The Italian ironclad Principe di Carignano was a pre-dreadnought armored warship in service with the Italian naval forces fighting for the unification of the country. It had been launched in 1864 and commissioned in 1865. It was the flagship of her class, which included Messina, and Conte Verde. It was decommissioned in 1875.
Principe di Carignano and Messina had first been designed as screw frigates by naval engineer Felici Mattei . However, while they were still in the shipyard, they decided to convert them into two ironclads, with their wooden sides being covered with 120-mm-thick iron plates. Meanwhile, the third warship, Conte Verde, was designed from the start as an ironclad frigate by engineer Giuseppe De Luca.
Like the other two warships of her class, the Italian ironclad Principe di Carignano was armed with ten 203-mm-caliber and twelve 164-mm-caliber naval guns. She took part in the Lissa naval campaign, bombarding Comisa, on July 18, 1866, and supporting the attack on Porto San Giorgio the following day. During the war of unification, she suffered slight damage, but she would later be repaired.
Specifications
Type: broadside ironclad
Displacement: 3,912 tons (full load)
Length: 73 m
Beam: 15.1 m
Draft: 7.2 m
Propulsion: 1 shaft, single expansion, 6-cylinder engine, plus boilers, producing 1,968 HP.
Maximum Speed: 10.2 knots
Armor: 120-mm iron plates
Armament: 203-mm and 164-mm guns
Compliment: 572 sailors and officers
Below, the Italian ironclad Principe di Carignano. Daguerrotype taken in 1871.
