''Forza'' was a first-rank

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

of the Venetian navy, serving from 1774 to 1784, although it was originally laid down in 1719. ''Forza'' was laid down in April 1719 as part of the initial series of the . Her chief architect, Francesco Da Ponte, fled to Russia to seek employment in the new Russian fleet, and her construction was entrusted to another, unknown, architect. With the end of the Ottoman–Venetian Wars after 1718, naval construction was largely suspended and ''Forza'' was only completed to 75% ('18 carats' in Venetian nomenclature) and mothballed in the

Arsenal of Venice The Venetian Arsenal ( it, Arsenale di Venezia) is a complex of former shipyards and armories clustered together in the city of Venice in northern Italy. Owned by the state, the Arsenal was responsible for the bulk of the Venetian republic's n ...

. She was completed to 87.5% ('21 carats') between 1740 and 1746, but not finished until February 1774, under the auspices of Pietro Paresi. With 55 years, she holds the record for length of time between being laid down and completed at the Arsenal of Venice. When finished, ''Forza'' had a length of slightly over , a displacement of tons, and armed with 70 cannon, although normally, in peacetime, she only carried 66 (28x40-pounders, 26x20-pounders, 12x14-pounders). She entered service in May 1774 under Iseppo Stalimene. She returned to the Arsenal for repairs in November 1782 – April 1783. In June 1784 she was part of the fleet sent against the

Beylik of Tunis The Beylik of Tunis (), also known as Kingdom of Tunis ( ar, المملكة التونسية) was a largely autonomous beylik of the Ottoman Empire located in present-day Tunisia. It was ruled by the Husainid dynasty from 1705 until the abolit ...

under

Angelo Emo Angelo Emo (3 January 1731 – 1 March 1792) was a Venetian noble and admiral, mostly known for being the last admiral of the Republic of Venice to lead the Venetian navy to battle. Distinguished for his seamanship since early in his career, he ...

. She served as the flagship of the (vice admiral of the Venetian sailing fleet) Giovanni Moro. ''Forza'' was sunk at

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

on 5 November 1784 as a result of bad weather, as her captain, Giuseppe Ballovich, ran her aground on some rocks. The loss of life was small, but included the Giovanni Moro.

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* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forza 1770s ships Ships of the line of the Venetian navy Ships built by the Venetian Arsenal 18th century in the Republic of Venice Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Maritime incidents in 1784