Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf
Class overview
Preceded by	Tegetthoff
Succeeded by	Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie
History
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Name	Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf
Namesake	Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria
Builder	Pola Navy Yard
Laid down	25 January 1884
Launched	6 July 1887
Commissioned	20 September 1889
Fate	Transferred toNavy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, 1921
History
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Namesake	Kumbor
Acquired	1921
Renamed	Kumbor
Stricken	1922
Fate	Broken up for scrap, 1922
General characteristics
Type	Barbette ship
Displacement	6,829long tons (6,939 t)
Length	97.6 m (320 ft 3 in)o/a
Beam	19.27 m (63 ft 3 in)
Draft	7.39 m (24 ft 3 in)
Installed power	10 ×fire-tube boilers 6,000 ihp (4,500 kW)
Propulsion	2 ×triple-expansion steam engines 2 ×screw propellers
Speed	15.5 kn (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Crew	447–450
Armament	3 ×30.5 cm MRK L/35 (12 in) guns 6 × 12 cm (4.7 in) guns 7 ×47 mm (1.9 in) QF guns 2 × 37 mm (1.5 in) QF guns 4 × 40 cm (15.7 in)torpedo tubes
Armor	Belt: 305 mm Deck: 95 mm (3.7 in) Barbettes: 254 mm (10 in)

SMSKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf ("Crown Prince Archduke Rudolf") was a uniqueironclad warship built for theAustro-Hungarian Navy in the 1880s, the fleet's last vessel of that type. The ship waslaid down in January 1884,launched in July 1887, and completed in September 1889. She was armed with a main battery of three 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns and hadcompound steel plating of the same thickness on herarmored belt. The ship had an uneventful career, in large part due to her rapid obsolescence. She made trips to foreign countries to represent Austria-Hungary, but was reduced to acoastal defense ship by 1906. She continued in this role throughWorld War I, based atCattaro Bay, where her crew took part in theCattaro Mutiny in early 1918. After the war,Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was transferred to theNavy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, renamedKumbor and classed as acoastal defence ship, but she remained in their inventory for only a year, being sold for scrap in 1922.

In the decades that followed the Austrian victory at theBattle of Lissa in 1866, naval expenditure in theAustro-Hungarian Empire were drastically reduced, in large part due to the veto power the Hungarian half of the empire held. Surrounded by potentially hostile countries powers on land, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was more concerned with these threats, and so naval development was not prioritized.^[1] AdmiralFriedrich von Pöck argued for several years to improve the strength of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, finally winning authorization to build thecenter battery shipTegetthoff in 1875. He spent another six years trying in vain to secure asister ship toTegetthoff.^[2]

Finally, in 1881, Pöck succeeded in securing funding for a new ironclad, authorized as "ErsatzSalamander", a replacement for the earlierironclad frigate. The new ship, to be namedKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf, cost 5.44 million florins.^[3] According toConway's All the World's Fighting Ships, the design for the new ship was prepared byJosef Kuchinka, the Director of Naval Construction for theAustro-Hungarian Navy, but the naval historian R. F. Scheltema de Heere credits the naval engineer Moriz Soyka with the work.^[4] A second ship,Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie, was authorized at the same time.^[5] The designs for both vessels were heavily influenced by foreign ships like the French ironcladsDuguesclin andAmiral Duperré, both of which featured a similar arrangement of themain battery guns that Kuchinka used for his new ships.^[6]

Chronically starved of funding, the navy was forced to accept significant compromises in the size—and therefore capabilities—ofKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf andKronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie, particularly compared to the far larger and more heavily armedAmiral Duperré that inspired their design. Scheltema de Heere severely criticized the decision to build two ships of markedly different size and power at the same time, stating "Either you need three guns or you can do with two, but one unit larger than the other is nonsense."^[7] Nearly another decade would pass before the Austro-Hungarian Navy secured funding for newcapital ships, the threeMonarch-class coastal defense ships begun in 1893.^[8]

Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was 90.26 meters (296 ft 2 in)long between perpendiculars and 97.6 m (320 ft 3 in)long overall. She had abeam of 19.27 m (63 ft 3 in) and adraft of 7.39 m (24 ft 3 in), and shedisplaced 6,829long tons (6,939 t)normally and 7,315.10 long tons (7,432.48 t) atfull load. Herhull was constructed with transverse and longitudinal steel frames, over which the outer steel hull plating wasriveted; it was also extensively sub-divided intowatertight compartments and had adouble bottom. She had a pronouncedram bow, a common feature of capital ships of the period. The ship had aflush deck and was fitted with a large forwardconning tower with abridge mounted atop it along with a smaller secondary conning tower further aft.^[4][5]

Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was fitted with a single pole mast with a largefighting top placedamidships. The ship had a transversemetacentric height of 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) at full load. Steering was controlled with a singlerudder.^[4][5] She was fitted with electrical pumps that had a capacity of 2,000 long tons (2,032 t) of water per hour.^[9] Her crew varied between 447 and 450 officers and enlisted men throughout her career.^[5]

Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino manufacturedKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf's propulsion system. The ship was powered by a pair of two-cylinder, verticaltriple-expansion steam engines, driving a pair of four-bladedscrew propellers that were 5.49 m (18 ft) in diameter. Steam for the engines was provided by ten coal-firedfire-tube boilers, each of which had threefireboxes. The boilers were vented through twofunnels. Her propulsion system was rated to provide 6,000indicated horsepower (4,500 kW) for a top speed of 15.5knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph). Withforced draft, the power could be increased to 7,500 ihp (5,600 kW), though the increase in speed was modest, to 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph). The ship was fitted with fourelectrical generators to power internal lighting andsearchlights.^[5][9][10]

Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was armed with a main battery of three30.5-centimeter (12 in) MRK 35-caliber guns mounted singly in openbarbettes. Two were placed forward insponsons over the batterydeck to maximize end-on fire, with the third placed aft. The guns were manufactured byKrupp, while the carriages that carried them were built byArmstrong Mitchell & Co. Each of the forward guns had an arc of 180 degrees, while the stern gun could traverse 270 degrees, all hydraulically operated. The guns fired a 450-kilogram (990 lb) shell using a 140 kg (310 lb) charge ofbrown powder, which produced amuzzle velocity of 530 meters per second (1,700 ft/s). While the open barbettes provided a wide field of fire for the slow-firing guns, they were rapidly rendered obsolete by the successful application ofquick-firing (QF) technology to large-caliber artillery pieces.^[5][9] The guns were supplied with forty shells apiece.^[4]

The main battery was supported by a secondary battery of six 12 cm (4.7 in) 35-caliber guns, also built by Krupp. These guns fired a 26 kg (57 lb) shell with a 15 kg (33 lb) propellant charge, and the ship carried a total of 256 of the shells. She carried seven47 mm (1.9 in) QF guns for close-range defense againsttorpedo boats; five were 44-caliber guns and the other two were shorter 33-caliber pieces, all built byHotchkiss. She carried a total of 1770 rounds of ammunition for the guns. Her gun armament was rounded out by a pair of 37 mm (1.5 in) 44-caliber QF guns and a pair of 7 cm (2.8 in) 15-caliber landing guns for use by landing parties. The 37 mm guns were supplied with a total of 780 rounds. As was customary for capital ships of the period, she carried four 40 cm (15.7 in)torpedo tubes; one was mounted in the bow, another in the stern, and one on eachbroadside. The ship carried fourteen torpedoes.^[4][5][9]

Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was protected withcompound armor manufactured by theDillinger Hütte works in Germany.^[11] The ship'sarmored belt was 305 mm thick amidships, where it protected the ammunition magazines and machinery spaces, and reduced to 62 mm (2.4 in) elsewhere. Transversebulkheads capped the ends of the thickest portion of the belt, with the forward bulkhead 242 mm (9.5 in) and the aft bulkhead 203 mm (8 in) thick. An armored deck 95 mm (3.7 in) thick protected the ship's vitals from shells that passed over the side armor. The barbettes for the main battery were 254 mm (10 in) thick.^[5][9]

SMSKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf waslaid down on 25 January 1884 at the Navy Dockyard inPola. She waslaunched on 6 July 1887 and then beganfitting out, which was completed in September 1889.^[5] The ship wascommissioned to beginsea trials on 20 September.^[4] Embarrassingly for the Habsburgs, the ship's namesake had committed suicide earlier that year in theMayerling incident. In 1890, the German emperor, KaiserWilhelm II, invited the Austro-Hungarian fleet to take part in the annual fleet training exercises in August.Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf, the ironcladKronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie, and theprotected cruiserKaiser Franz Joseph I were sent to Germany under the command ofRear AdmiralJohann von Hinke. While en route, the squadron made visits inGibraltar and Britain; during the latter stop, the ships took part in theCowes Regatta, where they were reviewed byQueen Victoria. The ships also stopped inCopenhagen, Denmark andKarlskrona, Sweden. During the voyage back to Austria-Hungary, the squadron visitedCherbourg, France andPalermo, Italy.Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf experienced repeated difficulties with her engines on the trip, but it was nevertheless considered to be a great success in the Austro-Hungarian Navy.^[12]

