italian ironclad lead ship class ironclad warships ships type built newly formed italian royal_navy sister built france laid december launched october completed broadside ironclad equipped sixteen guns ship took operation italian war independence austrian coastal batteries protecting main port badly damaged ensuing ship postwar career limited combination drastically reduced naval budgets appearance modern ironclads training ship starting discarded broken scrap design meters long overall beam average draft displaced metric tons long tons short tons normally long tons short tons load crew propulsion system consisted single expansion steam engine drove single screw propeller steam supplied coal fired rectangular boilers engine produced speed knots mph indicated horsepower steam nautical miles speed supplement steam engine ship schooner rigged broadside ironclad carrying guns traditional broadside arrangement armed main battery guns sixteen rifled muzzle loading guns ship wooden hull wrought iron belt armor thick service history laid shipyard france december originally ordered navy launched october completed time fleet reformed regia marina royal_navy newly unified june italy declared war austria italian war independence fought concurrently italian fleet commander admiral initially adopted cautious course action unwilling risk battle despite fact austrian fleet weaker claimed simply waiting ironclad ram route britain weakened morale fleet subordinates openly accusing rear admiral brought austrian fleet june attempt draw italians held council war aboard ironclad determine sortie engage time austrians withdrawn making decision minister navy urged act suggested capture island restore italian confidence defeat battle previous month july left conducted sweep adriatic encountered austrian ships returned 13th july took italian fleet bound arrived 18th brought troop transports carrying soldiers italian warships began bombarding austrian forts island intention landing soldiers fortresses response austrian navy sent fleet attack italian ships time sister ironclads regina coastal defense ship spending 18th unsuccessfully bombarding austrian fortresses italians withdrew late day preparing launch attack following morning ordered enter harbor attack madonna battery supported ironclads entering small harbor italians found impossible ships attack simultaneously left engage madonna battery following conclusion bombardment ship captain reported ship suffered casualties significantly damaged austrian fire armor penetrated took battered ship west transferred wounded hospital ship following day hospital ship austrian fleet appeared ordered return line informed ship unable fight instead withdrew italians defeated ensuing battle ironclads sunk later career battle replaced admiral ordered attack main austrian naval base war ended operation carried end war government lost confidence fleet drastically reduced naval budget cuts severe fleet great difficulty ironclad squadron attack port september wars italian unification instead ships laid sailors man sent home addition rapidly surpassed central battery turret ships generation ironclads like sister obsolete ship received new boilers armament significantly reduced inch guns ship withdrawn line service employed gunnery training ship time armament reduced guns served capacity stricken naval register subsequently broken scrap
Italian ironclad Formidabile