Vettor Pisani was a screw corvette of the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy) built in the late 1860s and early 1870s.

[1] Vettor Pisani embarked on a lengthy voyage overseas in the early 1880s with a variety of goals, including training the crew, showing the flag, and conducting extensive scientific experiments.

Anton Dohrn, the director of the facility, came aboard Vettor Pisani to discuss the expedition before the vessel sent sail, and he later welcomed the ship home.

[6] Vettor Pisani conducted surveys off the coast of South America, including around the Chonos Archipelago between 23 November and 6 December 1882.

Later, during an exploration of the Gulf of Corcovado, Vettor Pisani ran aground twice but her crew was able to free the vessel at high tide both times.

In early 1883, Vettor Pisani visited Valparaíso, Chile; from there, she sailed to Coquimbo and then Caldera, where she conducted extensive surveys of the coast, which had been dangerous for merchant vessels due to insufficient charts.

Vettor Pisani then crossed the Pacific, conducting additional surveys along the way, including near the Hawaiian Islands.

[7] While still overseas later in 1884, Vettor Pisani was sent to East Asian waters to reinforce the Italian presence there, which at that time consisted of the screw corvette Cristoforo Colombo, during a period of tension that resulted in the Sino-French War.