![]() SMS Custoza | |
Class overview | |
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Preceded by | SMS Lissa |
Succeeded by | SMS Erzherzog Albrecht |
History | |
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Name | Custoza |
Namesake | Battle of Custoza |
Builder | Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino |
Laid down | 17 November 1869 |
Launched | 20 August 1872 |
Commissioned | February 1875 |
Fate | Ceded to Italy, 1920, broken up |
General characteristics | |
Type | Casemate ship |
Displacement | 7,609 to 7,730.99 long tons (7,731.10 to 7,855.05 t) |
Length | |
Beam | 17.7 m (58 ft 1 in) |
Draft | 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in) |
Installed power | 4,158 ihp (3,101 kW) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 13.75 knots (25.47 km/h; 15.82 mph) |
Crew | 548–567 |
Armament |
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Armor |
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SMS Custoza was an ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1870s, the only member of her class. She was the first Austro-Hungarian ironclad to be built after the navy studied the results of the Battle of Lissa of 1866; she was also the first iron-hulled capital ship to be built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. She was laid down in November 1869, launched in August 1872, and completed in February 1875. Her career was fairly limited, in part due to reduced naval budgets in the 1870s that also delayed her completion. Custoza was somewhat more active in the 1880s, taking part in an international naval demonstration against the Ottoman Empire in 1880, being modernized in 1882, and a trip to Spain for the Barcelona Universal Exposition in 1888. The ship became a training ship in 1902, was converted into a barracks ship in 1914, and after World War I, was awarded as a war prize to Italy. Custoza was immediately broken up.
In 1869, the Austro-Hungarian navy asked its foremost naval designer, Chief Engineer Josef von Romako, who had designed all of the earlier ironclad vessels, to prepare designs for two new ironclads. The first became the Custoza, and the second became Erzherzog Albrecht, the latter built to a slightly smaller design owing to budgetary shortages. Romako had studied the Battle of Lissa, fought in 1866, and decided the new ships should favor heavy armor and the capability of end-on fire to allow it to effectively attack with its ram. This required compromises in the number of guns and the power of the ship's machinery; to make up for carrying fewer guns, Romako adopted the same casemate ship design adopted with the previous vessel, Lissa. Unlike the wooden-hulled Lissa, however, Custoza's hull would be constructed with iron, the first major Austro-Hungarian warship with an iron hull. [1] [2] Custoza was one of the largest casemate ships to be built by any navy. [3]
Though she proved to be a fairly fast and maneuverable ship, Custoza was built to an obsolescent design, and did not meet the standards of other major navies in the period, which demanded greater armor protection and superior firepower. [4] Italy, Austria-Hungary's rival across the Adriatic Sea laid down the two Duilio-class ironclads, very powerful turret ships carrying 450 mm (17.7 in) guns just four years after Custoza. [5] Nevertheless, Custoza, along with the similar and contemporaneously built Erzherzog Albrecht, was the basis for the ironclad Tegetthoff, laid down in 1876. [6] Abroad, Custoza's design influenced Nathaniel Barnaby, the British Chief Constructor, for his HMS Alexandra. [7] And despite her shortcomings, particularly compared to the large Italian vessels, Custoza was the best capital ship in the Adriatic Sea at the time of her completion, owing to the very lengthy periods of construction for her Italian counterparts. [8]
Custoza was 92.14 meters (302 ft 4 in) long between perpendiculars and 95.03 m (311 ft 9 in) long overall. She had a beam of 17.7 m (58 ft 1 in) and an average draft of 7.9 m (25 ft 11 in). [1] [9] Her displacement ranged from 6,559.76 long tons (6,665.02 t) empty, to 7,175.95 long tons (7,291.10 t) normally, and up to 7,730.99 long tons (7,855.05 t) at full load. She had a transverse metacentric height of 0.85 m (2 ft 9 in). Her pronounced ram bow had an inverted slope up to the forecastle, which extended to the aft end of the central casemate. [10]
