Re d'Italia-class ironclad

Re d'Italia or her sister Re di Portogallo
Class overview
NameRe d'Italia class
BuildersWilliam H. Webb
Operators Regia Marina
Preceded byPrincipe di Carignano class
Succeeded byRegina Maria Pia class
Built1861–1864
In commission1864–1875
Completed2
Retired2
General characteristics [a]
TypeIronclad warship
Displacement
Length
  • 83.82 m (275 ft) (p/p)
  • 99.61 m (326 ft 10 in) (o/a)
Beam16.76 m (55 ft)
Draft6.17 m (20 ft 3 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Sail planBarque-rigged
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range3,120 nmi (5,780 km; 3,590 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement565
Armament
  • 30 × 164 mm (6.5 in) rifled muzzle-loaders
  • 6 × 72-pounder 203 mm (8 in) smoothbore guns
Armor

The Re d'Italia class was a pair of ironclad warships built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the 1860s. The class comprised two ships, Re d'Italia and Re di Portogallo. The two ships were built in the United States, and were based on the French ironclad Gloire; they were armed with a battery of thirty-eight guns in a broadside arrangement and were protected with 120 mm (4.7 in) of wrought iron plating.

Re d'Italia served as the flagship of the Italian fleet until moments before the Battle of Lissa on 20 July 1866; Admiral Carlo Pellion di Persano's hasty transfer to another vessel deprived the fleet of central command, and in the ensuing melee, Re d'Italia was rammed and sunk. Re di Portogallo was also rammed, but was not seriously damaged and she survived the action. The ship remained in service until 1871, when she became a training ship; this service did not last long, as the green wood used to build her hull had badly deteriorated by 1875, so she was sold and broken up for scrap that year.
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