In the tumultuous era of the early 20th century, the world's major naval powers were navigating a sea of technological advancements, shifting tactics, and evolving strategies. Italy, in particular, found itself recalibrating its naval priorities, transitioning from a focus on the French Navy to reevaluating its traditional adversary across the Adriatic Sea, the Austro-Hungarian Navy. This strategic pivot set the stage for the construction of two significant vessels, Nino Bixio and Marsala, forming the Nino Bixio class of protected cruisers for the Italian Regia Marina, or Royal Navy, in the 1910s.
The Nino Bixio class cruisers, laid down between 1911 and 1914 in Castellammare, were conceived to serve as scouts for the main Italian fleet. To fulfill this role effectively, they needed to boast a high top speed, a critical attribute for fleet reconnaissance. However, their construction and performance would ultimately present a series of challenges and disappointments.
At the heart of their design was Engineering Captain Giuseppe Rota, who drew inspiration from the earlier cruiser Quarto, which had been developed in response to the Austro-Hungarian cruiser Admiral Spaun. These vessels were envisioned to be fleet scouts, capable of relaying critical information and supporting the fleet with their agility.
The Nino Bixio-class cruisers measured 131.4 meters (431 feet) in length at the waterline and 140.3 meters (460 feet) overall. Their beam spanned 13 meters (42 feet 8 inches), and they had a draft of 4.1 meters (13 feet 5 inches). Under normal conditions, they displaced 3,575 long tons (3,632 metric tons), a figure that increased to 4,141 long tons (4,207 metric tons) at full load. Their hulls sported an unusual convex shape towards the bow and featured a short forecastle deck extending for the initial third of the hull's length.
The cruisers were relatively lightly armored, with a 38 mm (1.5 inches) thick curved armor deck sloping down at the sides, connecting to the hull. Their forward conning tower had 100 mm (3.9 inches) thick plating, and the ships' guns were equipped with thin gun shields. These features were indicative of their intended role as scouts rather than heavily armored battleships.
The propulsion system of the Nino Bixio class included three Curtiss steam turbines, each driving a screw propeller. Steam was generated by fourteen mixed coal and oil firing Blechynden boilers, which were routed into four funnels. These engines were expected to deliver 22,500 shaft horsepower (16,800 kW), theoretically granting the ships a top speed of 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph). However, neither vessel managed to achieve this speed in practice due to issues related to their weight.
Nino Bixio's engines, for instance, reached 23,000 shp (17,000 kW), resulting in a top speed of 26.82 knots (49.67 km/h; 30.86 mph). Marsala performed slightly better, reaching 27.66 knots (51.23 km/h; 31.83 mph) at the same horsepower. The Curtiss turbines, produced under license in Italy, proved to be unreliable, and despite repeated efforts to rectify the problems and modify the boilers, the desired speed remained elusive.
The primary armament of the Nino Bixio class consisted of six 120 mm (4.7 inches) L/50 guns, mounted individually. Two guns were placed side by side forward, two amidships in an en echelon arrangement, and the final two formed a superfiring pair aft of the mainmast. These guns, known as Pattern EE type and manufactured by Armstrong Whitworth, were also employed as secondary guns on the Dante Alighieri and Conte di Cavour class dreadnought battleships. They fired a 22.5-kilogram (50 lb) projectile at a muzzle velocity of 860 meters per second (2,800 ft/s) and had a rate of fire of 6 shots per minute.
Complementing their armament, the cruisers featured a secondary battery of six 76 mm (3 inches) L/50 guns, known as Pattern ZZI type. These guns, identical to those used on Italian dreadnoughts, provided close-range defense against torpedo boats. Each gun fired shells weighing 5.6 kg (12 lb) and 7 kg (15 lb) at a muzzle velocity of 815 m/s (2,670 ft/s) and had a rate of fire of 15 shells per minute.
Additionally, two 450 mm (17.7 inches) torpedo tubes were submerged in the hull, one on each broadside. These tubes allowed the cruisers to launch torpedoes when needed. Moreover, the ships were equipped to store and deploy 200 naval mines, further enhancing their tactical capabilities.
Both Nino Bixio and Marsala would have limited opportunities for action during World War I, primarily due to cautious strategies employed by the Regia Marina and the Austro-Hungarian Navy, their main opponent in the Adriatic Theater.
Nino Bixio was involved in the pursuit of a group of Austro-Hungarian raiders in December 1915 but did not engage them before they escaped. Marsala saw brief action during the Battle of the Otranto Straits in May 1917 when it engaged Austro-Hungarian cruisers.
Despite their potential, both cruisers were eventually sold for scrapping in the late 1920s. This decision was driven by stringent naval budgets and the inherent challenges posed by their performance issues.
The Nino Bixio class of cruisers stands as a testament to the complexities of naval design and the evolving priorities of early 20th-century naval powers. Though they may not have achieved legendary status, these cruisers played their part in the broader narrative of naval history.