View source for SMS Viribus Unitis

{{Short description|Austro-Hungarian battleship}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2018}}
{| {{Infobox ship begin}}
|+ SMS ''Viribus Unitis''
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image   =SMS Viribus Unitis 1912.png
| Ship caption = SMS ''Viribus Unitis'' in 1912
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =
| Ship country = [[Austria-Hungary]]
| Ship flag = {{shipboxflag|Austria-Hungary|naval}}
| Ship name = ''Viribus Unitis''
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship ordered = 1908
| Ship builder = [[Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino]], [[Trieste]]
| Ship sponsor = [[Archduchess Maria Annunciata of Austria]]
| Ship laid down = 24 July 1910
| Ship launched = 24 June 1911
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 5 December 1912
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship homeport = 
| Ship motto = 
| Ship nickname = 
| Ship honours = 
| Ship fate = Handed over to the [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]] on 31 October 1918.
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =title
| Ship country = [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]]
| Ship flag = [[File:Flag of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs.svg|65px|State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]]
| Ship name = ''Jugoslavija''
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = 
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = 
| Ship acquired = 31 October 1918
| Ship commissioned = 
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship homeport = 
| Ship motto = 
| Ship nickname = 
| Ship honours = 
| Ship fate = Sunk, 1 November 1918
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Tegetthoff|battleship}}
| Ship displacement = {{convert|20000|t|LT|0|lk=out|abbr=on}}  ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
| Ship length = {{convert|152|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|27.9|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship draught = {{convert|8.7|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion =4 shafts; 4 [[steam turbine]]s 
| Ship speed = {{convert|20.4|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range = {{convert|4200|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
| Ship complement = 1,042 men (1,087 max)
| Ship power = * 12 [[Yarrow boiler]]s
*{{cvt|27000|shp|lk=on}}
| Ship armament =*  4 × triple [[Škoda 30.5 cm /45 K10|{{convert|30.5|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} guns]]
* 12 × single [[Škoda 15 cm K10|{{convert|15|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} guns]]
* 12 × single [[Škoda 7 cm K10|{{convert|7|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} guns]]
* 3 × single 66 mm [[anti-aircraft gun|AA guns]]
* 2 × [[Škoda 7 cm guns|{{convert|66|mm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}}]] L/18 landing guns
* 4 × {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
| Ship armour =* [[Belt armor|Belt]], [[barbette]]s, [[gun turret|turret]]s and [[conning tower]]: {{convert|11|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
* [[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|1.4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''SMS ''Viribus Unitis''''' {{efn|name=SMS}} was an [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] [[dreadnought]] [[battleship]], the first of the {{sclass|Tegetthoff|battleship|4}}. "''Viribus Unitis''", meaning "With United Forces", was the [[Franz Joseph I.#Personal motto|personal motto of Emperor Franz Joseph I]].

''Viribus Unitis'' was ordered by the Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1908 and was laid down in [[Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino]] [[shipyard]] in [[Trieste]] on 24 July 1910. ''Viribus Unitis'' was launched from the shipyard on 24 June 1911 and was formally commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 5 December 1912. She spent her early career performing training missions and making trips to foreign ports. In June 1914, she carried [[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria|Archduke Franz Ferdinand]] on a trip to Bosnia with his wife [[Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg|Sophie]]. During his visit to [[Sarajevo]], he was assassinated by [[Gavrilo Princip]] in the event that caused the beginning of [[World War I]].

During World War I, ''Viribus Unitis'' took part in the flight of the German [[battlecruiser]] {{SMS|Goeben}} and [[light cruiser]] {{SMS|Breslau||2}}. In May 1915, she also took part in the [[Bombardment of Ancona|bombardment of the Italian port city of Ancona]]. ''Viribus Unitis'' was sunk while at anchor by [[limpet mine]]s emplaced by Italian sailors on 1 November 1918.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwar1.com/sfvu.htm |title=Trenches on the Web – Special Feature: Assault on the Viribus Unitis |publisher=Worldwar1.com |access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref>

== Construction and design ==
{{main|Tegetthoff-class battleship}}
[[File:Launch on VIRIBUS UNITIS at Trieste LCCN2014689795.jpg|thumb|left|Launch of ''Viribus Unitis'' in Trieste, 24 July 1910]]

