1/700 KuK Austro-Hungarian Battleship SMS Radetzky (WSW)

SMS Radetzky i built some years ago. The ship is painted in the light-blue-grey wartime paint coat ,introduced in February 1914. In April 1904 the Naval Section ordered the planning start for a 14,500-t battleship. Naval architect Siegfried Popper worked out five different armament variants. At the end the ship was built with four 30.5 cm and eight 24 cm in twin turrets, and twelve 10 cm guns. With this decision the Austro-Hungarian Navy missed its chance to build its first dreadnought-ship during a time while other Navys introduced all-big-gun ships.  SMS Radetzky were launched on July 4, 1909. The sister ships were SMS Zrinyi and SMS Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand.

In March 1909 naval architect Siegfried Popper worked out plans for a 20.000-t battleship ordered by the Ministry of Defense, Naval Section, with twelve 30.5 cm guns, the later TEGETTHOFF-CLASS with the four Austro-Hungarian dreadnoughts. In world-war one the K.u.K. Austro-Hungarian Navy disposed about 16 battleships : 4 dreadnoughts (first division Tegetthoff-class), 3 semi-dreadnoughts (second division Radetzky-class), 3 pre-dreadnoughts (third division Erzherzog-class), 3 battleships Habsburg-class, 3 battleships Monarch-class; 3 armoured cruisers; 11 cruisers and scout cruisers; 26 destroyers; 24 large torpedoboats; 27 submarines ( further 20 German submarines under Austrian command); several auxiliaries.

Literature: www.naval-history.net
Die Schiffe der k.u.k. Kriegsmarine im Bild; Lothar Baumgartner, Erwin Sieche, Verlagsbuchhandlung Stöhr GmbH, Wien 2001
K.u.K. Flotte 1900-1918; Wladimir Aichelburg, Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, Verlag Österreich, 1998
 

Gallery updated 2012

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