Italian: Dogalis career was uneventful; she served with the main Italian fleet for the first few years of her career and visited the United States in 1893 for the start of the World's Columbian Exposition. In January 1908, the ship was sold to Uruguay and renamed Spanish; Castilian: 25 de Agosto and later Spanish; Castilian: Montevideo. In 1914, the cruiser was withdrawn from service, but she was not disposed of until 1932 when she was sold for scrap.
Italian: Dogali was designed by the British naval architect William Henry White and built at the Armstrong Whitworth shipyard at Elswick. The ship was 76.2m (250feet) long and had a beam of 11.28m (37.01feet) and a draft of . She displaced 2050LT. The ship was fitted with two pole masts, and originally, a sailing rig that was later removed. Revolving, armored spotting tops were mounted on the masts. She had a crew of 224 officers and enlisted men, though this was later increased to 247.
Italian: Dogali was powered by two-shaft triple-expansion engines, the first set of this kind of machinery ever installed in a warship. Steam for the engines was provided by four coal-fired cylindrical fire-tube boilers that were trunked into two funnels on the centerline. The engines were rated at 5012ihp and could produce a top speed of 17.68kn, though on trials her engines reached 7179ihp and . Italian: Dogali had a cruising radius of 4000nmi at a speed of . At the time of her commissioning, Italian: Dogali was among the fastest cruisers in the world.
The ship was armed with a main battery of six 152adj=on0adj=on L/32 guns all mounted individually in sponsons, with two side by side forward, two astern, and one amidships on each broadside.[1] These were Pattern M guns manufactured by Armstrong Whitworth, and they weighed 2MT apiece. Italian: Dogali was the only ship equipped with guns of this type. These were supplemented by a secondary battery of nine 57mm L/40 guns and six Gatling guns. She was also equipped with four torpedo tubes. The ship was protected by an armored deck that was 50mm thick, and the conning tower had the same thickness of armor plating on the sides. The main guns were protected by 110mm thick gun shields.
The keel for the new cruiser was laid down at Armstrong Whitworth on 13 February 1885, and the completed hull was launched on 23 December that year. The ship was originally ordered by the Greek Navy and was to be named Salamis, but she was purchased by Italy during construction. She was first renamed Italian: Angelo Emo, and then Italian: Dogali before being commissioned on 28 April 1887. On 10 June, the annual fleet maneuvers began; Italian: Folgore was assigned to the "defending squadron", along with the ironclads,,, and, the torpedo cruiser, and several smaller vessels. The first half of the maneuvers tested the ability to attack and defend the Strait of Messina, and concluded in time for a fleet review by King Umberto I on the 21st. In 1890, Italian: Dogali participated in the annual fleet maneuvers in the First Squadron, along with the ironclad, the protected cruiser, and several torpedo boats. The exercises were conducted in the Tyrrhenian Sea, where the First Squadron was tasked with defending against an attacking "hostile" squadron.
Italian: Dogali and the protected cruisers and represented Italy at the international naval review in New York, held at the start of the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The Exposition marked the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in North America. Contingents from France, Germany, Britain, Spain, and several other nations also participated in the celebration. Later that year, Italian: Dogali and Italian: Giovanni Bausan were present in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the Portuguese: [[Revolta da Armada]] (Revolt of the Fleet), along with cruisers from Britain, France, Germany, Spain, and Argentina. The foreign warships were all tasked with protecting the interests of their respective nationals in the area. After returning to Italy later in 1893, she was assigned to the 3rd Department, which was stationed in Venice; she remained there through the following year. On 1 February 1897, Italian: Dogali was assigned to the Cruiser Squadron of the main Italian fleet, along with the cruisers, and . Later that year, she cruised off the eastern coast of South American in company with Italian: Umbria. She remained in the Cruiser Squadron through 1903, by which time the unit also included the armored cruiser, Italian: Giovanni Bausan and the protected cruiser .
In 1906, while cruising in North American waters, Italian: Dogali stopped at the Pensacola Navy Yard, where she had some maintenance done on her engines. Later that year she was present for a ceremony in Capitán Pastene, Chile, a town founded by Italian immigrants. In January 1908, the Italian government sold Italian: Dogali to Uruguay. She was renamed Spanish; Castilian: 25 de Agosto for the date Uruguay declared its independence. At the time, she was the largest warship in the Uruguayan Navy. In 1910, the ship was renamed Spanish; Castilian: Montevideo after the country's capital city. She was decommissioned in 1914, but remained in the Uruguayan Navy's inventory until 1932, when the old cruiser was finally sold to be broken up.