Formidabile in the opening Adriatic operations

At the start of the Third Italian War of Independence, Formidabile and Terribile moved between Ancona and the southern Adriatic, landed troops, refueled, and joined fleet maneuvers. The ships joined the fleet even while some of their guns were being transferred elsewhere, showing how quickly they were recalled for operations. A late-June encounter ended without battle when Wilhelm von Tegetthoff judged that he lacked a useful tactical advantage. This background matters because the Battle of Lissa was the culmination of a campaign, not an isolated collision between fleets.