Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto
Encyclopedia
Vittorio Veneto was the lead ship of her class of battleship
s that served in the Regia Marina
during World War II
. She was named after the Italian victory at Vittorio Veneto
, during World War I
.
; she was launched on 25 July 1937, and her construction was completed in 1940, after Italy had entered in war against France
and the United Kingdom
.
Vittorio Veneto was designed by General Umberto Pugliese, and was the first battleship to exceed the limits of the Washington Naval Treaty
(35000 LT (35,561.8 t) of displacement). In 1942, Vittorio Veneto was the first Italian battleship to be equipped with a radar
device, a "Gufo" E.C. 4.
(27 November 1940), where a barrage of 19 shells from her main guns, fired in seven salvos, forced the seven-cruiser British squadron to disengage.
During a mission on 26–29 March 1941, Vittorio Veneto participated in the battle of Cape Matapan
, fought along the south western coast of Crete
, where she drove off a squadron of four Allied light cruiser
s and three destroyer
s near the island of Gavdos
, inflicting minor splinter damage on them. She was in return damaged by a torpedo bomber and forced to sail back to Italy; the Italian fleet adopted an exceptional formation on five lines to protect the Vittorio Veneto, but a second aircraft attack — and a subsequent night battle — caused the sinking of three heavy cruisers and two destroyers to British battleship gunfire. Despite taking on 4000 LT (4,064.2 t) of water due to the extensive torpedo damage, the battleship was able to reach Taranto
, but remained out of service for about five months.
During the war in the Mediterranean Sea
, Vittorio Veneto took part in 56 war missions, 11 of them sorties against enemy shipping.
1940
1941
1942
1943
After the armistice of 8 September 1943, Vittorio Veneto was sent to Egypt, and was interned in the Great Bitter Lake
, in the Suez Canal
; a proposal to allow the battleship to fight side-by-side with the Allies in southern France and in the Pacific Ocean was dismissed because of political and operational considerations. After the war, she was taken by the U.K. as war compensation. Vittorio Veneto was eventually returned to Italy where she was dismantled, in 1948.
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s that served in the Regia Marina
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was named after the Italian victory at Vittorio Veneto
Battle of Vittorio Veneto
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...
, during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Construction
Vittorio Venetos keel was laid in 1934 at Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, TriesteTrieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
; she was launched on 25 July 1937, and her construction was completed in 1940, after Italy had entered in war against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Vittorio Veneto was designed by General Umberto Pugliese, and was the first battleship to exceed the limits of the Washington Naval Treaty
Washington Naval Treaty
The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was an attempt to cap and limit, and "prevent 'further' costly escalation" of the naval arms race that had begun after World War I between various International powers, each of which had significant naval fleets. The treaty was...
(35000 LT (35,561.8 t) of displacement). In 1942, Vittorio Veneto was the first Italian battleship to be equipped with a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
device, a "Gufo" E.C. 4.
Actions
Vittorio Veneto took part in the battle of Cape TeuladaBattle of Cape Spartivento
The Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War...
(27 November 1940), where a barrage of 19 shells from her main guns, fired in seven salvos, forced the seven-cruiser British squadron to disengage.
Battle of Cape Matapan
The Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...
, fought along the south western coast of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, where she drove off a squadron of four Allied light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
s and three destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s near the island of Gavdos
Gavdos
Gavdos is the southernmost Greek island, located to the south of its much bigger neighbour, Crete, of which it is administratively a part, in the peripheral unit of Chania. It forms a community with surrounding islets and was part of the former Selino Province. It is the southernmost point of...
, inflicting minor splinter damage on them. She was in return damaged by a torpedo bomber and forced to sail back to Italy; the Italian fleet adopted an exceptional formation on five lines to protect the Vittorio Veneto, but a second aircraft attack — and a subsequent night battle — caused the sinking of three heavy cruisers and two destroyers to British battleship gunfire. Despite taking on 4000 LT (4,064.2 t) of water due to the extensive torpedo damage, the battleship was able to reach Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
, but remained out of service for about five months.
During the war in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, Vittorio Veneto took part in 56 war missions, 11 of them sorties against enemy shipping.
1940
- 1 September: operation Hats;
- 29 September: operation MB 5;
- 11 November: Battle of TarantoBattle of TarantoThe naval Battle of Taranto took place on the night of 11–12 November 1940 during the Second World War. The Royal Navy launched the first all-aircraft ship-to-ship naval attack in history, flying a small number of obsolescent biplane torpedo bombers from an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea...
; - 17 November: operation WhiteOperation WhiteOperation White was a British attempt to deliver 14 aircraft—12 Hawker Hurricane fighters and two Blackburn Skua dive bombers—to Malta from the aircraft carrier , on 17 November 1940. The operation was thwarted by the presence of the Italian Fleet at sea, which prompted a premature take-off of the...
- 27 November: Battle of Cape SpartiventoBattle of Cape SpartiventoThe Battle of Cape Spartivento, known as the Battle of Cape Teulada in Italy, was a naval battle during the Battle of the Mediterranean in the Second World War...
or Battle of Cape Teulada;
1941
- 27 March: Battle of GavdosGavdosGavdos is the southernmost Greek island, located to the south of its much bigger neighbour, Crete, of which it is administratively a part, in the peripheral unit of Chania. It forms a community with surrounding islets and was part of the former Selino Province. It is the southernmost point of...
island; - 28 March: Battle of MatapanBattle of Cape MatapanThe Battle of Cape Matapan was a Second World War naval battle fought from 27–29 March 1941. The cape is on the southwest coast of Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula...
. The commander of the ship was Capitano di Vascello Giuseppe Sparzani and the commander of the Italian fleet, flagship Vittorio Veneto, was Ammiraglio di Squadra Angelo IachinoAngelo IachinoAngelo Iachino was an Italian admiral during World War II.-Early life and career:Born at Sanremo, Liguria, Iachino entered the Italian Naval Academy at Livorno in 1904, and graduated in 1907....
; - 27 September: convoy Albert to Malta;
- 14 December: cancelled Italian convoys in the Mediterranean Sea;
1942
- 15 June: Vittorio Veneto also participated in the Battle of Mid-JuneOperation VigorousOperation Vigorous was a World War II Allied operation to deliver a supply convoy that sailed from Haifa and Port Said on 12 June 1942 to Malta. The convoy encountered heavy Axis air and sea opposition and returned to Alexandria on 16 June....
, where she and her sister shipSister shipA sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
successfully fenced off a large British convoy from AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
by their mere presence at sea;
1943
- 9 September: surrender of the Italian fleet.
After the armistice of 8 September 1943, Vittorio Veneto was sent to Egypt, and was interned in the Great Bitter Lake
Great Bitter Lake
The Great Bitter Lake is a salt water lake between the north and south part of the Suez Canal. It is adjoined by the Small Bitter Lake . Before the Canal was built, their site was occupied by dry salt valleys. Together, the Bitter Lakes now have a surface area of about 250 km²...
, in the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
; a proposal to allow the battleship to fight side-by-side with the Allies in southern France and in the Pacific Ocean was dismissed because of political and operational considerations. After the war, she was taken by the U.K. as war compensation. Vittorio Veneto was eventually returned to Italy where she was dismantled, in 1948.