View source for SMS Zrínyi

{{short description|Austro-Hungarian battleship}}
{{for|the earlier steam corvette|SMS Zrinyi (1870)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Good article}}
{| {{Infobox ship begin}}
|+ SMS ''Zrínyi''
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image   = SMS Zrínyi, Radetzky osztályú csatahajó. Fortepan 12455.jpg
|Ship image size = 300px
| Ship caption = SMS ''Zrínyi'' in 1918
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = [[Austria-Hungary]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Austria-Hungary|naval}}
| Ship name = SMS ''Zrínyi''
| Ship namesake = [[House of Zrinski]]
| Ship ordered =
| Ship builder = [[Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino]]
| Ship laid down = 15 November 1908
| Ship launched = 12 April 1910
| Ship completed = July 1911
| Ship commissioned = 22 November 1911
| Ship decommissioned = 22 November 1919
| Ship struck =
| Ship fate =
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =title
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1920}}
| Ship name = USS ''Zrínyi''
| Ship commissioned = 22 November 1919
| Ship decommissioned = 7 November 1920
| Ship reinstated =
| Ship homeport =
| Ship fate = Turned over to [[Italy]], ultimately scrapped
| Ship notes =
| Ship badge =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header =
| Header caption = {{sfn|Sieche|p=332}}{{sfn|Ireland|p=12}}
| Ship class = {{sclass|Radetzky|battleship}}
| Ship type =
| Ship displacement = {{convert|14500|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship length = {{convert|139|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|25|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| Ship height =
| Ship draught = {{convert|8.1|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion =*  2 shaft vertical triple expansion [[steam engines]]
* 12 [[Water-tube boiler#Yarrow|Yarrow-type]] coal-fired boilers
* 20,000 hp

| Ship speed = {{convert|20|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}}
| Ship range =* {{convert|4000|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}
* 1,350&nbsp;tons coal

| Ship complement = 880–890 officers and men
| Ship armament =*  4 × [[Škoda 30.5 cm /45 K10|{{convert|30.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} guns]]
*  8 × {{convert|24|cm|in|abbr=on}} guns
* 20 × [[Škoda 10 cm K10|{{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} K10]] rapid-fire cannons
*  4 × [[Škoda 7 cm K10|{{convert|7|cm|in|abbr=on}}]] anti-aircraft guns
* 2 × [[Škoda 7 cm guns|{{convert|66|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}}]] L/18 landing guns
*  4 × [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss#Austro-Hungarian service|{{convert|47|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}}]] guns
*  3 × {{convert|45|cm|in|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s

| Ship armor =* [[Belt armor|Belt]]:              {{convert|230|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]:              {{convert|48|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* [[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]:          {{convert|54|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* Main [[gun turret|turret]]s:      {{convert|250|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* Secondary turrets: {{convert|200|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* [[Casemate#Single casemates .281889 onwards.29|Casemate]]:         {{convert|120|mm|in|abbr=on}}
* [[Conning tower]]:     {{convert|250|mm|in|abbr=on}}

| Ship notes =
}}
|}

'''SMS ''Zrínyi'''''{{efn|name=SMS}} (''"His Majesty's ship Zrínyi"'' {{IPA-hu|ˈzriːɲi|}}) was a {{sclass|Radetzky|battleship|0}} [[semi-dreadnought]] [[battleship]] (''Schlachtschiff'') of the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] (''K.u.K. Kriegsmarine''), named for the [[Zrinski family|Zrinski]], a [[Croatian nobility|Croatian]]-[[Hungarian nobility|Hungarian]] noble family ({{Langx|hu|Zrínyi}}).{{sfn|Frucht|p=339}} ''Zrínyi'' and her [[Sister ship|sisters]], {{SMS|Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand||2}} and {{SMS|Radetzky|1909|2}}, were the last pre-dreadnoughts built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy.{{efn|Although SMS ''Zrínyi'' was laid down and commissioned after the launching of {{HMS|Dreadnought|1906|6}} in 1906, her design was begun before and had the characteristics of a pre-dreadnought battleship rather than later post-dreadnought battleships.}}

During [[World War I]], ''Zrínyi'' saw action in the [[Adriatic Sea]]. She served with the Second Division of the Austro-Hungarian Navy's battleships and shelled [[Senigallia]] as part of [[Bombardment of Ancona|the bombardment of the key seaport of Ancona, Italy]], during May 1915. However, [[Allies of World War I|Allied]] control of the [[Strait of Otranto]] meant that the Austro-Hungarian Navy was effectively contained in the Adriatic. Nonetheless, [[fleet in being|the presence]] of the ''Zrínyi'' and other battleships tied down a substantial force of Allied ships.

