View source for Italian cruiser Libia

{{Short description|Protected cruiser of the Italian Royal Navy}}
{{Use shortened footnotes|date=November 2022}}
{{good article}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |infobox caption= |italic title=}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Rn libia (3).JPG
|Ship caption={{lang|it|Libia}} 
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Class before={{ship|Italian cruiser|Calabria||2}}
|Class after={{ship|Italian cruiser|Quarto||2}}
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = [[Ottoman Empire]]
| Ship flag ={{shipboxflag|Ottoman Empire|naval-1845}}
| Ship name = {{lang|tr|Drama}}
| Ship namesake = [[Sanjak of Drama]]
| Ship ordered = 1907
|Ship builder=[[Gio. Ansaldo & C.]], [[Genoa]]
|Ship laid down=1907
| Ship fate = Seized in September 1911 by the [[Kingdom of Italy]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Italy
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Kingdom of Italy}}
|Ship name={{lang|it|Libia}}
|Ship namesake=Colony of [[Italian Libya|Libia]]
|Ship launched=11 November 1912
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=25 March 1913
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=11 March 1937
|Ship fate=Sold for scrapping, 1937
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Protected cruiser]]
|Ship displacement=*[[normal displacement|Normal]]: {{convert|3760|LT|lk=on}}
*[[Full-load displacement|Full load]]: {{convert|4466|LT|abbr=on}}
|Ship length=
*{{convert|103.6|m|abbr=on|ftin}} [[length at the waterline|lwl]]
*{{convert|111.8|m|abbr=on|ftin}} [[length overall|oa]]
|Ship beam={{convert|14.5|m|abbr=on|ftin}}
|Ship draft={{convert|5.5|m|abbr=on|ftin}}
|Ship propulsion=
*2 × [[screw propeller]]s
*2 × [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s
|Ship power=
*16 × [[Niclausse boiler]]s
*{{convert|11530|ihp|lk=on|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed={{convert|22.9|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{cvt|3150|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=
*14 officers
*300 enlisted men
|Ship armament=
*2 × {{cvt|152|mm|0}} guns
*8 × {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}} guns
*8 × [[Ordnance QF 3-pounder Vickers|{{convert|47|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns
*6 × {{convert|37|mm|abbr=on}} guns
*4 × {{cvt|450|mm|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|100|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Conning tower]]: 100&nbsp;mm
*[[Gun shield]]s: {{cvt|76|mm|0}}
}}
|}
'''{{lang|it|Libia}}''' was a [[protected cruiser]] built in Italy in the 1900s. The ship had originally been laid down in 1907 for the [[Ottoman Navy]] and was to have been named '''{{lang|tr|Drama}}''', and was based on the Ottoman cruiser {{ship|Ottoman cruiser|Hamidiye||2}}. She had not been completed by the outbreak of the [[Italo-Turkish War]] in 1911 and so she was seized by the Italian {{lang|it|[[Regia Marina]]}} (Royal Navy) and was completed in 1913. The ship was armed with two {{cvt|152|mm|0}} and eight {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}} guns, and was capable of a top speed of over {{convert|22|kn|lk=in}}.

{{lang|it|Libia}} had a relatively uneventful career. Before Italy's entry into [[World War I]], she was involved in the evacuation of [[William, Prince of Albania|Prince William]], the ruler of Albania, from [[Durrës|Durazzo]] in late 1914. Following Italy's declaration of war in May 1915, {{lang|it|Libia}} patrolled the [[Otranto Barrage]] but did not see action. In 1921–1922, she went on a world tour, during which she was featured in a short documentary produced by the then-unknown [[Frank Capra]]. In 1925 she was deployed to China, where she remained for nearly a decade. In 1937, the old cruiser was stricken from the [[naval register]] and sold for scrap.

