Battle of Lissa

Overview

The Battle of Lissa 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.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Lissa (1866) produced an Austrian naval victory over the Italian fleet during the Austro-Prussian War, with Italian casualties running more than four times those of the Austrians. The engagement was fought under the command of Wilhelm von Tegetthoff on the Austrian side and Carlo Pellion di Persano for Italy, and it stands as one of the few fleet actions of the war, demonstrating that Austria could contest the Adriatic despite the broader pressures of the conflict with Prussia on land.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)