italian cruiser italian cruiser class armoured cruiser built decade 20th century large italian ship fitted steam turbines turbine powered ship navy propeller shafts ship participated time supported island rhodes bombarded fortifications defending entrance dardanelles world war activities limited threat austro hungarian submarines ship participate bombardment albania late played minor role incident converted target ship half 1930s captured germans occupied northern italy found sunk end war ship broken scrapped design description ships class designed improved versions class design design featured new innovations differentiated sister ship given steam turbines fitted large italian ship turbine powered ship navy shafts compass tanks use wood way length perpendiculars metres overall length metres beam metres draught metres ship displaced tonnes long tons normal load tonnes long tons deep load complement officers enlisted men ship powered steam turbines driving propeller shaft steam supplied boilers designed maximum output shaft horsepower speed knots mph exceeded reaching speed knots mph sea trials ihp ship required half knot faster requirement easily surpassed cruising range nautical miles speed knots mph main armament san class ships consisted guns twin gun turrets fore aft superstructure ships mounted twin gun turrets amidships secondary armament defense torpedo boats carried quick firing caliber guns mounted sides hull rest superstructure ships fitted pair caliber guns equipped submerged torpedo tubes world war guns replaced anti aircraft guns torpedo tube removed ships protected armoured belt thick amidships reduced bow stern armoured deck thick conning tower armour thick gun turrets protected armour turrets construction career named patron saint venice ordered september laid january ship launched december completed february began september initially assigned 2nd division 1st squadron mediterranean_fleet assigned division october later escorted italian transports arrived libya october battleship armoured cruisers negotiations surrender town fell apart shelled barracks fort return fire boat offers truce sent greeted volley rifle fire armoured cruisers opened fire town guns according contemporary account completely destroyed town minutes time landing party unable reach shore rough seas gunfire shore shelled beach hours weather conditions prevented landing 18th men took possession ship supported italian troops december mid april italian fleet sortied eastern leading attempt lure ottoman fleet failed italians bombarded fortifications defending dardanelles little effect main body departed italy 19th provided support occupation rhodes finally returned home september experiments evaluating operation start world war ship based italy declared war night bombarded italian coast attempt disrupt italian targets hardest hit town gas electric telephone service city coal oil left flames austrian ships safely returned port putting pressure regia marina stop attacks austrians resumed italian coast mid june admiral responded sending armoured cruisers navy newest venice supplement older ships shortly arrival venice sunk submarine july loss severely restricted activities ships based venice later participated bombardment known october sank damaged september ship transported taranto bodies members killed august deaths sparked incident october ferried occupation troops march king victor iii arrived attend ceremony commemorating city annexation italy escorted travelling aboard south american tour july september disarmed converted radio controlled elderly destroyer target ship old boilers replaced oil burning type boilers reduced maximum speed knots mph shaft horsepower naval review adolf hitler ship target heavy cruisers captured germans occupied september ship found end war sunk harbor formally stricken navy list february broken
Italian cruiser San Marco