 Right-elevation drawing of the Francesco Caracciolo class
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| Armor |
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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.