Preliminary Designs - Battleships 1917

Choice over the increased calibre might be the result of the early studies based on the results of the battle of Jutland and the knowledge of the new generation of German Battlecruisers (Ersatz Yorck) and then under construction Battleships (Bayern) which to be armed with 38cm cannons. On the other hand the KuK Kriegsmarine might had accessed knowledge about the newly introduced warships of the Royal Navy, the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge class battleships as well as the Renown class battlecruisers which all carried 15" / 381mm cannons, it is also likely that the increased calibre is the result of the new Italian fast battleships laid down at that time: the Francesco Caracciolo class which too would had carried 381mm cannons.

You can think of this design as the Austro-Hungarian equivalent of the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge classes but faster though with thinner belt and deck armour.

The original drawings can be found with a small history on them:

This was the final battleship proposal by the MTK (Marinetechnische Komitee - Naval Technical Committee), Pola offered in late 1917, early 1918. It was a further improvement on the previous Project III type with another step taken in a larger main weapon calibre: the 42cm sized cannons. These weapons first appeared on the Imperial German navy post Jutland battleship and battlecruiser (The Grosskreuzer and L 20) designs planned for the post war fleet of Germany as well. The 4 turrets are in a conventional layout of superfiring pairs forward and aft while the secondary armament are along the sides in casemates, while the 15cm heavy Dual Purpose AA guns are located in turrets on the deck with a single large funnel emphasising this design. What you actually see is the battleship equivalent of the Project VI battlecruiser mounting the same kind of armament but on a thicker and more armoured hull.

The ship reminiscent both in size, armament and armour to the Japanese Nagato class battleships laid down a few years earlier.

The original drawings can be found with a small history on them:

And finally based on the naming conventions of the German and Austro-Hungarian navies, the name of the class most likely be Ersatz Habsburg class the next oldest battleships of the KuK navy after the Monarch class.