The ship had a cellular double bottom that extended up the lower sides of the hull, up to the battery deck; it ran from frame 52 in the bow to frame 34 in the stern; on either ends, the sharp narrowing of the hull form prevented the double bottom from being extended further. The outer plating was 44 mm (1+3⁄4 in) thick, and reduced to 17 mm (11⁄16 in) and then to 19 mm (3⁄4 in) on the sides. Wooden bilge keels were fitted to protect the hull in case of an accidental grounding. [11] She had a crew that ranged from 548 to 567 officers and enlisted men. [1] [9] The ship carried five anchors, two of which weighed 4,339 kg (9,566 lb); the other three were considerably smaller, ranging from 247 to 1,091 kg (545 to 2,405 lb). [8]
Her propulsion system consisted of one single-expansion, horizontal, 2-cylinder steam engine that was manufactured by Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino (STT); the engines drove a single two-bladed-screw propeller that was 6.87 m (22.5 ft) in diameter. Steam was provided by eight coal-fired boilers with thirty-two fireboxes, which were trunked into a pair of funnels located amidships. [1] [12] She had a coal storage capacity of 606.8 long tons (616.5 t). To supplement the steam engine, Custoza was originally fitted with a full ship rig, but she was reduced to a schooner rig in 1877. [1] [9] [13]
Her engine was rated to produce a top speed of 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) from 1000 nominal horsepower. In service, she reached a maximum of 13.75 knots (25.47 km/h; 15.82 mph) from 4,158 indicated horsepower (3,101 kW), although on speed trials conducted on 12 February 1875 at a weight slightly under normal displacement, she reached a slightly higher speed of 13.95 knots (25.84 km/h; 16.05 mph). Over the course of her career, the ship slowed as its engine became worn. By 1883, when steaming at about normal displacement, she had lost about a knot of speed, being capable of just 12.7 knots (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph) from 4,697 ihp (3,503 kW). [9] [12]
Custoza was armed with a main battery of eight 26-centimeter (10.2 in) 22-caliber breech-loading guns manufactured by Krupp's Essen Works. These were mounted in a central, armored battery that had two stories, four guns apiece. The guns each had two gun ports available, which allowed four guns to fire ahead or on the broadside; only the upper two aft guns could fire astern. [1] [6] [14] These guns had a range of elevation from -4° to +8.4° and firing arcs of 15° forward and aft through individual gun ports. They lacked rotating tables and had to be reoriented between the ports manually, an arduous task for the gun crews. [15] She also carried several smaller guns, including six 9 cm (3.5 in) 24-caliber guns and two 7 cm (2.8 in) 15-caliber guns, all manufactured by Krupp. The 9 cm guns were placed in unarmored gun ports, two in the bow and four in the stern. [1] The 9 cm guns had a range of elevation from -7° to +15°, and 21° firing arcs from their ports. [16]
The ship's armored belt was placed on the waterline and was composed of wrought iron plate that was 229 mm (9 in) thick in the central portion of the ship, where it protected the ship's machinery spaces. Toward the bow and stern, the belt was reduced to 114 mm (4.5 in). [1] [9] The belt extended for 2.12 m (6 ft 11 in) above the waterline and 1.45 m (4 ft 9 in) below the line. The deck was protected with only a thin sheet of iron, as was customary for capital ships of the period. [6] The main battery casemate had 152 to 178 mm (6 to 7 in) of iron plating. [1] A major advantage casemate ships like Custoza had over broadside ironclads was the reduced weight of the smaller battery; Custoza had enough buoyancy in the midships section alone to support the weight of the ship. [11]
Custoza was laid down at the STT shipyard in Trieste on 17 November 1869. Her completed hull was launched on 20 August 1872, [1] and she was completed on 18 September 1874. Her first sea trials were conducted over the course of 11–13 February 1875. [9] The ship was named for the Battle of Custoza, an Austrian victory over the Italian army in the Third Italian War of Independence fought in 1866. The government placed a low priority on naval activities, particularly in the 1870s; as a result, the shortage of funds precluded an active fleet policy. The ironclad fleet, including Custoza, was kept out of service in Pola, laid up in reserve; the only vessels to see significant service in the 1870s were several screw frigates sent abroad. [17] The ship's sailing rig was cut down to a schooner rig in 1877. [1]
In 1880, Custoza, the ironclad Prinz Eugen, and the unarmored frigate Laudon took part in an international naval demonstration against the Ottoman Empire to force the Ottomans to transfer the city of Ulcinj to Montenegro in accordance with the terms of the 1878 Congress of Berlin. [18] Custoza remained in commission the following year, along with four smaller vessels. [19] In 1882, the ship received a battery of new quick-firing guns, including four 47 mm (1.9 in) guns, five 47 mm Hotchkiss revolver cannon, and a pair of 25 mm (0.98 in) machine guns. She was also fitted with four 35 cm (14 in) torpedo tubes. [1] At some point before 1887, the ship received anti-torpedo nets. [20]
