Austria's Navy: A Historical Perspective In 1938

The history of the Austrian Navy can be traced back to 1382 when Trieste came under Austrian protection. However, the Austrian Navy ceased to exist in 1918 after the Empire's defeat and collapse at the end of World War I. In 1938, Austria was part of Nazi Germany following the Anschluss, and so it can be assumed that Austria did not have its own navy at this time.

The Austrian Navy was established in 1786, with Emperor Joseph II purchasing two 20-gun cutters

The establishment of the Austrian Navy was an important development in the history of Austria and its naval ambitions. Emperor Joseph II also introduced Austria's Naval Ensign, which consisted of a red-white-red standard with the crown of the Archduchy of Austria on the left. This ensign remained in use until the middle of World War I.

The Austrian Navy initially consisted of the two cutters purchased by Emperor Joseph II, along with several armed merchant vessels and gunboats. However, it began to expand rapidly following the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797, which resulted in the acquisition of Venice, Istria, and Dalmatia. This included the Venetian Navy, which added 37 ships to the Austrian fleet.

The Austrian Navy played a significant role in the early 19th century, seeing action in various conflicts such as the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. However, the Austrian Navy was disbanded in 1809 after Austria lost its coastline following the defeat at Wagram. It was later restored after the Congress of Vienna in 1815, and continued to grow and modernise throughout the 19th century.

The Austrian Navy reached its peak in the mid-19th century under the command of Archduke Ferdinand Max, who initiated an ambitious construction program. The Austrian Navy played a crucial role in the Oriental Crisis of 1840 and the First Italian War of Independence in 1848. However, the Revolutions of 1848 and the loss of Venice dealt a significant blow to the navy, leading to a period of reorganisation and rebuilding.

In the late 19th century, the Austrian Navy became the Imperial and Royal Navy of Austria-Hungary following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. It continued to play an important role in regional conflicts and international affairs until the outbreak of World War I.

The Austrian Navy was based in Trieste and Pola

In 1797, the Treaty of Campo Formio ended the War of the First Coalition, with Austria receiving Venice, Istria and Dalmatia from the Republic of Venice. Venice's naval forces and facilities were handed over to Austria and became the basis of the Austrian Navy, which became the dominant naval power in the Adriatic. However, the Austrian Navy remained a relatively small force, with 37 vessels in 1799, mostly small coastal craft with 111 guns and 787 crew members.

In the early 1800s, the Austrian Navy began to be rebuilt, with the construction of additional ships and the purchasing of new equipment. The first steamship of the Austrian Navy, the 500-tonne paddle steamer Maria Anna, was constructed in Fiume in 1836. Archduke Friedrich Leopold joined the Navy around this time, boosting its morale and prestige and modernising its ships, bases and arsenals.

In the mid-1800s, the Austrian Navy was again expanded, with the construction of the first Austrian Ironclads, the Drache-class, beginning in 1861. This expansion was in response to the Italian Formidabile, which itself responded to the French Gloire of 1859. The Austrian Navy saw action in the Second Schleswig War of 1864 and the "Seven Weeks War" in 1866, in which the Austrian Navy famously fought in the Battle of Lissa.

In 1867, with the Italian Unification and nationalist actions, the Austrian Navy became the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

The Austrian Navy was renamed the Austro-Hungarian Navy after the formation of Austria-Hungary in 1867

Prior to 1867, the Austrian Navy was known as the Imperial Austrian Navy and saw action in several wars, including the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Second Egyptian-Ottoman War. However, the Austrian Navy was largely neglected and underdeveloped during this period.

With the formation of Austria-Hungary in 1867, the country was now a dual monarchy, and the navy was renamed the Austro-Hungarian Navy, also known as the Imperial and Royal War Navy (k.u.k. Kriegsmarine). This reflected the constitutional change that gave Hungary equal status within the empire. The Austro-Hungarian Navy continued to expand and modernize, becoming one of the largest navies in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas.

During World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Navy played a significant role in the Adriatic Sea, particularly in the Battle of the Otranto Straits in 1917. However, the empire was defeated and collapsed at the end of the war in 1918, leading to the end of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. The main ships were turned over to the Allies and scrapped, and Austria and Hungary became landlocked countries.

The Austro-Hungarian Navy ceased to exist in 1918 after the Empire's defeat and collapse at the end of World War I

The Austrian Navy was largely neglected by the Empire in its early years. However, it expanded along with Austro-Hungarian industrialization into one of the largest navies in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas. By 1914, the Navy had a peacetime strength of 20,000 personnel. During World War I, the Allied Powers maintained the Otranto Barrage to bottle up the Navy in the Adriatic Sea. The Navy chose to rely on its U-boats to attack Allied shipping rather than risk the destruction of its battleships, cruisers, and other surface vessels.

In June 1918, the Navy attempted to break the Otranto Barrage with a large naval fleet, but the attack was called off after the battleship Szent István was sunk by an Italian torpedo boat. Five months later, with the Empire facing collapse and defeat in the war, it decided to transfer most of its navy to the newly declared State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs, effectively bringing the Navy to an end.

With the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Treaty of Trianon, Austria and Hungary became landlocked, and the Empire's most important ports became part of Italy and Yugoslavia. The Navy's main ships were turned over to the Allies, who scrapped most of them in the 1920s during the era of naval disarmament.

The Austrian Navy was under the control of the Imperial and Royal Naval Section, a separate department under the common War Ministry of the Realm

The Austrian Navy was established in 1786, when Emperor Joseph II ordered two 20-gun cutters to be based in Trieste. This was the first time that Austria had a proper naval force, though the country had access to ports and ships prior to this. The Austrian Navy was initially based in Trieste, and later Pola.

In 1867, the Austrian Navy became the Austro-Hungarian Navy, following the formation of Austria-Hungary. This was reflected in the Navy's title, which changed to "Imperial and Royal Navy".

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