Chapter 272: The Adriatic Sea Naval Battle
Archduke Ferdinand's idea was soon reported to Constantino. This was an easy matter: they just needed to reassign some immigrants from Dar es Salaam to Mkani, clearing out a place that had lain abandoned for two years.
As long as it didn't require money, Constantino was quite generous. Soon, over two thousand immigrants were allocated to Mkani, which would temporarily become the city with the largest population on Pemba Island and serve as East Africa's second major naval port.
…
At that moment in the Adriatic Sea, the Austro-Hungarian Navy had already engaged the Italian Navy. The sea battle took place not far from the Republic of San Marino on the Apennine Peninsula. People ashore could faintly hear the distant thunder of cannon fire.
At sea…
"Load the ammunition. Take aim!" Following the orderly commands of their officers, Austro-Hungarian sailors carried out each step methodically.
"Fire!"
With a resounding boom, the ship's gun belched dense black smoke as its shell streaked toward an Italian warship. Unfortunately, that first shot missed, landing in the water, but it helped the Austro-Hungarian Navy adjust their angle.
The gun's recoil caused the entire vessel to rock, yet the Austro-Hungarian sailors seemed unfazed.
Ever since Wilhelm von Tegetthoff's reforms, the Austro-Hungarian Navy's military professionalism had improved in every way compared to the time of the Battle of Lissa.
"Damn it! Their new warships are packing even heavier firepower, and they're operating smoothly. They nearly got us just now—return fire!"
The Italians opened up on the Austro-Hungarian ships. Taking lessons from their defeat at Lissa, Italy's Navy had been forced to make do with a smaller budget; at least they made improvements in troop training and command systems.
During the Battle of Lissa, the Italian fleet was formed by combining forces from five different states, leading to total confusion in command, inconsistent training among sailors, and general disarray—key factors in losing despite a significant advantage.
Now, Italy felt that it had achieved a "complete upgrade," but the Austro-Hungarians had likewise made progress, especially in leveraging new technology and training professional crews.
Those efforts quickly showed. The Italians, at last capable of cooperating as a unified force, coordinated their warships more effectively than before. Even so, they still lagged behind the Austro-Hungarian Navy, whose gunnery was noticeably more precise.
"General, our flank has been hit by Austro-Hungarian artillery!"
"They're changing formation, grouping their ships together!" At that moment, the Italian commander noticed a shift in Austria's fleet. "They're using a 'V' wedge formation. Wilhelm von Tegetthoff is trying his old trick again!"
"All ships, form our own 'V' wedge to meet them head-on," the Italian commander ordered.
On the Austrian side
"How naive," Wilhelm von Tegetthoff muttered when his telescope showed the Italians copying his move.
"Have the First Column break off and thrust in diagonally from the left flank. The Second Column will follow at once. We'll charge straight in!" he commanded.
Immediately, the Italians noticed the Austrians shifting formation again, just as the Italians were still regrouping.
Seeing this development, the Italian commander was baffled: "What on earth are they doing?"
"Look, it's the same formation we used in the last war!" one of Italy's attentive officers exclaimed.
Indeed, the Austrians were now mimicking the multi-column arrangement that Italy had tried at Lissa, approaching to encircle the Italian fleet.
"This time we'll exploit our superior mobility," Tegetthoff informed his subordinates. "Compared to the last war, our strength has grown, and our armaments are now on par with the Italians. With each column acting under centralized command, we can strike the Italian Navy in a coordinated, flexible manner."
"Admiral Tegetthoff, why not just use your signature 'V' wedge that made you famous, instead of this more common multi-column approach?" asked one Austro-Hungarian naval officer.
Tegetthoff shook his head. "'V' wedge was never my secret weapon. During the last war, our Austro-Hungarian Navy was at a disadvantage, so I used that formation to avoid being wiped out by Italy's greater number of ships—particularly to protect our older or smaller ships. If you re-examine the Battle of Lissa, you'll see I placed our obsolete and lighter ships at the tail of the 'V,' keeping them safe because they couldn't survive a frontal fight."
"But this time, couldn't the Italians employ the same tactic?"
Again, Tegetthoff shook his head. "Last time, the Italian commander Persano failed to capitalize on their advantage—his leadership blunders gave me the opening I needed. Their fleet coordination was poor, and each warship fought on its own. As long as we avoid such mistakes ourselves and coordinate our three columns effectively, we can deal Italy a heavy blow."
While they spoke, the ships of both fleets began to clash.
"Fire!"
The two sides unleashed their cannons simultaneously, blasting the sea into towering spray.
"First Column, circle around. Second Column, strike at the Italians' flank. We'll move on their right side," Tegetthoff ordered.
Under the flagship Lissa's command, the Austro-Hungarian fleet split into three sections, completely avoiding a direct head-on with the Italian line. Moments earlier, the Italians had tried to intercept the Second Column with a wedge formation, hoping to slice the Austrians off.
The Italian battleship Caesar signaled for the fleet to veer left, aiming to cut off the Austrian Second Column. But the wedge formation's big drawback was limited maneuverability; they could basically only turn left, turn right, or steam straight ahead.
The well-trained Austrians, under Tegetthoff's command, never allowed them the head-on clash they wanted. Except for the Lissa under the Third Column, the First and Second Columns made a sharp turn left—almost as if escaping. Then, in a flash, they swung hard to the right, targeting the Italians' left flank. Meanwhile, the Third Column was circling around the Italians' right.
Suddenly, the two navies took parallel positions in three lines.
"Damn it!" cursed the Italian commander, waking to the danger too late. Although he'd managed to snag the tail of the Austrian Second Column, the Italian fleet was now surrounded by all three Austrian columns.
"Open fire!" The Italian Navy found itself trapped in the middle, becoming easy targets.
"Full speed ahead! We'll break out—return fire!" the Italian commander ordered.
They had an open path ahead. If they could flee quickly, they might escape. But Tegetthoff wasn't about to let them.
"Third Column, charge straight through their center—Lissa in the lead."
Under Tegetthoff's command, the Lissa spearheaded the Third Column, driving right into the heart of Italy's fleet. Though the front portion of the Italian Navy managed to slip away, many more were pinned down by Austria's determination.
At that moment, the First and Second Columns joined the fray. The Second Column targeted the leading Italian ships.
Some of the Italian lead vessels tried turning back to help defend the rear, but as they came about, the Austrian Second Column seized that moment and accelerated to ram them.
In an instant, the battleship Caesar was badly smashed. The Italian overall commander was nearly knocked off his feet by the blow.
At this point, he realized all hope of an Italian victory was gone. Only two paths remained: fight to the bitter end and risk complete annihilation, or surrender. But surrender meant returning to Italy as a scapegoat. They lost the Battle of Lissa as well, but that time the commander Persano had been more prominent than he was…
Still wavering, the Italian commander suddenly saw another Austro-Hungarian warship, the Ferdinand, ramming from the left.
That sealed it. Fear of death instantly shattered any thought of "heroically dying for the fatherland." Besides, Italy's prospects looked dim—why sacrifice himself? But he would need to find someone to protect him once he surrendered…
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