Battle of Smoothed (1866)

The war on sea in the middle of the 19th century

In 1866, the marine with vapor and in iron is a hardly started revolution ten years earlier. The near total of the warships in construction still carry masts and veils. The Propeller, even the paddle wheels, are still regarded as forces auxiliary to move. Since the launching of the French frigate Glory, a certain number of ships profit from an iron armor doubling totality or part of their hull out of wooden. Some ships start to be entirely built out of iron, employment starting in the navy of war, with the British vessel Warrior.

The artillery of the ships is it also during a time of deep change, at that time: the appearance of the shells Paixhans, with a rocket of contact, gave to the ammunition a capacity destruction unknown hitherto, particularly against the ships out of wooden, like proved it the Bataille of Sinope, between the Russian and the Turks. The application of shielding out of iron, then out of steel, intervenes in reaction to this new weapon, and appears effective so much so that, at the time of the combat of Hampton Roads, none of the two adversaries is damaged seriously, in spite of a cannonading of several hours. To bore the armor, of new guns must be born, more powerful, and thus more cumbersome. Their number per consequence must decrease, and one must place them in order to get the broadest field of fire to them. From this need the invention rises from the Tourelle, of the Barbette, and of the central Réduit. Another important innovation, which starts to appear on the pieces of artillery of the time, the loading by the cylinder head, which makes it possible to restock the weapon in a faster way and while remaining with the shelter of the shielding. The loading by the back also makes it possible to use striped, more precise tubes and giving a larger lengthening-piece, with cylindro-ogival ammunition, heavier and thus more perforating, for the same gauge. But in 1866, this type of parts is not sure and one finds of it very little of installed. The shooting by broadsides is always the rule, i.e. all the guns on the same side draw at the same time, generally on the same target. That slows down the possible rate of shooting but is judicious more effective being. The Austrians apply the “convergent broadside”, i.e. all the guns aim at the same place of the adversary.

The battle of Smoothed intervenes whereas all these transformations are in hand, of the old ships of ten years seem already obsolete. Thus, on the Austrian side, one finds the Kaiser , a completely traditional Linership, with his two artillery bridges equipped with four twenty twelve guns undertaking by the mouth, and of a gauge of 40 and 30 books, without no protection other than his thick walls of oak and equipped with a complete square aerofoil on three masts; whereas Italian side, appears the Affondatore , with an artillery limited to two parts of large gauge, out of turret. The Italian camp lays out, in addition to the numerical advantage, of an obvious artillery superiority, embarking a great number of modern parts, striped, with loading by the cylinder head, in particular of the 165 mm French. All the range of the gradations in modernity can be found in the engaged ships with Lissa, one thus finds battleships with reduced exchange, like the Maria Pia or Ferdinand max , to two reduced, like the Palestro , with turret like the Affondatore , beside traditional buildings of the navy with veil, equipped with auxiliary propulsion with vapor, either by Hélice, or by Paddle wheel. In spite of an important advance of the Italians in the technical field, the result of the battle is however in favor of the Austro-Hungarians, which shows once again in the military field that the technological advancement has of influence only if one finds the men able to exploit it.

Involved forces

Austrians

The Austrian navy is not of first order. The sailors are of all nationalities, of the Croatian to the German , there are even a few hundreds of Italian sailors, which poses problems of command. The ships are rather old and the modern guns ordered at Krupp Ag, which were to increase their power, were never delivered.

The fleet is based with Pola, on the Dalmatian coast, with two hundred kilometers in the north of the island of Smoothed and about with the same distance from the Italian coast. In spite of important defenses, the Austrians fear a descent of the Italian fleet, on Pola or in the north of the Adriatic Sea, towards Trieste or Venice. Orders transmitted by ministry for War are to take along only ships armoured and not to deliver combat further that Lissa to be able to go back quickly to North if the Italians risked themselves there, an attack on Lissa being able to be only one diversion. The squadron is ordered by the Rear-admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff. This one takes along all the buildings available, estimating that this choice falls on to him and not with the ministry for the War; that gives to its squadron of twenty-seven buildings a a little heteroclite aspect.

