italian cruiser protected cruiser built italian regia marina royal_navy 1910s second final member class built scouts main italian fleet equipped main battery millimeter guns speed excess knots mph engines proved troublesome service spent world war based involved battle straits briefly engaged austro hungarian cruisers career cut short november stricken naval register sold scrap result unreliable engines drastic cuts naval budget design meters long waterline beam draft displaced metric tons long tons short tons load crew consisted officers enlisted men ship propulsion system consisted steam turbines driving screw propeller steam provided fourteen mixed coal oil firing boilers engines rated shaft horsepower speed knots mph range nautical miles cruising speed knots mph armed main battery guns mounted singly equipped guns torpedo tubes ship lightly armored thick deck thick plating main conning tower service history keel laid shipyard february day work proceeded slower sister launched march named city launched expedition thousand completing fitting work ship commissioned italian fleet august italy declared neutrality start world war august triple convinced italians enter war admiral italian naval chief staff believed austro hungarian submarines operate effectively narrow waters adriatic easily seeded minefields threat underwater weapons use fleet active way instead decided implement blockade relatively safer southern end adriatic main fleet smaller vessels boats conducted raids austro hungarian ships installations cruiser based war patrol path narrow adriatic mediterranean reconnaissance forces come command rear admiral night austro hungarian cruisers destroyers raided barrage patrol line intended block austro hungarian german boats italian cruiser steam boilers word austro hungarian attack reached british cruisers bristol departed italian destroyers flotilla leader destroyers followed briefly engaged fleeing austro hungarians broke pursuit ordered return port following end war november severely reduced naval budgets result weakened italian economy early 1920s led draw downs engines plagued problems career ship obvious target effort trim regia marina budget stricken naval register november subsequently broken scrap
Italian cruiser Marsala