Above: The 'improved TEGETTHOFF'-class battleships were to be built during the period of navy commander admiral Anton Haus. This is one of the few photographs showing Haus bareheaded, it was taken in 1900 when Haus held the rank of a Linienschiffskapitaen (Captain)

First there was only an idea and a slogan

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. Very soon after this approval first ideas for the next class of battleships came up. Since long the Austrian Naval League (Oesterreichischer Flottenverein) had advertised in his monthly magazine Die Flagge: “The MONARCH-class must be replaced”. Therefore this next class of battleships often is called the 'Ersatz MONARCH-class'. In the official files, anyway, this design was first given project numbers (project I, II, III and so on) or tonnage designations (22.000 ton battleship, 23.400 ton battleship and the final variant 24.500 t battleship), finally they were referred to as the »improved TEGETTHOFF-class, which might be the historical correct label.

It is remarkably that the desire of building a new group of dreadnoughts first came from the Skoda Werke AG and not from the Austro-Hungarian Navy. While completing the 30,5 cm triple turrets of the TEGETTHOFF-class Skoda was asking for follow up business arguing with the necessity of securing high skilled jobs and ensuring development continuity. So 18 April 1911 Skoda submitted to the Naval Section detailed plans for 34,5 cm twin and triple turrets. They had thought in advance for the Austro-Hungarian naval architects and proposed triple turrets and superimposed twins in the centreline. This design had a remarkably resemblance to contemporary British turrets.

The Naval Section rejected this design for some technical reasons and to counter predomination by Skoda, Austro-Hungarian naval authorities ordered on 3 June 1911 the preparatory designs for the next Austro-Hungarian dreadnought generation to the following alternative particulars:

A) 23.000 t metric, 10 x 30,5 cm cal 45, 18 x 15 cm, 24 x 7,5 cm

B) 24.600 t metric, 10 x 34,5 cm cal 45, 18 x 15 cm, 24 x 7,5 cm

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.

It was believed, nevertheless, that such a design could match contemporary opponents by cutting down the cruising radius, e.g. saving fuel weight, regarding the geo-strategic situation of the Adriatic Sea. The most remarkable fact was the desire for an alternative design for both Diesel and turbine propulsion. But soon Diesel was rejected against conventional mixed coal/oil burning boilers.

December 1911 the Austro-Hungarian Naval Technical Committee (MTK = Marinetechnisches Komitee) presented its design for both variants A and B (see table). The demand for more secondary armament – 15 cm – was solved by using twin casemates. The surmounting of the strict tonnage limit which turned out after exact displacement calculations led to a series of sub-variants with reduced poop-deck and other measures to save weight dating from February to May 1912 (see table).

Competitive designs

Also in December 1911 the private owned yard industry tried to demonstrate once again their predominance in design questions and the firms Ganz éz társa -Danubius, Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, Cantiere Navale Triestino and the naval architect Silvius Morin presented no less than 26 alternative designs. But Poppers successor, Oberster Schiffbauingenieur (supreme naval architect) Franz Pitzinger did not want to be overruled a second time like in the TEGETTHOFF-class and all other designs were rejected.

In the mean time Skoda was asked to work out new designs for the 34,5 cm turrets. A board held 12 May 1912 increased the final calibre to 35 cm to match the loss of penetration power given by the new standard shell to be developed. A second reason might have been the compatibility with German ammunition: compare the German battlecruisers of the MACKENSEN class. January 1913 the Naval Technical Committee presented its next design (see table).

The dreadnoughts that were never built

Caused by the strict weight limit the designers had to save every ton possible and therefore reduced the secondary artillery, omitted the aft conning tower and the mainmast and designed the heavy guns in triple turrets superimposed over the twins to better follow the curve of the hull. As this obviously inflicted stability the ammunition load was reduced and in July exactly the same ship was presented with superimposed twins.

Apparently the Austro-Hungarian naval architects felt that such a stripped down design would not be well balanced and presented two enlarged alternative designs in January 1914, showing that more displacement was necessary to make up a well balanced dreadnought with the benefit of a speed increasement of two knots.

• Pre-project I 29.600 t/23 kts, 12 x 35 cm, 18 x 15 cm
• Pre-project II 32.000 ts/23 kts, 13 x 35 cm, 18 x 15 cm

But the tonnage limit was kept upright so in July 1914 the last design variant was presented. For weight reasons the number of secondary guns was reduced to 14 x 15 cm. This is the last existing design variant to which the 'improved TEGETTHOFFs' obviously would have been constructed. A secret schedule dated 12.1.1914 proposed the following building dates:

This is only a first draft, but it shows the estimated building times and the intended distribution between the Hungarian and the Austrian yards.

Fundraising and politics

From the political point of view the history of the improved TEGETTHOFFs was not a repeat of the story of the TEGETTHOFFs although the industry wanted for a second time to start construction on credit. In March 1913 the Heir of the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, urged the new head of the Austro-Hungarian navy, admiral Anton Haus, to order the new dreadnoughts because the last of the STT built TEGETTHOFFs, the PRINZ EUGEN, had been launched since four months and the yard needed urgently a follow up contract. But the Hungarian authorities headed by primeminister Wekerle refused to start building on credit, arguing that the only legal way would be providing funds in the 1914/15 budget. Even the Emperor himself tried without result to convince the Hungarian minister of finance, Dr. Teleszky, to start construction before the budget was approved. But Weckerle refused. And not before 28 May 1914 the 1914/15 budget was approved by the mutual delegations. This included a special credit of 426,8 million Crowns, enough to built the new battleships VIII - XI. End of June STT was ordered to build No VIII and Ganz éz társa – Danubius to build No IX. As we all know just in the same time the fatal murder of Sarajevo set an abrupt end to all ship construction because of the outbreak of World War I. On 3 February 1915 the Austro-Hungarian navy administration definitely declared in a meeting of the ministers for mutual affairs (Ministerrat für gemeinsame Angelegenheiten) to ‘freeze’ this money and present a new fleet program to the mutual delegations after the end of the war.