Italian cruiser San Marco

The San Marco was an armoured cruiser of the Royal Italian Navy (Italian: Regia Marina) that saw action in the Italo-Turkish War and World War I.

Design and Construction
The ships of the San Giorgio class were ordered as improved versions of the Pisa-class cruisers. They had the same main armament as the older ships, but various improvements were made to the ship's armor, the forecastle was raised, and crew accommodations were improved.

San Marco's design featured several new innovations that differentiated it from the San Giorgio. San Marco was the first Italian cruiser to use steam turbines. San Marco was the first ship to feature a gyroscopic compass, the first ship with anti-rolling water tanks, and the first turbine-fitted ship with four propellers.

Operational History
San Marco was launched on 20 December 1908 at Castellammare di Stabia, Italy. During her steaming trials at Spezia, San Marco was required to give half a knot more than San Giorgio, a requirement she easily surpassed.

San Marco first saw service in the Italo-Turkish War, where she took part in the capture of Derna, Libya and supported Italian troops at Benghazi.

San Marco also saw action during the First World War, and participated in the Battle of Durazzo (1918), shelling the port of Durazzo alongside San Giorgio.

Even during the First World War, San Marco was growing obsolete. In 1931-1936, she was converted into a radio-controlled target ship, controlled by the torpedo boat Audace. During the Second World War, she was captured by the Germans at La Spezia on 9 September 1943, and was found sunk in La Spezia naval yard at the end of the war. She was broken up for scrap in 1949.