3-090-907 - LTL/Heritage Images

"Lepanto", Ironclad battleship built for the Italian Regia Marina, (Royal Italian Navy), the second and last ship of the Italia class, 1883. Designed by Benedetto Brin, (1833-1898) and built at the "Cantiere navale fratelli Orlando" (Orlando Brothers Shipyard), in Livorno (Italy), Lepanto was under construction for nearly eleven years. It was laid down on 4 Novr 1876, but its construction still took almost six and a half years to complete, being launched on 17 March 1883, two and a half years after its twin "Italia". Lepanto was not finally completed until four and a half years later, being completed on 16 August 1887. Armed with a main battery of four 432 mm (17 in) guns. It had capacity to transport a full infantry division. The illustration shows Lepanto with six funnels, although in reality it always had four. Probably it is due to a confusion of the author, inspired by original plans of the battleships of the Italia class. From "La Ilustración Española y Americana" (The Spanish and American Illustration), 15 February 1883.