The RN Luigi di Savoia Duca degli Abruzzi was the first ship of the Duca degli Abruzzi-subclass of Condottieri cruisers, commissioned 1 December 1937. During World War 2, she saw naval combat only once, in the Battle of Punta Stilo, where she engaged British 7th Cruiser Squadron without scoring any hits. In November 1941, she had her stern blown off by a torpedo from a British aircraft based on Malta, which was later repaired. After the Armistice, she surrendered at Malta and served as an anti-blockade-runner, patrolling the central Atlantic from Freetown in Sierra Leone. After the end of World War 2, she underwent three refits - in 1947, 1951-53, and 1955 - serving in the Italian navy until 1961.

The most advanced of the Italian Condottieri-class cruisers, RN Duca degli Abruzzi was introduced in Update "Apex Predators". She's in a higher BR than the previous vessels of the class, making her fight against much more challenging opponents, as a result she struggles to deal with opponents due to a small explosive filler, low rate of fire, and insufficient armour to deal with enemy vessels. She's best used to support friendlies with torpedoes and picking off the weakest targets in the enemy team to avoid attention from the most challenging opponents.