She participated in the annual fleet maneuvers in 1888, along with the ironclads Don Juan d'Austria, Kaiser Max, and Tegetthoff, and the cruisers Panther, Meteor, and Leopard. [21] Custoza and the other three ironclads were joined by Prinz Eugen, Panther, and Leopard for a visit to Barcelona, Spain, to take part in the opening ceremonies for the Barcelona Universal Exposition. This was the largest squadron of the Austro-Hungarian Navy that had operated outside the Adriatic. There, the Spanish Queen Maria Christina and Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria inspected both Custoza and Tegetthoff. [22] The following year, the ship took part in a set of major training exercises with five other ironclads, several cruisers, and smaller vessels. [23]
The ship had been reduced to the II Reserve by 1895. From 1902, she was employed as a training ship for naval cadets, a role she filled until 1914. [24] That year, she was converted into a barracks ship, a role she filled until 1920. She was ceded to Italy as a war prize that year under the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. [1] She was immediately broken up in Italy. [25]
The central battery ship, also known as a centre battery ship in the United Kingdom and as a casemate ship in European continental navies, was a development of the (high-freeboard) broadside ironclad of the 1860s, given a substantial boost due to the inspiration gained from the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first battle between ironclads fought in 1862 during the American Civil War. One of the participants was the Confederate casemate ironclad CSS Virginia, essentially a central battery ship herself, albeit a low-freeboard one. The central battery ships had their main guns concentrated in the middle of the ship in an armoured citadel. The concentration of armament amidships meant the ship could be shorter and handier than a broadside type like previous warships. In this manner the design could maximize the thickness of armour in a limited area while still carrying a significant broadside. These ships meant the end of the armoured frigates with their full-length gun decks.
SMS Tegetthoff was an ironclad warship of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. She was built by the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard in Trieste, between April 1876 and October 1881. She was armed with a main battery of six 28 cm (11 in) guns mounted in a central-battery. The ship had a limited career, and did not see action. In 1897, she was reduced to a guard ship in Pola, and in 1912 she was renamed Mars. She served as a training ship after 1917, and after the end of World War I, she was surrendered as a war prize to Italy, which sold her for scrapping in 1920.
SMS Kaiser was a 92-gun wooden ship of the line of the Austrian Navy, the last vessel of the type, and the only screw-driven example, to be built by the Austrians. She was built by the naval shipyard in Pola; she was laid down in March 1855, was launched in October 1858, and was completed the following year. The ship took part in the Second Schleswig War of 1864, but saw no action during her deployment to the North Sea. Kaiser did see action during the Seven Weeks' War two years later, during which she took part in the Battle of Lissa as the flagship of Anton von Petz, commander of the Austrian 2nd Division. Kaiser engaged several Italian ironclads simultaneously, rammed one—Re di Portogallo—and damaged another—Affondatore—with gunfire. In doing so, she became the only wooden ship of the line to engage an ironclad warship in battle.
The Drache-class ironclads were a pair of wooden-hulled armored frigates built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1860s, the first ironclads built for Austria-Hungary. Ordered in response to a pair of Italian ironclads in 1860, Drache and Salamander were laid down in early 1861, launched later that year, and completed in 1862. They participated in the Austrian victory over the Italians in the Battle of Lissa, where Drache destroyed the coastal defense ship Palestro, one of two Italian ships sunk in the action. Both ships were withdrawn from front-line service in 1875. Drache's hull was in poor condition, so she was discarded and eventually broken up in 1883, and Salamander became a harbor guard ship. She was hulked in 1883 and converted into floating storage for naval mines before being scrapped in 1895–1896.
