The largest and most powerful warships ever built in Italy, the battleships of the Littorio class, were the first “35,000 tonners” to come under the provisions of the Washington Treaty. Although the Washington Navel Conference of 1922 gave Italy the authority to build up to 182,800 tons of new capital ships (including 70,000 tons prior to 1932), the Italians waited more than a decade before beginning construction.
Commissioned on April 24, 1940, she joined the 1st Navel Squadron at Taranto under Admiral Bergamini’s flag. She was severely damaged on November 10–11, 1940, while anchored at Taranto by British aircraft launched from the carrier Illustrious. In March of 1941, she was back in service. On December 17, 1941, the RN Littorio participated in the First Battle of Sirte Gulf. On March 21, 1942, during the Second Battle of Sirte, a muzzle blast from the aft 381-mm turret set fire to a Ro.43 floatplane on the fantail, which led the British to believe they had scored a torpedo hit on the battleship.
Battle of mid-June 12–16, 1942: the RN Littorio was damaged on June 15 by American B-24 bombers On the return to her base, she was hit by a torpedo launched by the Wellington. Repairs were completed by August 27, 1942 but the ship was to carry out no more combat missions. From December 1942 to June 1943, the RN Littorio was used to defend the cities of Taranto, La Spezia and Genoa from Allied air attacks.
On July 25, 1943, the RN Littorio was renamed the Italia. She was decommissioned 1 June 1, 1948, after a total of 46 missions during her wartime career, of which nine were combat missions.
- Scale: 1/350
- Item Type: Plastic Model Warship Kit
- Model Brief Length: 716mm, Beam: 94.9mm
- Total Parts: 700+
- Metal Parts: anchor chain
- Photo-etched parts: 1 piece
- Total Sprues: 21 sprues, upper hull lower hull, foredeck, and stand
- Released Date: 2019-02
- More Features:
- Hull
- The upper hull made from two-directional slide molds
- Deck wood pattern, finely rendered
- Either waterline or full-hull version can be assembled
- Weapons
- realistically detailed gun barrels with hollow ends made from slide mould
- Hull