Erzherzog Ferdinand Max-class ironclad

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Erzherzog Ferdinand Max in the 1880s
Class overview
Operators Austro-Hungarian Navy
Preceded byKaiser Max class
Succeeded bySMS Lissa
Built1863–1866
In commission1866–1898
Completed2
Scrapped2
General characteristics
TypeIronclad warship
Displacement5,130 long tons (5,210 t)
Length83.75 meters (274 ft 9 in) oa
Beam15.96 m (52 ft 4 in)
Draft7.14 m (23 ft 5 in)
Installed power2,925 indicated horsepower (2,181 kW)
Propulsion
Speed12.54 knots (23.22 km/h; 14.43 mph)
Crew511
Armament
  • 16 × 48-pounder guns
  • 4 × 8-pounder guns
  • 2 × 3-pounder guns
Armor
  • Battery: 123 mm (5 in)
  • Ends: 87 mm (3.4 in)

The Erzherzog Ferdinand Max class consisted of a pair of

Seven Weeks' War prevented the delivery of the guns, forcing the Austrian Navy to arm the ships with a battery of sixteen older 48-pounder muzzle-loading
guns.

Hastily finished after the war started, both ships saw action at the Battle of Lissa in July. There, Erzherzog Ferdinand Max served as the

Austro-Hungarian Empire. The ships were converted for secondary duties in 1886, Erzherzog Ferdinand Max and Habsburg became a tender and a guard ship, respectively. Habsburg was sold for scrap in 1898, but Erzherzog Ferdinand Max lingered on until 1916, when she joined her sister in the breaker's yard
.

Design

Following the launch of the French

Seven Weeks' War in 1866 forced the Navy to hastily complete them with only sixteen of the original 48-pounders.[3][4] They also did not initially receive their sailing rig.[5]

General characteristics and machinery

Line-drawing of Erzherzog Ferdinand Max

The Erzherzog Ferdinand Max-class ships had a similar appearance to the French Gloire. The Austrian vessels were 79.97 meters (262 ft 4 in) long between perpendiculars and 83.75 m (274 ft 9 in) long overall. They had a beam of 15.96 m (52 ft 4 in) and an average draft of 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in). They displaced 5,130 long tons (5,210 t). The hulls were of wooden construction, and were sheathed with wrought iron armor that was 123 mm (5 in) thick on the battery and reduced to 87 mm (3.4 in) at the bow and stern. The ships had a crew of 511 officers and enlisted men.[3]

Their propulsion system consisted of one single-expansion, 2-cylinder, horizontal

amidships. Their engines produced a top speed of 12.54 knots (23.22 km/h; 14.43 mph) from 2,925 indicated horsepower (2,181 kW). Coal storage amounted to 330 long tons (340 t). Each ship was fitted with a three-masted rig to supplement the steam engines, but the rushed nature of their completion delayed the installation of the rigging until 1867.[3][5]

Armament

The ships of the Erzherzog Ferdinand Max class were

breech-loader guns, two 7 cm (2.8 in) breech-loaders, a pair of 47 mm (1.9 in) quick-firing revolver guns, and three 25 mm (0.98 in) auto-cannons.[3]

Ships

Name Builder[3] Laid down[3]
Launched[3]
 Completed[3]
Erzherzog Ferdinand Max Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, Trieste 6 May 1863 24 May 1865 July 1866
Habsburg June 1863 26 June 1865

Service history

Habsburg after her modernization in the 1880s

Both ships were still under construction at the outbreak of the Seven Weeks' War in June 1866; the shipyard workers quickly completed the vessels, albeit with old smooth-bore guns instead of the Krupp rifled breech-loaders that were intended. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max served as the flagship of the Austrian fleet under Rear Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff. The two ships saw action at the Battle of Lissa in July 1866, where Erzherzog Ferdinand Max rammed and sank the Italian ironclad Re d'Italia. This proved to be the turning point of the engagement, forcing the Italian commander, Admiral Carlo Pellion di Persano to withdraw. Habsburg, however, was not seriously engaged during the battle. Neither ship received significant damage in the battle,[6] and they spent the rest of the war patrolling the Adriatic against a possible sortie from the Italian fleet. After the war, the ships were disarmed and laid up.[7]

The ships remained in the Austro-Hungarian fleet for the next twenty years, but severely reduced naval budgets owing to Hungarian disinterest in naval matters led to an uneventful career.

naval register and sold for scrap. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max remained in the inventory until 1916 when she too was broken up for scrap.[3]

Notes

  1. ^ Pawlik, p. 6.
  2. ^ Sondhaus, pp. 6–7.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sieche & Bilzer, p. 268.
  4. ^ Wilson, p. 226.
  5. ^ a b Scheltema de Heere, p. 19.
  6. ^ Wilson, pp. 226–227, 236–241, 245.
  7. ^ Sondhaus, pp. 1–3, 8.
  8. ^ Sieche & Bilzer, p. 267.
  9. ^ Sondhaus, pp. 40–41.
  10. ^ Sondhaus, p. 15.

References

  • Pawlik, Georg (2003). Des Kaisers Schwimmende Festungen: die Kasemattschiffe Österreich-Ungarns [The Kaiser's Floating Fortresses: The Casemate Ships of Austria-Hungary]. Vienna: Neuer Wissenschaftlicher Verlag.
    ISBN 978-3-7083-0045-0
    .
  • Scheltema de Heere, R. F. (1973). Fisher, Edward C. (ed.). "Austro-Hungarian Battleships". Warship International. X (1). Toledo: Naval Records Club, Inc.: 11–97.
    ISSN 0043-0374
    .
  • Sieche, Erwin & Bilzer, Ferdinand (1979). "Austria-Hungary". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 266–283.
    ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5
    .
  • Sondhaus, Lawrence (1994). The Naval Policy of Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press.
    ISBN 978-1-55753-034-9
    .
  • OCLC 1111061
    .
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