NAVYPEDIA

Photo

Andrea Doria 1899

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
Ruggiero di Lauria			R. Cantiere di Castellamare di Stabia	3.8.1881	9.8.1884	1.2.1888	stricken 11.1909
Francesco Morosini			R. Arsenale di Venezia	4.12.1881	30.7.1885	21.8.1889	sunk as target 15.9.1909
Andrea Doria, 2.1915- GR104			R. Arsenale di La Spezia	7.1.1882	21.11.1885	16.5.1891	stricken 5.1911, floating battery 4.1915-11/1918

Technical data

Displacement normal, t	9886
Displacement full, t	Ruggiero di Lauria: 10997 Francesco Morosini: 11145 Andrea Doria: 11027
Length, m	100.0 pp 105.9 oa
Breadth, m	19.8
Draught, m	Ruggiero di Lauria: 8.29 Francesco Morosini: 8.37 Andrea Doria: 8.32
No of shafts	2
Machinery	Ruggiero di Lauria, Andrea Doria: 2 VC, 8 cylindrical boilers Francesco Morosini: 2 VC, 8 oval boilers
Power, h. p.	Ruggiero di Lauria: 10591 Francesco Morosini: 10000 Andrea Doria: 10500
Max speed, kts	Ruggiero di Lauria: 17 Francesco Morosini: 16 Andrea Doria: 16.1
Fuel, t	coal 850
Endurance, nm(kts)	2800(10)
Armour, mm	steel; side: 450, citadel: 360, barbettes: 360, CT: 250, deck: 75
Armament	2 x 2 - 432/27 A, 2 x 1 - 152/32 B, 4 x 1 - 120/32 B(c.o.), 2 - 350 TT (beam)
Complement	507

Standard scale images

Graphics

Project history

This class was a considerable compromise, because the minister of the Navy, Vice-Admiral Ferdinando Acton, opposed the building of large vessels such as the Italia class. He favoured ships of not more than 8000-10000t with a maximum speed of 15kts, and was critical of huge guns - on 8 March 1880, a large muzzle-loader aboard Duilio blew up, having been double-loaded, and this incident roused public opinion against such large ships and guns. Acton gave the job of designing the new ships to Eng Insp Giuseppe Micheli. This naval architect, after having produced some original projects, elected to design an improved Duilio, and, indeed, the Ruggiero di Lauria class was essentially a repetition of the Duilios. Some improvements were incorporated - a high forecastle, breech-loading 432mm guns in barbettes, a better quality and distribution of armour - but in fact the design was already obsolete when the ships entered service.

Authorised under the 1880 Naval programme, the three ships were unremarkable and had rather short lives.

Ship protection

Ships were protected by 450mm side armour and 75mm deck.

Modernizations

None.

Naval service

After being struck off, Ruggiero di Lauria was used as a floating oil depot at La Spezia until 1943, her hulk, sunk in shallow waters by bombing, being finally broken up in 1946-7. Andrea Doria was used as a floating battery GR104 and served at Brindisi until after World War I, when she became an oil depot until broken up in 1929.