Biographical entry von Tegetthoff, Wilhem (1827 - 1871)

Admiral

Born
23 December 1827
Marburg, Austrian Empire
Died
7 April 1871
Vienna, Austria
Occupation
Vice-admiral

Summary

Wilhelm von Tegetthoff was an Austrian vice-admiral. He commanded the Austrian fleet at the battle of Lissa (1866) in the Adriatic in which he defeated a much larger and more modern Italian fleet. It was in this battle that the Austrian flagship the Ferdinand Maximillian rammed and sank the Italian flagship, the Re Italia, leading to the rebirth of ramming as a tactical manoeuvre in naval warfare.

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Published resources

Books

  • Gray, Edwyn, Nineteenth Century Torpedoes and Their Inventors, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2004. Details

Sources used to compile this entry: Gray, Edwyn, Nineteenth Century Torpedoes and Their Inventors, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2004.

Prepared by: Rebecca Rigby