Third Italian War of Independence
1866
The first battle between fleets of ironclads. Italy had the bigger, newer fleet, but at Lissa in the Adriatic Tegetthoff led the Austrians straight into the Italian line and rammed and sank the flagship Re d'Italia. The battle convinced naval designers for a generation that the ram was a decisive weapon.
How the fleets moved
Click a route to see which ships made it, or a battle for its summary. Routes are approximate.
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Italian movement
Austrian movement
Battle (size: ships engaged)
Routes are approximate.
Battles
In date order.
Fleets
Each navy's ships in the war, from its biggest down.