Trumpeter 05777 Italian Navy Battleship RN Roma (1943)

Roma is an Italian battleship from the Second World War. The keel for this unit was laid in 1938, the launch took place in June 1940, and the entry into service in the Italian Regia Marina - in 1942. The full displacement of the ship at the time of launching was approx. 46,000 tons, 238 m long and 32.9 m wide. The maximum speed was up to 30 knots. The on-board armament consisted of: 9 381 mm guns in three turrets, 12 152 mm guns and 12 90 mm guns.

Roma was the third of the battleships to belong to the Littorio class. Another, not entirely correct, name of this type is Vittorio Veneto. The Littorio-class battleships were built by Regia Marine to outstrip the French navy in the Mediterranean Sea and were seen from the outset as the most powerful battleships in the Italian Navy. The new ships had strong and well-placed main weapons, good armor, and performance - especially top speed. They were also characterized by an avant-garde and atypical anti-torpedo defense system. Roma entered service at a time when the Regia Marina was on the defensive in the Mediterranean War. Roma also did not take part in any major naval battle, and in June 1943 it was damaged in an Allied air raid on the base in La Spezia, where it was then stationed. In September of the same year, Roma sailed from La Spezia towards Malta to surrender to the Allies, but was attacked by German Do 217K bombers. As a result of two bomb hits with Fritz X, the battleship Roma sank on September 9, 1943.