From the 1880s to 1910s, the Italian (Royal Navy) built or purchased twenty protected cruisers; the earliest vessels were either built or designed in Britain, though later vessels were constructed in Italy, to Italian designs. Several of these cruisers were ground-breaking warships: was the first major warship equipped with triple-expansion engines and was the first warship armed entirely with quick-firing guns. The first two designs, and the , were armed with large-caliber guns and marked a brief experimentation with the in the 1880s, which represented a shift away from expensive battleships in favor of cheaper vessels that could theoretically destroy battleships easily. Italian naval strategists quickly discarded the concept and returned to more traditional strategies centered on a fleet of battleships. As a result, later cruisers returned to medium-caliber batteries.

The first several designs were intended to fill a variety of roles, including fleet scouts and colonial cruisers, but beginning with , which was solely intended for colonial duties, the began to build more specialized vessels. , , and were designed as fast scouts for the main fleet, and the last design, the , were slower vessels for use in the colonies. One vessel, , was an exception to Italian design preferences. The ship had been ordered by the Ottoman Navy, but the Ottomans failed to pay for the ship, so she remained incomplete until the Italo-Turkish War in 1911, when she was seized by Italy and completed for the .

Italian protected cruisers served in many roles across the globe. Many were deployed to Italy's colonies in Africa, or to foreign stations in the Americas and Asia to show the flag. They were also assigned to the main fleet in the Mediterranean, where they served as scouts. As the vessels aged, many were converted for secondary duties, becoming training ships, depot ships, and headquarters ships. Many of the early vessels saw action during the Italo-Turkish War, bombarding Ottoman positions in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and blockading ports in the Red Sea. During World War I, most of the vessels saw little action, owing to the cautious strategy adopted by both Italy and Austria-Hungary, but battled an Austro-Hungarian cruiser in 1915 and took part in the Battle of the Strait of Otranto in May 1917. After the war, most of the remaining vessels were scrapped or reduced to secondary roles, having been supplanted by ex-German and Austro-Hungarian vessels taken as war prizes and newer light cruisers built in the 1920s.

+ Key Armament The number and type of the primary armament Armor The thickness of the deck armor Displacement Ship displacement at full combat load Propulsion Number of shafts, type of propulsion system, and top speed/horsepower generated Service The dates work began and finished on the ship and its ultimate fate Laid down The date the keel began to be assembled Commissioned The date the ship was commissioned

Giovanni Bausan

was the first protected cruiser built for the Italian (Royal Navy). The ship was designed by George Rendel at the Armstrong Whitworth shipyard in Britain; the design was based on the Chilean .Marshall, p. 268 Equipped with a pair of guns, was intended as a "battleship destroyer", since these weapons would be able to defeat the heavy armor of the much larger—and much more expensive—battleships in foreign navies. She nevertheless proved to be unsatisfactory for this role, since the guns fired too slowly and she was too unstable to be a good gunnery platform. Construction of the ship—along with the subsequent class, for which provided the basis—represented the s brief experimentation with the doctrine.Sondhaus (2001), p. 149

frequently served abroad. She participated in the conquest of Eritrea in 1887–1888 as the flagship of the Italian squadron during the campaign. She took part in the Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903 alongside several other Italian, British, and German warships.Robinson, pp. 420–421 The ship was withdrawn from front-line service by 1905 and was employed as a training ship. During the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, she provided gunfire support to Italian troops ashore in North Africa. By the outbreak of World War I, had been relegated to secondary duties, first as a distilling ship, and later as a depot ship for seaplanes. The ship was disarmed during the conflict and ultimately was sold to ship-breakers in March 1920.

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 2 × gunsBrook (2003), p. 96 2 shafts, 2 compound-expansion steam engines, , 21 August 1882 9 May 1885Brook (2003), p. 97 Sold for scrap, 1920Gardiner, p. 348

Etna class

The class was an improved version of the preceding , being slightly larger but carrying the same armament and armor protection. License-built variants of the earlier ship, they were partially designed by George Rendel, who had also designed . As such, they suffered from the same limitations as the earlier vessel that were imposed by their slow-firing 10-inch guns and poor stability.Brook (2003), pp. 97, 99

The four cruisers nevertheless had long service lives, which included periods with the main Italian fleet as well as on foreign stations. served on the North American Station from 1893 to 1895, and in 1899, , , and participated in the suppression of the Boxer Uprising in China. was rebuilt into a training ship in 1905–1907, and in 1909 she took part in the Hudson–Fulton Celebration.Kunz, pp. 317–318 was the first member of the class to be decommissioned, and she was sold for scrap in 1909. followed in 1911 and was discarded in 1915. remained in service longer than her sisters; she saw action during the Italo-Turkish War,Beehler, pp. 47, 50, 65, 91, 94 and during World War I, she served as the headquarters ship in Taranto.Halpern (2004), p. 70 She was ultimately discarded in 1921.

