The Italian Navy has a rich maritime tradition of designing and building very good warships and other classes of ships. The Roman Navy controlled the Mediterannean Sea for hundreds of years. Various Italian fleets held off the Moslem hordes during the Middles Ages. Columbus was Italian. Many explorers during the Age of Discovery were Italians. The Venetian Navy was good enough to sustain the Venetian Republic, which lasted longer than the Roman Empire. The Vittorio Veneto was considered one of the best battleships afloat in WW2. It is the lack of competent leadership that has eroded their fame in recent years.