The Battle that Scuttled the Battleship. Although high explosive shells weighing 774 kg (1,706 lb) were developed for the 381 mm guns, they never saw service on the Littorio-class. [31][33], The conning tower was in the same style as the others designed by General Pugliese. [19] Shell rooms were located below the propellant magazines beneath the gun house in the turret structure. [14] Figures for Roma's speed trials have not been recorded. While escorting a convoy to North Africa, Vittorio Veneto was torpedoed by the British submarine HMS Urge; repairs lasted until Spring, 1942. The incomplete Impero was seized by the Germans after Italy withdrew from the war and used as a target, until she was sunk by American bombers in 1945. During the steaming to the Allied port of Malta, the Italian fleet was attacked by German Dornier Do 217s armed with Fritz X radio-controlled bombs. [31] The 152-mm secondary battery turrets were protected by 280 mm (11 in) faces, 80–130 mm (3.1–5.1 in) sides, 80 mm (3.1 in) rear, and 105–150 mm (4.1–5.9 in) roof, while their barbettes were 150 mm (5.9 in) above deck and 100 mm (3.9 in) below deck. [15] The ships carried 4,140 t (4,070 long tons; 4,560 short tons) of fuel oil, which enabled a maximum range of 4,580 nautical miles (8,480 km; 5,270 mi) at a cruising speed of 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph). During this time, Littorio's bow was modified to lessen vibration and reduce wetness over the bow. [12], The ships of the class varied slightly in dimensions. Italia left Great Bitter Lake on 5 February 1947, to join her sister in Augusta. She departed Trieste on 1 May for final fitting out at the dockyard in La Spezia. Regia Marina - Italian Battleships Littorio Class - Tribute [36] In September 1943, following the withdrawal of Italy from the war, all three ships and a significant portion of the Italian fleet left port to be interned in Malta. [9] Ultimately, nine 381 mm guns in three triple turrets were adopted as the primary battery for the ships, on a displacement in excess of 40,000 long tons (41,000 t),[10] despite the fact that this violated the established naval treaties. International Naval Research Organization, Italian naval ship classes of World War II, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Littorio-class_battleship&oldid=1007694593, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 4,580 nautical miles (8,480 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph), Standard: 40,724 t (40,081 long tons; 44,891 short tons), Full load: 45,236 t (44,522 long tons; 49,864 short tons), This page was last edited on 19 February 2021, at 12:58. The Battleship Littorio-class-page contains all related products, articles, books, walkarounds and plastic scale modeling projects dedicated to this ship. As part of the armistice agreement, Italia was interned at Malta, Alexandria, and finally in the Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal, where she remained until 1947. All products are produced on-demand and shipped worldwide within 2 - 3 business days. [4] Protection and radius of action were sacrificed for speed and heavy armament, though the Italians did not value range, as they operated primarily in the confined waters of the Mediterranean. Littorio reached 137,649 shp (102,645 kW) and 31.3 kn (58.0 km/h; 36.0 mph), while Vittorio Veneto made 133,771 shp (99,753 kW) and 31.4 kn (58.2 km/h; 36.1 mph), both at light loadings. Vittorio Veneto took part in the Battle of Cape Spartivento (known as Battle of Cape Teulada to the Italians) on 27 November 1940. Shortly after being commissioned into the Regia Marina, the Littorio was badly damaged by the British in the raid on Taranto in November 1940. [48] Roma joined the fleet shortly after the attacks on the two convoys, and joined her sisters for the move to La Spezia. Nov 15, 2019 - Explore Sam Stewart's board "Italian battleships" on Pinterest. She was named after the Lictor ("Littorio" in Italian), in ancient times the bearer of the Roman fasces, which was adopted as the symbol of Italian Fascism. On 5 June, Vittorio Veneto was hit by two large bombs that struck her port side. By 1930, Germany had begun to build the three Deutschland-class ships, armed with six 280 mm (11 in) guns, and France had in turn laid down two Dunkerque-class battleships to counter them. On 6 June 1946, Vittorio Veneto steamed to Augusta in Sicily, where, under the Treaty of Peace with Italy, she was allocated to Britain. The roof 90–120 mm (3.5–4.7 in) on 10-mm plating. 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