Amid the confused melee, the wooden Kaiser rammed the Italian ironclad Re di Portogallo while protecting two unarmoured Austrian ships. The collision and close-range fire caused many of Austria's casualties, yet Kaiser broke free and even jammed one of Affondatore's turrets. The spectacle arose from a battle fought at sail-era ranges with sail-era signalling. Austria could make that chaos work because Tegetthoff's leadership was backed by a fleet drilled to follow him.
Notable Point · 30:07-34:27
Kaiser's ramming success came from a chaotic melee
The wooden Kaiser rammed an Italian ironclad and survived heavy close-range fighting because Tegetthoff's fleet could still act together inside the confusion.