Schlachtschiffe der Littorio-Klasse
The Vittorio Veneto class was a class of battleship of the Regia Marina, the Italian navy. They were most modern battleships used by Italy during World War II.
The Littorios were developed in response to the French Dunkerque-class battleships, with a second pair ordered in response to the Richelieu class battleships. They were part of Benito Mussolini's overall strategy of achieving Italian dominance in the Mediterranean Sea and the creation of a new Roman Empire. The first full-fledged battleships laid down after the expiration of the Washington and London naval treaties, the first two ships were laid down in 1935.
Like all other battleships of this period, their nominal displacement was given as 35,000 tons standard, although they greatly exceeded those figures. This was in common with all post-treaty battleships except the British Nelson class. The first pair of ships were commissioned in late April and early May 1940.
