 On 29 September 1911 , Italy declared war on the Ottoman Empire in order to seize Libya . At the time , Sardegna and her two sisters were assigned to the Training Division , along with the old armored cruiser Carlo Alberto , under the command of Rear Admiral Raffaele Borea Ricci D 'Olmo . On 3 – 4 October , Sardegna and her sisters were tasked with bombarding Fort Sultanje , which was protecting the western approach to Tripoli . The ships used their 6 @-@ inch guns to attack the fort to preserve their stock of 13 @.@ 5 @-@ inch shells . By the morning of the 4th , the ships ' gunfire had silenced the guns in the fort , allowing landing forces to go ashore and capture the city . The ships of the Training Division thereafter alternated between Tripoli and Khoms to support the Italian garrisons in the two cities ; this included repulsing a major Ottoman attack on Tripoli over 23 – 26 October , where Sardegna and Sicilia supported the Italian left flank against concerted Ottoman assaults . During this engagement , Sardegna used a spotter aircraft to help direct the fire of her guns , the first time aircraft had been used in that role . By December , the three ships were stationed in Tripoli , where they were replaced by the old ironclads Italia and Lepanto . Sardenga and her sisters arrived back in La Spezia , where they had their ammunition and supplies replenished . 
