The four ships of the class were completed from February 1907 to April 1908. Although the ships reached speeds of up to during sea trials, they were less seaworthy than the ships of the "Pegaso" class. "Olimpia" and "Orfeo" were deployed in relief efforts following the 1908 Messina earthquake that devastated Sicily and Calabria on 28 December 1908. "Orione" collided with the old coastal torpedo boat "128 S" in April 1911. All four ships of the class were active during the Italo-Turkish War, serving in Libyan waters and in the Dodecanese.