The Austrian-Hungarian naval shipbuilding program according to the Dutch newspaper Het Volk dated 11 February 1911

This newspaper was published by the Dutch Labour party and quite socialistic coloured and quite anti military.

In a news item dated Amsterdam 10 February dealing with the quite formidable increase military budget for Austria-Hungary are these viewpoints clear. A week earlier were the budgets for the army and navy send to the representatives of Austria and Hungary with an annual increase of 100.000.000 crones necessary since the annexation in 1908 of Bosnia and Herzegovina.(1)

Montecuccoli (2) developed a naval shipbuilding program which was ridiculous according to the journalist. Austria needed to build 16 battleships of the most modern type until 1920. While Austria just possessed 3 of these ships said experts that another 17 (?) were to be build of which 9 next summer. This number excluded the four dreadnoughts to be build in 1916. For each battleship was also a cruiser needed with a speed of 24-28 knots against the 20 knots speed of a battleship. The Austrian navy possessed just one such a fast cruiser. Of the torpedo vessels were 36 of the 74 considered as being aged. The costs if this program amounted for the battleships and cruisers alone 1.230.000.000 crones in a period of 10 years.

Notes

1. This annexation caused the Bosnian Crisis nearly ending in a world war.

2. This must be admiral Rudolf Graf von Montecuccoli degli Erri (Modena 22 February 1843-Bden-bei-Wien 16 May 1922) commander of the Austrian-Hungarian navy between October 1804-February 1913 compared with his German opponent Tirpitz while building a powerful navy.