regina ironclad regina class group ironclad warships built italian regia marina royal_navy 1860s class comprised ships built french shipyards italian yards unable meet demand rapidly expanding italian fleet ships broadside ironclads mounted battery muzzle loading guns ships saw action battle italian war independence regina badly burned battle vessels seriously damaged ships served variety roles remainder long careers modernized late 1880s training ships discarded joined breaker yard design following unification italy new royal_navy began construction program prepare fleet ironclad warships capable defeating italy considered main rival controlled predominantly italian areas including venice nascent italian shipyards incapable building number ships new fleet require generation ironclads built foreign ship builders ships regina class ordered french shipyards direction vice admiral italian navy minister ships designed french builders general characteristics machinery ships regina class varied dimensions built shipyard identical size built different shipyards identical ships meters long perpendiculars long overall beam average draft perpendiculars overall beam draft ships displaced metric tons long tons short tons normally long tons short tons load displaced long tons short tons normally long tons short tons load ship normally long tons short tons heaviest load long tons short tons ships constructed iron hulls protected iron belt armor inches thick extended entire length hull waterline battery deck protected iron plate vessel crew officers men ships initially schooner rigged supplement steam engine masts later reduced barque rig ultimately lost sailing rig completely having replaced pair military masts fighting tops ships propulsion system consisted single expansion cylinder steam engine drove single screw propeller steam supplied coal fired rectangular boilers boilers single funnel placed amidships engine produced speed knots mph indicated horsepower ship capacity long tons short tons coal allowed steam nautical miles speed knots mph armament regina class broadside ironclads initially armed main battery pounder smooth bore muzzle loading guns pounder rifled muzzle armament changed career guns placed broadside guns mounted armored bunker forward placed similar mount stern chase guns ships fitted ram bow long ships armed muzzle loading guns muzzle loading guns ninth gun added later equipped quick firing guns guns guns hotchkiss revolver cannon received battery light guns sixth gun similarly armed revolver cannon ships equipped torpedo tubes exception received tubes ships service history ships class entered service time action italian war independence commander italian fleet adopted cautious strategy conducted major offensive operation directed island austrian fleet attacked italians regina took ensuing regina set fire badly burned battle minor fires started austrian shells aboard seriously damaged emerged relatively unscathed minor damage iron plates war italian naval budget cuts severe fleet great difficulty ironclad squadron attack port september wars italian unification instead ships laid sailors man sent home italian fleet began rebuild 1870s returned active service variety roles main fleet italy overseas empire ships modernized late 1880s training ships stricken naval register torpedo training ship sold scrapping
Regina Maria Pia-class ironclad