The heavy cruiser RN Pola was the fourth ship of the Italian Navy's Zara-class heavy cruisers, a mainstay of the fleet during World War II. The Zara-class heavy cruisers were developed by Italy to balance firepower and armor, a product of the Washington Naval Treaty. Although the treaty stipulated that newly built ships could not exceed 10,000 tons in displacement, the Zara-class, through optimized armor layout and armament, ultimately controlled its displacement to approximately 11,000 tons, with a main armor belt thickness of 150 mm, far exceeding that of similar ships of the time.

      During the early stages of World War II, the Pola served as the flagship of the Italian Third Cruiser Division, frequently undertaking escort and patrol missions. In March 1941, it participated in the Battle of Cape Matapan, but due to a propulsion system failure, it separated from the formation and was attacked at night by the British fleet, where it was sunk by battleship main guns and torpedoes.