Battle of Lissa (1866)
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The Battle of Lissa was fought on 20 July 1866 between the Italian and Austrian navies near the island of Lissa in the Adriatic Sea during the Third Italian War of Independence. An Italian fleet under
Sea Battle at Lissa Carl Frederik Sørensen, 1868
Carlo Pellion di Persano, the Italian commander at the battle
1880 painting of Tegetthoff at the battle
SMS Kaiser (center) disengaging from Re di Portogallo (right) after their collision
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.