In 1892, celebrations to honor the 400th anniversary ofChristopher Columbus's first trans-Atlantic voyage were held in several countries;Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf,Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie, andKaiser Franz Joseph I represented Austria-Hungary during the ceremonies inGenoa, Italy, Columbus's birthplace. While there, she was inspected byKing Umberto I and his sonPrince Victor Emmanuel. Already by 1898, the ship was regarded by the Austro-Hungarian Navy as a second-rate vessel, after less than 10 years in service. The rapid pace of naval development in the late 19th century had quickly rendered her obsolescent.^[13]Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was reclassified as acoastal defense ship in 1906.^[14] In 1908, the Austro-Hungarian Navy attempted to sell the ship,Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie, andTegetthoff to Uruguay to raise funds for new projects, but the deal fell through.^[15]

After Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia in July 1914, beginningWorld War I, the ship was stationed inCattaro Bay underCommander Richard Florio, the leader of Mining Command II. The force also included an olddestroyer, four torpedo boats, aminelayer, and twominesweepers, among other minor vessels. She remained there for the duration of the conflict.^[14][16] On 29 November, the FrenchsubmarineCugnot slipped between the protective minefields outside Cattaro Bay and entered the bay, but she was spotted by theKaiman-class torpedo boat57 T, which raised the alarm. TheHuszár-class destroyerUlan and theBlitz-class torpedo gunboatBlitz, along with theSchichau-class torpedo boat36, chasedCugnot, which was intending to attackKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf.Cugnot struck an underwater obstacle and cancelled the attack, and57 T fired a torpedo at her, but the torpedo missed because the depth was set too low.Cugnot then escaped from the bay and out through the minefield gap.^[17]

By early 1918, the long periods of inactivity had begun to wear on the crews of several warships at Cattaro, includingKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf. On 1 February, theCattaro Mutiny broke out, starting aboard thearmored cruiserSankt Georg and quickly spreading to other ships.^[18] Officers were confined to their quarters while a committee of sailors met to formulate a list of demands, which ranged from longer periods of leave and better rations to an end to the war, based on the United States PresidentWoodrow Wilson'sFourteen Points. The following day, shore batteries loyal to the government fired onKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf as she steamed to theBay of Teodo, the outermost part of Cattaro Bay. The batteries scored a single hit that killed two men, which prompted many of the mutinous ships to abandon the effort. On the morning of 3 February, theErzherzog Karl-class battleships of the III Division arrived in Cattaro, which convinced the last holdouts to surrender. Trials on the ringleaders commenced quickly and four men were executed.^[19][20]

With the end of the war in November 1918 and the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was transferred to the fledglingNavy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in March 1921. They renamed herKumbor (forKumbor, a port ofMontenegro)^[21] and classed her as acoastal defence ship, but she remained in their inventory only briefly, beingbroken up for scrap the following year.^[14][22]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSMS Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf.

• Freivogel, Zvonimir (2019).The Great War in the Adriatic Sea 1914–1918. Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus.ISBN 978-953-8218-40-8.
• Halpern, Paul (2004)."The Cattaro Mutiny, 1918". In Bell, Christopher M.; Elleman, Bruce A. (eds.).Naval Mutinies of the Twentieth Century: An International Perspective. London: Frank Cass. pp. 45–65.ISBN 978-0-7146-5460-7.
• O'Hara, Vincent; Dickson, David & Worth, Richard (2013).To Crown the Waves: The Great Navies of the First World War. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-61251-082-8.
• Scheltema de Heere, R. F. (1973). Fisher, Edward C. (ed.). "Austro-Hungarian Battleships".Warship International.X (1). Toledo: Naval Records Club, Inc.:11–97.ISSN 0043-0374.
• Sieche, Erwin (1985). "Austria-Hungary". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 326–347.ISBN 978-0-87021-907-8.
• Sieche, Erwin & Bilzer, Ferdinand (1979). "Austria-Hungary". In Gardiner, Robert; Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 266–283.ISBN 978-0-85177-133-5.
• Sondhaus, Lawrence (1994).The Naval Policy of Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918. West Lafayette: Purdue University Press.ISBN 978-1-55753-034-9.
• "The New Austrian Ironclad".Industries: A Journal of Engineering, Electricity, & Chemistry for the Mechanical and Manufacturing Trades. London: Industries: 141.OCLC 221060342.
• Vego, Milan (1982). "The Yugoslav Navy 1918–1941".Warship International.XIX (4). Toledo: International Naval Research Organization:342–361.ISSN 0043-0374.

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