The ramming melee sinks Re d'Italia

Persano takes Affondatore after the unarmored Kaiser, but the purpose-built ram cannot complete the attack and Kaiser instead damages Re di Portogallo in a counter-ram. Tegetthoff makes several attempts with Erzherzog Ferdinand Max before striking Re d'Italia below the waterline, sinking her in about two minutes. The purpose-built Affondatore repeatedly fails to deliver the decisive ram while an ordinary armored frigate succeeds, making maneuver and crew performance more important than labels. The melee culminates in Ancona firing a point-blank broadside without shot loaded, a stark example of why Lissa cannot be read as a clean test of ramming against competent gunnery.