 On 16 July , Persano took the Italian fleet out of Ancona , bound for Lissa , where they arrived on the 18th . With them , they brought troop transports carrying 3 @,@ 000 soldiers ; the Italian warships began bombarding the Austrian forts on the island , with the intention of landing the soldiers once the fortresses had been silenced . In response , the Austrian Navy sent the fleet under Tegetthoff to attack the Italian ships . At that time , Re d 'Italia was Persano 's flagship in the 2nd Division , along with the ironclad San Martino and the coastal defense ship Palestro . After arriving off Lissa on the 18th , Persano sent most of his ships to bombard the town of Vis , but he was unable to effect the landing . 
