What would completed Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships replace in the Italian fleet?
Short answerThey would functionally displace the pre-dreadnoughts, but older dreadnoughts would probably be retained in reserve rather than discarded.
NotesCompleted Francesco Caracciolo-class battleships would most directly replace the remaining utility of Italy's pre-dreadnoughts. Existing dreadnoughts were still scarce enough to be worth retaining, despite their age. Placing them in ordinary or reserve would preserve the option of returning them to use after dockyard work in a later crisis. Their 12-inch guns would still offer substantial firepower. The counterfactual therefore allows a reduction in active commitments without assuming every displaced ship is scrapped.