The Kaiser Franz Joseph I class was a class of protected cruiser

Protected cruiser

The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...

s of the Austro-Hungarian Navy

Austro-Hungarian Navy

The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....

. The class comprised Kaiser Franz Joseph I

SMS Kaiser Franz Joseph I

SMS Kaiser Franz Josef I was a protected cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Navy , the lead ship of the Kaiser Franz Josef class. Named in honor of the Emperor Franz Josef I of Austria-Hungary, the cruiser and its sister ship, Kaiserin Elisabeth, were built as a reply to the Italian cruisers...

 and Kaiserin Elisabeth

SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth

SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth was a Kaiser Franz Joseph I class protected cruiser of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Named in honor of the Empress Elisabeth, consort of Emperor Franz Josef, the cruiser was designed for overseas service and in fact was stationed in China at the outbreak of World War I in...

.

Design

The ships of the class were 103.7 metre long, had a beam of 14.75 metre, a draught of 5.7 metre, and had a displacement of 3,967 ton. The ships were equipped with 2 shaft engines, which were rated at 8450 ihp and produced a top speed of 19 knots (37.2 km/h).
The main armament of the ships where two 9.4 in (23.9 cm) single guns and six 5.9 in (15 cm) single guns.

Construction

Kaiser Franz Joseph I was laid down in 1888 at the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino

Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino

Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino was a private shipbuilding company based in Trieste from the mid-19th to early 20th century, and the most important naval shipbuilding firm of the Austro-Hungarian Empire....

 shipyard in Trieste

Trieste

Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...

. She was launched on 18 May 1889 and commissioned on 2 July 1890. Kaiserin Elisabeth was laid down also in 1888 at Pola Navy Yard and was launched on 25 September 1890. She was commissioned on 24 January 1892.

External links

• Description of class