With the war going against the Austrians by the end of 1918, ''Zrínyi'' was prepared for transfer to the new [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]]. On 10 November 1918, just one day before the end of the war, navy officers sailed the battleship out of [[Pula|Pola]] (Pula) and surrendered to a squadron of American [[submarine chaser]]s. Following the handover to the [[United States Navy]], she was briefly designated '''USS ''Zrínyi'''''. In the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye]], the transfer was not recognized; instead, ''Zrínyi'' was given to Italy and [[ship breaking|broken up for scrap]].

== Design and construction ==

{{main|Radetzky-class battleship}}

''Zrínyi'' was built at the [[Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino]] dockyard in [[Trieste]], the same place where her sister ships were built earlier. She was laid down on 15 November 1908 and [[ship naming and launching|launched]] from the [[slipway]] on 12 April 1910.{{sfn|Sieche|p=333}} The [[teak]] used on ''Zrínyi''{{'}}s deck was the only material Austria-Hungary had to purchase abroad to build the ship.{{sfn|Sondhaus|p=211}} The ship was completed by 15 July 1911, and on 22 November 1911 she was commissioned into the fleet.{{sfn|Sieche|p=333}} She was the last ship of the class to be completed and had a crew of 880 to 890 officers and men.{{sfn|Ireland|p=12}}{{sfn|Sieche|p=333}}

[[File:Klasa radetzky.png|thumb|left|Plan of SMS ''Radetzky'', a sister ship of SMS ''Zrínyi''|alt= Illustration of this type of vessel; the ship carried two large gun turrets on either end and four smaller turrets arranged around two tall smoke stacks in the center.]]

''Zrínyi'' was 138.8&nbsp;m (455&nbsp;ft 4&nbsp;in) long, and had a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of 24.6&nbsp;m (80&nbsp;ft 8&nbsp;in) and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of 8.1&nbsp;m (26&nbsp;ft 9&nbsp;in). She displaced {{convert|14508|LT}} normally, and up to {{convert|15845|LT}} with a full combat load. She was powered by two-shaft four-cylinder vertical [[triple expansion engine]]s rated at 19,800&nbsp;[[indicated horsepower]]. The ship had a top speed of {{convert|20.5|kn|lk=in}}.{{sfn|Ireland|p=12}} ''Zrínyi'' was the first warship in the Austro-Hungarian Navy to use [[fuel oil]] to supplement her 12 [[Water-tube boiler#Yarrow|Yarrow-type]] coal-fired boilers.{{sfn|Sondhaus|p=211}} She had a maximum range of {{convert|4000|nmi|lk=in}} at a cruising speed of {{convert|10|kn}}.{{sfn|Sieche|p=333}}

The ship's primary armament consisted of four [[Škoda 30.5 cm /45 K10|30.5&nbsp;cm (12&nbsp;in) 45]]-[[Caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|caliber]] guns in two twin [[gun turret]]s.{{sfn|Ireland|p=12}} This was augmented by a heavy secondary battery of eight 24&nbsp;cm (9.4&nbsp;in) guns in four [[wing turret]]s.{{sfn|Ireland|p=12}} The tertiary battery consisted of twenty [[Škoda 10 cm K10|10&nbsp;cm L/50]] guns in [[casemate]]d single mounts, four [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss#Austro-Hungarian service|{{convert|47|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}}]] (1.85&nbsp;in) L/44 and one 47&nbsp;mm L/33 [[quick-firing gun]]s. Furthermore, the ship's boats were equipped with two [[Škoda 7 cm guns|{{convert|66|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}}]] L/18 landing guns for operations ashore.{{sfn|Ireland|p=12}}  After 1916–17 refits four [[Škoda 7 cm K10|Škoda 7 cm K16]] anti-aircraft guns were installed.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Naval weapons of World War One|last=Fiedman|first=Norman|date=1 January 2011|publisher=Seaforth|isbn=978-1848321007|oclc=786178793}}</ref> Three 45&nbsp;cm (17.7&nbsp;in) [[torpedo tube]]s were also carried, one on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]] and one in the stern.{{sfn|Sieche|p=333}}
{{clear left}}

