Aid had arrived just in time, and the British vessels, with engines broken, stood away at some distance, leaving matters for the nonce to the powerful Italian Squadron. It was indeed a very formidable one, and its appearance caused the Russian Admiral such misgivings that he gave orders to retreat, a manoeuvre attempted unsuccessfully. The Italian Fleet, as it loomed up in the falling gloom, included no fewer than twenty-six warships and forty-three torpedo boats. The vessels consisted of the barbette-ship _Lepanto_ of 15,000 tons; the _Sardegna_, _Sicilia_, and _Re Umberto_ of 13,000 tons; the _Andrea Doria_, _Francesca Morosini_, and _Ruggiero di Lauria_ of 11,000 tons; the turret-ships _Dandolo_ and _Duilio_ of the same size; the _Ammeraglio di St. Bon_ of 9800 tons; the armoured cruisers _Ancona_, _Castelfidardo_, and _Maria Pia_, and the _San Martino_, each of about 4500 tons; the gun-vessels _Andrea Provana_, _Cariddi_, _Castore_, _Curtatone_; the torpedo gunboats _Aretusa_, _Atlante_, _Euridice_, _Iride_, _Montebello_, and _Monzambano_; the despatch vessels _Galileo_ and _Vedetta_; and the first-class torpedo vessels _Aquila_, _Avvoltoio_, _Falco_, _Nibbio_, and _Sparviero_, and thirty-eight others. With such a force descending upon the Russian ships, which had already been very severely punished by the vigorous fire of the British, there was little wonder that the Tsar's vessels should endeavour to escape. The Italian Fleet had already bombarded and destroyed Ajaccio two days ago, and, steaming south from the Corsican capital, had anchored for twenty-four hours off Cape della Caccia, near Alghero, in the north of Sardinia. Then again taking a southerly course in the expectation of joining hands with the British Mediterranean Squadron, which was on its way from Marseilles to Cagliari, they had fallen in with the three crippled ships.