Italian battleship Littorio

Littorio was an Italian Vittorio Veneto class battleship, that served in the Regia Marina during the World War II. Her keel was laid down 1934 at Ansaldo, Genoa; she was launched in 1937, and her construction was completed in 1940, after Italy entered in war against France and United Kingdom. With the fall of Fascism, it was renamed Italia. After the war she was taken by the United States as war compensation, but was scrapped in 1948.

Vittorio Veneto class was designed by general Umberto Pugliese, and was the first battleship which overran the limits of the Washington Treaty (35,000 tons of displacement). Littorio was the best unit in the world in 1939, because of her equilibrium of firepower, protection and speed.

Actions

1940

• 1 September: operation Hats;
• 29 September: operation MB 5;
• 11 November: Night of Taranto (damaged);

1941

• 27 September: convoy Albert to Malta;
• 17 December: First Battle of Sirte;

1942

• 3 January: Italian convoy M 43;
• 22 March: Second Battle of Sirte;
• 15 June: Vigorous convoy to Malta;

1943

• 30 July: changed name to Italia;
• 9 September: surrender of the Italian fleet.

Littorio participated in 46 war missions, among which 9 of enemy hunting and 3 as escort. After the 8 September 1943 armistice, she was positioned in the Great Bitter Lake, in Egypt, until the end of the war.