Italian ironclad Ancona

Ancona in Naples, 1870
History
Kingdom of Italy
NameAncona
NamesakeAncona
BuilderArman Brothers, Bordeaux, France
Laid down11 August 1862
Launched17 October 1864
CompletedApril 1866
Stricken1903
FateBroken up
General characteristics
Class and typeRegina Maria Pia-class ironclad warship
Displacement
Length81.8 m (268 ft 4 in)
Beam15.16 m (49 ft 9 in)
Draft6.35 m (20 ft 10 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed13.74 knots (25.45 km/h; 15.81 mph)
Range2,600 nmi (4,800 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Complement480–485
Armament
  • 4 × 203 mm (8 in) guns
  • 22 × 164 mm (6 in) guns
Armor
  • Belt armor: 121 mm (4.75 in)
  • Battery: 109 mm (4.3 in)

Ancona was an ironclad warship, the last member of the Regina Maria Pia class built in French shipyards for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the 1860s. Ancona was laid down in August 1862, was launched in October 1864, and completed in April 1866. She and her three sister ships were broadside ironclads, mounting a battery of four 203 mm (8 in) and twenty-two 164 mm (6.5 in) guns on the broadside.

Ancona was quickly readied for combat when Italy declared war against the Austrian Empire in the Third Italian War of Independence in June 1866. The following month, she joined the Italian fleet at the Battle of Lissa. She was stationed in the van of the Italian fleet, which became separated from the rest of the fleet. Ancona was damaged by Austrian shellfire, including one shell that started a fire. Her career was uneventful after the war, resulting from a combination of the emergence of more modern ironclads and a severe reduction in the Italian naval budget following their defeat at Lissa. She was rebuilt as a central battery ship some time after Lissa, and was eventually sold for scrapping in 1903.