Francesco Caracciolo-class battleship

Francesco Caracciolo class

Right-elevation drawing of the Francesco Caracciolo class
Class overview
Name	Francesco Caracciolo class
Operators	Regia Marina
Preceded by	Andrea Doria class
Succeeded by	Littorio class
Built	1914–1920
Planned	4
Cancelled	4
General characteristics
Type	Super-dreadnought battleship
Displacement	34,000 t (33,000 long tons) (full load)
Length	212 m (696 ft) (loa)
Beam	29.6 m (97 ft 1 in)
Draft	9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
Installed power	20 × Yarrow boilers 105,000 shp (78,000 kW)
Propulsion	4 × shafts; 4 × steam turbines
Speed	28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range	8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Armament	4 × twin 381 mm (15 in) guns 12 × single 152 mm (6 in) guns 8 × single 102 mm (4 in) guns 12 × single 40 mm (1.6 in) guns 8 × 450 or 533 mm (17.7 or 21.0 in) torpedo tubes
Armor	Belt: 303 mm (11.9 in) Turrets: 400 mm (15.7 in) Conning tower: 400 mm (15.7 in) Deck: 50 mm (2 in)

The Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships were a group of four super-dreadnought battleships designed for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in 1913 and ordered in 1914. The first ship of the class, Francesco Caracciolo, was laid down in late 1914; the other three ships, Cristoforo Colombo, Marcantonio Colonna, and Francesco Morosini followed in 1915. Armed with a main battery of eight 381 mm (15 in) guns and possessing a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph), the four ships were intended to be the equivalent of the fast battleships like the British Queen Elizabeth class.

The class was never completed due to material shortages and shifting construction priorities after the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Only the lead ship was launched in 1920, and several proposals to convert her into an aircraft carrier were considered, but budgetary problems prevented any work being done. She was sold to an Italian shipping firm for conversion into a merchant ship, but this also proved to be too expensive, and she was broken up for scrap beginning in 1926.