Speed answered a real operational need because rapid raids suited the confined Mediterranean and a force built around destroyer attacks. The problem was the mismatch between that mission and the prestige invested in large cruisers. A vessel stripped for speed needed enough striking power to justify the risk, or the navy had to treat it as expendable. Without that acceptance, Italy paid for spectacular trial performance while retaining ships too valuable to use as the enlarged MAS boats their protection resembled.
Notable Point · 25:51-26:38
Speed as both doctrine and prestige
Fast, lightly protected cruisers made some sense for hit-and-run attacks, but only if planners accepted that ships caught after the strike could be lost.