IRONCLAD RE D'ITALIA
The ironclad Re d’Italia was the flagship of the Italian fleet at the Battle of Vis. It was built in New York in 1864 and had a wooden hull that was sheathed in 114 mm wrought iron armor.
The ship was 84 meters long with a beam of 17 meters and a draft of 6 meters. It displaced 5700 tons and was armed with 164 mm and 203 mm guns. It sank in the Battle of Vis on July 20th 1866 only two and a half minutes after being rammed by the Austrian ironclad Erzherzog Ferdinand Max. All 419 sailors and officers perished along with the ship. The wreck of the Re d’Italia was located in 2005 by a joint French-Croatian expedition 120 meters below the sea surface. Starting in 2016, further research and recording of the site has been undertaken in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the Croatian Coast Guard and the Ministry of Culture.
Diving is currently not permitted
It is planned to open the wreck for diving in the near future, and diving will be allowed only through authorized diving centers.
Visibility: variable
Depth: 120 meters
Sea currents: weak to moderate
Site dimensions: 84 x 17 meters