Italy:
Pisa class armoured cruiser
Amalfi
The
Pisa-class
Amalfi fought in the Italo-Turkish War and in WWI.
In the latter conflict, the division of which she was a part of, together with the sister ship
Pisa and the two
San Giorgio-class armoured cruiser, was redeployed from Taranto to Venice on 28 June 1915, after repeated requests of large ships to support the maritime flank of the army; the Chief of Staff, Admiral Thaon di Revel, reluctantly gave the orders, as he feared Austro-Hungarian mines and submarines, that required opposite tactics to counter (to proceed in likely mined waters, ships needed to proceed slowly and with caution, whereas to counter possible submarines they would need to move fast).
Under the command of Admiral
Umberto Cagni (a renowned polar explorer, who had set in 1900 a Farthest North record), the
IV Divisione was required to support operations by Italian destroyers and torpedo-boats; on 7 July 1915 the
Amalfi sortied from Venice, to meet said ships after a sweep of the Istrian coast, to patrol the Gulf, but just a new miles after leaving the harbour's obstructions, she struck a mine, fired by the German submarine
UB-14, masquerading as the Austro-Hungarian
U-26 (as Germany was not yet at war against Italy, therefore they strived to cover-up their illegal actions).
Seventy-two of the crew died onboard, while 682 others were picked up. The sinking led to the discontinuation of use of larger warships by the Regia Marina in that area, focusing instead on missions executed by smaller ones; eventually, it also led to the dismissal of Admiral Cagni, accused of having underestimated the danger to which he had exposed the unfortunate ship.