[1] As a lieutenant he distinguished himself for the design of a percussion ignition device for medium-caliber guns, being declared suitable for naval artillery service.

[1] Promoted to frigate captain in 1909, in April 1911, on the eve of the Italo-Turkish War, he assumed command of the protected cruiser Piemonte,[1] carrying out exploratory assignments in the Red Sea between Aden and Djibouti, and sending a report to the Ministry of the Navy on the socio-economic conditions of those areas and on the meetings with the local authorities, proposing to the Ministry suitable initiatives for future commercial settlements.

[3] A few months after the outbreak of the Italo-Turkish War, he became the protagonist of a feat that brought him widespread notoriety thanks also to an illustration by Achille Beltrame in the Domenica del Corriere.

Upon victory at the Battle of Kunfuda Bay on 7 January 1912, he would send a telegram at 5:15 p.m. consisting of the following: Cruiser Piedmont, destroyer Garibaldino and Artigliere encountered seven Turkish gunboats and an armed yacht.

In spite of good Turkish artillery, our ships annihilated gunboats, captured yachts, and took part in the enemy's guns, flags, and trophies of war.