SMS Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was a unique ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1880s, the fleet's last vessel of that type. The ship was laid down in January 1884, launched in July 1887, and completed in September 1889. She was armed with a main battery of three 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns and had compound steel plating of the same thickness on her armored belt. The ship had an uneventful career, in large part due to her rapid obsolescence. She made trips to foreign countries to represent Austria-Hungary, but was reduced to a coastal defense ship by 1906. She continued in this role through World War I, based at Cattaro Bay, where her crew took part in the Cattaro Mutiny in early 1918. After the war, Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was transferred to the Navy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, renamed Kumbor and classed as a coastal defence ship, but she remained in their inventory for only a year, being sold for scrap in 1922.
SMS Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie was an ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1880s, the last vessel of that type to be built for Austria-Hungary. The ship, named for Archduchess Stephanie, Crown Princess of Austria, was laid down in November 1884, was launched in April 1887 and completed in July 1889. She was armed with a pair of 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in open barbettes and had a top speed of 17 knots. Her service was limited, in large part due to the rapid pace of naval development in the 1890s, which quickly rendered her obsolescent. As a result, her career was generally limited to routine training and the occasional visit to foreign countries. In 1897, she took part in an international naval demonstration to force a compromise over Greek and Ottoman claims to the island of Crete. Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie was decommissioned in 1905, hulked in 1910, and converted into a barracks ship in 1914. After Austria-Hungary's defeat in World War I, the ship was transferred to Italy as a war prize and was eventually broken up for scrap in 1926.
SMS Kaiser Max was an ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1870s, the lead ship of the Kaiser Max class. The ship was purportedly the same vessel that had been laid down in 1861, and had simply been reconstructed. This was a fiction, however; the head of the Austro-Hungarian Navy could not secure funding for new ships, but reconstruction projects were uncontroversial, so he "rebuilt" the three earlier Kaiser Max-class ironclads. Only the engines and parts of the armor plate were reused in the new Kaiser Max, which was laid down in February 1874, launched in December 1875, and commissioned in October 1876. The ship's career was fairly limited, in part due to slender naval budgets that prevented much active use. She made foreign visits and took part in limited training exercises in the 1880s and 1890s. Long since obsolete, Kaiser Max was removed from service in 1904 and converted into a barracks ship. After World War I, the ship was transferred to the Royal Yugoslav Navy as a war prize and renamed Tivat. Her fate thereafter is uncertain, either being sold for scrap in 1924 or retained through 1941.
SMS Prinz Eugen was an ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1870s, the third and final member of the Kaiser Max class. The ship was supposedly the same vessel that had been laid down in 1861, and had simply been reconstructed. In reality, the head of the Austro-Hungarian Navy could not secure funding for new ships, but reconstruction projects were uncontroversial, so he "rebuilt" the three earlier Kaiser Max-class ironclads. Only the engines and parts of the armor plate were reused in the new Prinz Eugen, which was laid down in October 1874, launched in September 1877, and commissioned in November 1878. The ship spent significant periods out of service, in part due to slender naval budgets that prevented much active use. In 1880, she took part in an international naval demonstration against the Ottoman Empire, and she went to Spain in 1888 for the Barcelona Universal Exposition. Prinz Eugen was stricken in 1904 and converted into a repair ship in 1906–1909. She was renamed Vulkan and served in this capacity through World War I; after the war, she was seized by Italy but was awarded to Yugoslavia in the postwar peace negotiations. Italy refused to hand the ship over, however, and her ultimate fate is unknown.
SMS Don Juan d'Austria was an ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1870s, the second of the three ships of the Kaiser Max class. The ship was purportedly the same vessel that had been laid down in 1861, and had simply been reconstructed. This was a fiction, however; the head of the Austro-Hungarian Navy could not secure funding for new ships, but reconstruction projects were uncontroversial, so he "rebuilt" the three earlier Kaiser Max-class ironclads. Only the engines and parts of the armor plate were reused in the new Don Juan d'Austria, which was laid down in February 1874, launched in December 1875, and commissioned in October 1876. The ship's career was fairly limited, in part due to slender naval budgets that prevented much active use. She made foreign visits and took part in limited training exercises in the 1880s and 1890s. Long since obsolete, Don Juan d'Austria was removed from service in 1904 and used as a barracks ship through World War I. After the war, she sank under unclear circumstances.
