Italian cruiser Puglia

At the outbreak of Italo-Turkish War in September 1911, Puglia was stationed in eastern Africa, where Italy had colonies in Eritrea and Somaliland. She was joined there by her sisters Elba and Liguria and the cruisers Piemonte and Etna. Puglia and the cruiser Calabria, which had recently arrived from Asian waters, bombarded the Turkish port of Aqaba on 19 November to disperse a contingent of Ottoman soldiers there. Hostilities were temporarily ceased while the British King George V passed through the Red Sea following his coronation ceremony in India—the ceasefire lasted until 26 November.[9] After resuming operations in the northern Red Sea, Puglia caught the Ottoman gunboat Haliç off Aqaba on 5 December and damaged her, forcing her crew to scuttle the vessel later. On 16 December, she intercepted the steamer Kayseri leaving the Suez Canal, bound for Kunfuda with a load of coal for the Ottoman gunboats stationed there.[10]

In early 1912, the Italian Red Sea fleet searched for a group of seven Ottoman gunboats thought to be planning an attack on Eritrea, though they were in fact immobilized due to a lack of coal. Puglia and Calabria carried out diversionary bombardments against Jebl Tahr, and Al Luḩayyah, while Piemonte and the destroyers Artigliere and Garibaldino searched for the gunboats. On 7 January, they found the gunboats and quickly sank four in the Battle of Kunfuda Bay; the other three were forced to beach to avoid sinking as well.[11][12] Puglia and the rest of the Italian ships returned to bombarding the Turkish ports in the Red Sea before declaring a blockade of the city of Al Hudaydah on 26 January. The cruiser fleet in the Red Sea then began a campaign of coastal bombardments of Ottoman ports in the area. A blockade was proclaimed of the Ottoman ports, which included Al Luḩayyah and Al Hudaydah. The Ottomans eventually agreed to surrender in October, ending the war.[13]

The bow of Puglia, preserved at the Vittoriale degli italiani museum

Italy declared neutrality at the start of World War I, but by July 1915, the Triple Entente had convinced the Italians to enter the war against the Central Powers. Admiral Paolo Thaon di Revel, the Italian naval chief of staff, believed that Austro-Hungarian submarines could operate too effectively in the narrow waters of the Adriatic, which could also be easily seeded with minefields. The threat from these underwater weapons was too serious for him to use the fleet in an active way. Instead, Revel decided to implement blockade at the relatively safer southern end of the Adriatic with the main fleet, while smaller vessels, such as the MAS boats, conducted raids on Austro-Hungarian ships and installations.[14]

The closest Puglia came to engaging a hostile vessel came on 27 January 1915, when while patrolling off Durazzo, she encountered the Austro-Hungarian scout cruiser Novara, but the Austro-Hungarian ship retreated without either vessel firing a shot.[15] In late February 1916, Puglia, the cruiser Libia, and the auxiliary cruisers SS Cittá di Siracusa and SS Cittá di Catania covered the withdrawal of elements of the Serbian Army from Durazzo. On 25 February, the Italian vessels entered the harbor to bombard Austro-Hungarian forces to delay their advance while Allied transport vessels evacuated soldiers from the city. The battle between the Italian cruisers and Austro-Hungarian artillery batteries continued through the following day, and late on the 26th, the transports completed the embarkation of Italian and Serbian troops before departing for Valona. Shortly before departing, Puglia opened fire on the warehouses storing munitions in the harbor, setting them on fire to destroy the equipment stored there.[16][17] She was converted into a minelayer later that year. She entered service in this role on 1 July, and she remained on active duty through the early 1920s.[3]

After the war, Puglia had been assigned to patrol the Dalmatian coast. On 11 July 1920, men from the ship became involved in the unrest in Split. During a violent confrontation with a group of Croats, the ship's captain and a sailor were shot and killed.[18] Puglia was sold for scrapping on 22 March 1923.[1] While the ship was being dismantled, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini donated the ship's bow section to the writer and ardent nationalist Gabriele D'Annunzio, who had it installed at his estate as part of the Vittoriale degli italiani museum.[19]