The admiral Tegethoff really scraped bottoms of the barrel to constitute his squadron. He said to his government: “Such as they are, always give me your ships; I will be able some to make employment. ”. Thus the Novara frigate, set fire to, is given in state in four weeks, two of to rearm it more and it honourably holds its row with the combat one month later!

It has seven armoured ships, built of wood but provided with an armor-plated belt, it is:

the Ferdinand max (flagship) and the Habsburg , two frigates armoured 2nd class, of 5.130 tons, armies of 16 unrifled bores of 48 pounds to loading by the mouth and protected by an armor from 122 mm, able to spin 12,5 nodes;
the Prinz Eugen , the Don Juan d' Austria and the Kaiser max , three corvettes armoured of 3.588 tons, armies of 16 guns of 48 pounds each one and 15 rifled bores of 24 books, armor-plated to 110 mm and spinning 11 nodes;
the Salamander and the Drache , two corvette S armoured of 2.750 tons, armies of 10 gun of 48 pounds and 18 guns of 24 books, all smooth with loading by the mouth. They are armoured to 114 mm and spin they also 11 nodes.

The ships out of wooden are:

the Kaiser , a ship of the line to two bridges, propeller, of 5.811 tons, spinning 11 nodes, armed with 90 smooth parts (16 of 40 books, 74 of 30) and 2 striped parts of 24 with loading by the cylinder head;
the Novara , a frigate with propeller of 2.615 tons, with 32 unrifled bores (4 of 60 and 28 of 30) and 2 striped parts of 24 with loading by the cylinder head;
the Schwarzenburg , a frigate with propeller of 2.614 tons, with 46 unrifled bores (6 of 60 and 40 of 30) and 4 striped parts of 24 with loading by the cylinder head;
the Radetzski , Donau and Adria , of the propeller frigates of 2.234 tons, with 46 unrifled bores (6 of 60 and 40 of 24) and 4 striped parts of 24 with loading by the cylinder head:
the Erzherzog Friedrich , a corvette with paddle wheels, of 1.697 tons with 20 unrifled bores (4 of 60 and 16 of 30) and 2 striped parts of 24 with loading by the cylinder head.

And of the small buildings intended to make number but without real value with the combat, among which:

9 Drain-hole S all armed with 2 smooth parts of 48 and 2 striped of 24:

the Kerka and Narenta ;
the Dalmat , Hum and Vellebich ;
the Seehund , Streiter , Wall and Reka ;

the Andreas Hofer , a supply craft of 600 barrels, armed with 3 parts of 30 smooth books;
the Kaiserin Elizabeth , a Yacht with paddle wheels of 1.000 barrel X, armed with 4 smooth parts of 12 pounds;
the Greif , a Yacht with paddle wheels, armed with 2 smooth parts of 12 pounds (certain sources of time give it not armed);
the Stadion , a merchant not armed.

The Austrian fleet, in addition to its numerical inferiority, is also much lower out of artillery, the majority of the parts are of old type with heart smoothes and with loading by the mouth. Only some parts of 60 books equipped with Paixhans shell and some guns with fast shooting with 24 books are embarked, the majority of the others are traditional guns of marine of 48,30 and 24 books, ineffective against the armours and whose balls have a weak destroying capacity. For “to give heart to the belly with the mechanics and to make them believe that they are with the shelter” , the Austrians suspended chains and beams on the sides of the ships out of wooden…

Italians

Comparatively, the Italian fleet seems much more powerful, with many and modern buildings. However, its creation is very recent, the Royaume of Italy having incipient the March 17th 1861, and although girl of the navy Sardinian, Neapolitan and Tuscan, its various components did not have time to be melted in a common mould, it thus misses cohesion and of drive. They are only pushed by policies, which aims already the negotiations which will follow the end of the conflict, that Italian admiralty agrees to attack the island of Smoothed, without much enthusiasm.

At the beginning of the hostilities, this fleet is based in bottom of the Italian boot, with Tarente. It goes back to Ancône, with a hundred and twenty kilometers approximately of Pola. It is ordered by an admiral who had a reputation during the Crimean War, the Count Carlo Pellion di Persano, then 60 years old. The rear-guard ordered by Albini, with transport to invade the island of Smoothed, as well as a ship-hospital.

