Battleship building under Austro-Hungarian naval programme 1914/1915-1918/1919

Tegethoff-class. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

Type 1914 design.  ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

Within the British cabinet supplied W.S.C. on 9 May 1914 remarks of the Admiralty dated 6 May dealing with the Austro-Hungarian naval programme. Source were the original estimates (1 July 1914-30 June 1915 published by the Austro-Hungarian Press), handed over to the Delegations of both countries on 28 April 1914. It made clear that the intention was to start more more than two battleships in 1914 in contrary to what earlier was thought.

The estimated 970,833 pound sterling for battleship VIII made clear that she was to be laid down very early in the budget year 1914-1915, perhaps even in July 1914. For some months were preparations going on for laying down a battleship. The armament and armour seemed already to be available. The Naval Attache reported on 14 April 1914 to the British Ambassador at Vienna, Austria that the shipyard Stabilimento Technico started with the building and for torpedo nets were already started. The main armament was to be 12-13.5”guns and 6 torpedo tubes and the new battleships wer to be faster than the preceding Viribus Unitis-class  [Tegethof-class]. The Viribus Unitis wad built between 28 and the Tegethoff within 33 months. If battleship VIII indeed was laid down in coming July she could be completed in January 1917. If the preparations were more advanced it could be in the latter part of 1916. For battleship IX was 825,000 pound sterling estimated for a first instalment meaning that she could be a half year after the VIII. Another two battleships could be laid in 1915-1916. Totally was 13,675,333 pound sterling estimated for the 4-around 24,500 tons battleships VIII-XI.

Total building costs of the VIII was estimated on 3,481,333 pound sterling (hull, machinery ec. 1,935,041 and for the gunnery and torpedo equipment included mines and ammunition 1,546,292). The IX, X and XI were each 83,333 pound sterling cheaper caused by the total costs for gunnery and torpedo equipment with expected total costs for each battleship to be 3,398,000 pound sterling.

In the budget year 1914 1915 was for the VIII estimated totally 970,833 pound sterling (575,000 for hull, machinery, etc, and 395,833 for artillery and torpedo armament) and for the IX totally 625,000 pound sterling (354,167 respectively 270,833).

Source

The National Archives, Kew Gardens, England CAB 37-119-59