Italian ironclad Re d'Italia
Re d'Italia or her sister Re di Portogallo
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| History | |
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 Italy
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| Name: | Re d'Italia |
| Ordered: | 14 December 1859 |
| Builder: | William H. Webb, New York City |
| Laid down: | 21 November 1861 |
| Launched: | 18 April 1863 |
| Completed: | 14 September 1864 |
| Fate: | Sunk by ramming, 20 July 1866, in the Battle of Lissa |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Re d'Italia-class armored frigate |
| Displacement: | 5,610 long tons (5,700 t) |
| Length: | 326 ft 10 in (99.61 m) (o/a) |
| Beam: | 55 ft 0 in (16.76 m) |
| Draft: | 20 ft 3 in (6.17 m) |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: | 1 shaft, 1 single-expansion steam engine |
| Sail plan: | Barque-rigged |
| Speed: | 10.6 to 10.8 knots (19.6 to 20.0 km/h; 12.2 to 12.4 mph) |
| Range: | 1,800 nmi (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement: | 565 |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: | Belt: 4.5 in (114 mm) |
Re d'Italia (King of Italy) was the lead ship of the Re d'Italia-class armored frigates built in the United States for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the early 1860s. She was laid down at the William H. Webb Shipyard in New York in November 1861, was launched in April 1863, and was completed a year later in September 1864; the two Re d'Italia-class ships were the only Italian ironclads built in the United States. The ships were broadside ironclads, armed with a battery of six 72-pounder guns and thirty-two 164 mm (6.5 in) guns.
Re d'Italia initially served as the flagship of the Italian fleet, though she was replaced by the turret ship Affondatore shortly before the Battle of Lissa in 1866. During that battle, Re d'Italia was at the center of the melee. After her rudder was disabled by an Austrian vessel, the Austrian flagship, Erzherzog Ferdinand Max rammed her and tore a large hole in her hull. Re d'Italia quickly rolled over and sank, taking some 400 of her crew with the ship, including her captain, Emilio Faà di Bruno.
Re d'Italia was 99.61 meters (326.8 ft) long overall; she had a beam of 16.76 m (55.0 ft) and an average draft of 6.17 m (20.2 ft). She displaced 5,610 metric tons (5,520 long tons; 6,180 short tons) normally and up to 5,869 t (5,776 long tons; 6,469 short tons) at full load. Her hull was built from green wood. She had a crew of 565. The ship's propulsion system consisted of one single-expansion steam engine that drove a single screw propeller, with steam supplied by four coal-fired, rectangular boilers. Her engine produced a top speed of 10.6 to 10.8 knots (19.6 to 20.0 km/h; 12.2 to 12.4 mph) from 1,812 to 1,845 indicated horsepower (1,351 to 1,376 kW). She could steam for about 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at a speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph). For long-distance travel, Re d'Italia was fitted with three masts and was barque-rigged.
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