=== Construction ===
''Viribus Unitis'' was ordered in 1908 as the first of a class of four, the first [[dreadnought]]s to be built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Initially intended to be named ''Tegetthoff'', she was renamed on the personal order of [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Emperor Franz Josef]]; following this, the second ship of the class was named ''Tegetthoff''. The ship was [[Keel laying|laid down]] in the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard in Trieste on 24 July 1910. Following eleven months of construction, ''Viribus Unitis'' was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 24 June 1911. Following her [[fitting out]], she was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 5 December 1912.<ref name="Myszor" />

=== Characteristics ===

[[File:Viribus Unitis Line Drawing.jpg|thumb|left|A line drawing of ''Viribus Unitis'', lead ship of the ''Tegetthoff'' class|alt=Schematics for this type of battleship; the ships mount four gun turrets, two forward and two aft]]
[[File:HGM Modell Viribus Unitis.jpg|thumb|Model of ''Viribus Unitis'' in the Museum of Military History, Vienna|left]]''Viribus Unitis'' had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|152|m|ftin}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|27.9|m|ftin}}, and a [[draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|8.7|m|ftin}} at deep load. She displaced {{convert|20000|t|LT|0}} at load and {{convert|21689|t|LT}} at deep load.{{sfn|Sieche|1991|p=133}}

''Viribus Unitis'' had four Parsons [[steam turbine]]s, each of which was housed in a separate engine-room. The turbines were powered by twelve [[Babcock & Wilcox]] boilers. The turbines were designed to produce a total of {{convert|27000|shp|lk=in|0}}, which was theoretically enough to attain her designed speed of {{convert|20|kn|mph km/h}}, but no figures from her speed trials are known to exist.{{sfn|Sieche|1991|pp=133, 140}} She carried {{convert|1844.5|t|LT}} of coal, and an additional {{convert|267.2|t|LT}} of [[fuel oil]] that was to be sprayed on the coal to increase its burn rate.{{sfn|Sieche|1991|p=133}} At full capacity, she could steam for {{convert|4200|nmi|km}} at a speed of {{convert|10|kn|mph km/h}}.{{sfn|Sieche|1985|p=334}}

''Viribus Unitis'' mounted twelve [[Škoda 30.5 cm /45 K10|{{convert|30.5|cm|in|0|adj=on}} Škoda 30.5 cm K10 guns]] in four triple [[Gun Turret|turrets]]. Her secondary armament consisted of a dozen [[Škoda 15 cm K10|{{convert|15|cm|in|1|adj=on}} Škoda 15 cm K10 guns]] mounted in [[casemate]]s [[amidships]]. Twelve [[Škoda 7 cm K10|{{convert|7|cm|in|1|adj=on}} Škoda K10 guns]] were mounted on open [[pivot gun|pivot mounts]] on the upper deck, above the casemates. Three more 7&nbsp;cm K10 guns were mounted on the upper turrets for [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft]] duties. Four {{convert|21|in|adj=on}} submerged [[torpedo tube]]s were fitted, one each in the bow, stern and on each [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]; twelve torpedoes were carried.{{sfn|Sieche|1991|p=133}}

== Service history ==

=== Archduke Franz Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo ===

[[Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria]] travelled aboard ''Viribus Unitis'' in late June 1914 en route to [[Bosnia]] to observe military manoeuvres. On 25 June, he boarded the ship in Trieste Harbour and travelled to the mouth of the [[Neretva]] River, where he transferred to another vessel<!-- Which vessel? -->. On 30 June, two days after Ferdinand and his wife were [[Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand|assassinated]] by [[Gavrilo Princip]] in the Bosnian city of [[Sarajevo]], ''Viribus Unitis'' transported their bodies back to Trieste.{{sfn|Morton|p=238}}

=== World War I ===

Prior to the war, ''Viribus Unitis'' was assigned to the 1st Battleship Division of Austro-Hungarian Navy. During World War I, the battleship saw limited service due to the [[Otranto Barrage]] which prohibited Austro-Hungarian battleships from leaving the Adriatic sea. As a result, she hardly ever left Pola.{{sfn|Sieche|1985|p=334}}

