Giovanni Bausan's unusually varied cruiser career

Giovanni Bausan's career took the protected cruiser through sharply different roles. As flagship of Italy's Red Sea squadron, she supported the occupation of Eritrea and advertised a new imperial presence. She later joined the multinational intervention off Venezuela and provided gunfire support during Italy's war with the Ottoman Empire. Roosevelt used the Venezuelan crisis and the Monroe Doctrine to support higher naval spending and the White Fleet's world voyage. During the First World War, the elderly cruiser shifted from combat to distilled-water and seaplane-depot duties. Her changing assignments show how second-class cruisers could remain useful long after their original combat role had faded.