Kaiser Max-class ironclad (1862)
 Photo of Prinz Eugen before 1867
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Austro-Hungarian Navy |
| Preceded by | Drache class |
| Succeeded by | Erzherzog Ferdinand Max class |
| Built | 1861–1863 |
| In commission | 1863–1873 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Scrapped | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ironclad warship |
| Displacement | 3,588 long tons (3,646 t) |
| Length | 70.78 m (232 ft 3 in) pp |
| Beam | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power | 1,926 indicated horsepower (1,436 kW) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 11.4 knots (21.1 km/h; 13.1 mph) |
| Crew | 386 |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | Belt: 110 mm (4.3 in) |
The Kaiser Max class of
broadside ironclads was a group of three vessels built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1860s. The class consisted of Kaiser Max, the lead ship, Prinz Eugen, and Don Juan d'Austria. They were an improved version of the preceding Drache class
, being larger, carrying a larger gun battery, and having more powerful engines. The three ships were all laid down in 1861, launched in 1862, and completed in 1863.
Don Juan d'Austria took part in the
Seven Weeks' War; a major naval engagement was fought against Italy at the Battle of Lissa in July 1866, where all three ships saw action. After the war, they were modernized, but did not see further active service. In poor condition by 1873, the Navy decided to discard the ships. But because parliament refused to budget funds to build replacements, the commander of the Navy, Friedrich von Pöck requested permission to "rebuild" the three Kaiser Maxes, which was granted. In fact, the three ships were broken up
, with only their engines, armor plate, and some other equipment being reused in the new ships.
Design
Following the launch of the French
Franz Josef I, the emperor of Austria. In 1861, the first two ships, the Drache class, were laid down and three more were ordered.[1][2] These ships were designed by the Director of Naval Construction Josef von Romako; he based the design for the three new ships on the Drache class, but enlarged it and incorporated more powerful engines. The new ships also carried more guns.[3]
General characteristics and machinery
The Kaiser Max-class ships were 70.78 meters (232 ft 3 in)
bows rebuilt in 1867. Each ship originally had a bow figurehead, which was removed during the reconstruction. They were also very unstable ships, pitching badly and having very bad seakeeping. The ships had a crew of 386.[4]
Their propulsion system consisted of one single-expansion, 2-cylinder, horizontal
rig to supplement the steam engines.[4]
Armament and armor
The ships of the Kaiser Max class were
broadside ironclads. Kaiser Max and Prinz Eugen were armed with a main battery of sixteen 48-pounder muzzle-loading guns, while Don Juan d'Austria received fourteen of the guns. The ships also carried fifteen 24-pounder 15 cm (5.9 in) rifled muzzle-loading guns manufactured by Wahrendorff. They also carried two smaller guns, one 12-pounder and one 6-pounder. In 1867, the ships were rearmed with a battery of twelve 7 in (178 mm) muzzle-loaders manufactured by Armstrong and two 3 in (76 mm) guns. The ships' hulls were sheathed with wrought iron armor that was 110 mm (4.3 in) thick.[4][5]
Ships
| Name | Builder[4] | Laid down[4] | Launched[4]
|
Completed[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Max | Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, Trieste | Oct 1861 | 14 March 1862 | 1863 |
| Don Juan d'Austria | 26 July 1862 | |||
| Prinz Eugen | 14 June 1862 | March 1863 |
Service history
During the
Seven Weeks' War that pitted Austria against Prussia and Italy two years later. The war at sea culminated at the Battle of Lissa in July 1866, where all three ships were heavily engaged, though they were not seriously damaged and inflicted little on their Italian opponents. Neither side's ships carried guns strong enough to defeat their opponents armor plating.[7] After the war, the ships were disarmed and laid up.[8]
In 1867, the ships were drydocked to correct some of their handling deficiencies,naval register in 1873 and broken up for scrap, but the subterfuge allowed Pöck to build three new ships, also named Kaiser Max, Don Juan d'Austria, and Prinz Eugen, during a period where parliament steadfastly refused to approve funding for new ironclads. Some parts of the ships were reused, to include the engines but not the boilers, armor plate, and other miscellaneous equipment to save construction costs.[12][13]
Notes
- ^ Pawlik, p. 6.
- ^ Sondhaus, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Sieche & Bilzer, pp. 267–268.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sieche & Bilzer, p. 268.
- ^ a b Scheltema de Heere, p. 19.
- ^ Greene & Massignani, pp. 210–211.
- ^ Wilson, pp. 242–245.
- ^ Sondhaus, p. 8.
- ^ Sondhaus, p. 10.
- ^ Sieche & Bilzer, p. 267.
- ^ Sondhaus, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Sieche & Bilzer, pp. 268, 270.
- ^ Sondhaus, pp. 45–46.
References
- Greene, Jack & Massignani, Alessandro (1998). Ironclads at War: The Origin and Development of the Armored Warship, 1854–1891. Pennsylvania: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-938289-58-6.
- 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.