The RM Vittorio Veneto fires its guns at the Battle of Cape Matapan.
The Littorio-class battleship was a class of battleship of the Regia Marina. The class was composed of four vessels: Littorio, Vittorio Veneto, Roma and Imperio. The first two were built between 1934 and 1941, and they were the most modern battleships used by Italy during World War II, entering service in 1940. The remaining two (Roma and Imperio) would both have their construction halted after the Italian surrender on December 21st 1941. They would however be completed postwar.
The Littorio-class ships were developed in response to the French Dunkerque-class battleships, and were armed with 381-millimeter (15.0 in) guns and had a top speed of 30 knots (55.56 km/h; 35 mph). The design was considered by the Spanish Navy, but the outbreak of World War II interrupted construction plans.
Specifications[]
- Type: Battleship
- Service Period: 1940-1941, 194X-197X
- Characteristics:
- Length: 780.1 feet (237.77 meters)
- Beam: 107.7 feet (32.83 meters)
- Draft: 31 feet (9.45 meters)
- Displacement: 40,081 tons (Standard); 44,522 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,830 (80 officers, 1,750 enlisted)
- Propulsion: 4 x Belluzzo geared turbines, 8 x Yarrow oil-fired boilers, 128,200 shp (95,600 kW)
- Range: 4,850 nautical miles (8,982.2 kilometers) at 16 knots (29.63 km/h)
- Speed: 30 knots (55.56 km/h)
- Armament:
- 9 × 381mm/50-caliber Model 1934 naval guns (3x3)
- 12 × 152mm/55-caliber Model 1936 naval guns (4x3)
- 12 × 90mm/53-caliber Model 1939 anti-aircraft guns (6x2)
- 20 × 37mm/54-caliber Model 1939 anti-aircraft guns (10x2)
- 32 × 20mm/65-caliber Model 1940 anti-aircraft guns (16x2)
- Armour:
- Belt: 280mm
- Deck: 150mm
- Turrets: 350mm
- Aircraft: 3 aircraft
- Aviation Facilities: 1 catapult
Unit Run[]
- RM Littorio - sunk by the French battleships Paris and Provence in December 1940.
- RM Vittorio Veneto
- RM Roma - completed postwar
- RM Imperio - completed postwar