Italian battleship Impero

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Impero was the fourth Littorio‑class battleship built for Italy’s Regia Marina during World War II. She was named after the Italian Empire in Africa and built by Ansaldo in Genoa. The keel was laid on 14 May 1938 and she was launched on 15 November 1939. With Italy entering the war, construction priorities shifted to escort ships, so Impero remained incomplete. Her planned main armament consisted of nine 381 mm guns in three triple turrets.

After Italy surrendered on 8 September 1943, the Germans seized Impero and used the hulk as a target, rather than finishing her. Allied bombers damaged the ship in February 1945. The hulk was raised in 1947, towed to Venice, and scrapped there between 1948 and 1950. At the time of surrender, Impero’s hull was 88% complete and the engines 76% complete, but overall the ship was only about 28% finished and would have needed roughly 18 more months of work to finish.