Replacement Zenta class
These three cruisers were intended as a continuation of the so-called rapid cruisers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy . The project names of the ships were "Kreuzer K", "Kreuzer L" and "Kreuzer M". They were planned with a view to the emerging military conflict with Italy .
The following were requested:
- Displacement from 4500 to 4800 t,
- Turbine drive for a maximum speed of 29.5 to 30 kn,
- Main armament 12 to 14 12 cm guns and four torpedo tubes ,
- Armor whenever possible.
At the request of the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand , a unit should be built as a "yacht cruiser" with rooms for him and his court . Only two serious designers, Silvius Morin and Ernst Fiala, took part in the design competition launched by the Naval Technical Committee in 1913 . The MTK commission decided on April 14, 1914 in favor of Fiala's draft "II b". The schedule originally stipulated July 1, 1914 for the keel laying of “K” and July 1, 1915 for “L” and “M”. The ships were to be built by Ganz & Co - Danubius in Fiume . After the outbreak of World War I , the project was postponed until after the war.
In autumn 1914, towing tests were carried out at the Royal Research Institute for Hydraulic Engineering and Shipbuilding in Berlin . Fiala continued to work on the designs at least until 1915. At this time, the naval command was already demanding armament with two 19-cm and six 15-cm guns and a tank belt of 120-150 mm.
literature
- Erwin Sieche: Cruisers and cruiser projects of the kuk Kriegsmarine 1889–1918. Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-8132-0766-8 and ISBN 3-7083-0012-2 .
- Robert Gardiner et al .: Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships. 1906-1921. London 1985, ISBN 0-85177-245-5 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to Gardiner et.al., p. 337, another designer named Pitzinger took part