700-75 SMS KRONPRINZ ERZHERZOG RUDOLF AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN NAVY IRONCLAD

SMS Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was an Austro-Hungarian armored-deck cruiser, under which the keel was laid in 1884, launched in 1887, and entry into service took place in 1889. The vessel was about 98 meters long with a width of about 19.3 meters. The displacement did not exceed 6,900 tons, and the maximum speed was up to 16 knots. The ship's armament included: 2 305 mm guns, 6 120 mm guns, and 7 47 mm rapid-fire guns. SMS Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf at the Navy Shipyard in Pola, as a unit to replace the SMS Salamander armored frigate in the line. The ship was created as a result of the very strenuous actions of Admiral Friedrich von Pöck, who even agitated for the strengthening and modernization of the Austro-Hungarian navy, which after 1866 experienced radical budget cuts. It is assumed that SMS Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf was largely influenced by French designs - especially of the Amiral Duperre, but it was less armed and less armored than it. Before the outbreak of the Great War, SMS Kronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf mainly carried out tasks related to representing the flag, but the rapid development of naval technology meant that in 1906 it was reclassified to a coastal defense ship, and during World War I, it did not take part in any major battle. He spent almost the entire period of 1914-1918 at the base in Cattaro. After 1918, it was handed over to the future Yugoslavia, and in 1922 it was sold for scrap.