Calabria was a small protected cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1890s, intended for service in Italy's overseas empire. She was laid down in 1892, launched in 1894, and completed in 1897, and was armed with a main battery of four 15-centimeter (5.9 in) and four 12 cm (4.7 in) guns. Calabria spent significant periods abroad, ranging from deployments to Chinese, North American, and Australian waters, in addition to periods in Italy's East African empire. She saw action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1912 in the Red Sea, primarily bombarding Turkish ports in the area. Calabria was reclassified as a gunboat in 1921, reduced to a training ship in 1924, and sold for scrap at the end of the year.
Liguria was a protected cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina. She was the fourth of six Regioni-class cruisers, all of which were named for regions of Italy. Liguria was built by the Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa; her keel was laid in July 1889, she was launched in June 1893, and was commissioned into the fleet in December 1894. The ship was equipped with a main armament of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and six 12 cm (4.7 in) guns, and she could steam at a speed of 18 knots.
Umbria was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina built in the 1890s. She was the lead ship of the Regioni class, which included five other vessels. All of the ships were named for current or former regions of Italy. The ship was equipped with a main armament of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and six 12 cm (4.7 in) guns, and she could steam at a speed of 18 knots. Umbria spent much of her career abroad, including several years in American waters. In service during a period of relative peace, Umbria never saw combat. In 1911, she was sold to Haiti and renamed Consul Gostrück, though she did not serve for very long under the Haitian flag. Her crew was too inexperienced to operate the ship, and she foundered shortly after being transferred to the Haitian Navy.
Elba was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina. She was the fifth of six Regioni-class ships, all of which were named for regions of Italy, with the exception of Elba, which was named for the island. Elba was built by the Regio Cantieri di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard; her keel was laid in September 1890, she was launched in August 1893, and she was commissioned in February 1896. The ship was equipped with a main armament of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and six 12 cm (4.7 in) guns, and she could steam at a speed of nearly 18 knots.
Puglia was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina. She was the last of six Regioni-class ships, all of which were named for regions of Italy. She was built in Taranto between October 1893 and May 1901, when she was commissioned into the fleet. The ship was equipped with a main armament of four 15 cm (5.9 in) and six 12 cm (4.7 in) guns, and she could steam at a speed of 20 knots.
The Regioni class was a group of six protected cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the late 1880s through the early 1900s. The class comprised Umbria, Lombardia, Etruria, Liguria, Elba, and Puglia, all of which were named for regions of Italy with the exception of Elba, which was named for the island. The class is sometimes referred as the Umbria class, for the first ship to be laid down. The ships, built by four different shipyards, varied slightly in their size, speed, and armament, but all could steam at about 18 knots and their main armament consisted of four 15-centimeter (5.9 in) guns and six 12 cm (4.7 in) guns.
Agordat was a torpedo cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina built in the late 1890s. She was the lead ship of the Agordat class, which had one other member, Coatit. The ship, which was armed with twelve 76 mm (3 in) guns and two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, was too slow and short-ranged to be able to scout effectively for the fleet, so her career was limited. She saw action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911–1912, where she provided gunfire support to Italian troops in North Africa. She assisted in the occupation of Constantinople in the aftermath of World War I, and in 1919 she was reclassified as a gunboat. In January 1923, Agordat was sold for scrapping.
Coatit was a torpedo cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina built in the late 1890s. She was the second and final member of the Agordat class. The ship, which was armed with twelve 76 mm (3 in) guns and two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, was too slow and short-ranged to be able to scout effectively for the fleet, so her career was limited. She saw action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911–1912, where she provided gunfire support to Italian troops in North Africa. She also caused a minor diplomatic incident from an attack on retreating Ottoman soldiers in Anatolia. Coatit was part of an international fleet sent to Constantinople when the city appeared to be at risk of falling to the Bulgarian Army during the First Balkan War. In 1919, she was converted into a minelayer and was sold for scrap in 1920.
The Agordat class was a pair of torpedo cruisers built by the Italian Regia Marina in the late 1890s. The two ships, Agordat and Coatit, were armed with twelve 76 mm (3 in) guns and two 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. They proved to be too slow and have too short a cruising radius to be of much use, so their service careers were limited. Their most significant action came during the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, where both ships were employed in shore bombardment duties. Neither ship saw action in World War I. Coatit was converted into a minelayer in 1919 and sold for scrapping the following year, while Agordat was rearmed as a gunboat in 1921; she followed her sister to the breakers in 1923.
Basilicata was a small protected cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s. She was the second and final member of the Campania class, along with the lead ship Campania. The Campania-class cruisers were intended for service in Italy's colonies, and so were given a heavy armament and designed to emphasize long cruising range over high speed. Basilicata's career was cut short in mid-1919 when one of her boilers exploded and sank her while in Tewfik, Egypt. The ship was raised in 1920 but deemed not worth repairing; she was sold for scrapping in July 1921.
