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Ascout cruiser was a type of warship of the early 20th century, which were smaller, faster, more lightly armed and armoured thanprotected cruisers orlight cruisers, but larger than contemporarydestroyers. Intended for fleet scouting duties and acting as aflotilla leader, a scout cruiser was typically armed with six to ten destroyer-type guns of 3-inch (76 mm) to 4.7-inch (120 mm)calibre, plus two to fourtorpedo tubes.
The British were the first to operate scout cruisers, when theRoyal Navy acquired 15 ships divided into two distinct groups - the eight vessels all ordered under the 1903 Programme, and the seven later, heavier-armed vessels ordered under the 1907–1910 Programmes. All these ships served inWorld War I, when the advent of better machinery and larger, faster destroyers and light cruisers had already made them obsolete.
The other major operator of scout cruisers was theKingdom of Italy. With no conventional protected cruisers or light cruisers planned between 1900 and 1928, theItalian Royal Navy (Italian:Regia Marina) instead operated a number of scout cruisers (esploratori) from 1912 onwards. Ranging in size from enlarged destroyers to substantial, light cruiser-like ships, theseesploratori were also given secondary capabilities as fastminelayers. Lateresploratori, such as theLeone class, carried extremely heavy armament for their modest size, capable of outgunning any destroyer of the early 1920s. However, by 1938 the survivingesploratori were re-rated as destroyers.
Note: this list includes all vessels rated as scouts (esploratori) by Italy.