Battle of Lissa (1866)
| Battle of Lissa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Third Italian War of Independence | |||||||
Sea Battle at Lissa Carl Frederik Sørensen, 1868 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Austria | Italy | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Wilhelm von Tegetthoff | Carlo Pellion di Persano | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
27 ships: 4 ironclads 3 armoured frigates 1 ship of the line 5 screw frigates 1 screw corvette 2 screw gunboats 6 gunboats 1 screw tender 3 steamships |
32 ships: 9 ironclads 1 armoured frigate 2 armoured corvettes 7 screw frigates 1 screw corvette 2 paddle corvettes 1 sloop 3 gunboats 2 avisos 4 merchantmen | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 176 killed or wounded |
700 killed or wounded 1 ironclad sunk 1 gunboat sunk | ||||||
Location within Croatia | |||||||
The Battle of Lissa (also known as the Battle of Vis; Croatian: Bitka kod Visa) was fought on 20 July 1866 between the Italian and Austrian navies near the island of Lissa in the Adriatic Sea during the Third Italian War of Independence. An Italian fleet under Admiral Carlo Pellion di Persano engaged an Austrian fleet led by Vice-Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff in an attempt to break Austria's naval dominance in the Adriatic. The battle was the first in which ironclad warships were used on a major scale. Both fleets exhibited several technical deficiencies, while the Italian fleet also suffered from severe rivalries between its officers. The Austrians were victorious, relieving Lissa after sinking two Italian warships, in part by using naval ramming tactics. Persano was disgraced upon his return to Italy, while Tegetthoff received widespread praise and accolades for his victory.