The Italian squadron gathers 34 buildings including twelve battleships:

the Affondatore (“the naufragor”, “that which sends by the bottom”) is an armoured ram of 4.000 tons, built with the the United Kingdom for the Italians. In addition to its spur of 30 feet (more than 9 meters), it is the only ship equipped with turrets, two, with each one a Somerset gun of 300 pounds, taking care by the mouth. The water line and the turrets are protected by an armor from 127 mm and its machines can propel it to 12 nodes;
the Re of Italia and Re di Oporto Gallo are two armoured frigates of 2nd class of 5.610 tons, built with the the United States. They are protected by an armor-plated belt covering the battery from 114 mm, their machines giving 10,5 nodes. The artillery includes/understands 6 smooth parts of 72 pounds and 32 with loading by cylinder head of 164 mm;
the Maria Pia , San Martino , Castelfidardo and Ancona , of the armoured frigates of 2nd class of 4.200 tons, built in France. Armed with 4 smooth parts of 72 pounds and 22 with loading by the cylinder head of 164 mm, they can reach 12 to 13 nodes and are protected by an armor from 109 mm;
the Carignano , an armoured corvette of 3.446 tons, built in Spain. It spins 10 nodes, is protected by a belt from 114 mm, and carries 10 parts of 72 pounds smooth and 12 striped of 164 mm;
the Terribile and Formidabile (the latter, damaged the day before battle by the coastal batteries, regains Ancône), of the armoured corvettes of 2.682 tons, built in France, spinning 10 nodes, armor-plated to 109 mm and carrying 4 guns of 72 pounds smooth and 16 of 164 mm striped;
the Palestro and the Varese , of the battleships coastguard of 2.000 tons, armoured tanks to 114 mm, built in France, and armed with two guns of 200 mm and one with 165 mm, all with loading by the cylinder head and striped.

The not protected ships include/understand:

seven propeller frigates:

Gaeta
Maria Adelaide
Duca di Genova
Garibaldi
Principle Umberto
Carlo Alberto
Vittorio Emanuele

a propeller corvette San Giovanni
two corvettes with wheels:

Governolo
Guiscardo
the Sloop Giglio armed with two unrifled bores.
three drain-holes Cristoforo Colombo , Gottemolo and? , armed with four unrifled bores of 30 books.
two Sloop S with wheels Esploratore and Messaggere armed with two unrifled bores of 30 books.
four not armed merchants Stella d' Italia , Indepenza , Piemonte and Flavio Gioja .

Bombardment of the island

The Italian fleet installs Ancône on July 16th in the afternoon, without really definite plan of operation. It crosses in broad island all the day of the 17, sending only the Messaggero , to recognize defenses of the island. The following day, with 10:30, Persano starts a bombardment, on three places of the coast, the first squadron of battleships ordered by Giovanni Vacca, attacking the coastal batteries close to Komiza, on the west coast of the island, and the third, of Giovanni Battista Albini, composed of not protected ships, those close to Nadpostranje, in the south of the island.

During this time, itself bombards the wearing of Screw with the remainder of the fleet. At the end of the day, the two detached squadrons, stopping their ineffective bombardment, come to gather to increase the pressure on the port. The next day, the attack grouped against Vis progresses well, four battleships managing to even penetrate in the port. But in front of the resistance of the Austrians and the weather conditions, Persano gives up even unloading the troops the evening. The following day, at dawn, the situation of the Austrian troops is desperate, with the majority of their artillery reduced to silence, and Italian transport ready to unload 2.200 men.

However the Esploratore then gives an account of the approach of suspect buildings to the North-West, it is the squadron of von Tegetthoff. This last, assured that it is indeed a major attack on behalf of the Italians, installed 19 to 13 hours of the damping of Fazana, with all its fleet.

For the little story, let us note that the Austrian could follow the beginning of the operations on line, and the continuation, in recorded moments before! Indeed, the Italians cut the underwater telegraphic cable which connects Lissa to the continent only the 18, in end-of-day. And that then, the Austrians, placed at 10 miles from there, on the island of Hvar, enters Lissa and the continent, could continue to inform it and help it to make its decisions.

