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So everybody on Twitter is very excited by the idea of "fleets that last for less than 24 hours", which can only mean that - contrary to all expectations - today's hot topic is the naval history of 1918's State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and in particular this shambles:
In 1909 the Italians laid down the keel of this thing, the dreadnought Dante Alighieri. Spooked by the idea that Italy might be planning to unleash a barrage of poetry at them, Austria-Hungary felt the need to respond.
The result was the Tegetthoff-class dreadnoughts. At the time these were claimed to be the most expensive warships in the world. Packing a dozen 12-inch guns in four triple turrets, these were the match of anything else in the region.
In fact, so keen were the Austria-Hungarian navy that the first one, Viribus Unitis, was completed before its Italian rival. This haste might have been a mistake...
The problem was that - as expensive as they were - the Tegetthoff class were being built to a budget. The superfiring triple turrets were chosen partly because they allowed for a smaller ship.
The budget also meant that the armour design wasn't tested. Worse, the smaller space available below decks meant that proper bulkheads would take up too much volume. Instead the Tegetthoff-class relied on a longitudinal bulkhead running the length of the ship.
As the pride of the fleet, Viribus Unitis was naturally the first choice to carry Archduke Franz Ferdinand on an pleasant visit to Sarajevo in 1914, where I'm sure everyone had a wonderful time...
Bugger.
Swiftly entering the 1914 all-comers exhibition trophy for disastrous military decisions, or 'the First World War' as I've been instructed to call it, the Austria-Hungarian navy lost no time in hiding in port.
The reason for holding them back was the near-certainty of war with Italy, which had declared its neutrality.
As soon as war was declared they sailed straight out and did the job they'd been built for: making Italians unhappy.
As soon as war was declared they sailed straight out and did the job they'd been built for: making Italians unhappy.
Having destroyed some strategically vital pizza ovens at Ancona, and coincidentally delaying the mobilisation of the Italian army towards the Austrian border by a couple of weeks, the fleet immediately went back to port.
Something of the dilettante nature of the Austria-Hungarian battleships can be gauged by the fact that Szent István is calculated to have spent less than 60 days at sea in its entire career.
In retrospect Szent István should have stayed in port. In 1918 a new admiral decided to address a spate of mutinies by improving morale. A stated aim was to reduce boredom.
I'm sure the excitement of two Italian fast torpedo boats popping up and sinking Szent István did wonders for morale.
The problem was that longitudinal bulkhead. A side full of water does absolutely nothing for stability, and the fact that the triple turrets added too much top-weight didn't help either. Szent István's rudder was limited to just 10 degrees because of concerns about stability.
The event was captured on film, and it's staggering:
Deciding that they could probably risk just a bit more boredom, the Austria-Hungarian navy scuttled back off to port, where it remained for the rest of the war.
Facing defeat, and determined not to let the Italians get their flagship, a plan was struck...
Facing defeat, and determined not to let the Italians get their flagship, a plan was struck...
The Austria-Hungarians handed Viribis Unitis, along with other ships, to the newly independent State of Slovenese, Croats and Serbs. They then sent a letter to the Italians saying the ships were nothing to do with them, were definitely neutral, and please don't sink them.
Viribis Unitis was handed over on the evening of Halloween, 1918, and the first thing that happened was it was renamed Jugoslavija.
A massive party was held and everyone got drunk, which probably helps explain what happened next.
A massive party was held and everyone got drunk, which probably helps explain what happened next.
Because the second thing that happened was an Italian manned torpedo, unaware of its supposed new neutrality and presumably out for a spot of trick or treating, realised the hungover Jugoslavija wasn't offering any Halloween candy and accelerated straight past merely egging it.
Jugoslavija had been the flagship of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs for less than twelve hours, which is half as long as Twitter are offering your ill-considered "Fleets".
Try to embarrass yourself a little less than they did, eh?
Try to embarrass yourself a little less than they did, eh?
PS: The State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs didn't last much longer itself, becoming the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes 33 days later.
Their ships had already been confiscated by the Allied Powers, who couldn't wait to get their hands on beauties such as this...
Their ships had already been confiscated by the Allied Powers, who couldn't wait to get their hands on beauties such as this...
Final comment on this, but for those of you who are more deeply interested in this stuff there's some excellent quotes about Szent István that @annap442 has dug up, and I'd hate for you to miss out. https://twitter.com/annap442/status/1328828948722147328?s=20