''Viribus Unitis'', along with her [[sister ship]]s {{SMS|Tegetthoff|1912|2}}, {{SMS|Prinz Eugen|1912|2}} 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 {{SMS|Breslau||2}}. The two German ships were stationed in the Mediterranean and were attempting to break out of the [[strait of Messina]], which was surrounded by enemy troops and vessels and make their way to Turkey. After the Germans successfully broke out of Messina, the navy was recalled. The fleet had by that time advanced as far south as [[Brindisi]] in south eastern Italy. ''Viribus Unitis'' also participated in the [[Bombardment of Ancona|bombardment of the Italian city of Ancona]] in May 1915. Following these operations ''Viribus Unitis'' remained in Pola for most of the remainder of the war.{{sfn|Halpern|p=54}}

[[File:SMS Viribus Unitis2.jpg|thumb|right|''Viribus Unitis'' in 1914|alt=A large battleship sits motionless in the water with smoke coming out of its funnels and three small boats moving beside her in the foreground.]]

Her tenure in Pola was livened up by a visit from the new Emperor [[Charles I of Austria|Charles I]] on 15 December 1916 and another by [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] on 12 December 1917 during his inspection of the German submarine base there. The Italians conducted eighty air raids on Pola between 1915 and 1917.{{sfn|Sieche|1991|pp=120, 122–123}}

=== The Otranto Raid ===

By 1918, the new commander of the Austrian fleet, [[Konteradmiral]] [[Miklós Horthy]], decided to conduct another attack on the [[Otranto Barrage]] to allow more German and Austro-Hungarian U-boats to safely get through the heavily defended strait. During the night of 8 June, Horthy left the naval base of Pola with ''Viribus Unitis'' and ''Prinz Eugen''.{{sfn|Sokol|p=134}} The other two dreadnoughts, {{SMS|Szent István||2}} and ''Tegetthoff'', along with one [[destroyer]] and six [[torpedo boat]]s departed Pola on 9 June. At about 3:15 on the morning of 10 June, two [[Regia Marina|Italian]] [[MAS (boat)|MAS boats]], ''MAS 15'' and ''MAS 21'', spotted the Austrian fleet. The MAS platoon was commanded by [[Frigate Captain|''Capitano di fregata'']] [[Luigi Rizzo]] while the individual boats were commanded by ''Capo timoniere'' Armando Gori and [[Ensign (rank)|''Guardiamarina di complemento'']] [[Giuseppe Aonzo]] respectively. Both boats successfully penetrated the escort screen and split to engage each of the dreadnoughts. ''MAS 21'' attacked ''Tegetthoff'', but her torpedoes failed. ''MAS 15'' managed to hit ''Szent István'' with her torpedoes at about 3:25&nbsp;am. Both boats were then chased away from the scene by the Austrian escort vessels.{{sfn|Sieche|1991|pp=127, 131}}

Despite attempts to take the crippled ''Szent István'' into tow by ''Tegetthoff'', the ship continued to sink and the attempt was abandoned. A few minutes after 6:00&nbsp;am ''Szent István'' sank. Admiral Horthy, commander of the proposed attack, soon canceled the attack because he thought that the Italians had discovered his plan and ordered the ships to return to Pola. On the contrary, the Italians did not even discover that the Austrian dreadnoughts had departed Pola until later on 10 June when aerial reconnaissance photos revealed that they were no longer there.{{sfn|Sieche|1991|p=135}} This was the last military operation that the ''Viribus Unitis'' was to take part in and she spent the rest of her career at port in Pola.{{sfn|Sokol|p=135}}{{sfn|Sieche|1991|p=131}}

=== Italian attack and sinking ===
{{main|Raid on Pula}}By October 1918 it had become clear that Austria-Hungary was facing defeat in the war. The Austrian government decided to give ''Viribus Unitis'', along with much of the fleet, to the newly formed [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]]. This was considered preferential to handing the fleet to the [[Allies of World War I|Allies]], as the new state had declared its neutrality. The transfer to the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs took place in the evening of 31 October, and ''Viribus Unitis'' was renamed ''Jugoslavija''.{{sfn|Sokol|p=139}}

