The story of Roma is a familiar one. A battleship that entered service too late to see the great battles of the Mediterranean. A battleship that lasted for all of a year or so, before being destroyed in one of the first uses of guided bombs in history.
But who really talks about her *story*, instead of just her sinking? I will go over her history, in some detail, here. She deserves to be remembered for more than just blowing up, much like Barham in the same theater of war.
Further Reading:
https://www.amazon.com/Littorio-Class-Italys-Largest-Battleships-ebook/dp/B00KYVDV4C/
source
What a horrible waste.Ive always thought the Italians had very good looking ships.
Visually attractive ships. The 6" secondary battery seems profitable; you can ruin an enemy cruiser with one turret; until the change in level of the aerial threat demands a more comprehensive AA armament. For the US and UK that meant a smaller caliber, faster firing, dual purpose secondary battery.
Got hit by a B-17? It must have been a REALLY unlucky ship, or did some saboteur smuggle a destroyer-sized magnet aboard the ship?
They blowed up the Vino!!! Oh No!!
Such an unfortunate end for a beautiful ship! Truly a horrifying end for the sailors aboard the ship!
the GUFO radar was just as good as the British BUT it COULD NOT BE USED EFFICIENTLY FOR AA FIRE coordination, the integration between the fire control electromechanical computer was not finished. THIS coupled with slowness of the 90mm AA proved fatal.
Eventually the Allies developed Jamming Equipment which could jam the Radio Control of the Bomb.
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Take an American looking battleship, add french style double funnels, and a german looking superstructure.., viola! Roma! Attsa nice-a, no? 😁👍
The speed those bombs would have been going. Wonder if the bombs were guided to hit the ship at those points or if they were just guided to hit the ship where ever.
HMS Hood showed the way.
Italian ships were things of beauty!
Well done as usual.
Taranto was more than the inspiration for Pearl Harbour. It showed that torpedoes could be modified to operate in shallow waters – like harbours -and how. The Japanese learned well. The Americans totally ignored the implications.
I'm imagining the events going like: "sir, we're taking on water, food storage and sonar rooms are flooded!" "Carry on, sailor! Continue damage control!"
"Sir, the wine storage is flooded as well!" "Momma mia! Were-a doomed!"
Roma was not an illegal ship as Italy had pulled out of the Washington Treaty before she was laid down However the 'Class' design was illegal as Littorio and Vittorio were both laid down when the Treaty was still in effect and at 42,000 tons they vastly exceeded the 35,000 ton limit.
Much like the Germans broke the Anglo-German Naval Treaty of 1935 with the design of the Bismarck class.
the poor Italians.
first to the fascist feast.
and first to be defea(s)ted…
there is a moral here.
never follow a narcissistic duce to his doom.
The Italians are some very fine looking ships. Quite a shame none of them lived on as museums
A battleship and a Cleveland class light cruiser on one hull.
The Littorios have to be the most underrated of the “last/cursed generation” of battleships, mostly due to very poor historiography.
Fast even for fast battleship standards, a better armour layout than the Germans (though that deck isn’t as well-protected as in the Yamatos or in Allied designs), surprisingly good fire control even with the lack of FC radar, good maneuverability, and above all one of the best battleship main battery guns ever (when a 15” gun rivals the 16”/50 gun and 18” gun in belt penetration, maximum range AND effective range it really says something…). The Bismarcks may get all the press, but the Littorios have a much better claim for the title of Europe’s most powerful battleships (with only Vanguard and maybe the Richelieus being able to challenge that).
Lasted longer than the Bismark's 9 days!
When it comes to death by Fritz X, the only thing the venerable Warspite had that the far more modern Roma didn’t was luck, or a kind of real world plot armor Italian warships could only dream of. Come on, if a ship can survive doing donuts at Jutland while half the Kaiser’s High Seas Fleet is shooting at her alone, she can survive anything (in battle). The men who sold her for scrap should’ve gone to prison.
many thx for the video
subscribed
very sad story but i have her as a prem ship at wows.
Nice
One of my favourite BBs.
I thought the photo that opened the video was a picture of an Iowa Class ship. For some reason, the blueprints never quite seem to look like the actual product. The small guns slightly behind and to the side of the big guns give it away as the Roma.
More appropriate term is “ switch to whatever side is winning “
A competently designed battleship that was sadly doomed by incompetent leadership.
Lovely ship but the selection of secondary weapons of 152mm, 130mm & 90mm creates a long logistics trail. Not to mention main 381mm main guns and whatever small calibre anti aircraft guns.
The occupants of the Arizona might challenge the 'worst possible spot' as opposed to this hit.
Your 'title' states "RN Roma", for Royal Navy (RN). Is this correct? Should it be "RM Roma" for Regia Marina (RM)? Just asking.
Thank you for your efforts. May you and yours stay well and prosper.
Terry
The only Axis country that still had most of it's navy intact at end of war.