I believe this is the ship in question.
USA: “We’re currently in the middle of a brutal civil war for the future of our country.”
Italy: “Oh, such a shame, I really wanted to commission a ship for my new navy-”
USA: “Do I smell money? This civil war, it’s not THAT important. Let’s talk specifications…”
After her rudder was disabled by an Austrian vessel, the Austrian flagship…
We don’t hear much about the Austrian navy these days, I wonder why.
Same reason the Austria army had no victories after 1850 but somehow continued on for 70 years. Austria Hungary is the great classic example of failing up.
They built 3 battleships and then promptly never did anything with them. The one day they decide to use them, they hit a mine and one of them sinks. The other two are so expensive and the navy so afraid of losing another that they never get used again.
Probably helped that New York City was 40% Italian or something.
Not at the time, actually! Mass Italian immigration didn’t start for another decade or so.