[[File:SMS Viribus Unitis Sinking.png|thumb|left|upright|''Jugoslavija'' (the former ''Viribus Unitis'') sinking in Pola harbour after being mined]]

On 1 November 1918, two men of the [[Regia Marina|Italian Navy]], [[Raffaele Paolucci]] and [[Raffaele Rossetti]], rode a primitive [[manned torpedo]] (nicknamed ''[[Mignatta]]'' or "leech") into the Austro-Hungarian naval base at Pola. They had sailed from an Italian port some time before, and were unaware of the transfer of the Austro-Hungarian fleet the previous day.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldwar1.com/sfvu.htm|title=Trenches on the Web - Special: Assault on the Viribus Unitis|access-date=29 May 2016}}</ref><ref>Franco Favre, ''La Marina nella Grande Guerra. Le operazioni navali, aeree, subacquee e terrestri in Adriatico'', page 262-264.</ref>

Travelling down the rows of Austrian battleships, the two men encountered ''Jugoslavija'' at around 4:40&nbsp;am. Rossetti placed one [[limpet mine|canister of TNT]] on the hull of the battleship, timed to explode at 6:30&nbsp;am. He then flooded the second canister, sinking it on the harbour floor close to the ship. The men had no [[Scuba set|breathing sets]], and therefore had to keep their heads above water. They were discovered and taken prisoner just after placing the explosives under the battleship's hull. Taken aboard ''Jugoslavija'', they informed the new captain of the battleship of what they had done but did not reveal the exact position of the explosives.<ref name="Warhola" /> Admiral [[Janko Vuković]] arranged for the two prisoners to be taken to {{SMS|Tegetthoff|1912|2}}, and ordered ''Jugoslavija'' to be evacuated. The explosion did not happen at 6:30 as predicted and Vuković returned to the ship with many sailors, mistakenly believing that the Italians had lied. The mines exploded at 6:44, sinking ''Jugoslavija'' in 15 minutes.<ref name="Warhola" /> Vuković and 300–400 of her crew were killed in the sinking. The explosion of the second canister also sank the Austrian freighter ''Wien''.<ref name="Warhola" />

Paolucci and Rossetti were interned until the end of the war a few days later, and were honoured by the [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Kingdom of Italy]] with the [[Gold Medal of Military Valor]].<ref name="difesa.it Rossetti" /><ref name="difesa.it Paolucci" />

== Commemorations ==
[[File:SMS Viribus Unitis bow.JPG|thumb|Bow of ''Viribus Unitis'' on display at the [[Venetian Arsenal]]]]
SMS ''Viribus Unitis'' was selected as the main motif of a high value collectors' coin: the Austrian [[Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Austria)#2006 coinage|SMS ''Viribus Unitis'' commemorative coin]], minted on 13 September 2006. The obverse side shows the flagship ''Viribus Unitis'' as seen from the deck of an accompanying ship in the fleet. Two other ships of an older class can be seen in the background. The reverse of the coin is a tribute to the old Austro-Hungarian Imperial Navy, showing SMS ''Viribus Unitis'' from a front angle. A naval biplane circles overhead and a submarine surfaces in the foreground. The coin commemorates not only the ship ''Viribus Unitis'', but also the three main arms of the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the First World War. The coin was the last of the series "Austria on the High Seas".<ref name="austrian-mint" />

There is a cutaway model of ''Viribus Unitis'' in the [[Museum of Military History, Vienna|Museum of Military History]] in Vienna. The model is at a scale of 1:25 and has a total length of 6 metres. It was built between 1913 and 1917 by eight craftsmen of the shipyard Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}}

Her bow is on display at the [[Venetian Arsenal]].

