African Entrepreneurship Record
Chapter 43 - 39: Battle of Lissa

Chapter 43: Chapter 39: Battle of Lissa

July 20, Adriatic Sea.

Lissa Island was the Austrian Empire’s naval base in the Adriatic Sea.

After Italy declared war on Austria, it was eager to find a breakthrough on the battlefield, as the combat effectiveness of the Italian Army was notoriously inadequate.

However, the passage from Venice into Austrian territory was not suitable for large-scale marches, and earlier, the Austrian frontline commander had voluntarily withdrawn from Venice, which was difficult to defend, ensuring the main forces remained intact, using the terrain advantage to repel the attacks of the Kingdom of Italy multiple times.

The disadvantageous terrain indeed provided the Italian Army with an excuse, allowing them to evade this disaster.

As it was difficult to break through the Austrian Empire’s defenses on land, the Kingdom of Italy sought to attack Austria by sea.

At this time, the Italian Navy was recognized as one of the strongest navies in the world, possessing 12 ironclad ships, including the new "Italia" and "Di Botogaro" fast ships, as well as the new turret ship "L’Enclume," in addition to 16 wooden steam warships.

In comparison, the Austro-Hungarian Navy had only 7 ironclad ships, with the rest being wooden warships.

With 12 ironclad ships against 7, the advantage lay with the Italian Navy, and its commander, Admiral C.C. Persano, decided to launch a direct attack on the Austrian naval base, Lissa Island.

On June 16, an Italian division consisting of 11 armored ships, 5 cruisers, and 3 gunboats, led by Admiral Persano, set out from Ancona, attempting to capture Lissa Island by landing, which served as the Austro-Hungarian naval base, fortified with 9 permanent installations, 11 artillery companies, totaling 88 guns, and nearly 3,000 defenders.

However, the attacks on Lissa Island on July 18 and 19 failed because the Italian forces lacked necessary intelligence on the defenders, encountering austere resistance from the Austrian Army.

The defending Austro-Hungarian forces were very tenacious, using artillery to damage the Italian ironclad ship "Formidable."

As the Italian fleet prepared to reorganize its assault, the Austro-Hungarian fleet arrived at dawn on July 20.

When the Italian fleet set out, Von Tegetthoff and his fleet were 165 nautical miles away at Pola Port.

Upon learning that Lissa was under attack, initially, he thought it was merely a feint.

He found it hard to believe the Italians would take such a daring action, lacking both the element of surprise and initial command of the sea for an amphibious assault.

However, Admiral C.C. Persano of the Italian command soon demonstrated that reality is often bolder than imagination.

When the Italians launched their attack with full force, Von Tegetthoff sailed towards Lissa and, upon reaching the nearby waters, ordered his fleet to prepare for battle. Aware that his firepower was inferior, he chose a formation conducive to ramming—three "V" shapes aligned longitudinally. The first V-shape was formed by 7 ironclad ships led by him, with the flagship "Ferdinand Maximilian" at the forefront.

The second "V" formation consisted of fast wooden ships and a coastal defense ship, led by "Caesar."

He placed the remaining small ships in the third "V" formation.

Meanwhile, the Italian naval commander Persano’s ships had been bombarding the fortifications on Lissa’s shore for two days but failed to silence the 88 small caliber guns on the island, causing significant casualties to the Italian fleet.

An Italian ironclad ship lost its ability to attack, most of the ammunition was depleted, and the fuel was sufficient for only two more days.

Still, on the morning of July 20, Persano resumed the attack. As he was bombarding Lissa’s batteries and preparing to land troops, the lookout suddenly reported that the Austro-Hungarian fleet was approaching from the northwest.

A panicked Persano hurriedly arranged his ironclad ships in a column formation to rush past the Austro-Hungarian formation.

In this urgent moment, Persano shockingly and rashly transferred his flag from the "Italia" to the "L’Enclume," which was outside the battle formation.

This resulted in a large gap between the front three Italian ships and those behind them.

Austrian commander Von Tegetthoff seized the opportunity, immediately leading his vanguard of ironclad ships through this gap, while his wooden ships charged at Persano’s wooden ships and remaining ironclads.

The battle quickly turned into a melee, with ship movements partially obscured by smoke. "L’Enclume" attempted to ram the wooden "Caesar" twice but failed. "Caesar" managed to graze "Di Botogaro" with a shot, but itself caught fire under enemy gunfire and was ultimately driven out of the fight by "L’Enclume." Meanwhile, the Austro-Hungarian naval artillery set an Italian ironclad ship ablaze.

Von Tegetthoff’s flagship ramming the "Italia" was the most spectacular action in this battle.