The Campania class was a pair of small protected cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1910s. The two ships, Campania and Basilicata, were the last ships of that type built by the 'Regia Marina, as it had been superseded by more effective light cruisers. The Campania class was designed for use in Italy's overseas colonies, on the model of the old Calabria. Neither ship had a particularly eventful career. Basilicata was destroyed by a boiler explosion in 1919, two years after entering service, and was subsequently raised and scrapped. Campania remained in service for significantly longer, but she did not see action and ended her career as a training ship before being scrapped in 1937.
Etna was a protected cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina built in the 1880s. She was the lead ship of the Etna class, which included three sister ships. Named for Mount Etna on the island of Sicily, the ship was laid down in January 1883, was launched in September 1885, and was completed in December 1887. She was armed with a main battery of two 254 mm (10 in) and a secondary battery of six 152 mm (6 in) guns, and could steam at a speed of around 17 knots.
The Italian cruiser Vettor Pisani was the name ship of her class of two armored cruisers built for the Royal Italian Navy in the 1890s. She often served as a flagship during her career and frequently served overseas. On one of these deployments, the ship received a radio message from Peking, one of the first long-range radio transmissions to a ship. Vettor Pisani participated in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 and the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–12, during which her admiral nearly caused a diplomatic incident with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During World War I, her activities were limited by the threat of Austro-Hungarian submarines and she was converted into a repair ship in 1916. Vettor Pisani was stricken from the Navy List in 1920 and scrapped later that year.
Minerva was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. The second of eight ships, Minerva was built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.; her keel was laid down in February 1889, she was launched in February 1892, and she was commissioned in August that year. Her main armament were her five torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns. Minerva spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. She was converted into a minelayer in 1909–1910. She did not see significant action during the Italo-Turkish War in 1911 or World War I in 1915–1918, though she was used to lay defensive minefields during the latter conflict. The ship was sold for scrap in 1921.
Euridice was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard, with her keel laying in February 1889, her launching in September 1890, and her commissioning in May 1891. Her main armament was her six torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns. Euridice spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. She was withdrawn from service in 1907 and sold for scrapping.
Aretusa was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. Laid down in June 1889 at the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando shipyard, she was launched in March 1891 and was commissioned in September 1892. Her main armament were her six torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of ten small-caliber guns. Aretusa spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. At the start of the Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, she was assigned to the Red Sea Squadron in Italian Eritrea. She bombarded Ottoman positions in the Arabian Peninsula and took part in a blockade of the coast. Worn out by the end of the war in October 1912, Aretusa was sold for scrap that December and broken up.
Calatafimi was a torpedo cruiser of the Partenope class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was built by the Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando shipyard; her keel was laid in July 1891, she was launched in May 1894, and was commissioned in December 1895. Her main armament were her five torpedo tubes, which were supported by a battery of eleven small-caliber guns. Calatafimi spent most of her career in the main Italian fleet, where she was primarily occupied with training exercises. The ship was sold in March 1907 and broken up for scrap.
Goito was a torpedo cruiser built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was the lead ship of the Goito class, which included three other vessels. Goito was built by the Regio Cantiere di Castellammare di Stabia shipyard between September 1885 and February 1888. She was armed with a variety of light guns and five 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes, and was capable of a top speed of 18 knots. The ship served the duration of her career in the main Italian fleet. Her early service was primarily occupied with training exercises; front-line duties ended in 1897 when she was converted into a minelayer, though she continued to participate in fleet exercises. During World War I, Goito laid defensive minefields in the Adriatic Sea. She was eventually sold for scrap in 1920 and broken up.
Monzambano was a torpedo cruiser of the Goito class built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. The ship was built at the Arsenale di La Spezia, beginning with her keel laying in August 1885 and ending with her completion in August 1889. She was armed with a variety of light guns and five 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes, and was capable of a top speed of 18 knots. The ship spent her career in the main Italian fleet conducting training exercises, and did not see action. She spent 1898 patrolling the eastern Mediterranean Sea with the Levant Squadron. Monzambano was withdrawn from service in 1901 and broken up for scrap that year.
Confienza was the last of four Goito-class torpedo cruisers built for the Italian Regia Marina in the 1880s. She was armed with a variety of light guns and five 14-inch (356 mm) torpedo tubes, and was capable of a top speed of 17 knots. The ship was built in the late 1880s, with her keel laying in September 1887 at the Arsenale di La Spezia; she was completed in April 1890 and thereafter entered service with the Italian fleet. Confienza had a short and uneventful career; she spent her time in Italian waters and did not see any action. Stricken from the naval register in August 1901, she was thereafter broken up for scrap.
Italy
