SMS Admiral Spaun

SMS "Admiral Spaun" was a unique light cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Three other ships were built to similar specifications as the "Admiral Spaun", but with different propulsion, and increased armament.

Overview

Around the turn of 19/20th century major navies had started to build fast scout cruisers (like British "Pelorus" class cruiser or Italian "Quarto", 1909-11).

Design of the new Austro-Hungarian ship started in 1906 and it was commissioned in 1910. The ship was fast 3,500 tons turbine driven scout with light belt armour.

Wartime experience showed the 100 mm guns were inferior but the plans to re-equip the ship were turned down because of war troubles. In 1915 number of torpedo firing tubes was increased to 8.

"Admiral Spaun" saw active service during First World War. After the war the ship was transferred by Italy to Venice and participated in the Italian V-Day fleet parade on 25 March 1919. Later, it was given to the Great Britain as a part of reparations and sold to an Italian company for scrapping (1922).

Name

The ship was named after Hermann von Spaun (1833-1919), since 1897 commander of both the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the navy section of the K.u.K. Ministry of War. Spaun stepped down in 1904 as a protest against redirecting large part of Navy funds to the army, the position was taken by Rudolf Montecuccoli. It was for the first time when an Austro-Hungarian Navy ship was named after a living person outside of the Habsburg family. Spaun was present at the naming ceremony.

Technical details

* Laid down 30th May 1908 at the Seearsenal Pola
* Launched 30th October 1909
* Commissioned 15th November 1910
* Scrapped 1922 in Venice, Italy

* Crew: 327
* Length 130.64 m, width 12.79 m, depth 5 m fully equipped
* Displacement: 3380 t (3940 t max)
* Armament:
** 7 x 100 mm main guns (Škoda Works)
** Refitted 1 x 70mm secondary gun
** 2 torpedo tubes 17.7" (2 x 1)
** in 1915 refitted 6 tubes 21" (2 x 3)
* Engines: 16 x Yarrow boilers, 6 x Parsons steam turbines
* Power output: 25,130 std HP
* Speed: 27 knots
* Fuel: 786 t of coal

ee also

Modified Admiral Spaun class ships:
* SMS "Saida"
* SMS "Helgoland"
* SMS "Novara"

References

*Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1922
* [http://www.kuk-kriegsmarine.at/adspaun.htm Photos and details of Admiral Spaun] (text in German)
* [http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:IQdLn20LghkJ:hera.mni.fh-giessen.de/~hg6339/data/ah/cruisers/1908_admiral-spaun/1908_ccl_adm-spaun.htm+SMS+Admiral+Spaun&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2 Description in English]
* [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/aj.cashmore/austriahungary/cruisers/admiralspaun/admiralspaun.html Technical details in English]