The displacement limit was caused by the need to fit the future ship (with half consumption supplies and full ammunition load) into the floating drydock No 1, which had a lifting power of 23.800 metric tons. This something special about the kuk Navy, while other nations did not use names for their projected ships but letters or numbers (like the more famous German H-Class being BB H, I, J, K in game as FDG or Russian Project 30 in game as Ognevoy-class destroyer), Austria-Hungary used the names from the ship class that is going to be replaced as first design/project name (see also Ersatz-Triglav Class as name for the Tatra class destroyer)Īustro-Hungarian naval authorities ordered on 3 June 1911 the preparatory designs to the following alternative particulars: Therefore this next class of battleships often is called the Ersatz Monarch Klasse, 'replacement Monarch class' Since long the Austrian Naval League (Österreichischer Flottenverein) had advertised that the Monarch class must be replaced.

Very soon after this approval first ideas for the next class of battleships came up. Tegetthoff and Prinz Eugen were surrendered to Italy and France, respectively.On 2 March 1911 the mutual financial delegations of Austria-Hungary approved a big naval budget allowing the construction of the four dreadnoughts of the TEGETTHOFF-class, 3 scout cruisers and 6 modern turbine destroyers. In 1918, Viribus Unitis was transferred to Yugoslavia, and sunk early in the morning the next day by Italian frogmen. The Tegetthoffs attempted to sortie through the Otranto Barrage with the support of lighter ships in 1918, but failed after Szent István was by chance sunk by a small motor torpedo-boat.

The first three ships, Viribus Unitis, Tegetthoff, and Prinz Eugen were joined by their sister in 1915, when they bombarded Italian installations at Ancona. The smaller size of the shipyards in Fiume meant that Szent István was built three years after her sisters, with slightly different characteristics. Three of the four were built in Trieste Szent István was built in Fiume, so that both parts of the Dual Monarchy would participate in the construction of the ships.

Four ships were built, Viribus Unitis, Tegetthoff, Prinz Eugen, and Szent István. The Tegetthoff class (sometimes erroneously named the Viribus Unitis class) was the sole class of dreadnought battleships built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

Tegetthoff class download