italian cruiser torpedo cruiser class built italian regia marina royal_navy 1880s second ships built keel laid february launched february commissioned august year main armament torpedo tubes supported battery small caliber guns spent career main italian fleet primarily occupied training exercises converted significant action italo turkish war world war lay defensive minefields conflict ship sold scrap 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 speed trials displacement long tons short tons engines produced average speed knots mph indicated horsepower forced draft ship cruising radius nautical miles speed knots mph crew 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 shipyard genoa launched february fitting work completed months later ship commissioned fleet august fleet maneuvers served 1st ironclads torpedo boats maneuvers lasted august september ships reserve squadron defended simulated attack french attack italian fleet stationed 2nd split taranto naples torpedo cruisers italian fleet included sister ships class cruisers tripoli assigned 1st squadron unit included battleships cruisers destroyers kept active service seven months year training reduced crews remainder year remained squadron following year reduced size oldest battleships having withdrawn destroyers added ship modernized converted received new oil fired boilers armament reduced guns guns guns speed reduced knots mph ihp start italo turkish war september attached 2nd squadron italian fleet time significant action war italy declared neutrality start world war july triple convinced italians enter war admiral italian naval chief staff believed threat austro hungarian submarines naval mines narrow waters adriatic use fleet active way instead decided implement blockade relatively safer southern end adriatic main fleet smaller vessels boats conducted raids austro hungarian ships installations initially lay series defensive minefields sister cruiser support strategy survived war discarded surviving member class subsequently broken scrap
Italian cruiser Minerva