 Vettor Pisani , named after the eponymous Venetian admiral , was laid down on 7 December 1892 at the Royal Shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia . The ship was launched on 14 August 1895 and completed on 1 April 1899 . She was the flagship of Rear Admiral Candiani , commander of the Cruising Squadron dispatched to China in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion . Vettor Pisani arrived there on 20 August and made port visits in Japan , Korea and Vladivostock before departing the area on 29 November 1901 . She arrived at La Spezia in February 1902 , but only remained in Italian waters for a year before departing for another year @-@ long cruise to the Far East on 15 April 1903 . On 14 October , the Italian Legation in Peking successfully radioed the ship off the coast of China , one of the first long @-@ range radio transmissions to a ship . The cruiser arrived back in Italy on 13 June 1904 . Nothing is known of her activities until May – June 1908 when Vettor Pisani made a short cruise in Greek waters . 
