Italian battleship Francesco Caracciolo (1920)

Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel authorized a huge new construction program, which called for four new battleships, three cruisers, and numerous other warships after becoming the Chief of Staff.[1] Francesco Caracciolo class was the first type of super-dreadnought battleship designed by the Regia Marina.[2] They were intended to match the new fast battleships being built in foreign navies.

They were 201.6 m (661 ft) long at the waterline and 212 m (696 ft) long overall. The ships had a beam of 29.6 m (97 ft) and a draft of 9.5 m (31 ft). They would have displaced 31,400 metric tons (30,900 long tons) at normal loading and up to 34,000 t (33,000 long tons) at full load. They were to be equipped with two tripod masts.[3]

Francesco Caracciolo was laid down on 16 October 1914, but construction was halted in March 1916 due to the shortage of steel, continuing in October 1919. While construction was in progress Regia Marina made plans to convert her into an aircraft carrier but, after World War I, the cost was excessive. A conversion to a seaplane carrier was proposed by Ansaldo shipyard but was still too expensive.[4] Under the command of Admiral Giovanni Sechi, all of her sisters were cancelled.

On 12 May 1920, she was launched by Regio Cantieri di Castellammare di Stabia at Castellammare di Stabia. Navigazione Generale Italiana shipping company bought her on 25 October of the same year to convert her to a merchant ship. This was found to be too costly, and the ship was temporarily mothballed at Baiae Bay off Naples.[5][3]

Regia Marina returned to the idea of converting her to an aircraft carrier during the Washington Naval Conference, with an all-new design already planned. The budget was not available, so she was finally stricken on 2 January 1921 and scrapped in 1926.[3][6]

• 
  Francesco Caracciolo being readied for launch on 30 May 1920.
• 
  Admiral Francesco Caracciolo, ship's namesake.

• Francesco Caracciolo-class battleship
• Francesco Caracciolo