A naval arms race between the Austrian Empire and Italy began in the 1860s when both ordered a series of ironclad warships, steam-propelled vessels protected by iron or steel armor plates and far more
The Battle of Lissa on 20 July 1866 by Alexander Kircher. The Battle of Lissa served as the climax of the Austro-Italian ironclad arms race and was the first naval engagement between multiple armored warships in history.
Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, the first Prime Minister of Italy. Cavour was instrumental in the establishment of the Regia Marina and the initiation of Italy's ironclad program.
Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria
The Formidabile-class ironclad Terribile. The ships of this class were the first ironclads of the Italian Regia Marina and their construction marked the beginning of the Austro-Italian naval arms race.
Friedrich von Pöck
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Friedrich von Pöck was an Austro-Hungarian admiral and commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. In this role, he held the positions as Marinekommandant and Chief of the Marinesektion from 1871 to his r
Kaiser, which Pöck commanded during the Second Schleswig War
The two Duilio-class ships carried four massive 17.7 in (450 mm) guns, which caused a naval scare Pöck unsuccessfully tried to leverage for a stronger fleet