==Design==
The design for the new [[protected cruiser]] was a copy of the British-built [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] cruiser {{ship|Ottoman cruiser|Hamidiye||2}}, and was originally intended for sale to the [[Ottoman Navy]].{{sfn|Mach|p=391}} The ship was {{convert|103.6|m|sp=us|ftin}} [[length at the waterline|long at the waterline]] and {{convert|111.8|m|abbr=on|ftin}} [[length overall|long overall]]. She had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|14.5|m|abbr=on|ftin}} and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|5.5|m|abbr=on|ftin}}. She [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{convert|3760|LT|sp=us}} [[normal displacement|normally]] and up to {{convert|4466|LT|abbr=on}} at [[full load]]. The ship was fitted with two pole [[mast (sailing)|masts]]. She had an [[inverted bow]] and a [[flush deck]]. Her [[superstructure]] consisted of a tall [[conning tower]] forward and a smaller, secondary conning tower aft of the mainmast. Her crew numbered 14&nbsp;officers and 300&nbsp;enlisted men.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}}

{{lang|it|Libia}} was powered by two vertical [[triple-expansion steam engine]]s, each of which drove a [[screw propeller]]. Steam for the engines was provided by sixteen coal-fired [[Niclausse boiler|Niclausse]] [[water-tube boiler]]s that were trunked into three closely spaced [[funnel (ship)|funnels]] on the centerline. The engines were rated at {{convert|12500|ihp|lk=in}}, though they only reached {{convert|11530|ihp|abbr=on}} in service. This was sufficient to propel the ship at a top speed of {{convert|22.9|kn|lk=in}}. {{lang|it|Libia}} had a cruising radius of {{convert|3150|nmi|lk=in}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn}}.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}}

The ship was armed with a [[main battery]] of two {{cvt|152|mm|0}} L/50 [[quick-firing gun|quick-firing]] guns placed in individual [[pivot gun|pivot mounts]], one forward and one astern.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}} These guns were probably Pattern FF Armstrong guns, which fired a {{convert|20|kg|adj=on}} shell at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|780|m/s|sp=us}}.{{sfn|Friedman|p=96}} These were augmented by a [[secondary armament|secondary battery]] of eight {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}} L/45 guns, four mounted individually on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]. Close-range defense against [[torpedo boat]]s was provided by a battery of eight [[Ordnance QF 3-pounder Vickers|{{convert|47|mm|abbr=on}}]] L/50 guns and six {{convert|37|mm|abbr=on}} L/20 guns. She was also equipped with four {{cvt|450|mm|1}} [[torpedo tube]]s.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}}

The ship was protected by a curved armor deck that was {{convert|100|mm|abbr=on|0}} thick, which sloped downward at the sides to protect the ship from incoming fire. Her conning tower had the same thickness of armor plating on the sides. The main guns were protected by {{cvt|76|mm|0}} thick [[gun shield]]s.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}}

==Service history==
The new cruiser was [[keel laying|laid down]] in 1907 at the Ansaldo shipyard in [[Genoa]] for the Ottoman Empire, under the name {{lang|tr|Drama}}.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}} But following the rise of the [[Young Turks]] in the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman government became unwilling to pay its foreign debts, which led Ansaldo to halt construction work. Work on the ship only resumed in late 1911 when Italy seized the ship following its declaration of war against the Ottoman Empire in the [[Italo-Turkish War]].{{sfn|Italian Cruiser Libia|p=67}} The completed hull was [[ship launching|launched]] on 11 November 1912, and following the completion of [[fitting-out]] work, the new ship was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 25 March 1913, having been renamed {{lang|it|Libia}}.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}}

===World War I===
On 3 September 1914, {{lang|it|Libia}} was in the port of [[Durrës|Durazzo]], Albania when [[William, Prince of Albania|Prince William]], the ruler of the country, departed following turmoil caused by an insurgency in the country, coupled with the outbreak of [[World War I]]. {{lang|it|Libia}} had landed a contingent of marines to restore order in the city, where some 2,000 refugees fleeing the insurgents attempted to board passenger ships bound for Italy. After the refugees were evacuated, {{lang|it|Libia}} recalled her marines and departed as well.{{sfn|Exit Albania?|pp=1062–1063}}

[[File:Italian cruiser Libia NH 42571.jpg|thumb|left|{{lang|it|Libia}} and a [[US Navy]] [[destroyer]] in [[Brest, France]], shortly after the end of World War I]]

