Austria-Hungary's Navy: A Powerful Force In The Adriatic

The Austro-Hungarian Navy, or Imperial and Royal War Navy, was the naval force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918. The k.u.k. Kriegsmarine, as it was also known, came into being after the formation of Austria-Hungary in 1867 and ceased to exist in 1918 following the Empire's defeat and collapse at the end of World War I.

The Austrian Navy saw action in several wars before 1867, including the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Second Egyptian–Ottoman War. After Austria's defeat by Prussia and Italy during the Seven Weeks' War, the Austrian Empire reformed into the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary, and the navy became the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

During World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Navy was largely tasked with defending the Empire's 1,130 nautical miles of coastline and 2,172.4 nautical miles of island seaboard. The Navy relied on its U-boats to attack Allied shipping rather than risk the destruction of its battleships, cruisers, and other surface vessels.

In the aftermath of World War I, Austria and Hungary became landlocked, and the Empire's most important ports, including Trieste and Pola, became part of Italy and Yugoslavia. The remaining ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were turned over to the Allies and scrapped in the 1920s during the era of naval disarmament.

The Austro-Hungarian Navy was established in 1786

The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary, designated as the Imperial and Royal War Navy (German: kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine, in short k.u.k. Kriegsmarine). It came into being after the formation of Austria-Hungary in 1867 and ceased to exist in 1918 following the Empire's defeat and collapse at the end of World War I.

The origins of the k.u.k. Kriegsmarine can be traced back to 1382, with the incorporation of Trieste into the Duchy of Austria. However, until the end of the 18th century, there were only limited attempts to establish an Austrian navy. During the Thirty Years' War, for instance, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II awarded Albrecht von Wallenstein the title of "Admiral of the North and Baltic Seas" after he scored several military victories against Denmark–Norway in northern Germany.

The Austrian Navy's fortunes ebbed and flowed over the years, with the Navy playing a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars and remaining relatively small in scale. It wasn't until the 1860s, under Rear-Admiral Archduke Ferdinand Max, that the Navy experienced a resurgence. This was also when the Navy underwent positive material and doctrinal progress, which abated in the post-Tegetthoff years.

The establishment of the Austrian Navy in 1786 marked the beginning of a long and complex naval history for Austria-Hungary, which eventually culminated in the creation of the k.u.k. Kriegsmarine in 1867.

The Navy was also known as the Imperial and Royal War Navy

The Austro-Hungarian Navy, also known as the Imperial and Royal War Navy, was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. The Navy came into being after the formation of Austria-Hungary in 1867 and ceased to exist in 1918 upon the Empire's defeat and collapse at the end of World War I.

Ships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy were designated SMS, for Seiner Majestät Schiff (His Majesty's Ship). The Navy was largely neglected by the Empire in its early years, but 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.

The Navy was under the control of the Imperial and Royal Naval Section (K. u. k. Marinesektion), a separate department under the common War Ministry of the Realm (Reichskriegsministerium). An independent Naval Ministry (Marineministerium) existed in the short period of time between 1862 and 1865 and the Austrian admirals have demanded, that it should be reinstated, but this fell through due to the ongoing negotiations between the Imperial court and Hungary in preparation for the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867.

The Navy's main use was to defend the Empire's 1,130 nautical miles of coastline and 2,172.4 nautical miles of island seaboard. During most of 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 Austro-Hungarian Empire facing collapse and defeat in the war, the Empire decided to transfer most of its navy to the newly declared State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, effectively bringing the Navy to an end.

The Navy fought against the Danes, French, Italians and British

The Austro-Hungarian Navy, or Imperial and Royal War Navy, fought against the Danes, French, Italians, and British in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Danes

The Austrian Navy's first major sea battle was against Denmark in the Second Schleswig War in 1864. The Austrian flotilla, led by Rear-Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, travelled from the Mediterranean to the North Sea. On May 9, 1864, Tegetthoff's squadron encountered a superior Danish squadron off Heligoland. The Austrian ships were on fire and compelled to withdraw, but the Danes did not renew their blockade, allowing Austria to claim victory.

