Isometry dimensions in dimension three ($0,1,2,3,4,6$)

For a connected three-dimensional Riemannian manifold, the Myers-Steenrod theorem bounds the dimension of its isometry group by six. Dimension five cannot occur: isotropy embeds in $O(3)$, whose Lie subalgebras have dimensions zero, one or three. A five-dimensional action would require three-dimensional isotropy and a two-dimensional orbit; full rotational isotropy has no invariant tangent two-plane. The maximal dimension six forces transitivity and isotropy, hence constant sectional curvature. Each of the six listed dimensions is attained by a suitable metric.