Italy had declared neutrality at the start of World War I, but by May 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 the threat from [[Austro-Hungarian Navy|Austro-Hungarian]] [[submarine]]s and [[naval mine]]s in the narrow waters of the Adriatic was too serious for him to use the fleet in an active way. Instead, Revel decided to implement a blockade at the relatively safer southern end of the Adriatic with the main fleet, while smaller vessels, such as the [[MAS (boat)|MAS boats]], conducted raids on Austro-Hungarian ships and installations.{{sfn|Halpern 1995|pp=140–142, 150}} {{lang|it|Libia}} was based at [[Brindisi]] in southern Italy to support the [[Otranto Barrage]], along with the protected cruisers {{ship|Italian cruiser|Puglia||2}}, {{ship|Italian cruiser|Quarto||2}}, and {{ship|Italian cruiser|Nino Bixio||2}}, and several [[destroyer]]s and submarines. The British contributed four cruisers of the British Adriatic Squadron: the [[light cruiser]]s {{HMS|Weymouth|1910|6}} and {{HMS|Bristol|1910|2}} and the protected cruisers {{HMS|Topaze|1903|2}} and {{HMS|Sapphire|1904|2}}. Two French [[armored cruiser]]s and twelve destroyers rounded out the light forces available to patrol the area.{{sfn|Henderson|pp=352–353}}

{{lang|it|Libia}} took part in one of the first actions of the war. Immediately following Italy's entry into the war in May 1915, the Austro-Hungarian fleet launched a [[Bombardment of Ancona|major attack on Ancona]] on 23 and 24 May. {{lang|it|Libia}} briefly saw combat during the latter stage of the raid on the morning of 24 May; she and the [[Armed merchantman#Armed merchant cruisers|armed merchant cruiser]] {{SS|Cittá di Siracusa}} engaged the Austro-Hungarian [[scout cruiser]] {{SMS|Helgoland|1912|6}} as she and the destroyers {{SMS|Tátra||2}} and {{SMS|Csepel||2}} were withdrawing from the area. The ships exchanged gunfire between 07:10 and 07:19, and {{lang|it|Libia}} struck {{lang|de|Helgoland}} with one shell before the faster Austro-Hungarians were able to disengage from the slower Italian ships.{{sfn|Noppen|pp=56–57}}{{sfn|O'Hara & Heinz|pp=154–155}}

In early 1916, {{lang|it|Libia}} took part in the last battles at Durrazo, which culminated in the Austro-Hungarian conquest of the city. On 25 February, {{lang|it|Libia}} entered the harbor there to bombard Austro-Hungarian forces to delay their advance while Allied transport vessels evacuated soldiers from the city. She was joined there by the protected cruiser {{lang|it|Puglia}} and the auxiliary cruisers {{lang|it|Cittá di Siracusa}} and {{SS|Cittá di Catania}}. 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 [[Vlorë|Valona]].{{sfn|Hurd|pp=69–74}}

In September 1916, {{lang|it|Libia}} was deployed to the [[Salamis Bay|Bay of Salamis]] as part of an Allied fleet in response to the Greek government's refusal to oppose the [[Struma operation|German and Bulgarian occupation of Eastern Macedonia]], which resulted in the Allies seizing the Greek fleet during the [[Noemvriana]].{{sfn|Halpern 1987|pp=296–300}} During the war, the ship had three [[Cannon 76/40 Model 1916|76&nbsp;mm L/40]] [[anti-aircraft gun]]s installed.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}}

===Postwar career===
[[File:Altrefoto (8).jpg|thumb|{{lang|it|Libia}} underway during her world tour]]

Following the Allied victory in World War I, {{lang|it|Libia}} traveled to Britain; she was present for the surrender of German [[U-boat]]s at [[Harwich]].{{sfn|Naval Notes|p=328}} She carried a number of sailors who were to take the ten U-boats that had been designated as Italian [[war prize]]s back to Italy.{{sfn|Dodson & Cant|p=30}} In March 1919, she sailed into the [[Thames]] to visit [[London]], the first time an Italian warship had entered the [[port of London]]. There, her captain was invited to speak at the [[Royal United Services Institute]].{{sfn|Naval Notes|p=328}}

