 Andrea Doria during World War II
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Conte di Cavour class |
| Succeeded by |
|
| Built | 1912–1916 |
| In service | 1915–1953 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement | 24,729 long tons (25,126 t) (deep load) |
| Length | 176 m (577 ft 5 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 28 m (91 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Range | 4,800 nmi (8,900 km; 5,500 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
| General characteristics (after reconstruction) | |
| Type | Fast battleship |
| Displacement | 28,882–29,391 long tons (29,345–29,863 t) (deep load) |
| Length | 186.9 m (613 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 28.03 m (92 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 10.3 m (33 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) |
| Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 1,520 |
| Armament |
|
The Andrea Doria class (usually called Duilio class in Italian sources) was a pair of dreadnought battleships built for the Royal Italian Navy (Regia Marina) between 1912 and 1916. The two ships—Andrea Doria and Duilio—were completed during World War I. The class was an incremental improvement over the preceding Conte di Cavour class. Like the earlier ships, Andrea Doria and Duilio were armed with a main battery of thirteen 305-millimeter (12 in) guns.
The two ships were based in southern Italy during World War I to help ensure that the Austro-Hungarian Navy's surface fleet would be contained in the Adriatic. Neither vessel saw any combat during the conflict. After the war, they cruised the Mediterranean and were involved in several international incidents, including at Corfu in 1923. In 1933, both ships were placed in reserve. In 1937 the ships began a lengthy reconstruction. The modifications included removing their center main battery turret and boring out the rest of the guns to 320 mm (12.6 in), strengthening their armor protection, installing new boilers and steam turbines, and lengthening their hulls. The reconstruction work lasted until 1940, by which time Italy was already engaged in World War II.
The two ships were moored in Taranto on the night of 11/12 November 1940 when the British launched a carrier strike on the Italian fleet. In the resulting Battle of Taranto, Duilio was hit by a torpedo and forced to beach to avoid sinking. Andrea Doria was undamaged in the raid; repairs for Duilio lasted until May 1941. Both ships escorted convoys to North Africa in late 1941, including Operation M42, where Andrea Doria saw action at the inconclusive First Battle of Sirte on 17 December. Fuel shortages curtailed further activities in 1942 and 1943, and both ships were interned at Malta following Italy's surrender in September 1943. Italy was permitted to retain both battleships after the war, and they alternated as fleet flagship until the early 1950s, when they were removed from active service. Both ships were scrapped after 1956.