was an ironclad warship built by the Italian (Royal Navy) in the 1860s and 1870s. She was the lead ship of the , alongside her sister ship . was laid down in 1865, launched in 1872, and completed in late 1874. She was armed with a battery of six guns and one gun. The last sail-rigged ironclad of the Italian fleet, she had a single steam engine that was capable of propelling the ship at a speed of slightly over .

s lengthy construction time rendered her obsolescent by the time she entered service. As a result, she primarily served as a station ship in Italy's overseas empire. In November 1881, she collided with the ironclad in a storm in Naples. was withdrawn from service in 1888 and converted into a headquarters ship for the vessels defending Taranto. She was stricken from the naval register in 1895 and thereafter used as a depot ship until she was broken up for scrap in 1910.

Design

Following the unification of Italy in early 1861, the new (Royal Navy) embarked on a naval construction program that sparked the Austro-Italian ironclad arms race. Expecting another war with the Austrian Empire, the Italians built or purchased sixteen ironclads between 1860 and 1865; the last of these were the . They were also the first central battery ships designed for the Italian fleet. An improved version of the preceding , they were nevertheless obsolete by the time they entered service.

was long between perpendiculars; she had a beam of and an average draft of . She displaced normally and up to at full load. Her superstructure consisted of a small conning tower. She had a crew of 548 officers and men.

Her propulsion system consisted of one single-expansion steam engine that drove a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by six coal-fired, cylindrical fire-tube boilers that were vented through a single funnel placed directly aft of the conning tower. Her engine produced a top speed of at . She carried up to of coal, allowing her to steam for at a speed of . The ship was barque-rigged to supplement the steam engine; and her sister were the last rigged ironclads to be built by Italy.

was armed with a main battery of six guns, mounted in a single armored casemates placed amidships, with three guns on each broadside. A gun was mounted forward as a bow chaser. was protected by iron belt armor that was thick and extended for the entire length of the hull. The casemates were protected with of iron plating, and the small conning tower had thick iron plates.

Service history

was laid down at the Arsenale di La Spezia in August 1865, and her completed hull was launched on 15 January 1872. Fitting-out work proceeded very slowly, and the ship was finally completed on 15 December 1874. Obsolescent by the time she was completed, primarily served in the Italian colonial empire, which Italy had begun acquiring in the 1880s. She occasionally took part in training maneuvers with the main Italian fleet throughout her career.

On 25 June 1879, collided with the Italian steamship off Riposto. Both vessels were damaged. was taken in to Naples for repairs. She took part in the launching ceremony for the ironclad on 29 September 1880; also present were the Italian ironclad and King Umberto I aboard his yacht, and the British ironclads and with Vice Admiral George Tryon, both members of the Mediterranean Fleet. At the time, flew the flag of Vice Admiral Martini. In early November 1881, was moored in Naples when a severe storm tore the ironclad free from her anchors and knocked her into . Neither ship was damaged in the collision.

For the annual fleet maneuvers held in 1885, served as the flagship of the "Eastern Squadron", with Rear Admiral Civita commanding. She was joined by the ironclad , the corvette , a sloop, and four torpedo boats. The "Eastern Squadron" defended against an attacking "Western Squadron", simulating a Franco-Italian conflict, with operations conducted off Sardinia. During the exercises, was forced to "surrender" by the ironclad .

From 1888 to 1889, was employed as the headquarters ship for the forces defending Taranto. By this time, she had been equipped with six guns for close-range defense, six machine guns, and two torpedo tubes. The ship was stricken from the naval register on 28 March 1895 and thereafter used as an ammunition depot ship in Taranto. She was eventually broken up for scrap in 1910.

Notes

References

External links

Principe Amedeo Marina Militare website