First Italian dreadnought battleship. Preceded by the Regina Elena-class and succeeded by the Conte di Cavour-class. Laid down at the Castellammare di Stabia navy yard on 6 June 1909, launched on 20 August 1910, completed on 15 January 1913, modernized in 1923, stricken on 1 July 1928 and finally broken up in that same year. She was designed by the Italian rear admiral engineer Edoardo Masdea (1) at that moment Chief Constructor of the Italian navy using the ideas of general Vittorio Cuniberti (2). The intention was to built a battleship with a main armament of the same calibre to be used for broadside fire and as much possible limited superstructure.
Displacement 19.522 tonnes/19.243 long tons (normal load)-21.600 tonnes/21.300 long tons (deep load) and as dimensions 158,4 (waterline)-168,1 (overall) x 26,6 x 8,8 metres or 519.8-551.6 x 87.3 x 28.10 feet. Steered by two rudders, one behind the other. Four Parsons steam turbines and 23 Blechynden water-tube boilers (7 oil-fired and 16 oil/coal-fired) supplying via 4 shafts a horsepower of 32.190 shp (trials)-35.000 (design) allowing a speed of 22,83 (trial)-23 (design). The boilers were divided over two boiler rooms each with two funnels. The turbines were positioned between the two center gun turrets. Range with a maximum coal bunker capacity of 3.000 tons and further an unknown bunker capacity of fuel oil was 4.800 nautical miles wit a speed of 10 knots and with 22 knots just 1.000 nautical miles. The armour consisted of a waterline belt maximal 25,4cm/10” thick with an armoured deck pf 3,8cm/1.5” thickness. The 30,5cm gun turrets, secondary gun turrets, casemates and conning towers were protected by respectively 25,4cm (maximum), 9,8cm/3.9”, 9,8/3.9” and 30,5cm/12”. Her crew numbered 981 men.
Notes
1. Edoard Masdea (23 July 1849 Naples, Italy-12 May 1910 Rome, Italy) also responsible for the Pisani, Giuseppi Garibaldi, Pisa and San Giorgio classes.
.2 Vittorio Emanuele Cuniberti (7 June 1854 Turin, Italy-20 December 1913 Rome, Italy), the chairman of the board for designing ships. As a young naval engineer he was the friend and best scholar of the famous Italian naval engineer Benedetto Brin.
