The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-02
RANKING a BATTLESHIP.
Description of the Battle of LIssa.
Fought in the Adriatic in 1866.

Fought in the Adriatic in 1866.
From Casters Magazine.
That victory lies less in ships than in the
men who handle them is a historic truth
which has had no stronger dernonstra-
ton than thas given by the battle fought
or the Island of LISA. in the Adriatic, on
july 70, 1866, between the Italian and Aus
TRAN forces.
Italy had. for that time. a noble feet of
ironclads and wooden ships, bat, while
her seamen were courageous, they We're
undisciplined and unskilled AS to their
officers, many were incapable and some
We're laggards in war. The commander
ln-chief was Admiral Persano whose per
formances in that battle seem like comedy
on the high seas, with tragedy for cpl
logue.
Opposed to him was the Austrian Ad-
miral Tegetthoff, a most able and ener-
geuc officer of long service. The ships OF
the latter were far inferior, both in type
and number, but by unceasng evolutions
ne mad secured a trained personnel q,
night them; by concentration of fire he
hoped to offset superior armament; by
chain cables he armored his wooden ships
as best he could, and as a last resort. he
planned TO sink his foe by ramming
Although Tegetthoff had more than once
invited hattie, Persanos leadership had
been marked for weeks by inactfon and de-
lay This was due TO no principle of F'a-
ban strategy, but TO the lack of prepara-
ton and of resolution which ruled the
Italian admiral 10 the disastrous end. Tee-
etthotf $ probable arrival was known 10
him as he lay off LISA. and yet when the
Austrian fleet was sighted that of Italp
was split into several groups, parted by
miles of sea
Signalling his scattered ships to reioin.
Persano first formed his available IRON
a Ffana H.,
into line abreast" which line did not,
however, face the enemy's advance. Later
he changed his tactics wholly and formed
the line ahead of the old days of sail
an evolution which, on the course steer
ed, presented the broadside of his ships
to the enemy's ramming charge
At about half past ten in the morning
Tegetthoff broke through the Informed
line, his fleet being disposed in a strong
wedge-shape formation, with the IRON
clads forming the point and sides The
italian ships were painted gray, the Aus
TRANS black. Tegetthoff's command was
brief and TO the point: Ram everything
gray"
With these orders his fleet charged
through and wheeled. And then began an
action. or rather a series of smoke-be-
clouded combats with the leaderless foe
which was Vaged hotly for lore u an
four hours and which resulted in the sui
lSh TetISuL OF Ine ItaHan Heet, with the
loss of two ironclads.
The attacks by ramming were, perhaps
the most memorable of the many Incidents
of this fight. Indeed 1t has been said that
LISA was won by the ram" The Re-
d'ltalia, Persano's deserted flagship, was
sunk by this weapon, and with great loss
of life She had been the focus of attack
by several Austrians and her rudder had
been injured, although her engines were
still effective While thus crippled she
was rammed by Tegetthoff in his flagship.
the Ferdinand Macmillan, which, at full
speed, struck her, the ram cutting through
her seven inches of armor without appre-
ciable resistance and with no damage to
itself excepting to its paint
Keeling over to starboard and then roll
ing heavily to port the great 6,150-ton shin
sank with a swiftness which chilled the
blood of those who watched, carving
many of her crew with her, but leaving
remnant to struggle in the sea. Long
after, in recalling the sudden horror of
all this, Tegetthoff said:
If / were to live a thousand years I
would never ram another ship. The effect
produced is different from anything else
you have in naval warfare You see the
vessel attacked at one moment and the
next 800 men Siding into the sea with the
vessel following them. You are left with
a perfect void. without any commotion.
without any smoke, without anything to
make one feel that he was in battle"