 All of the remaining ships participated in the Italo @-@ Turkish War of 1911 – 1912 , with the exception of Lombardia which was stationed in the Adriatic . Etruria and Liguria took part in the assault on Benghazi and thereafter provided gunfire support to Italian forces in North Africa . Puglia was stationed in East Africa for the duration of the war , and frequently bombarded Ottoman ports . These included a diversionary attack that helped the cruiser Piemonte and two destroyers sink or force aground a flotilla of seven Ottoman gunboats in the Battle of Kunfuda Bay . In January 1912 Liguria and Elba joined the fleet in the Red Sea , where they imposed a blockade on Ottoman ports in the region , coupled with frequent bombardments of Ottoman positions . 
