Her tenure in Pola was livened up by a visit from the new Emperor Karl I on 15 December 1916 and another by Kaiser Wilhelm II on 12 December 1917 during his inspection of the German submarine base there. Following these operations Viribus Unitis remained in Pola for most of the remainder of the war. Viribus Unitis also participated in the bombardment of the Italian city of Ancona in May 1915. The fleet had by that time advanced as far south as Brindisi in south eastern Italy. After the Germans successfully broke out of Messina, the navy was recalled. The two German ships were stationed in the Mediterranean and were attempting to break out of the strait of Messina, which was surrounded by British troops and vessels and make their way to Turkey. Viribus Unitis, along with her sister ships Tegetthoff, Prinz Eugen and the remainder of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, was mobilized on the eve of World War I to support the flight of SMS Goeben and Breslau. Viribus Unitis was sunk by a limpet mine planted by frogmen of the Italian Regia Marina on 1 November 1918. In May 1915, she also took part in the bombardment of the Italian port city of Ancona. Ts name, meaning 'With United Forces', was the personal motto of Emperor Franz Joseph I.ĭuring World War I, Viribus Unitis took part in the flight of the German warships SMS Goeben and Breslau. Viribus Unitis was launched from the shipyard on 24 June 1911 and was later formally commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian navy on 5 December 1912. As the first of the newly created Tegetthoff-class battleships, she was laid down in Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard in Trieste on 24 July 1910. Viribus Unitis was ordered by the Austro-Hungarian navy in 1908. Here is a topic about the Szent Istvan (I wanted to post there but it is achieved) The smaller size of the Fiume shipyards meant that Szent István was built three years after her sisters, with slightly different characteristics. Three of the four were laid down in Trieste, with Szent Istvan being built at Fiume, to incorporate both parts of the dual monarchy into the construction of the ships. Four ships were built, Viribus Unitis, Tegetthoff, Prinz Eugen and Szent István. The Tegetthoff-class (sometimes erroneously named the Viribus Unitis-class) was the sole class of dreadnought battleship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

Tegetthoff class download