The French

The Austrian Navy fought against the French in the Napoleonic Wars, the War of the First Coalition, the War of the Fifth Coalition, and the Franco-Austrian War of 1859. During the latter, the French fleet sailed into the Adriatic and dominated the sea, forcing the Austrian fleet to withdraw into their fortified harbours.

The Italians

The Austrian Navy fought against the Italians in the First, Second, and Third Wars of Italian Independence. In the Third War of Italian Independence, the Austrian Navy, led by Tegetthoff, defeated a numerically superior Italian force in the Battle of Lissa in 1866. This was the first major sea battle between ironclads and one of the last to involve deliberate ramming. Two Italian ironclads were sunk, while the Austrians lost no ships.

The British

The Austrian Navy fought against the British in the First Coalition. In 1799, the Austrian Navy, consisting of 37 vessels, was largely unable to project power outside of the Adriatic or protect Austrian shipping in the Mediterranean.

The Navy was disbanded in 1918

The Austro-Hungarian Navy, also known as the Imperial and Royal War Navy, was disbanded in 1918 following the Empire's defeat and collapse at the end of World War I. The Navy was transferred to the newly declared State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, and Austria and Hungary became landlocked. 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 disbandment of the Navy was the culmination of a series of events that began with the Empire's defeat in World War I. The Austro-Hungarian Navy had faced several challenges during the war, including the Allied Powers' Otranto Barrage, which aimed to bottle up the Navy in the Adriatic Sea. The Navy relied mainly on its U-boats to attack Allied shipping rather than risk the destruction of its battleships, cruisers, and other surface vessels. However, an attempt to break through the Otranto Barrage in June 1918 was called off after the battleship Szent István was sunk by an Italian torpedo boat.

With the Empire facing collapse and defeat, the decision was made to transfer most of the Navy to the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs on October 31, 1918, effectively bringing the Austro-Hungarian Navy to an end. Three days later, the Empire signed the Armistice of Villa Giusti, ending its participation in the war. The subsequent Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Treaty of Trianon resulted in Austria and Hungary becoming landlocked, and the Empire's important ports, such as Trieste, Pola, Fiume, and Ragusa, became part of Italy and Yugoslavia.

The disbandment of the Austro-Hungarian Navy had a significant impact on the region. The Navy's main ships were turned over to the Allies, who scrapped most of them during the 1920s. The disbandment also affected the personnel of the Navy, with many officers and sailors having to find new roles or retire. The end of the Navy also had political implications, as Hungary was effectively ruled by an admiral, Miklós Horthy, during the interwar period.

The Navy's last commander was Nicholas Horthy

The last commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy was Nicholas Horthy, who was appointed to the position in March 1918. Horthy was a fascinating figure, and his career spanned two world wars, the fall of Europe's oldest dynasties, the rise of dictatorships, and the advent and collapse of fascism.

Horthy was born in 1868 to a family of landed gentry and joined the Austro-Hungarian Naval Academy at Fiume at the age of 14. He distinguished himself as a naval commander in World War I, rising to the rank of rear admiral by 1918. He was wounded in the Battle of Oranto in 1917, which was a significant victory for the Central Powers. Horthy's three cruisers faced a combined British-Italian-French force, and despite being wounded, he continued to command the action from a stretcher on the bridge of his ship. The Allied forces turned tail and retreated, and Horthy had won a decisive victory.

Horthy was appointed commander-in-chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in March 1918, succeeding many more senior commanders. However, he was forced to surrender the fleet to the newly formed Yugoslavia in October 1918, bringing his naval career to an end.

Horthy's career then took an unexpected turn when he was asked to form a national army to oppose the Communist regime of Bela Kun in Hungary. He entered Budapest at the head of his troops in November 1919, launching a white terror that eradicated Hungarian communism for a generation. In March 1920, the Hungarian Parliament elected him regent, a position he held until 1944.

Horthy's relationship with Hitler was complex. He initially sympathised with Hitler's crusade against Bolshevism and allied Hungary with Nazi Germany during World War II. However, he later sought a way out of the conflict, as he believed that Germany would lose the war. This led to his forced abdication and abduction by the Germans in 1944. He was released by Allied troops in May 1945 and allowed to go to Portugal, where he lived out the rest of his life.

Frequently asked questions