Construction and Commissioning
The design studies of what was to become the Littorio class was headed by Inspector-General of Naval Engineering, Umberto Pugliese. At 35,000 long tons (36,000 t), the initial two ships nominally met the terms of the Washington Treaty.
Littorio was laid down at the Ansaldo shipyards in Genoa on 28 October 1934 to commemorate the Fascist Party's March on Rome in 1922. Her sister Vittorio Veneto was laid down the same day. Changes to the design and a lack of armor plating led to delays in the building schedule, causing a three-month slip in the launch date from the original plan of May 1937. Littorio was launched on 22 August 1937, during a ceremony attended by many Italian dignitaries. She was sponsored by Signora Teresa Ballerino Cabella, the wife on an Ansaldo employee. After launch, the fitting out period lasted until early 1940. During this time, Littorio's bow was modified to lessen vibration and reduce wetness over the bow.
Littorio ran a series of sea trials over a period of two months between 23 October 1939 and 21 December 1939. She was commissioned on 6 May 1940, and after running additional trials that month, she transferred to Taranto where she - along with the Vittorio Veneto - joined the 9th Division under the command of Rear Admiral Carlo Bergamini.
Read more about this topic: Italian Battleship Littorio
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