Ria Galantuomo had a political career shaped by Italian unification. When Francis II left Naples, the ship and her captain remained behind; she entered the Sardinian navy under a new name and received a new figurehead. She then took part in the blockade and bombardment around Gaeta. During a transatlantic passage from New York to Italy, the crew brought her through repeated violent storms, and eighteen men received silver medals for military valour. Her later work with the evolution squadron connects the ship with the contested formation of the Italian state and the practical creation of its navy. Some details of the later squadron account remain uncertain because the source passage relies on a provisional translation from Italian.
Notable Point · 53:34-57:31
Ria Galantuomo in the naval politics of Italian unification
A Neapolitan steam vessel changed allegiance in 1860, supported the siege of Gaeta, and later served in the Sardinian-Italian fleet.