== Service history ==

The ship was assigned to the Austro-Hungarian Fleet's 1st Battle Squadron after her 1911 commissioning. In 1912, ''Zrínyi'' and her two sister ships conducted two training cruises into the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea]].{{sfn|Sieche|p=332}} On the second cruise into the [[Aegean Sea]], conducted from November to December, ''Zrínyi'' and her sister ships were accompanied by the cruiser {{SMS|Admiral Spaun}} and a pair of destroyers. After returning to Pola, the entire fleet mobilized for possible hostilities, as tensions flared in the Balkans.{{sfn|Sondhaus|p=207}}

In 1913, ''Zrínyi'' participated in an international naval demonstration in the [[Ionian Sea]] to protest the [[Balkan Wars]].{{sfn|Hore|p=84}} Ships from other navies included in the demonstration were the British pre-dreadnought {{HMS|King Edward VII}}, the Italian pre-dreadnought {{ship|Italian battleship|Ammiraglio di Saint Bon||2}}, the French [[armored cruiser]] {{ship|French cruiser|Edgar Quinet||2}}, and the German [[light cruiser]] {{SMS|Breslau}}.{{sfn|Vego|p=151}} The most important action of the combined flotilla, which was under the command of British Admiral [[Cecil Burney]], was to [[blockade of Montenegro|blockade the Montenegrin coast]]. The goal of the blockade was to prevent [[Serbia]]n reinforcements from supporting the [[Siege of Scutari (1912–1913)|siege at Scutari]],{{sfn|Vego|pp=151–152}} where Montenegro had besieged a combined force of [[Albanians]] and [[Ottoman Turks|Ottomans]]. Pressured by the international blockade, Serbia withdrew its army from Scutari, which was subsequently occupied by a joint Allied ground force.{{sfn|Vego|p=152}}

During that year, the first of four new [[dreadnought]]s, {{SMS|Viribus Unitis}}, that made up the {{sclass|Tegetthoff|battleship|4}}—the only dreadnoughts built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy—came into active service. With the commissioning of these dreadnoughts, ''Zrínyi'' and her sisters were moved from the 1st Division to the 2nd Division of the 1st Battle Squadron.{{sfn|Sieche|p=332}}{{sfn|Sieche|pp=332–333}}

=== World War I ===

At the time of the [[assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria]] on 28 June 1914, the battleships in the Austro-Hungarian Navy consisted of the ''Radetzky'' class, the ''Tegetthoff'' class (which still had one ship, {{SMS|Szent István}}, under construction), the {{sclass|Erzherzog Karl|battleship|4}} and finally, the older {{sclass|Habsburg|battleship|4}}. Along with the remainder of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, ''Zrínyi'' was mobilized in late July 1914 to support the flight of {{SMS|Goeben}} and {{SMS|Breslau}}. The two German ships broke out of [[Messina]], which was surrounded by the British navy and reached Turkey. The flotilla had advanced as far south as [[Brindisi]] in southeastern Italy when news of [[Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau|the successful breakout]] reached Vienna. The Austro-Hungarian ships were then recalled before seeing action.{{sfn|Halpern|p=54}}
[[File:Zrinyi firing.jpg|thumb|First World War postcard depicting SMS ''Zrínyi'' in action at Senigallia]]
On 23 May 1915, between two and four hours after news of the Italian declaration of war reached the main Austro-Hungarian naval base at Pola,{{efn|There is some debate on when the fleet departed Pola. {{harvnb|Halpern|p=144}} states that it was four hours until the fleet set sail while {{harvnb|Sokol|p=107}} claims that the fleet left Pola two hours after the declaration reached Admiral Haus.}} ''Zrínyi'' and the rest of the fleet departed to bombard the Italian and Montenegrin coast.{{sfn|Halpern|p=144}}{{sfn|Sokol|p=107}} Their focus was on the important naval base at [[Ancona]],{{sfn|DANFS ''Zrínyi''}} and later the coast of Montenegro. The bombardment of Montenegro was part of the larger Austro-Hungarian [[Serbian Campaign (World War I)|campaign against the Kingdoms of Montenegro and Serbia]], which were [[Allies of World War I|members of the Entente]], during the first half of 1915. The attack on Ancona was an immense success, and the ships were unopposed during the operation. The bombardment of the province and the surrounding area resulted in the destruction of an Italian steamer in the port of Ancona itself, and an Italian destroyer, {{ship|Italian destroyer|Turbine|1901|2}}, was severely damaged further south. On the shore, the infrastructure of the port of Ancona, as well as the surrounding towns, were severely damaged. The railroad yard in Ancona, as well as the port facilities in the town, were damaged or destroyed. The local shore batteries were also suppressed.{{sfn|Sokol|pp=107–108}} During the bombardment, ''Zrínyi'' also helped to destroy a train, a railway station, and a bridge at [[Senigallia]].{{sfn|Sondhaus|p=275}} Additional targets that were damaged or destroyed included [[wharves]], warehouses, oil tanks, radio stations, and the local barracks. Sixty-three Italians, both civilians and military personnel, were killed in the bombardment.{{sfn|Sokol|pp=107–108}} By the time Italian ships from [[Taranto]] and Brindisi arrived on the scene, the Austro-Hungarians were safely back in Pola.{{sfn|Hore|p=180}}