SMS Erzherzog Albrecht was an ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1870s, the only member of her class. Her design was similar to the ironclad Custoza, but Erzherzog Albrecht was built to a smaller size; like Custoza, she was an iron-hulled casemate ship armed with a battery of eight heavy guns. The ship was laid down in June 1870, was launched in April 1872, and was commissioned in June 1874. The ship's service career was limited; tight naval budgets precluded an active fleet policy in the 1870s, which did not markedly improve in the 1880s. Her first period of active service came in 1881 and 1882, when she helped suppress a revolt in Cattaro Bay. In 1908, she was converted into a tender for the gunnery training school, having been renamed Feuerspeier. In 1915, she became a barracks ship, and after World War I ended in 1918, was ceded to Italy as a war prize. She was renamed Buttafuoco, served in the Italian Navy as a hulk through World War II before being scrapped in 1950.
SMS Lissa, named for the Battle of Lissa, was a unique ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1860s and 1870s, the only member of her class. She was the first casemate ship built for Austria-Hungary, she was armed with a main battery of twelve 9-inch (229 mm) guns in a central armored casemate, unlike the earlier broadside ironclads. Construction of the ship lasted from June 1867 to May 1871, and was delayed by budgetary shortfalls; the lack of funding also plagued the ship during her career, preventing her from taking an active role in the fleet. She spent the majority of her time in service laid up in Pola, apart from a lengthy reconstruction in 1880–1881. Lissa was ultimately stricken from the fleet in 1892 and broken up for scrap starting the following year.
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The Erzherzog Ferdinand Max class consisted of a pair of ironclad warships—Erzherzog Ferdinand Max and Habsburg—built for the Austrian Navy in the 1860s. They were the last broadside armored frigates to be built for the Austrian Empire, and the last vessels completed to see action against the Italians at the Battle of Lissa in 1866. Intended to have been armed with new breech-loading Krupp guns, the outbreak of the 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.
SMS Erzherzog Ferdinand Max was the lead ship of the Erzherzog Ferdinand Max class of broadside ironclads built for the Austrian Navy in the 1860s. She was built by the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, with her keel laying in October 1863, launching in May 1865, and commissioning in June 1866 at the outbreak of the Third Italian War of Independence and the Austro-Prussian War, fought concurrently. The ship was armed with a main battery of sixteen 48-pounder guns, though the rifled guns originally intended, which had been ordered from Prussia, had to be replaced with old smoothbore guns until after the conflicts ended.
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.
SMS Kaiser Max was the lead ship of the Kaiser Max class of armored frigates built for the Austrian Navy in the 1860s. Her keel was laid in October 1861 at the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard; she was launched in May 1862, and was completed in 1863. She carried her main battery—composed of sixteen 48-pounder guns and fifteen 24-pounders—in a traditional broadside arrangement, protected by an armored belt that was 110 mm (4.3 in) thick.
SMS Prinz Eugen was the second member of the Kaiser Max class built for the Austrian Navy in the 1860s. Her keel was laid in October 1861 at the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard; she was launched in June 1862, and was completed in March 1863. She carried her main battery—composed of sixteen 48-pounder guns and fifteen 24-pounders—in a traditional broadside arrangement, protected by an armored belt that was 110 mm (4.3 in) thick.
SMS Don Juan d'Austria was the third member of the Kaiser Max class built for the Austrian Navy in the 1860s. Her keel was laid in October 1861 at the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard; she was launched in July 1862, and was completed in 1863. She carried her main battery—composed of sixteen 48-pounder guns and fifteen 24-pounders—in a traditional broadside arrangement, protected by an armored belt that was 110 mm (4.3 in) thick.
Josef Ritter von Romako was an Austro-Hungarian naval architect in the 19th century. He was responsible for designing most of the ironclad warships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, from the first vessels of the Drache class in the early 1860s to SMS Tegetthoff, built in the late 1870s and early 1880s. He was also responsible for designing the Zara-class cruisers.