The Regina Margherita class was a class of two battleships built for the Italian Regia Marina between 1898 and 1905. The class comprised two ships: Regina Margherita and Benedetto Brin. The ships were designed by the latter's namesake, Benedetto Brin, who died before the ships were completed. They were armed with a main battery of four 12 in (305 mm) guns and could steam at a speed of 20 knots.
Benedetto Brin was a Regina Margherita-class pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Italian Regia Marina between 1899 and 1905. The ship was armed with a main battery of four 12-inch (300 mm) guns and was capable of a top speed of 20 knots. Benedetto Brin saw combat in the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, including the bombardment of Tripoli in October 1911. She was destroyed by an internal explosion during World War I in September 1915, which killed over 450 of the ship's crew.
Ammiraglio di Saint Bon was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Regia Marina built during the 1890s. She was laid down in July 1893, launched in April 1897, and completed in May 1901. She was the lead ship of her class, and had one sister ship, Emanuele Filiberto. The ship was armed with a main battery of four 254 mm (10 in) guns and was capable of a top speed of 18 knots.
The Re Umberto class were a group of three ironclad battleships built for the Italian Navy in the 1880s and 1890s. The ships—Re Umberto, Sicilia, and Sardegna—were built as the culmination of a major naval expansion program begun in the 1870s following Italy's defeat at the Battle of Lissa in 1866. The Re Umbertos incorporated several innovations over previous Italian designs, including a more efficient arrangement of the main battery, installation of wireless telegraphs, and in Sardegna, the first use of triple-expansion steam engines in an Italian capital ship. Designed by Benedetto Brin, they retained the very thin armor protection and high top speeds of his earlier designs.
Sicilia was the second of three Re Umberto-class ironclad battleships built for the Italian Regia Marina. The ship, named for the island of Sicily, was laid down in Venice in November 1884, launched in July 1891, and completed in May 1895. She was armed with a main battery of four 343 mm (13.5 in) guns and had a top speed of 20.3 knots, though this high speed came at the cost of armor protection.
The Emanuele Filiberto was a pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Italian Navy during the 1890s. Her keel was laid down in October 1893 and she was launched in September 1897; work was completed in April 1902. She had one sister ship, Ammiraglio di Saint Bon, the lead ship of the Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class. She was armed with a main battery of four 254 mm (10 in) guns and was capable of a speed in excess of 18 knots.
The Ammiraglio di Saint Bon class was a pair of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Italian Navy during the 1890s. The class comprised two ships: Ammiraglio di Saint Bon, the lead ship, and Emanuele Filiberto. They were armed with a main battery of four 254 mm (10 in) guns and were capable of a top speed of 18 knots. Smaller and less powerfully-armed than most contemporary battleships, they marked a brief departure from Italian capital ship design, which had previously emphasized large ships equipped with large guns.
Regina Elena was the lead ship of her class of pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Italian Regia Marina. The ship was built by the La Spezia shipyard between 1901 and 1907, and was armed with a main battery of two 305 mm (12 in) guns and twelve 203 mm (8 in) guns. She was quite fast for the period, with a top speed of nearly 21 knots. Regina Elena was active in both the Italo-Turkish War with the Ottoman Empire in 1911–1912, where she participated in the Italian conquest of Cyrenaica, and World War I in 1915–1918, where she saw no action due to the threat of submarines in the narrow confines of the Adriatic Sea. She was retained for a few years after the war, but was ultimately stricken in February 1923 and broken up for scrap.
Vittorio Emanuele was an Italian pre-dreadnought battleship, laid down in 1901, launched in 1904 and completed in 1908. She was the second member of the Regina Elena class, which included three other vessels: Regina Elena, Napoli, and Roma. Vittorio Emmanuele was armed with a main battery of two 305 mm (12 in) guns and twelve 203 mm (8 in) guns. She was quite fast for the period, with a top speed of nearly 21 knots.
Roma was an Italian pre-dreadnought battleship, laid down in 1903, launched in 1907 and completed in 1908. She was the third member of the Regina Elena class, which included three other vessels: Regina Elena, Napoli, and Vittorio Emanuele. Roma was armed with a main battery of two 305 mm (12 in) guns and twelve 203 mm (8 in) guns. She was quite fast for the period, with a top speed of nearly 21 knots.
