Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci

Postcard of Leonardo da Vinci in Taranto
History
Italy
Name:	Leonardo da Vinci
Namesake:	Leonardo da Vinci
Builder:	Odero Shipbuilding Co., Sestri Ponente, Genoa
Laid down:	18 July 1910
Launched:	14 October 1911
Completed:	17 May 1914
Fate:	Sunk 2 August 1916 Refloated 17 September 1919 Sold for scrapping 26 March 1923
General characteristics
Class and type:	Conte di Cavour-class battleship
Displacement:	23,088 long tons (23,458 t) (standard) 25,086 long tons (25,489 t) (deep load)
Length:	176 m (577 ft 5 in) (o/a)
Beam:	28 m (91 ft 10 in)
Draught:	9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Installed power:	30,700–32,800 shp (22,900–24,500 kW) 20 × Water-tube boilers
Propulsion:	4 × Shafts 4 × Steam turbines
Speed:	21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph)
Range:	4,800 nmi (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement:	31 officers and 969 enlisted men
Armament:	3 × 3, 2 × 2 305-millimetre (12 in) guns 18 × 1 120-millimetre (4.7 in) gun 14 × 1 76.2-millimetre (3 in) gun 3 × 450-millimetre (17.7 in) torpedo tubes
Armor:	Waterline belt: 250–130 mm (9.8–5.1 in) Deck: 24–40 mm (0.9–1.6 in) Gun turrets: 280–240 mm (11.0–9.4 in) Barbettes: 230–130 mm (9.1–5.1 in) Conning towers: 280–180 mm (11.0–7.1 in)

Leonardo da Vinci was one of three Conte di Cavour-class dreadnoughts built for the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) in the early 1910s. Completed just before the beginning of World War I, the ship saw no action and was sunk by a magazine explosion in 1916 with the loss of 248 officers and enlisted men. The Italians blamed Austro-Hungarian saboteurs for her loss, but it may have been accidental. Leonardo da Vinci was refloated in 1919 and plans were made to repair her. Budgetary constraints did not permit this and her hulk was sold for scrap in 1923.

Leonardo da Vinci was 168.9 meters (554 ft 2 in) long at the waterline, and 176 meters (577 ft 5 in) overall. The ship had a beam of 28 meters (91 ft 10 in), and a draft of 9.3 meters (30 ft 6 in). She displaced 23,088 long tons (23,458 t) at normal load, and 25,086 long tons (25,489 t) at deep load. The Conte di Cavour-class dreadnoughts had a complete double bottom and their hull was subdivided by 23 longitudinal and transverse bulkheads. They had a crew of 31 officers and 969 enlisted men.

The ship's machinery consisted of four Parsons steam turbines, each driving one propeller shaft. Steam for the turbines was provided by 20 Blechynden water-tube boilers, eight of which burned oil and twelve of which burned both fuel oil and coal. Designed to reach a maximum speed of 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph) from 31,000 shaft horsepower (23,000 kW), Leonardo da Vinci failed to reach this goal on her sea trials, despite generally exceeding the rated power of her turbines. The ship only made a maximum speed of 21.6 knots (40.0 km/h; 24.9 mph) using 32,800 shp (24,500 kW). The ship could store a maximum of 1,450 long tons (1,470 t) of coal and 850 long tons (860 t) of oil that gave her a range of 4,800 nautical miles (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph), and 1,000 nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).