{{clear}}

== References ==

===Explanatory notes===

{{notes
| notes =

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

}}

===Citations===

{{Reflist
| colwidth = 25em
| refs =

<ref name="Myszor">
{{cite web
 |last        = Myszor
 |first       = Oskar
 |title       = Battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy
 |work        = Austria-Hungary: Major Warships
 |publisher   = Historical Handbook of World Navies
 |url         = http://www.hicon.pl/~pothkan/hhwn/AH-Maj.html
 |access-date  = 1 May 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090805101618/http://www.hicon.pl/~pothkan/hhwn/AH-Maj.html
 |archive-date = 5 August 2009
}} 
</ref>

<ref name="Warhola">
{{cite web
| last = Warhola
| first = Brian
| date = January 1998
| title = Assault on the Viribus Unitis
| publisher = Old News
| url = http://www.worldwar1.com/sfvu.htm
| access-date = 23 April 2010
}}
</ref>

<ref name="difesa.it Rossetti">
{{cite web
 |title       = Gold Medal for Rossetti
 |work        = Magggiore G.N.
 |publisher   = marina.difesa.it
 |language    = it
 |url         = http://www.marina.difesa.it/storia/movm/parte04/movm419.asp
 |access-date  = 29 June 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070624142613/http://www.marina.difesa.it/storia/movm/parte04/movm419.asp
 |archive-date = 24 June 2007
}} 
</ref>

<ref name="difesa.it Paolucci">
{{cite web
 |title       = Gold Medal for Paolucci
 |work        = Tenente medico
 |publisher   = marina.difesa.it
 |language    = it
 |url         = http://www.marina.difesa.it/storia/movm/parte04/movm416.asp
 |access-date  = 29 June 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070624142358/http://www.marina.difesa.it/storia/movm/parte04/movm416.asp
 |archive-date = 24 June 2007
}} 
</ref>

<ref name="austrian-mint">
{{cite web
 |title       = S.M.S. ''Viribus Unitis'' coin
 |work        = Commemorative coin
 |publisher   = Austrian Mint
 |url         = http://austrian-mint.at/sondergedenkmuenzen?l=en&muenzeSubTypeId=86&referer=%2Fsondergedenkmuenzen%3Fl%3Den&muenzeId=166
 |access-date  = 23 April 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110531205145/http://austrian-mint.at/sondergedenkmuenzen?l=en&muenzeSubTypeId=86&referer=%2Fsondergedenkmuenzen%3Fl%3Den&muenzeId=166
 |archive-date = 31 May 2011
}} 
</ref>

}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{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 = Morton
  | first = Frederic
  | year = 2001
  | title = Thunder at Twilight: Vienna 1913–1914
  | publisher = Da Capo Press
  | isbn = 978-0-306-81021-3
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Morton}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Sieche
  | first = Erwin F.
  | 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
  | isbn = 978-0-85177-245-5
  }}
* {{cite journal
  | last = Sieche
  | first = Erwin F.
  | year = 1991
  | title = S.M.S. Szent István: Hungaria's Only and Ill-Fated Dreadnought
  | journal = Warship International
  | publisher = International Warship Research Organization
  | location = Toledo, OH
  | volume = XXVII
  | issue = 2
  | pages = 112–146
  | issn = 0043-0374
  }}
* {{cite book
  | last = Sokol
  | first = Anthony
  | year = 1968
  | title = The Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Navy
  | publisher = United States Naval Institute
  | location = Annapolis
  | oclc = 462208412
  | ref = {{sfnRef|Sokol}}
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Sondhaus|first=Lawrence|year=2018|chapter=The Battleship ''Viribus Unitis'' (1911)|editor-first=Bruce|editor-last=Taylor|title=The World of the Battleship: The Lives and Careers of Twenty-One Capital Ships of the World's Navies, 1880–1990|location=Barnsley|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-0870219061}}

== External links ==

{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.marina.difesa.it/storia/galleria/viribus.asp Photos and comments (in Italian) on the ''Viribus Unitis'' sinking]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20011128080426/http://www.geocities.com/tegetthoff66/main.html ''Tegetthoff''-class dreadnoughts]
* [http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyAustrian.htm Austro-Hungarian Navy]
* [http://www.viribusunitis.ca/ 3D images]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163748846/sizes/o/ Image of its launch]

{{Tegetthoff class battleship}}
{{November 1918 shipwrecks}}
{{Good article}}
{{coord|44|52|9|N|13|49|9|E|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viribus Unitis}}
[[Category:Tegetthoff-class battleships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Trieste]]
[[Category:1911 ships]]
[[Category:World War I battleships of Austria-Hungary]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1918]]
[[Category:World War I shipwrecks in the Adriatic Sea]]