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 2 × 10 in guns 1.5 in 2 shafts, 2 horizontal compound-expansion steam engines, , 19 January 1884 2 December 1887 Sold for scrap, 1921 31 August 1884 20 March 1888 Sold for scrap, 1911 10 July 1884 16 March 1888 Sold for scrap, 1915 31 December 1885Brook (2003), p. 99 16 November 1889 Sold for scrap, July 1909

Dogali

was originally designed by William Henry White of Armstrong Whitworth for the Greek Navy. She was initially named Salamis, but the Greek Navy put the ship up for sale while she was still under construction. Italy purchased the vessel and renamed her and then before she entered service. Her career was uneventful, with her early years spent with the main fleet conducting training exercises. In 1893 she represented Italy at the World's Columbian Exposition,Neal, pp. 99–100 and was present in Brazil during the (Revolt of the Fleet), where she protected Italian interests from the unrest.Marley, p. 592 In 1908, Italy sold ' to Uruguay, and she was renamed . In 1911, she became , and she was decommissioned in 1914. She remained in the Uruguayan Navy's inventory until 1932, when she was sold for scrap.

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 6 × gunsGardiner, p. 349 2 shafts, 2 vertical triple-expansion steam engines, , 13 February 1885 28 April 1887 Sold to Uruguay, 1908, scrapped, 1932Gardiner & Gray, p. 425

Piemonte

, designed by Philip Watts at Armstrong Whitworth, was based on the preceding . Originally intended to carry a pair of guns and four guns, the Italian Navy instead requested a uniform battery of six 6-inch guns.Brook (1999), pp. 14, 68; Brook (2003), p. 103 She proved to be a revolutionary vessel, as she was the first major warship to be armed entirely with quick-firing, medium-caliber guns; these became the standard for all cruisers from the 1890s onward.Sondhaus (2001), pp. 156–157

The ship had an eventful career. She was briefly assigned to the main fleet, but by the early 1890s, she was serving abroad in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean.Brook 2003, p. 108 In 1896 she was sent to Brazil to protect Italian nationals in the country after unrest in the country targeted Europeans.Huntington, p. 83 By 1901, was assigned to the East Asia Station.Reeve, p. 67 By the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War, the ship was again stationed in the Red Sea. She led a pair of destroyers in the Battle of Kunfuda Bay, where she sank or destroyed seven Ottoman gunboats, destroying Ottoman naval strength in the area.Beehler, p. 51 For the rest of the war, she blockaded and bombarded Ottoman ports.Beehler, pp. 51, 70, 90 During World War I, she was assigned to the Second Fleet, based in Brindisi, but she did not see action.Sondhaus (1994), pp. 273–274 was sold for scrap in 1920.

+ Summary of the class Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 6 × guns 2 shafts, 2 vertical triple-expansion steam engines, , 1887 8 August 1889 Scrapped, 1920

Regioni class

The six Regioni-class cruisers—so named as all vessels save were named for regions of Italy—were the first protected cruisers designed by Italian naval architects. They were built by four different shipyards, and so varied slightly in size, speed, and armament. They proved to be a disappointment in service, owing to their slow speed and weak armor protection.Gardiner, pp. 348–349

They served in a variety of capacities throughout their careers, including scouts for the main fleet, colonial cruisers, and representatives of Italy at major foreign events. While on the China Station, observed the Russo-Japanese War, including the Battle of Chemulpo Bay in 1904, where she picked up Russian survivors.May, pp. 142–146 was converted into a depot ship for submarines in 1906. and were equipped with observation balloons in 1907–1908.Cernuschi & O'Hara, p. 61 In 1910, was sold to Haiti and renamed Consul Gostrück, though she quickly sank under the care of her inexperienced crew.Gardiner & Gray, p. 416

The remaining ships, except for , took part in the Italo-Turkish War.Beehler, pp. 9–10, 27–29, 81, 84 They were relegated to secondary roles during World War I, except for , which battled the Austro-Hungarian cruiser and later covered the evacuation of the Serbian Army from Durazzo.Halpern (1995), p. 158Klein, p. 389 was deliberately blown up by Italy as a deception operation against Austria-Hungary.O'Hara, Dickson, & Worth, p. 187 The remaining ships were broken up for scrap in the early 1920s, though the bow section of is preserved at the , a museum in Lombardy.Domenico, p. 54

+ Summary of the Regioni class Ship Armament Armor Displacement Propulsion Service Laid down Commissioned Fate 4 × 6 in guns6 × guns 2 in 2 shafts, 2 vertical triple-expansion steam engines, , 1 August 1888 16 February 1894 Sold to Haiti, 1910Foundered, 1911Gardiner, pp. 349, 416 19 November 1889 16 February 1893 Sold for scrap, 4 July 1920 1 April 1889 11 July 1894 Sunk, 13 August 1918 1 July 1889 1 December 1894 Sold for scrap, 15 May 1921 22 September 1890 27 February 1896 Sold for scrap, 5 January 1920 1 in October 1893 26 May 1901 Sold for scrap, 22 March 1923, partially preserved as a memorial

Calabria

was designed for use in Italy's colonial empire, rather than the earlier vessels intended as fleet scouts. As such, her steel hull was sheathed with wood and then a layer of zinc to protect it from fouling during lengthy tours in the overseas colonies. Additionally, she was equipped with less powerful though more efficient engines than the earlier cruisers. The ship was otherwise similar to preceding designs like the Regioni class, having a displacement only slightly lower and a nearly identical gun battery.