the Austro-Hungarians advanced warning that Italy was preparing to go to war against them. On 20 May, Emperor Franz Joseph I gave the Austro-Hungarian Navy authorisation to attack Italian ships convoying troops in the Adriatic or sending supplies to Montenegro. Haus meanwhile made preparations for his fleet to sortie out into the Adriatic in a massive strike against the Italians the moment war was declared. On 23 May 1915, between two and four hours after the Italian declaration of war reached the main Austro-Hungarian naval base at Pola, the Austro-Hungarian fleet, including Admiral Spaun, departed to bombard the Italian coast. During the Austro-Hungarian attacks along the Italian coastline, Admiral Spaun, the cruisers , , and , as well as nine destroyers, provided a screen against a possible Italian counterattack. The expected Italian counterattack failed to materialize however. While scouting in the southern Adriatic, Admiral Spaun bombarded the port of Termoli, inflicting damage on a railway bridge and freight train, before moving on to Campomarino where she shelled the city's freight yard and train station buildings, destroying both. Meanwhile, the core of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, spearheaded by the ships of the Tegetthoff class, made their way to Ancona. The bombardment of Ancona was a major success for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. In the port of Ancona, an Italian steamer was destroyed and three others damaged, while an Italian destroyer—Turbine—was sunk further south. The infrastructure of the port of Ancona and the surrounding towns was severely damaged. The railroad yard and port facilities in the city were damaged or destroyed, while local shore batteries defending them were knocked out. Multiple wharves, warehouses, oil tanks, radio stations, and coal and oil stores were set on fire by the bombardment, and the city's electricity, gas, and telephone lines were severed. Within the city itself, Ancona's police headquarters, army barracks, military hospital, sugar refinery, and Bank of Italy offices all saw damage. 30 Italian soldiers and 38 civilians were killed, while an additional 150 were wounded in the attack. During the attacks along the Italian coastline that day, Austro-Hungarian seaplanes also bombed Venice and Ancona. The Austro-Hungarian fleet would later move on to bombard the coast of Montenegro, without opposition; by the time Italian ships arrived on the scene, the Austro-Hungarians were safely back in port. The objective of the bombardment of Italy's coastline was to delay the Italian Army from deploying its forces along the