Italian battleship Affondatore

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Affondatore was an Italian ironclad warship of the 1860s.

She was an armoured turret-ship built in Millwall, London for the Italian navy, her name approximately translating as 'Sinker'. Construction commenced in 1863 and she was commissioned in 1866.

Eight boilers powered one steam engine, generating 2,700 HP and propelling her at 12 knots. She carried 474 tonnes of coal, giving her a range of 1,647 miles at 10 knots; adequate for Mediterranean engagements.

She carried 5in of iron armour, and was armed with two rifled Armstrong guns and two smoothbore cannon. Engaged at the Battle of Lissa, she unsuccessfully tried to ram the Austrian ships, and received damage which caused her to founder in Ancona harbour two days later.

[edit] References

Information on the ship in Italian