The battle

It is ten hours of the morning. The swell is strong, the wind turned and blows now towards south-east. The Austrian squadron arrives of the North-West, the Italians cut the road to them while going up to the North-East. The Italian admiral chose a traditional formation in line of battle. It is not a bad choice, a priori. The ships of the time have their guns laid out on the sides. The only having building of the turrets is Affondatore. While presenting itself on line, the Italians can make use of the majority of their artillery, and benefit from their superiority in the field. The squadron is divided into three divisions of three battleships each one, the admiral Persano put his mark is in the center, on the Re of Italia. The squadron of Albini, it, is placed in withdrawal to form a second defensive curtain in front of transport.

If the training of the Italians returns to the navy to veil, that chosen by Tegetthoff for the Austrians takes as a starting point the combat of galères of Lépante. It adopts a formation in corner, for three divisions of its squadron, those being followed in column to two Encablure S of distance. The first wave gathers the seven armoured ships, with the ship-admiral with the point in the center. The second consisted ships out of wooden is carried out by the double-decker of 90 guns, Kaiser. The third gathers the small buildings which make number but of which the military value more than is limited. The radio telegraphy not existing yet, indication is done by houses. For that, each division has a ship charged to repeat the signals makes by the commander. It is, for the first division, the Kaiserin Elisabeth , for the second division, the Greif , and for the third, the Andreas Hofer . They are placed between each division. A steamer not armed, Stadium, of which the speed of twelve knots is excellent for the time, is used as scout. The Austrians know perfectly that their artillery is far from equalizing that their adversaries. It is thus not question of launching out in an artillery battle. On the contrary, it will be necessary to approach Italian as soon as possible, to engage them with nearest. They move, therefore with any vapor, on the Italian line, going to south-east, right Lissa worms. Tegethoff sends a message to the first division: “to run on the enemy and to run it”.

Opposite, the admiral Persano forms his line of battle, it directs it towards the North-East. At the last time, it decides to leave the ship-admiral, Re of Italia, and to carry its mark on Affondatore, the most powerful ship of its squadron. This decision of last minute has several consequences. Time wasted to put the boats at the sea to tranship the admiral, his chief of staff, an aide-de-camp and the officer charged with the signals, is at the origin of the free space which is created between the first and the second Italian division, space which is made profitable by the Austrians. Moreover, the transfer is badly announced and during the battle, the Italian ships monitor, them to carry out, the orders of the Re of Italia rather than those raised by Affondatore, where the admiral is. This last, although being the Italian ship most powerful, delayed, finds themselves insulated and takes part little in the battle. The confusion created by the decision of Persano, as well as the lack of drive and the state of the sea, make the shooting Italian not very effective and make it possible to the Austrians to approach without undergoing large damage. Moreover, the wind folds back the smoke of the shootings on the Italians, and that of the Austrian shootings acts smoke-producing as curtain, between the two squadrons.

The first division of Tegetthof crosses the Italian line. Let us note that the memory of Trafalgar must be still long-lived because, for the majority of the commentators of the time, this fact is announced like important. But, actually, the seven ships of the first Austrian division pass in the empty space created between the first and the second Italian division, without obstructing the Italians, but the symbol is there. The Austrians must, then, make half-turn, because the second imperial line, the vessels out of wooden, to not very powerful artillery will be found opposite with the best Italian units, most powerful and best protected. The combat is transformed then into a fray for which it is difficult to give an overall picture. Smoke, black, due to the coal-fired boilers, and yellow, due to the artillery shootings, prevents each protagonist from precisely seeing what occurs. The commander of each ship, like the two admirals, reacts to the closest threats without being able to appreciate if its decisions correspond to the plan initially envisaged. This is found in the relations left by the witnesses of the combat.

Ferdinand max, ship on which is Tegethoff, twice tests by at least éperonner an Italian vessel, but without results, the ships doing nothing but scrape their hulls. He sees in front of him a ship, whose hull clear gray-blue indicates the Italian nationality, which presents the side to him. Is it immobilized after having received a broadside on its back, broadside having abolished its rudder, as the Italians tell it? Or does he want to move back to let pass the Austrian ship in front of him and be able the éperonner then, but operating too slowly, as the Austrians tell it? Always it is that Ferdinand max does not have a difficulty in insert its spur in the side of the Italian vessel, which runs in a few minutes. He, without the knowledge, has just run the Re of Italia. Ancona, battleship of the first Italian division which transfered edge to return in fray, tries in its turn of éperonner Ferdinand Max. But once again, this attempt does not give anything. Even a drawn Italian broadside with bearing end does not make any damage, so much so that the Austrians will tell that the Italians forgot to charge the balls in their guns…

