Slagschepen - Oostenrijk-Hongarije: boeken - historie

Austro-Hungarian Battleships, 1914-18 (Osprey)

Austria-Hungary did not have an overseas empire; its empire lay within its own boundaries and the primary purpose of its navy until the beginning of the twentieth century was the defense of its coastline.
As its merchant marine dramatically grew, admirals believed that the navy should take a more proactive policy of defense. The 1890s saw the beginning of a series of naval building programs that would create a well-balanced modern fleet. Cruisers were constructed for the protection of overseas trade and for "showing the flag" but the decisive projection of Austria-Hungary's commitment to control the Adriatic was the construction of a force of modern battleships.
Despite the naval arms race throughout Europe at the time, the navy had difficulty obtaining funds for new ships. The difficulties experienced in battleship funding and construction mirrored the political difficulties and ethnic rivalries within the empire. Nevertheless by August of 1914, the Austro-Hungarian had a fleet of battleships.

This book details the five classes of Austro-Hungarian battleships in service during World War I.

SMS Viribus Unitis - Austro-Hungarian Battleship (Super Drawings in 3D)

In 1907 the navy of the dualist, multinational Austro-Hungarian Empire placed an order for a new class of warships, whose design was based on the "all big gun" concept pioneered by HMS Dreadnought.
Eventually four Tegetthoff class vessels were laid down, including the flagship Viribus Unitis, Tagetthoff, Prinz Eugen and Szent Istvan. The last warship of the class was not completed until well into World War I.

The vessels' careers were not especially eventful. They spent most of their service lives as a "fleet in being" anchored in the well-protected port of Pola with only occasional trips to the Fazana Channel (well-screened by Brijuni Islands) for gunnery practice.
During the war the ships were manned mainly by reservists, while the most promising and experienced members of their crews were detached to serve onboard submarines or torpedo boats, or assigned to land-based units.

The second ship of the class ended her career in rather dramatic circumstances, which is why she perhaps deserves a more detailed treatment.
The Battleship IV was laid down at San Marco on July 23, 1910 and launched on June 24, 1911. The Emperor's court used the occasion to organize a lavish celebration designed to carry a strong political message. The Emperor insisted that the battleship be given a rather unusual, Latin name Viribus Unitis (Strength in Unity - Emperor's personal motto).

This book, illustrated with many computer-rendered 3D-drawings, shows the battleship SMS Viribus Unitis in detail. With ground-breaking 3D imagery, each corner, angle, and dimension of the ship is viewable. With various close-up views, and each 3D image based on actual technical scale drawings and photographs, this makes an exceptional reference tool.