class cruiser class pair protected cruisers built italian regia marina royal_navy 1910s ships built intended serve scouts main italian fleet required high speed overweight built prevented reaching intended maximum speed disappointment service especially compared earlier faster cruiser cut careers short ships saw limited action world war largely result cautious strategies employed opponent involved pursuit group austro hungarian raiders december engage escaped briefly battled austro hungarian cruisers battle straits ships sold scrapping late 1920s victims tight naval budgets poor performance design general characteristics ships class designed fleet scouts engineering captain similar lines cruiser ships meters long waterline long overall beam draft ships displaced metric tons long tons short tons long tons short tons load ships fitted pair pole masts equipped spotting tops located forward aft conning tower crew consisted officers enlisted men class ships lightly armored thick deck thick plating forward conning tower propulsion system ships propulsion system consisted steam turbines driving screw propeller steam provided fourteen mixed coal oil firing boilers funnels closely spaced aft foremast farther spaced aft engines rated shaft horsepower given ships speed knots mph ship reached speed service owing overweight engines reached shp speed mph slightly faster mph horsepower ships disappointment especially compared older faster class ships range nautical miles cruising speed mph armament ships armed main battery guns mounted singly placed forward located centerline amidships superfiring pair aft mainmast guns pattern type type employed secondary guns dreadnought battleships classes manufactured metric ton long ton short ton guns fired kilogram muzzle velocity meters second rate shots minute ships equipped guns pattern type guns italian dreadnoughts provided close range defense guns weighed long tons short tons fired shells rate fire shells minute armed torpedo tubes submerged hull ships fitted equipment store launch naval mines ships service history italy initially declared neutrality start world war despite having allied germany austria-hungary triple convinced italian government enter war allies main italian fleet kept southern end adriatic mediterranean taranto safe austro hungarian boats employed fleet strategy conducting raids small craft boats duration war stationed quickly respond austro hungarian raids december warships including british cruisers sortied response austro hungarian attack transports supplying albania pursued cruiser sms escaped cover darkness saw action steam boilers austro hungarians attacked unable join sister ship briefly clashed austro hungarian cruisers italian commander broke engagement following arrival powerful austro hungarian armored cruiser funding cuts followed end war continued 1920s class ships met design expectations easy means trim naval budget stricken naval register march november respectively subsequently sold scrap
Nino Bixio-class cruiser