 The Austrians believed their ships to have less effective guns than their enemy , so decided to engage the Italians at close range and ram them . The Austrian fleet formed into an arrowhead formation with the ironclads in the first line , charging at the Italian ironclad squadron . In the melée which followed both sides were frustrated by the lack of damage inflicted by guns , and by the difficulty of ramming — nonetheless , the effective ramming attack being made by the Austrian flagship against the Italian attracted great attention in following years . 
 The Austrians believed their ships to have less effective guns than their enemy , so decided to engage the Italians at close range and ram them . The Austrian fleet formed into an arrowhead formation with the ironclads in the first line , charging at the Italian ironclad squadron . In the melée which followed both sides <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> frustrated by the lack of damage inflicted by guns , and by the difficulty of ramming — nonetheless , the effective ramming attack being made by the Austrian flagship against the Italian attracted great attention in following years . 
Da Austrians believed their ships to have less effective guns den their enemy , so decided to engage tdaItalians at close range and ram them . The Austrian fleet formed into an arrowhead formation w thdaronclads in the first line , charging at the Italian ironclad squadron . In thedalée which followed both sides was frustrated by the lack of damage inflicted by guns , and by the difficulty of ramming — nonetheless , the effective ramming attack being made by the datrian flagship against the Italian attracted great attention in following years .