Can you post all your info on these pre Littorio designs? I had these drawings for many years though in smaller quality but I lack the actual data on them. And I've been considering drawing these for some time. I have too few Italian drawings in my disposal
(Note that it is easy to draw those many curved surfaced the Italians are so fond of.... )
Note, as ceccherini said, these aren't 'pre'-Littorio designs.
All barring the first attachment are from the 1935 Maricominav studies for 26,500-tonne battleship. I can give some background, though I don't have much in the way of detailed statistics;
In the run up to the London Conference (which resulted in the London Naval Treaty of 1936), initial proposals suggested displacement limits of 25-27,000 tons and 305mm to 330mm guns, which were either in agreement or not opposed between the British, French, and Italians. This ultimately failed, but while it existed as a potential option the Ship Design Committee (Comitato Progetti Navi/Maricominav) began exploring contingency options.
Starting in September 1935, these were feasibility for battleships of 26,500 tons standard displacement, with an armament of 305mm or 320mm guns. Presented to the Admiral's Committee in early 1936, the preference that resulted was for a ship of;
- 27,000 tons standard
- Armor Protection as that of the Littorio-class
- Top speed of 30 knots
- Range of 4,000 nm at 20 knots, with potential room for growth in the context of oceanic deployment
- 9x320/44 (3x3)
- 12-16x 120-140mm guns in Triples or Quads (4x3, 3x4, 4x4)
- 12x 90mm guns + light AA calibers
In a meeting on 6 February 1936, Maricominav determined that such a design would require a tonnage increase to 30,000 tons - just as the initially 35,000-ton
Littorio had already expanded to 38,500 tons by this point. If the design was to remain within 27,000 tons, it would be necessary to either reduce the top speed to 28 knots, or adopt the same quadruple arrangement of the
Dunkerque-class (and thus only eight guns).
Ultimately, though, these efforts were largely ended after March 1936. The Ship Design Committee's initial conclusion on the matter of the 27,000-ton (or 30,000-ton) battleship was that Italy should not willingly choose to adopt battleships of 'medium' displacement unless this was enforced by international treaties, and that the preferable solution would be to continue the construction of battleships like the
Littorio-class. At the conclusion of the 2nd London Naval Treaty, no reduction in battleship displacement had been introduced, and as such the effort was ended.