Design analysis of the ancient Italian frigate "Terribile"

In 1861, the frigate “ ” has been the first ironclad of the emerging Italian Navy and her history is interesting from technical point of view and historical events. In fact, as the industrial revolution unfolded in the 19th century, the age of wooden hulled sailing ships gave way to that of steam powered iron ones. Moreover, due to the development of armament and armour, many changes took place in nearly every aspect of warship: design, operation and tactics. The present paper completes a previous investigation on the historical events that led to the construction of the frigate “ ” and the design principles followed during the transition time of 19th century. Based on the availability of the original lines plan, some aspects are further examined and discussed, starting from main ship ratios, up to structural considerations, hull outfitting and hybrid propulsion. Finally, the general arrangement is also examined, showing ship details generally not always known in the historical records.