Ludwig Rubelli von Sturmfest: The battle of Lissa (1866-1905)

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A painting by the Austrian artist Ludwig Rubelli von Sturmfest (1842-1905). The battle of Lissa was part of the Third Italian War of Independence (June-August 1866) and was fought between the Italian navy and the Austrian-Hungarian navy. Although having more and modern ships, the Italian navy was poorly led and was quickly defeated by the Austrian-Hungarian navy. The battle is especially famous for being the first major sea battle between ironclads and the various deliberate ramming attempts. The several successful ramming attempts influenced ship design for the next 50 years with almost every future ship being outfitted with ram bows. Painting from 1866-1905.