In 1921 the ship went on a world tour under the command of Captain (later Admiral) [[Ernesto Burzagli]].{{sfn|McBride|p=133}} While passing through the [[Panama Canal]] in late 1921, {{lang|it|Libia}} stopped in [[Balboa, Panama]], for minor repairs that included her drainage and water systems.{{sfn|Ships at Canal Repair Shops|p=123}} During the cruise, she stopped in [[San Francisco]], United States in November, where she stayed for a month. While there, she was filmed for a short documentary by the then-unknown film director [[Frank Capra]] on 6 and 7 November&mdash;though it did not generate much attention, it was Capra's first publicly screened film. The ship departed San Francisco on 4 December.{{sfn|McBride|p=133}} In 1922, {{lang|it|Libia}} visited Australia while on her tour.{{sfn|Cresciani|p=93}} In December that year, she was in [[Colombo]], [[British Ceylon]], when a flotilla of three Japanese cruisers visited the port.{{sfn|Japanese Warships' Tour|p=18}}

In 1925, her 152&nbsp;mm guns were removed.{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}} That year, she was sent to China, where she joined the [[armored cruiser]]s {{ship|Italian cruiser|San Marco||2}} and {{ship|Italian cruiser|San Giorgio||2}} and the [[river gunboat]]s {{ship|Italian gunboat|Caboto||2}} and {{ship|Italian gunboat|Carlotto||2}}. These ships contributed men to form the {{lang|it|Battaglione Italiano}} in China (Italian Battalion in China); the contingents from {{lang|it|Libia}} were sent to guard the consulates in [[Beijing]] and [[Shanhaiguan District|Shanhaiguan]].{{sfn|Marinelli & Andornino|p=54}}

On 28 March 1929, {{lang|it|Libia}} collided with the Chinese coastal steamer {{SS|Kangtai||6}} off [[Wusong|Woosung]], China. {{lang|zh|Kangtai}} sank with the loss of 30 crew members.<ref name=Times300329a>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Casualty reports |date=30 March 1929 |page=22 |issue=45164 |column=C }}</ref> {{lang|it|Libia}} remained in Chinese waters for nearly a decade; by 1931, the Italian flotilla in East Asian waters consisted of {{lang|it|Libia}}, {{lang|it|Caboto}}, and {{lang|it|Carlotto}}. After the September 1931 [[Mukden Incident]] and subsequent [[Japanese invasion of Manchuria]], Italy sent the new [[heavy cruiser]] {{ship|Italian cruiser|Trento||2}} in February 1932.{{sfn|Brescia & de Toro|pp=110–111}} Later in the early 1930s, she was replaced by the protected cruiser {{ship|Italian cruiser|Quarto||2}}.{{sfn|Marinelli & Andornino|p=54}} In September 1935 she was drydocked to prepare for her disposal.{{sfn|Willmott|p=60}} She was stricken from the [[naval register]] on 11 March 1937 and was sold to [[ship breaking|ship breakers]].{{sfn|Fraccaroli|p=262}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|20em}}

==References==
* {{Cite book
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  |title=Italian Heavy Cruisers: From Trento to Bolzano
  |year=2022
  |location=Barnsley
  |publisher=Seaforth
  |isbn=9781399098854
  |ref={{sfnref|Brescia & de Toro}}
  }}
* {{cite book
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  |first=Gianfranco
  |title=The Italians in Australia
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  |publisher=Cambridge University Press
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  |ref={{sfnref|Cresciani}}
  }}
* {{cite book
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* {{cite journal
  |title=Exit Albania? Departure of Prince William of Wied—After the Revolution of July, 1914
  |journal=The New York Times Current History: The European War
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite news
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite journal
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* {{cite book
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* {{cite book
  |last1=O'Hara
  |first1=Vincent P.
  |last2=Heinz
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* {{cite journal
  |title=Ships at Canal Repair Shops
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* {{cite book
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  }}

==External links==
* [https://www.marina.difesa.it/noi-siamo-la-marina/mezzi/mezzi-storici/Pagine/LMNO/libia.aspx Libia] Marina Militare website

{{Portal bar|Italy|Engineering}}
{{Italian cruiser Libia}}
{{Italian protected cruisers}}
{{WWI Italian ships}}
{{1929 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Libia}}
[[Category:Cruisers of the Regia Marina]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of Italy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Genoa]]
[[Category:Ships built by Gio. Ansaldo & C.]]
[[Category:1912 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1929]]