AFFONDATORE

The full index of our ship stamp archive
Post Reply
aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

AFFONDATORE

Post by aukepalmhof » Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:04 pm

The name on the stamp gives MOUILLAGE Italle 1866 but not any ship under that name is known, she must be the Italian turret ram ship AFFONDATORE.

11 October 1862 the contract was signed by Mare of Millwall yard but because of the yard’s financial difficulties the Italian Government signed a new contract with an other yard.
Built as a turret ram ship by Harrison & Millwall yard at London for the Italian Navy.
11 April 1863 laid down.
03 November 1865 launched as the AFFONDATORE.
Displacement 4,006 ton normal, full load 4,307 ton. Dim. 93.89 x 6.35m (draught), length bpp.89.56m.
Powered by one horizontal two cylinder simple expansion steam engine, 2.717 ihp, one shaft, speed 12 knots. Bunker capacity 474 ton coal.
Range by a speed of 10 knots, 1,647 mile.
Armament: 2 – 288mm muzzle loading Armstrong Mark IV guns. 2 – 80mm canons.
Schooner rigged, sail area 1.510 square metres.
Crew 309/356
06 June 1866 partly completed.

20 June 1866 uncompleted the day that the Italo-Austrian war broke out she sailed from London. The Italian Government feared a possible sequestration of the ship by the British authorities.
In 1866 she was engaged in the Battle of Lissa as flagship against the Austrian in which she unsuccessfully tried to ram the Austrian ships.
During the battle she received damage, she was hit by 22 enemy shots.
06 August 1866 she arrived in Ancona and foundered two days later in Ancona harbour during a storm
She was refloated and rebuilt between 1867 – 1870.
From 1883 – 1885 modernized, her engine was replaced by a 3,240 ihp steam engine, rigging removed and replaced by one military mast placed after the funnel and the construction of a bridge.
1889-1889 again rebuilt and armament of 2 – 10 inch, 6- 4.7 inch, 1 – 75mm OF, 8 – 57mm QF guns and 4 – 37mm revolvers. 4 torpedo tubes.
1891 Fitted out with two more torpedo tubes, and used as a torpedo training vessels.
1892 Took part in the celebrations in Genoa of the fourth centenary of the discovery of America by Columbus.
From 1904 until 1907 was she based in La Spezia and the principal defence vessel of the port.
11 October 1907 decommission and removed from the Navy List, brought to Taranto where she was used as an ammunition depot till she was scrapped.

After her delivery voyage she never was used outside the Mediterranean.

Guinea 1997 400fr. sg1743, scott1399.

Source: Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1860-1905. Wikipedia.
Attachments
Affondatore.jpg
tmpF7.jpg

Post Reply