Schlachtschiffe der Littorio-Klasse<br /><br />The Vittorio Veneto class was a class of battleship of the Regia Marina, the Italian navy. They were most modern battleships used by Italy during World War II.<br />The Littorios were developed in response to the French Dunkerque-class battleships, with a second pair ordered in response to the Richelieu class battleships. They were part of Benito Mussolini's overall strategy of achieving Italian dominance in the Mediterranean Sea and the creation of a new Roman Empire. The first full-fledged battleships laid down after the expiration of the Washington and London naval treaties, the first two ships were laid down in 1935.<br />Like all other battleships of this period, their nominal displacement was given as 35,000 tons standard, although they greatly exceeded those figures. This was in common with all post-treaty battleships except the British Nelson class. The first pair of ships were commissioned in late April and early May 1940.
