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The Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine -- The Austro-Hungarian Navy -- was in at the beginning of World War I when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie lay in state aboard its flagship, and at the end when it dissolved along with the empire that commanded it. During the war, this small but powerful "fleet in being" forced the Allies to maintain a blockade of the Otranto Straits. German and Austro-Hungarian U-boats ran riot in the Mediterranean even though the capital ships almost never left port.
Illustrated with thirty photographs and drawings, this book provides a comprehensive and detailed listing of the ships that made up the KuK Kriegsmarine, its operations, and the unique problems this unusual fleet faced, from contentious duelling parliaments to ships built by landlocked Hungary.
Genre: HISTORY / Military / World War IDreadnought Battleships
As the Italians planned to start construction of their first dreadnought, in 1908 Admiral Montecuccoli announced a new generation of battleships of around 18,000-19,000 tons displacement. The basic design of what was to become the Tegetthoff class was accepted in April 1909. STT needed work for their skilled workers if they were to retain them, and Montecuccoli suggested that they start work at their own risk until the naval budget was approved. The risk was believed to be minimal, especially as Italy had by now started work on her first dreadnought.
However, funding for the new class of ships was initially refused, on the grounds that the army needed the money to administer the newly-annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. Construction continued when Montecuccoli personally guaranteed a 32 million Kronen credit. Funding was eventually obtained, but with the condition that the fourth ship of the class be built by the Hungarian company Danubius. Danubius had no experience with large ship construction and so Szent István cost more and took longer to complete than the other three ships of the Tegetthoff class.
Tegetthoff Class
Tegetthoff, Viribus Unitis, Prinz Eugen, Szent István
Tegetthoff, Viribus Unitis, and Prinz Eugen bombarded the naval base at Ancona and the coast of Montenegro in 1915. Szent István was not completed in time to take part in this action, which was the only time the class fired their guns in anger.
