Given their machinery development of 93,210 kW (125,000 hp), equivalent to that of the 17,000-ton cruisers of the Des Moines class, the target speed was over 41 knots (76 km/h; 47 mph), but the ships were left virtually unarmoured.

Due to shortages of high strength steel caused by sanctions imposed on Italy by France and Britain, work progressed slowly and the cruiser was launched on 12 January 1941.

In July, it was decided to send the cruiser to reinforce the squadron at Taranto, as the Allied powers had invaded Sicily and it was only a matter of time before the Straits of Messina were closed.

Equipped with the Italian-developed EC.3 Gufo radar,[8] she detected and engaged four British Elco motor torpedo boats lurking five miles (8.0 km) ahead during the night of 17 July 1943, while passing the Messina straits at high speed off Punta Posso.

Scipione Africano reversed her course and caught up to the corvette, which had also taken aboard King Vittorio Emanuele III and his family, at 0700 the next day, and escorted it to Brindisi, driving off a Luftwaffe air attack along the way.

Arriving at Valletta the same day, Badoglio signed the terms of the ‘long armistice’ aboard the British battleship Nelson, which confirmed the Italian surrender and made official its entry into the war on the side of the Allies as a co-belligerent power.

[14] Scipione Africano spent the remainder of the war still active in the Regia Marina, fighting alongside the Allied ships, collecting an additional 146 missions and 56,637 nmi (104,892 km; 65,177 mi) steamed.

Scipione Africano was assigned to France, along with her sister Attilio Regolo, by the Paris Peace Treaty of 1947, and was duly decommissioned from the Marina Militare on 8 August 1948.

On 14 July 1951 Guichen began a massive reconstruction at the La Seyne dockyard intended to modernize her and better integrate her into the French fleet, fitting her with new weaponry and sensor systems.

Work completed in 1953, and she was returned to service in 1955 as an 'Escorteur d'Escadre' (Fleet Escort) with the following characteristics:[15] The refit reduced the stability of the ship, caused the maximum speed to fall to 39 kn (72 km/h; 45 mph), and the operational range to 3,600 nmi (6,700 km; 4,100 mi) at 18 knots.