The second and the third division of the Austrian squadron followed a directed road a little more to the south that the first line of the armoured ships. They directly aim the group of the Italian landing ships that the admiral Albini keeps grouped close to Smoothed. By doing this, they are found vis-a-vis the third division of the Italian battleships. Vessels of wood against battleships. Largest, Kaiser, attracts the Italians. What does not impress its commander, the commodore Petz, since he seeks with éperonner Re Di Oporto Gallo, Italian battleship. Like one suspects it, it causes only little damage, leaving his Figurehead on the Italian ship and losing his mast of Misaine and his chimney. Affondatore comes then in position to carry in its turn an attack to the spur. But, for a not cleared up reason, Persano makes give up the attack and transfer its ship. Palestro, second of the Italian division of the center, fights several adversaries. A shell crosses its before and lights a fire in the officer's wardroom. This fire cannot be controlled. By precaution, the ammunition stores are drowned. Towards 14:30, the combat dies out. The Austrians gather in front of Lissa, the Italians in the North-East. The explosion of Palestro signs the end of the combat. The Austrians refuse to take again the combat, the Italians are satisfied with a cannonade with long range. At the evening, they regain Ancône.

Consequences

For a ship out of combat, Kaiser, the Austrians ran two Italian battleships and three others damaged some. The human losses are also much more important for the Italians, but this criterion is little of relevance to appreciate the results of this combat. The count Persano asserts the victory until one includes/understands what really occurred. He is then returned. Albini, the admiral ordering the forces of unloading and which carefully avoided implying its forces in the battle, is also sanctioned. Tegethoff is filled honors, is promoted vice-admiral and becomes commander-in-chief of the Austrian navy two years later. Each Austrian sailor having taken part in the battle is gratifié of a commemorative medal. It is thus obvious for the two adversaries which there does not exist dispute on the identity of the winner. And yet… If the sailors of the Re of Italia ran, one says, with their building while shouting “We will have Venice”, Italy recovers well this province in spite of his new defeat…

This naval battle is the first, and only, which see the use the, effective one, of the spur like weapon of war. Like known as Leon Haffner: “The spur was the large winner in the spirits and one proclaimed the forfeiture of the gun”. There will be other effective uses of the spur, but outside of any conflict. It is thus, inter alia, that the HMS Camperdown runs the HMS Victoria during operations of a squadron of ships of its Gracious Majesty. The British historian Michael Lewis can thus claim, with a bit insincerely, that the spur ran more friendly ships than enemy… The repercussions of this combat are important in all the navy of the world. The spur tends to being promoted with the row of principal weapon, the naval tactics changes. One recommends, one recommends, the shock with the spur, the detriment of the artillery which should not be used any more but to hammer, to the passage, an adversary having escaped with the spur. It would be the disappearance of the remote combat, replaced by the fray and the individual duel between ship-rams. What forces to replace the formation of battle in line of file by other formation, such, inter alia, the frontline. If the éperonnage of the Re of Italia seems to fascinate the theorists of the naval war, nobody seems to notice that the other attempts made during this combat have all be without consequences. And that only success was obtained against a ship almost with the stop.

The effect of mode can be found until at Jules Verne. Three years after Smoothed, it offers Twenty thousand miles under the seas . In this novel, Nautilus is equipped with a “steel spur”, with which it sends by the bottom the ship which dares to face it. During several decades, all the linerships put in building site carry an imposing spur. These beautiful theoretical constructions do not resist the reality and the combat of the Yalou, in 1894, where the Chinese adopt the formation in corner of Tegetthof and the Japanese, that of Persano, where the Chinese squadron is demolished, and of Tsoushima in 1904, where the artillery with long range plays a determining role, show it. These engagements bring back the strategists to more realistic designs. Meanwhile, the fashion of the spur left the place to that of the Torpilleur, which even leaves to him the place to the Sous-marin.

It as should be noticed as if all the ships, in Lissa, were equipped with veils, none had the idea to use them, the age of the navy with veils is quite closed.

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