Francesco Caracciolo-class battleship
Line-drawing of the Francesco Caracciolo class
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| Class overview | |
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| Name: | Francesco Caracciolo class |
| Operators: |
 Regia Marina
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| Preceded by: | Andrea Doria class |
| Succeeded by: | Littorio class |
| Built: | 1914–20 |
| Planned: | 4 |
| Completed: | 0 |
| Cancelled: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Battleship |
| Displacement: | Full load: 34,000 t (33,000 long tons; 37,000 short tons) |
| Length: | 210 m (689 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 29.6 m (97 ft 1 in) |
| Draft: | 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in) |
| Installed power: | 105,000 shp (78,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph) |
| Range: | 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement: | 1,480 |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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The Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships were a class of battleships designed for the Italian Regia Marina in 1912–1913 and ordered in 1914; the first ship of the class, Francesco Caracciolo, was laid down that year. The other three ships, Cristoforo Colombo, Marcantonio Colonna, and Francesco Morosini were all laid down in 1915. Armed with a main battery of eight 381 mm (15.0 in) guns and possessing a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph), the four ships of the class were intended to be the equivalent of the British Queen Elizabeth class. They were never completed, however, due to material shortages and shifting construction priorities after the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Only the lead ship was launched, 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. This too proved to be too expensive, and so she was broken up for scrap.
In 1913, Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel became the Chief of Staff of the Regia Marina (Royal Navy). He secured authorization for a huge new construction program, which called for four new battleships, three cruisers, and numerous other warships. The Francesco Caracciolo class was the first type of super-dreadnought battleship designed by the Regia Marina. They were intended to match the new fast battleships being built in foreign navies, such as the British Queen Elizabeth class. Rear Admiral Edgardo Ferrati was responsible for preparing the designs. He originally called for a ship armed with twelve 381-millimetre (15.0 in) guns and twenty 152 mm (6.0 in) secondary guns, but by the time he had finalized the design, he had reduced the main battery to eight guns and the secondary battery to twelve guns.
The Francesco Caracciolo class was 201.6 m (661 ft) long at the waterline and 212 m (696 ft) long overall. They had a beam of 29.6 m (97 ft) and a draft of 9.5 m (31 ft). They would have displaced 31,400 metric tons (30,900 long tons; 34,600 short tons) at normal loading and up to 34,000 t (33,000 long tons; 37,000 short tons) at full combat load. They were to be equipped with two tripod masts.
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