The objective of the bombardment of Ancona was to delay the Italian Army from deploying its forces along the border with Austria-Hungary by destroying critical transportation systems.{{sfn|Sokol|p=107}} The surprise attack on Ancona succeeded in delaying the Italian deployment to the [[Alps]] for two weeks. This delay gave Austria-Hungary valuable time to strengthen its Italian border and re-deploy some of its troops from the Eastern and Balkan fronts.{{sfn|Sokol|p=109}}

Aside from the attack on Ancona, the Austro-Hungarian battleships were largely confined to Pola for the duration of the war.{{sfn|Hore|p=84}}{{sfn|Miller|p=396}} Their operations were limited by Admiral [[Anton Haus]], the commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, who believed that he would need to husband his ships to counter any Italian attempt to seize the [[Dalmatia]]n coast. Since coal was diverted to the newer ''Tegetthoff''-class battleships, the remainder of the war saw ''Zrínyi'' and the rest of the Austro-Hungarian Navy acting as a [[fleet in being]]. This resulted in the [[Otranto Barrage|Allied blockade]] of the [[Otranto Strait]].{{sfn|Halpern|p=140}} With his fleet blockaded in the Adriatic Sea, and with a shortage of coal, Haus followed a strategy based on mines and submarines designed to reduce the numerical superiority of the Allied navies.{{sfn|Halpern|p=141}}

=== Post-war fate ===
[[File:SMS Zrínyi.jpg|thumb|SMS ''Zrínyi'' after being handed over to the United States]]

After the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]] collapsed in 1918, the Austrians wanted to turn the fleet over to the newly created [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]] (later to become a part of the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]]) in order to prevent the Italians from claiming the ships as spoils of war. However, the victorious Allies refused to acknowledge the conversations between the Austrians and the south Slavs and, in due course, reallocated the ships.{{sfn|DANFS ''Zrínyi''}} The ship had been boarded by a scratch Yugoslav crew on 10 November 1918, one day before the Armistice, and had left Pola along with her sister ship, ''Radetzky''. They were soon spotted by heavy Italian ships, so the two battleships hoisted American flags and sailed south along the [[Adriatic]] coast to [[Castelli Bay]] near [[Split (city)|Spalato]] (also known as [[Split (city)|Split]]). They appealed for American naval forces to meet them and accept their surrender, which a squadron of United States Navy (USN) submarine chasers in the area did.{{sfn|Hore|p=84}} She had apparently been turned over to the fledgling south Slav state, as it was a [[Croats|Croat]] naval officer, ''Korvettenkapitän'' Marijan Polić, who presented the ship as a prize of war to representatives of the [[United States Navy]] on the afternoon of 22 November 1919 at Spalato (Split) in [[Dalmatia]]. Simultaneously she was commissioned as USS ''Zrínyi'' and Lieutenant E.E. Hazlett, USN, assumed command. The initial American complement consisted of four officers and 174 enlisted men—the latter entirely composed of [[United States Navy Reserve]] Force personnel. The ship remained at anchor at Spalato for nearly a year while the negotiations that would determine her ultimate fate dragged on. Only once did she apparently turn her engines over, and that occurred during a severe gale that struck Spalato on 9 February 1920.{{sfn|DANFS ''Zrínyi''}}

