The Regina Margherita was a class of battleships built for the Italian Regia Marina

Regia Marina

The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...

between 1898 and 1905. The class comprised two ships: Regina Margherita and Benedetto Brin.

Designed by Benedetto Brin

Benedetto Brin

Benedetto Brin was an Italian naval administrator and politician.-Biography:Born in Turin, he worked with distinction as a naval engineer until the age of forty. In 1873, Admiral Simone Arturo Saint-Bon, Italy's Naval Minister, appointed him undersecretary of state...

, they had a considerable speed for the time of 20 knots (39.2 km/h), and were well armed, with twenty guns of 152 mm, 203 mm and 305 mm caliber. However, armor protection was reduced, making them practically equivalent to battle cruisers: the 150 mm main belt, for example, could be pierced by 305 mm guns from 15–20 km away.

However, neither ship was ever tested in battle, as they were both lost in 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...

.

Launched at La Spezia

La Spezia

La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...

 in 1901, and completed three years later. She was the flagship of the Italian Mediterranean Fleet until 1910. An explosion during repair works in 1911 meant she did not take part in the first phases of the Italo-Turkish War

Italo-Turkish War

The Italo-Turkish or Turco-Italian War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 29, 1911 to October 18, 1912.As a result of this conflict, Italy was awarded the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan, and...

. In 1912 she was in the Aegean Sea

Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...

, together with Benedetto Brin.

On the night of 11–12 December 1916, while sailing from the port of Valona

Vlorë

Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...

 in heavy sea conditions, she struck two mines laid by the German submarine and blew up. There were 270 survivors and 675 men perished. Her wreck was located in 2005.

The ship was launched at Castellammare di Stabia

Castellammare di Stabia

Castellammare di Stabia is a comune in the province of Naples, Campania region, southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about 30 kilometers southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento.-History:...

 in 1901, and was completed in 1905. She was lost in the harbour of Brindisi

Brindisi

Brindisi is a city in the Apulia region of Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, off the coast of the Adriatic Sea.Historically, the city has played an important role in commerce and culture, due to its position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city...

, on 27 September 1915, due to enemy sabotage. A total of 8 officers and 379 ratings survived but 454 members of the crew, including Rear-Admiral de Cervin died.