This second attack also proved to be a failure, but Persano decided to make a third attempt the next day. "Re d'Italia" and the bulk of the fleet would again try to disable the outer forts in preparation for the landing. Before the Italians could begin the attack, the dispatch boat arrived, bringing news of Tegetthoff's approach. Persano's fleet was in disarray; the three ships of Admiral Giovanni Vacca's 1st Division were three miles to the northeast from Persano's main force, and three other ironclads were further away to the west. Persano immediately ordered his ships to form up with Vacca's, first in line abreast formation, and then in line ahead formation. "Re d'Italia" was the fourth ship in the Italian line, behind only Vacca's ships. Shortly before the action began, Persano decided to leave "Re d'Italia" and transfer to "Affondatore", though none of his subordinates on the other ships were aware of the change. They were thus left to fight as individuals without direction. More dangerously, by stopping "Re d'Italia", he allowed a significant gap to open up between Vacca's three ships and the rest of the fleet. Tegetthoff took his fleet through the gap between Vacca's and Persano's ships, though he failed to ram any Italian vessels on the first pass. The Austrians then turned back toward Persano's ships, and took "Re d'Italia", "San Martino", and "Palestro" under heavy fire. The Austrian ships concentrated their fire on "Re d'Italia", paying particular attention to her stern. In their attempts to ram her, one of the Austrian ships destroyed "Re d'Italia"s rudder, leaving her unmaneuverable. "Re d'Italia"s captain, Emilio Faà di Bruno, attempted to escape from the melee, but he could only steer his ship using her engines. Blocked by another Austrian ironclad, Faà di Bruno ordered his ship to reverse course. She was almost stopped when she was rammed by the Austrian flagship, . The Austrian ship's ram tore a gaping hole in "Re d'Italia"s hull. She quickly rolled over to port and sank. Out of her crew, only 166 men were saved; the remaining 400 went down with the ship, including Faà di Bruno.