Italy lost two ships at Lissa, and the first discussed here is the armoured corvette Palestro. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max damaged her in a ramming attack. Although the ironclads fired at one another throughout the action, their guns produced little decisive effect. At Lissa, the ram appeared to be the weapon capable of sinking an armoured opponent.
Notable Point · 34:48-36:35
Palestro and the limits of ironclad gunfire
Palestro's loss and the weak results of ironclad gunfire helped make ramming look decisive at Lissa.