Enrico Dandolo was the second of two Duilio-class ironclad turret ships built for the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in the 1870s. They were fitted with the largest guns available, 450 mm rifled, muzzle-loading guns, and were the largest, fastest and most powerful ships of their day. Enrico Dandolo was built in La Spezia, with her keel laid in January 1873 and her hull launched in July 1878. Construction was finally completed in April 1882 when the ship, named for the 41st Doge of Venice, was commissioned into the Italian fleet. Enrico Dandolo spent much of her career in the Active Squadron of the Italian fleet, primarily occupied with training exercises. She was heavily modernized in 1895–1898, receiving a new battery of fast-firing 10 in guns in place of the old 17.72 in guns. The ship served in the Reserve Squadron after 1905, and then became a gunnery training ship. During the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, Enrico Dandolo was among the few ships of the Italian fleet to see no action. She was employed as a harbor defense ship, first in Tobruk, Libya in 1913 and then in Brindisi and Venice during World War I. The ship was ultimately broken up for scrap in 1920.

Design

The Duilio-class ironclads were designed by the noted Italian naval architect Benedetto Brin; they were revolutionary warships at the time they were designed, being the first ironclad battleships to be built without a sailing rig, and they marked the beginning of a trend toward larger and larger guns. Brin originally intended a main battery of four 35 LT guns in a pair of turrets placed centrally, but during the course of work on the ships, he increased the size to 65 LT and ultimately to 100 LT. Enrico Dandolo was 109.16 m long overall and had a beam of 19.65 m and an average draft of 8.36 m. She displaced 11025 LT normally and up to 12037 LT at full load. The ship's hull featured a straight stem and stern, along with a pronounced ram bow below the waterline. Enrico Dandolo had a minimal superstructure, which included a small conning tower that was connected via a hurricane deck to a heavy military mast located amidships and another small platform further aft. She had a crew of 420 officers and men, which later increased to 515. Her propulsion system consisted of two vertical compound steam engines each driving a single screw propeller. Steam was supplied by eight coal-fired, rectangular boilers that were divided into two boiler rooms on either end of the ship's central battery, each vented through its own funnel, which were incorporated into the ends of the hurricane deck. Her engines produced a top speed of 15.6 kn at 8045 ihp. She could steam for 2875 nmi at a speed of 13 kn. Enrico Dandolo was armed with a main battery of four 17.7 in 20-caliber guns, mounted in two turrets placed en echelon amidships. This arrangement gave all four guns very wide fields of fire. These were the largest naval guns in use by any country at the time. As was customary for capital ships of the period, she carried three 14 in torpedo tubes. Enrico Dandolo was protected by belt armor that was 21.5 in thick at its strongest section, which protected the ship's magazines and machinery spaces. Both ends of the belt were connected by transverse bulkheads that were 15.75 in thick. She had an armored deck that was 1.1 to 2 in thick. Her gun turrets were armored with 17 in of steel plate. The ship's bow and stern were not armored, but they were extensively subdivided into a cellular "raft" that was intended to reduce the risk of flooding.

Service history

Construction – 1894

Enrico Dandolo, named after Enrico Dandolo, the 41st Doge of Venice, was laid down at La Spezia on 6 January 1873 and was launched on 10 July 1878. Fitting-out work was completed on 11 April 1882. During the annual fleet maneuvers held in 1885, Enrico Dandolo served as the flagship of the 1st Division of the "Western Squadron", with Vice Admiral Martini commanding. She was joined by her sister ITALIAN IRONCLAD Duilio, the protected cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Giovanni Bausan, and a sloop. The "Western Squadron" attacked the defending "Eastern Squadron", simulating a Franco-Italian conflict, with operations conducted off Sardinia. During the following year's fleet maneuvers, which began on 10 June, Enrico Dandolo was assigned to the "defending squadron", along with the ironclads ITALIAN IRONCLAD Palestro, ITALIAN IRONCLAD Castelfidardo, and ITALIAN IRONCLAD Affondatore, the protected cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Dogali, the torpedo cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Folgore, and several smaller vessels. The first half of the maneuvers tested the ability to attack and defend the Strait of Messina, and concluded in time for a fleet review by King Umberto I on the 21st. The second phase consisted of joint maneuvers with the Italian Army; the fleet was tasked with attempting to force an amphibious landing, which it effected at San Vicenzo on 30 July, the last day of the exercises. Enrico Dandolo took part in the annual 1888 fleet maneuvers, along with the ironclads ITALIAN IRONCLAD Lepanto, ITALIAN IRONCLAD Italia, Duilio, and ITALIAN IRONCLAD San Martino, one protected cruiser, four torpedo cruisers, and numerous smaller vessels. The maneuvers consisted of close-order drills and a simulated attack on and defense of La Spezia. The ship served as the flagship of the 3rd Division of the Active Squadron during the 1893 fleet maneuvers, along with Affondatore, the torpedo cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Goito, and four torpedo boats. During the maneuvers, which lasted from 6 August to 5 September, the ships of the Active Squadron simulated a French attack on the Italian fleet. For the rest of the year, Enrico Dandolo was assigned to the 2nd Division of the Italian fleet, along with the protected cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Vesuvio and the torpedo cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Partenope.

1895–1920

She was thoroughly reconstructed between 1895 and 1898 to a design created by Inspector Engineer Giacinto Pulino. The ship's old, slow-firing 17.7 in guns were replaced with new 10 in guns, and she received a new secondary battery to defend the ship against torpedo boats. The battery consisted of five 4.7 in 40-caliber guns, sixteen 57 mm 43-caliber quick-firing guns, eight 37 mm 20-caliber revolver cannon, and four machine guns. The main battery guns were placed in significantly smaller turrets that had 8.8 in of armor plating; the lighter guns and turrets reduced the ship's displacement to 10679 MT normally and 11264 MT at full load. Enrico Dandolo also received a new engine, though her performance remained the same. The ship's crew increased to 495. In 1901, Enrico Dandolo was joined in the 2nd Division by the ironclads ITALIAN IRONCLAD Andrea Doria and ITALIAN IRONCLAD Francesco Morosini, the armored cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Carlo Alberto, Partenope, and three torpedo boats. She remained in service in the Active Squadron the following year, with Andrea Doria, Francesco Morosini, the three Re Umberto-class ironclads, and the new pre-dreadnought battleship ITALIAN BATTLESHIP Ammiraglio di Saint Bon. In 1905, Enrico Dandolo was transferred to the Reserve Squadron, along with the three Ruggiero di Lauria-class ironclads and the three Re Umbertos, three cruisers, and sixteen torpedo boats. This squadron only entered active service for two months of the year for training maneuvers, and the rest of the year was spent with reduced crews. She thereafter served in the Gunnery School as a training ship, along with the torpedo cruiser ITALIAN CRUISER Saetta. At the start of the Italo-Turkish War of 1911–1912, Italia was assigned to the 5th Division of the Italian fleet, the ironclads Italia and Lepanto, but she saw no action during the conflict. She became the guardship at Tobruk, Libya in 1913 and was transferred to Brindisi and Venice during World War I. While stationed at Brindisi, six of her 37 mm guns were removed. She was stricken on 23 January 1920 and later broken up for scrap.