 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 5,012 indicated horsepower (3,737 kW) and could produce a top speed of 17.68 knots (32.74 km / h; 20.35 mph), though on trials her engines reached 7,179 ihp (5,353 kW) and 19.66 knots (36.41 km / h; 22.62 mph). Dogali had a cruising radius of 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at a speed of 10 knots (19 km / h; 12 mph). At the time of her commissioning, Dogali was among the fastest cruisers in the world.
