Italy had suitable shipbuilding infrastructure but lacked the money for a large expansion of its fleet. In the proposed arms race, a more powerful second Littorio pair offered one way to increase capability without ordering many additional hulls. The second pair's 1938 construction date leaves room in this scenario to reconsider the design. A twelve-gun development could build on existing Italian work and give the ships greater firepower and prestige. It would still require extra money from a government already struggling to finance its naval ambitions.
Notable Point · 1:51:29-1:54:45
Italy could enlarge Littorio more easily than fund more hulls
A twelve-gun version of the second Littorio pair offered a possible Italian response to renewed construction abroad, although financing remained difficult.