Napoli was a Regina Elena-class pre-dreadnought battleship built for the Italian Regia Marina in 1903–08. She was the last member of the four-ship class, which included the lead ship Regina Elena, Vittorio Emanuele, and Roma. Napoli was armed with a main battery of two 305 mm (12 in) and twelve 203 mm (8 in) guns, and was capable of a top speed of 21 knots.
Agordat was a torpedo cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina built in the late 1890s. She was the lead ship of the Agordat class, which had one other member, Coatit. The ship, which was armed with twelve 76 mm (3 in) guns and two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, was too slow and short-ranged to be able to scout effectively for the fleet, so her career was limited. She saw action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911–1912, where she provided gunfire support to Italian troops in North Africa. She assisted in the occupation of Constantinople in the aftermath of World War I, and in 1919 she was reclassified as a gunboat. In January 1923, Agordat was sold for scrapping.
Coatit was a torpedo cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina built in the late 1890s. She was the second and final member of the Agordat class. The ship, which was armed with twelve 76 mm (3 in) guns and two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, was too slow and short-ranged to be able to scout effectively for the fleet, so her career was limited. She saw action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911–1912, where she provided gunfire support to Italian troops in North Africa. She also caused a minor diplomatic incident from an attack on retreating Ottoman soldiers in Anatolia. Coatit was part of an international fleet sent to Constantinople when the city appeared to be at risk of falling to the Bulgarian Army during the First Balkan War. In 1919, she was converted into a minelayer and was sold for scrap in 1920.
The Agordat class was a pair of torpedo cruisers built by the Italian Regia Marina in the late 1890s. The two ships, Agordat and Coatit, were armed with twelve 76 mm (3 in) guns and two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. They proved to be too slow and have too short a cruising radius to be of much use, so their service careers were limited. Their most significant action came during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, where both ships were employed in shore bombardment duties. Neither ship saw action in World War I. Coatit was converted into a minelayer in 1919 and sold for scrapping the following year, while Agordat was rearmed as a gunboat in 1921; she followed her sister to the breakers in 1923.
Partenope was a torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s, the lead ship of her class, which included seven other vessels. The ship was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia; she was laid down in June 1888, was launched in December 1889, and was completed in September 1890. Her main armament were her five torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns.
Minerva was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. The second of eight ships, Minerva was built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.; her keel was laid down in February 1889, she was launched in February 1892, and she was commissioned in August that year. Her main armament were her five torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns. Minerva spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. She was converted into a minelayer in 1909–1910. She did not see significant action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911 or World War I in 1915–1918, though she was used to lay defensive minefields during the latter conflict. The ship was sold for scrap in 1921.
The Folgore class was a pair of torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. The two ships—Folgore and Saetta—were designed by Benedetto Brin during a period of experimentation with the theories of the Jeune École in the 1880s. The vessels were armed with three 14 in (356 mm) torpedo tubes, and they had a top speed of 17 knots. Both ships' careers were uneventful, and they spent most of their time in service conducting training exercises. Folgore was seriously damaged in a collision in 1889, and was thereafter reduced to reserve status, as the damage could not be completely repaired. She was eventually sold for scrapping in 1900, while Saetta served as a gunnery training ship from 1897 to 1908, when she too was dismantled.
The Goito class was a group of four torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. The members of the class were Goito, Montebello, Monzambano, and Confienza. They were among the first torpedo cruisers built for the Italian fleet, and were built to improve on the previous vessel, Tripoli. Experimental ships, the four Goito-class vessels varied in their dimensions, machinery, and armament, though all were comparable in terms of capabilities, having a top speed of 17 to 18 knots and carrying an armament of four or five 14-inch (360 mm) torpedo tubes.
Tripoli was the first modern torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina. She was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard in 1885–86. The only vessel of her class, she provided the basis for the Goito and Partenope classes that followed. She was armed with five 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes and a battery of light guns, and was capable of a top speed of 17.5 knots. Tripoli spent her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was occupied primarily with peacetime training exercises. She was modernized several times throughout her career, and in 1910, was converted into a minelayer, a role she served in for another thirteen years, including during World War I. She was the longest serving torpedo cruiser in the Italian fleet, with over 36 years in service by the time she was discarded in March 1923.
Italy 