When the "Ferdinand Maximilian" was searching through the smoke of battle, it collided with the side of the "Italy," causing the Italian warship to lose directional control.

Moreover, its path forward was blocked by another Austro-Hungarian warship. As it backed away, the "Maximilian" rammed full speed into its side, causing it to list severely to starboard.

As the "Maximilian" slowly backed off, the "Italy" returned to normal, then leaned to port again under its own momentum and the influx of tons of seawater at the breach. As it capsized and sank, the sailors, ill-trained but high in morale, shouted "Long live the King" for their king.

The sinking of the "Italy" ended the battle, and the Italian fleet retreated westward. As several Austro-Hungarian ships were damaged and still at a disadvantage, Tegetthoff did not pursue. However, he had completed the mission of relieving Lissa and returned to Austria as a national hero.

On the Italian side, Persano was dismissed from his post after the war.

The Battle of Lissa was a major victory for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, completely lifting the siege on Lissa. The Italian fleet suffered heavy losses in the naval battle, losing 3 ironclad ships and over a thousand officers and men.

This first battle between steam-powered ironclad ships attracted attention. Navies from around the world conducted in-depth and detailed studies on tactics, armament, and ship construction regarding this battle.

The role of ironclad ships in this naval battle garnered the attention of various countries, marking the transition of naval combat from the age of sail to the steam ironclad era.

After this battle, the Italian fleet retreated. Italy’s failure was due to poor reconnaissance, lack of a battle plan, poor communication, and the indecisiveness of Admiral Persano.

The Italian sailors were not well-trained, their officers lacked initiative, and their commander, Admiral C. C. Persano, seemed completely ignorant of his fleet’s capabilities.

Compared to Persano’s dozen ironclads, Austria-Hungary had only 7 ironclads, all swift steamships, and relatively old.

Their wooden-hulled ships mainly consisted of one steam-powered ship, the "Caesar," five fast screw ships, and one coastal defense ship. On each wooden-hulled ship, only a small number of guns were rifled, and in truth, the firepower of Austria-Hungary was less than half that of Italy.

But their incalculable advantage lay in their fleet commander, Rear Admiral B. Von Tegetthoff, whose sailors were well-trained, had initiative, and were proficient in their profession—qualities the Italian commanders lacked.

Italian commander Persano, however, not only disregarded the role of intelligence but also lacked professional knowledge and was obstinate and arrogant.

Initially, Persano ignored the order to "cleanse the Adriatic Sea of enemies," merely making some pointless maneuvers with the Ancona base’s ships. During this time, he did not drill the inexperienced gunners.

Eventually, the Italian King issued a mandatory order, "to attack enemy forts or fleets, and any action was deemed likely to achieve victory."

Driven by this order, Persano then made the strategic decision to capture Lissa, a small Austro-Hungarian island.

During this naval battle, Rear Admiral Von Tegetthoff led his forces to support the island’s troops.

The Austro-Hungarian fleet suddenly launched an attack, focusing its fire on the Italian fleet’s center ships. However, the artillery duel between the ironclads proved ineffective.

Thus, the Austro-Hungarian flagship, the ironclad "Archduke Ferdinand Max," rammed the Italian ironclad "Re d’Italia," which sank along with four hundred crew members, deciding the outcome of the naval battle.

Another Italian warship, the "Palestro," caught fire after being hit by artillery, lost combat capability, and finally exploded.

In conclusion, the differing capabilities of the commanders resulted in an unexpected outcome, and what seemed to be a powerful Italian Navy instead fell into disarray.

Wilhelm von Tegetthoff’s "V" formation tactics also made their name at the Battle of Lissa.

Later, the Beiyang Fleet tried to replicate Austria’s "V" formation tactics, but the results were unsatisfactory.

Of course, the Battle of the Yellow Sea and the Battle of Lissa were completely different. The Austrian Navy was well-trained, while the Italian Navy’s rapid expansion prevented their training from keeping pace. In contrast, the Battle of the Yellow Sea saw the inadequately trained and poorly supplied Beiyang Fleet facing the well-trained Japanese Navy.

Moreover, the Austro-Hungarian fleet’s repeated use of ramming tactics was effective at the Battle of Lissa, reviving this ancient tactic. Until the early 20th century, most countries fitted rams on their warships.

The Battle of Lissa was the first major naval battle of steam-powered armored ships. The battle proved that artillery was ineffective against armored warships, and steam-powered warships had high maneuverability, allowing them to rapidly form various battle formations.

And Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, Austro-Hungarian Admiral, as the victor of the Battle of Lissa, became one of the greatest naval commanders of the nineteenth century.

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