italian cruiser torpedo cruiser class built italian regia marina royal_navy 1880s laid february shipyard launched july commissioned november main armament torpedo tubes supported battery small caliber guns spent career main italian fleet primarily occupied training exercises italo turkish war september remained italian waters late conflict escorted troop convoy north_africa april bombarded ottoman positions june july eventually broken scrap december design meters long overall beam average draft displaced metric tons long tons short tons normally propulsion system consisted pair horizontal triple expansion steam engines driving single screw propeller steam supplied coal fired locomotive boilers specific figures engine performance survived ships class speeds knots mph indicated horsepower ship cruising radius nautical miles speed knots mph crew personnel armed main battery gun guns mounted equipped guns single mounts primary offensive weapon torpedo tubes ship protected armored deck thick conning tower armored thickness steel plate service history laid february launched july fitting work completed ship commissioned fleet november took annual fleet exercises attacking squadron included ironclads sister ship torpedo cruisers stationed 2nd split taranto naples torpedo cruisers italian fleet included sister ships class cruisers tripoli assigned eastern mediterranean took fleet maneuvers took place september october year start italo turkish war september stationed italy alternating ports naples sister ships january stationed tripoli support garrison ottoman forces early april torpedo cruiser torpedo boats troop convoy carrying men near border tunisia june july armored cruiser bombarded turkish forces near ottomans eventually agreed surrender october ending war italy declared neutrality outbreak world war august july triple convinced italians enter war promises territory acquisition italy primary rival decades primary opponent conflict austro hungarian battle fleet lay directly narrow adriatic_sea admiral italian naval chief staff believed narrow waters numerous islands adriatic allowed austro hungarian submarines operate great degree freedom threat underwater weapons capital ships use fleet active way instead decided implement blockade relatively safer southern end adriatic battle fleet smaller vessels boats conducted raids austro hungarian ships installations result action war sold scrap december subsequently broken scrap
Italian cruiser Iride