Service History
On 31 August - 2 September 1940, Littorio sortied as part of a large Italian force to oppose British naval forces taking part in Operations '"Hats'" and "MB.3", but contact was not made and no action occurred. A similar outcome resulted from the movement against British Operation "MB.5" on 29 September - 1 October.
She was in Taranto harbor during the Battle of Taranto on 11 November, during which she received three torpedo hits, which caused extensive damage requiring five months repairs.
After repairs, Littorio participated in the attack of the Allied convoy Albert on 27 September 1941. The convoy was transporting supplies to the island of Malta. On 17 December, she took part in the First Battle of Sirte. She was assigned to the distant covering force for the convoy M 42, which was bound for North Africa, carrying supplies for Rommel's Afrika Korps. Littorio, along with the rest of the distant covering force, engaged the escort of a British convoy heading for Malta, and drove them off.
On 3 January 1942, Littorio was again tasked with convoy escort, in support of M 43. On 22 March, she participated in the Second Battle of Sirte, as the flagship for an Italian force attempting to destroy a British convoy bound for Malta. During the battle, Littorio struck and seriously damaged the destroyers HMS Havock and Kingston with her main guns, nearly destroying Kingston, which managed to limp back to Malta the following morning. Three months later, on 15 June, Littorio participated in the interception of the Vigorous convoy to Malta. During the return to port, Littorio was struck by a torpedo dropped by a British Wellington bomber, but the ship was able to return to port for repairs.
On 30 July 1943, after the fall of Benito Mussolini, Littorio was renamed Italia. The Armistice between Italy and Allied armed forces took place on 8 September, along with the rest of the Italian fleet she was formally surrendered to the Allies on the following day. During the steaming to the Allied port of Malta, the Italian fleet was attacked by German Dornier Do 217s armed with Fritz X radio-controlled bombs. During this attack Italia was hit on the starboard side underneath her fore main turrets, while its sister ship, the Italian flagship Roma, was sunk after it was struck by two bombs. Italia was then stationed in the Great Bitter Lake in Egypt until the end of the war, she was dismantled at La Spezia 1951-54..
Littorio participated in 46 war missions, nine of which were enemy hunting and three were as an escort.
Read more about this topic: Italian Battleship Littorio
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