Service
Regina Margherita laid down at the La Spezia shipyard on 20 November 1898. She was launched on 30 May 1901 in the presence of King Victor Emmanuel, and completed three years later; she was commissioned into the Italian fleet on 14 April 1904. Work progressed slowly on the ship in large part due to non-delivery of material, particularly the heavy armor. In July, the ship conducted her speed trials in the Gulf of Genoa. Following her completion, she was assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron. The ships in the squadron were typically only on active duty for seven months of the year for training; the rest of the year they were placed in reserve. In 1907, the Mediterranean Squadron consisted of Regina Margherita, her sister Benedetto Brin, and three of the Regina Elena-class battleships. The ships participated in the annual maneuvers in late September and early October as the flagship of Vice Admiral Alfonso di Brocchetti.
On 29 September 1911, Italy declared war on the Ottoman Empire in order to seize Libya. During the Italo-Turkish War Regina Mergherita was assigned to the 1st Division of the 2nd Squadron, along with her sister and the two Ammiraglio di Saint Bon-class battleships. She joined the squadron on 5 October, a week after the war started. On 13 April 1912, Regina Margherita and the rest of the Squadron sailed from Tobruk to the Aegean Sea to rendezvous with the 1st Squadron. The two squadrons met off Stampalia on 17 April. The next day, the fleet steamed into the northern Aegean and cut several Turkish submarine cables. Most of the ships of the Italian fleet then bombarded the fortresses protecting the Dardanelles in an unsuccessful attempt to lure out the Turkish fleet. While they were doing this, Regina Margherita, Benedetto Brin, and two torpedo boats were detached to cut additional cables between Rhodes and Marmaris. On 18 May, Regina Margherita bombarded Marmaris. While debarking troops on the island of Scarpanto in the Aegean, the ship's anchor chain accidentally slipped loose and killed the ship's executive officer, Captain Proli; five other men were injured in the accident. In July, Regina Margherita and the rest of the Division had withdrawn to Italy to replace worn-out gun barrels, along with other repairs. In 1912, the ship had four 3-inch guns added, increasing her battery from 20 to 24 pieces.
Italy declared neutrality after the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, but by July 1915, the Triple Entente had convinced the Italians to enter the war against the Central Powers. The primary naval opponent for the duration of the war was the Austro-Hungarian Navy; the Naval Chief of Staff, Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, planned a distant blockade with the battle fleet, while smaller vessels, such as the MAS boats conducted raids. The heavy ships of the Italian fleet would be preserved for a potential major battle in the Austro-Hungarian fleet should emerge from its bases. By this time, Regina Margherita was long-since obsolescent, and was reduced to a training ship in the 3rd Division, along with her sister ship. On the night of 11–12 December 1916, while sailing from the port of Valona in heavy sea conditions, she struck two mines laid by the German submarine SM UC-14 and blew up. There were 270 survivors and 675 men perished. The ship's loss was not announced until January 1917. Lieutenant General Oreste Bandini, the commander of the Italian Albania Expeditionary Corps, was on the ship and was among those who were killed in the sinking.
Read more about this topic: Italian Battleship Regina Margherita
Famous quotes containing the word service:
“We too are ashes as we watch and hear
The psalm, the sorrow, and the simple praise
Of one whose promised thoughts of other days
Were such as ours, but now wholly destroyed,
The service record of his youth wiped out,
His dream dispersed by shot, must disappear.”
—Karl Shapiro (b. 1913)
“Let the good service of well-deservers be never rewarded with loss. Let their thanks be such as may encourage more strivers for the like.”
—Elizabeth I (1533–1603)
“This was a great point gained; the archdeacon would certainly not come to morning service at Westminster Abbey, even though he were in London; and here the warden could rest quietly, and, when the time came, duly say his prayers.”
—Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)