Freivogel, Zvonimir Austro-Hungarian Battleships of World War One

Often the question was asked if Austria-Hungary as an Adriatic state needed bigger warships, especially battleships. The coast could have been allegedly defended by myriads of smaller warships, like torpedo boats or even destroyers, together with submarines. One should not forget that Austria-Hungary was one of Great Powers of its time, and Great Powers are not operating on their front porch only, but on Worlds oceans as well. In the epoch of the Habsburg Monarchy, the power of nations with an access to the sea and with bigger or smaller merchant fleets was measured by the number of capital ships, ironclads or battleships. It was even more important during the era of Navalismus in the late 19th and early 20th Century, as an arms race in building battleships was in process, being accelerated after the appearance of the British Dreadnought, an all-big-gun-one-caliber battleship, which made most older battleships obsolete. Austro-Hungarian Navy was having several cruisers showing the flag around the world and its battle-fleet served for power projection in the Levant, where the Habsburg Empire was having commercial interests too. It was out of question to have only a "mosquito fleet" of torpedo boats and gun-boats at its disposal, and at the same time to promote and protect state and commercial interests overseas.

This was even more important during the era of navalism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when an arms race in battleship construction was underway. The development of the British "dreadnought" at the beginning of the 20th century made virtually all previously built battleship types immediately obsolete. The Austro-Hungarian navy had several cruisers flying the flag of the Habsburg Empire around the world, and its battle fleet served to project power in the Levant, where the Habsburg Empire also had commercial interests. There was no question of having only a "mosquito fleet" of torpedo boats and gunboats at its disposal, while at the same time promoting and protecting state and commercial interests overseas.