SMS Kaiser Franz Joseph I
Encyclopedia
SMS Kaiser Franz Josef I was a protected cruiser
of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
, the lead ship of the Kaiser Franz Josef
class. Named in honor of the Emperor Franz Josef I
of Austria-Hungary
, the cruiser and its sister ship, Kaiserin Elisabeth
, were built as a reply to the Italian cruisers Giovanni Bausan (1883) and Etna (1885).
at Trieste
, Kaiser Franz Josef I was a steel-hulled vessel of 3,967 tons displacement, she measured 321 feet (97.8 m) in waterline length with a beam of 49 feet (14.9 m) and a mean draft of 19 feet (5.8 m). The crew comprised 450 officers and men.
Originally, Kaiser Franz Josef I and Kaiserin Elisabeth were each armed with two 9.4in (24cm) and six 6in (15cm) guns, both types Model 1886. Kaiser Franz Josef I's 9.4in (24cm) guns were mounted in fore and aft turrets, but owing to fiscal constraints those of Kaiserin Elisabeth had armored hoods instead. Both were reconstructed in 1905-06 with each rearmed with two long-barreled 15 cm and six short-barreled 15 cm guns, both types Model 1901. Rounding out the armament of each were sixteen 4.7 cm quick-firing guns, one machine gun and four 14 inches (355.6 mm) torpedo tubes located above water, two on either beam.
Although Kaiser Franz Josef I burned enormous amounts of coal, in 1914 she could still steam at a very fair speed. At the outbreak of the First World War, Kaiser Franz Josef I was serving with the 2nd Cruiser Division. She took part in the shelling of enemy batteries on Mount Lovčen (which dominated Cattaro Bay
) on 9 September 1914 and again on 8/9 January 1916. Later she was assigned to subsidiary local defense service at Cattaro. She was disarmed in 1917 for use as a floating headquarters.
Upon the defeat and dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kaiser Franz Josef I was
allocated to France
as a war reparation. On her delivery voyage, however, she was overloaded with dismantled machinery and foundered in a gale off Kumbor in Cattaro Bay
on 17 October 1919.
Portions of the wreck were recovered by a Dutch company in 1922 and by Yugoslav salvagers in 1967.
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
, the lead ship of the Kaiser Franz Josef
Kaiser Franz Joseph I class cruiser
The Kaiser Franz Joseph I class was a class of protected cruisers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The class comprised Kaiser Franz Joseph I and Kaiserin Elisabeth.-Design:...
class. Named in honor of the Emperor Franz Josef I
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, the cruiser and its sister ship, Kaiserin Elisabeth
SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth
SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth was a Kaiser Franz Joseph I class protected cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Named in honor of the Empress Elisabeth, consort of Emperor Franz Josef, the cruiser was designed for overseas service and in fact was stationed in China at the outbreak of World War I in...
, were built as a reply to the Italian cruisers Giovanni Bausan (1883) and Etna (1885).
Construction
Built by Stabilimento Tecnico TriestinoStabilimento Tecnico Triestino
Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino was a private shipbuilding company based in Trieste from the mid-19th to early 20th century, and the most important naval shipbuilding firm of the Austro-Hungarian Empire....
at Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, Kaiser Franz Josef I was a steel-hulled vessel of 3,967 tons displacement, she measured 321 feet (97.8 m) in waterline length with a beam of 49 feet (14.9 m) and a mean draft of 19 feet (5.8 m). The crew comprised 450 officers and men.
Technical Description
Propulsion was supplied by two sets of horizontal triple-expansion engines with four cylindrical double-ended boilers. Designed performance was 6400 hp for 18 knots (35.3 km/h) and 8000 hp for 19 knots (37.2 km/h); on trials she in fact reached 20 knots (39.2 km/h).Originally, Kaiser Franz Josef I and Kaiserin Elisabeth were each armed with two 9.4in (24cm) and six 6in (15cm) guns, both types Model 1886. Kaiser Franz Josef I's 9.4in (24cm) guns were mounted in fore and aft turrets, but owing to fiscal constraints those of Kaiserin Elisabeth had armored hoods instead. Both were reconstructed in 1905-06 with each rearmed with two long-barreled 15 cm and six short-barreled 15 cm guns, both types Model 1901. Rounding out the armament of each were sixteen 4.7 cm quick-firing guns, one machine gun and four 14 inches (355.6 mm) torpedo tubes located above water, two on either beam.
Service history
Bay of Kotor
The Bay of Kotor in south-western Montenegro is a winding bay on the Adriatic Sea. The bay, sometimes called Europe's southernmost fjord, is in fact a submerged river canyon of the disintegrated Bokelj River which used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen...
) on 9 September 1914 and again on 8/9 January 1916. Later she was assigned to subsidiary local defense service at Cattaro. She was disarmed in 1917 for use as a floating headquarters.
Upon the defeat and dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kaiser Franz Josef I was
allocated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as a war reparation. On her delivery voyage, however, she was overloaded with dismantled machinery and foundered in a gale off Kumbor in Cattaro Bay
Bay of Kotor
The Bay of Kotor in south-western Montenegro is a winding bay on the Adriatic Sea. The bay, sometimes called Europe's southernmost fjord, is in fact a submerged river canyon of the disintegrated Bokelj River which used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen...
on 17 October 1919.
Portions of the wreck were recovered by a Dutch company in 1922 and by Yugoslav salvagers in 1967.