increased slightly compared ships long tons short tons long tons short tons respectively completed final displacement unknown built ships fitted bows increase speed found cause vibration forced modification bow standard crew officers enlisted men serving flagship crew increased command staff additional officers standard crew increased enlisted men aircraft facilities located quarterdeck initially planned base instead single catapult fitted ships equipped reconnaissance fighters fighter wheeled aircraft land airfield ships propulsion system consisted geared steam turbines powered oil fired yarrow boilers engines rated shaft horsepower speed knots mph sea trials exceeded design specifications power plant reached shp mph shp mph light service ships averaged mph figures speed trials recorded ships carried long tons short tons fuel oil enabled maximum range nautical miles cruising speed mph mph ships range increased slightly nmi entire machinery system accounted percent total displacement armament ships main battery consisted guns triple turrets superfiring pair forward aft long barrel high velocity guns chosen compensate smaller shell compared gun originally desired guns maximum elevation degrees allowed engage targets guns fired armor piercing shell muzzle velocity meters second high explosive shells weighed high muzzle velocity guns reduced service life increased fall shot shell rooms located magazines beneath gun house turret structure guns rate fire shot seconds ships secondary battery consisted guns triple turrets placed abreast main battery turret rear turret guns fired shell muzzle velocity elevate degrees permitting maximum range rate fire slightly better rounds minute guns supplemented guns ships anti aircraft armament composed powerful battery guns closely arranged amidships guns sixteen guns guns provided long range anti aircraft protection mounted stabilized single turrets rate fire rounds minute ceiling approximately guns designed close range defense effective ranges respectively armor ships belt armor designed defeat shells ranges inclined degrees belt layered follows hardened steel belt cap armor piercing projectiles wide gap separated outer layer main belt armor thick backed timber skin plating wide gap separated main belt thick splinter screen thick screen placed main section belt armor closed end thick transverse bulkheads bow protected thick belt stern given armor protection horizontal protection magazine consisted thick armored deck machinery spaces deck reduced thickness portions ships deck reduced aft steering rooms auxiliary machinery spaces protected thick deck main conning tower protected thick armor deck main battery barbettes housed turret assemblies guns protected thick armor deck thickness reduced faces main battery turrets thick thick sides roofs secondary gun turrets housed barbettes thick deck thick deck turret faces thick thick sides deck primary secondary barbettes protected armor anti aircraft guns protected gun shields ranging thickness torpedo defense system ships incorporated unique underwater protection system named designer thick torpedo bulkhead extended base main belt curving meet hull formed void housed drum wide thick walls rest void filled liquid drum ran length torpedo defense system designed collapse contain explosive pressure torpedo hit torpedo bulkhead prevent splinters explosive effects entering ships system designed protect ship torpedo system perform effectively expected major defects design joint connected interior torpedo bulkhead hull strong sustain tremendous shear associated direct contact explosions joints failed cases non contact explosions prevented hollow drum collapsing designed resulted massive flooding hull shape prevented thickness maintained entire central citadel width drum reduced significantly abreast main battery ability drum absorb explosive shock fell relation size construction laid day october shipyard shipyard genoa respectively launched july following exactly month later august incomplete went sea october conduct machinery trials delivered incomplete months later april departed final fitting dockyard completion went taranto join fleet underwent pattern machinery trials prior completion delivered fleet additional ships laid years later built shipyard starting september launched june completed june joined fleet replaced fleet flagship laid shipyard launched november completed entrance italy world war italian navy moved unfinished ship fears french attacks vessel work resumed ships service history declared operational august assigned 1st squadron august ships older battleships steamed force cruisers thirty destroyers engage convoy poor reconnaissance prevented italian force engaging british ships ships unsuccessful sortie attack malta convoy september attack taranto november hit twice torpedoes suffering damage significant flooding caused ship settle bow ship dry docked december repairs completed march emerged attack undamaged sister repaired took flagship duties transferred naples sortied november encountered british forces south resulting torpedo bombers carrier attacked evaded torpedoes briefly engaged british cruisers rear main battery turret scoring hits engagement reconnaissance planes shot fighter night january royal_air_force attacked naples heavy bombers failed hit ship february attempted attack believed malta convoy british squadron fact force steaming bombard genoa fleets contact italians returned port march departed port attack british convoys greece germany pressured begin operation impression disabled battleships assigned resulted following day engaged british cruisers attacked torpedo bombers wave failed second scored single hit heavy cruiser battleship flooded long tons short tons water got underway minutes eventually reached taranto march repairs lasted july returned active duty august 22nd ships sortied attack convoy returned port encountering british forces september battleships attempted intercept convoy broke operation attacking convoy escorting convoy north_africa torpedoed british submarine repairs lasted spring shortly december escorted convoy north_africa operation resulted ended provided distant cover convoy january march sortied attack british convoy led second battle engagement badly damaged destroyers kingston repairs completed time join attacks convoys vigorous departed alexandria gibraltar reinforce malta simultaneously mid june combat limited opposing light forces action british broke operation vigorous ships presence heavy air attacks returning port hit bomb heavy bomber bomb struck forward gun turret minimal damage returning port british wellington bomber torpedoed ship torpedo struck starboard bow returned port repairs completed december ships moved taranto response allied landings north_africa joined fleet shortly attacks convoys joined sisters replaced fleet flagship june series allied air raids attacked attempt battleships june hit large bombs struck port transferred genoa repairs completed armistice ended italian participation war hit bombs june week sister damaged renamed regime collapsed damaged june attack attack june september following withdrawal italy war ships significant portion italian fleet left port interned malta route german bombers laden radio guided bombs attacked formation hit bow forward main battery turrets causing damage hit passed ship exploded keel second hit near forward magazines bomb detonated magazines causing massive explosion destroyed ship heavy casualties reached malta remained september transferred alexandria remained great bitter lake suez_canal rest war june steamed sicily treaty peace italy allocated britain october moved paid january broken scrap left february join sister allocated united_states stricken june scrapped incomplete seized retreating germans target sunk american bombers february october ship raised towed venice broken design foreign navies spain general briefly considered naval building program seizing power spanish civil war franco concluded agreements italian government seen building class battleships spain italians promised provide necessary technical material support construction ships italian navy pushed existing shipyards spain handle vessel large class project abandoned italy involved world war result limited spanish industrial capacity early 1930s began naval construction program sought advice foreign new class battleships july completed design proposal ship largely based class designated design long tons short tons ship armed guns triple turrets italians disclose specifications system instead multiple torpedo bulkhead system regardless use design basis class battleships laid late 1930s equipped system details revealed soviet espionage preparing design design type battlecruisers early inspected construction hopes gathering experience underwater protection system italians refused disclose details system
Littorio-class battleship