Leonardo da Vinci was the last of three Conte di Cavour-class dreadnoughts built for the Regia Marina (Royal Italian Navy) in the early 1910s.

Completed just before the beginning of World War I, the ship saw no action and was sunk by a magazine explosion in 1916 with the loss of 248 officers and enlisted men.

For defense against torpedo boats, the ships carried fourteen 76.2-millimeter (3 in) guns; thirteen of these could be mounted on the turret tops, but they could be positioned in 30 different locations, including some on the forecastle and upper decks.

[7][8] Leonardo da Vinci, named after the artist and inventor,[9] was built by the Odero Shipbuilding Co., at their Sestri Ponente, Genoa shipyard.

[10] Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, the Italian naval chief of staff, believed that Austro-Hungarian submarines and minelayers could operate too effectively in the narrow waters of the Adriatic.

Instead, Revel decided to implement a blockade at the relatively safer southern end of the Adriatic with the battle fleet, while smaller vessels, such as MAS torpedo boats, conducted raids on Austro-Hungarian ships and installations.

[11] She capsized in Taranto harbor,[12] in 11 meters (36 ft) of water,[13] after an internal magazine explosion on the night of 2/3 August 1916 while loading ammunition.

[17] Her decks were not designed to handle the stresses involved in her unique situation and had to be reinforced to withstand the weight of the hull and preliminary repairs were made in preparation for righting her.

[18] The Regia Marina planned to modernize Leonardo da Vinci by replacing her amidships turret with six 102-millimeter (4 in) anti-aircraft guns,[2] but ultimately lacked the funds to do so and sold her for scrap on 22 March 1923.