Bari mid 1920s
Taranto around 1930
Quarto
An item referred to the magazine Marine Rundschau dated February 1936 reported that at Massaoea, Italian Eritrea were stationed the old cruisers Bari (1), Taranto (2) and Quarto (3), 5 destroyers, 4 submarines, 4 gunboats, 2 submarine mother ships and other auxiliary ships. There was also a floating dock transported to Massaoea.
Notes
1. Ordered by Russia in 1913 to be built at the shipyard Schichau-Werke, Danzig was she as the Maraviev Amurskyy launched on 11 April a year later. As a result of the outbreak of the First World War on 28 July was she in August seized by Germany and on 14 December commissioned in the German navy as the SMS Pillau. On 5 November 1919 stricken was she on 20 July ceded to Italy under the name ‘U’ and commissioned in Italian naval service as the Bari on 21 January 1924. During her Italian career was she several times modified until in 1943 was she to be converted into an anti aircraft defence ship but sunk on 30 the June as the result of an American air attack in Livorno on the 28th. A year later was she partially broken up by the German forces but after being salvaged on 13 January four years later was she broken up. Her sister ship was the Elbing.
2. Former German cruiser SMS Strassburg of the Magdeburg-class, laid down under the temporarily name Ersatz Condor at the Imperial navy yard, Kiel, Germany in 1910, launched on 24 August 1911, commissioned on 9 October 1912, stricken on 10 March 1920, handed over to Italy at Cherbourg, France under the provisional name “O” in 1920, rebuilt to be used in the Italian colonies in 1936-1937, scuttles at La Spezia, Italy on 9 September 1943, salvaged by German forces, sunk by Allied bombers on 23 October 1943, again salvaged by German forces and for the second time sunk in the outer roads of La Spezia by Allied bombers on 23 September 1944 and finally broken up in 1946-1947.
3. Designed by lieutenant commander Giulio Truccone to be used as a scout cruiser. Laid down at the Regia Marine dockyard at Venice, Italy on 14 November 1909, launched on 19 August 1911, completed in early 1913, commissioned on 31 March 1913, stricken on 5 January 1939, used for weapon tests and finally sunk during tests with a MT explosive motorboat executed in in November 1940.
