Shortly after her commissioning, "Littorio" was badly damaged during the British air raid on Taranto on 11 November 1940, which put her out of action until the following March. "Littorio" thereafter took part in several sorties to catch the British Mediterranean Fleet, most of which failed to result in any action, the notable exception being the Second Battle of Sirte in March 1942, where she damaged several British warships. "Littorio" was renamed Italia in July 1943 after the fall of the Fascist government. On 9 September 1943, the Italian fleet was attacked by German bombers while it was on its way to internment. During this action, which saw the destruction of her sister , "Italia" herself was hit by a Fritz X radio-controlled bomb, causing significant damage to her bow. As part of the armistice agreement, "Italia" was interned at Malta, Alexandria, and finally in the Great Bitter Lake in the Suez Canal, where she remained until 1947. "Italia" was awarded to the United States as a war prize and scrapped at La Spezia in 1952–54.