On the morning of 7 November 1920, ''Zrínyi'' was decommissioned. {{USS|Chattanooga|CL-18|6}} took her in tow and, assisted by {{USS|Brooks|DD-232|2}} and {{USS|Hovey|DD-208|2}}, towed the battleship to Italy. Under the terms of the treaties of [[Treaty of Versailles|Versailles]] and [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|St. Germain]], ''Zrínyi'' was ultimately turned over to the [[Italy|Italian]] government at [[Venice]]. She was broken up for scrap later that year and into 1921.{{sfn|Sieche|p=332}}{{sfn|DANFS ''Zrínyi''}}

== Notes ==
===Footnotes===
{{notelist
| notes =

{{efn
| name = SMS
| "SMS" stands for "''[[Seiner Majestät Schiff]]''{{-"}} ("His Majesty's Ship") in German.
}}

}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|20em}}

== References ==
* {{cite book
  | title = Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture
  | last = Frucht
  | first = Richard C.
  | year = 2005
  | publisher = ABC-CLIO
  | location = Santa Barbara, CA
  | isbn = 978-1-57607-800-6
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Frucht}}
  | url-access = registration
  | url = https://archive.org/details/easterneuropeint0000unse
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Halpern
  | first = Paul G.
  | year = 1995
  | title = A Naval History of World War I
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis
  | isbn = 978-1-55750-352-7
  | oclc = 57447525
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Halpern}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Hore
  | first = Peter
  | year = 2006
  | title = Battleships of World War I
  | publisher = Southwater Books
  | location = London
  | isbn = 978-1-84476-377-1
  | oclc = 77797289
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Hore}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Ireland
  | first = Bernard
  | authorlink= Bernard Ireland
  | year = 1996
  | title = Jane's Battleships of the 20th Century
  | publisher = Harper Collins
  | location = London
  | isbn = 978-0-00-470997-0
  | oclc = 35900130
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Ireland}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Miller
  | first = Francis Trevelyan
  | year = 1916
  | title = The Story of the Great War
  | url = https://archive.org/details/storygreatwar02palmgoog
  | publisher = P. F. Collier & Son
  | location = New York
  | oclc = 14157413
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Miller}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Sieche
  | first = Erwin
  | chapter = Austria-Hungary
  | editor1-last = Gardiner
  | editor1-first = Robert
  | editor2-last = Gray
  | editor2-first = Randal
  | year = 1985
  | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921
  | publisher = Naval Institute Press
  | location = Annapolis, Md.
  | isbn = 978-0-87021-907-8
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Sieche}}
  | url=https://archive.org/details/conwaysallworlds0000unse_z3o0
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Sokol
  | first = Anthony
  | year = 1968
  | title = The Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Navy
  | publisher = United States Naval Institute
  | location = Annapolis, Md.
  | isbn =
  | oclc = 462208412
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Sokol}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Sondhaus
  | first = Lawrence
  | year = 1994
  | title = The Naval Policy of Austria-Hungary, 1867–1918
  | location = West Lafayette, IN
  | publisher = Purdue University Press
  | isbn = 978-1-55753-034-9
  | oclc = 28112077
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Sondhaus}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Vego
  | first = Milan N.
  | year = 1996
  | title = Austro-Hungarian Naval Policy, 1904–14
  | publisher = Taylor & Francis
  | location = Abingdon, UK
  | isbn = 978-0-7146-4209-3
  | oclc =
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Vego}}
  }} <!-- some other edition than used in the sister ship... -->
* {{cite DANFS
  | title = Zrinyi
  | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/z/zrinyi.html
  | access-date = 15 September 2016
  | ref = {{sfnRef|DANFS ''Zrínyi''}}
  }}
* {{cite book|title=Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory |author=Friedman, Norman |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |year=2011|isbn=978-1848321007}}

{{DANFS}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Zrínyi (ship, 1910)}}

{{Radetzky class battleship}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zrinyi}}
[[Category:1910 ships]]
[[Category:Battleships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Radetzky-class battleships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Trieste]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of Austria-Hungary]]