SMS Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie

Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie
Class overview
Preceded byKronprinz Erzherzog Rudolf
Succeeded byMonarch-class coastal defense ship
History
Austria-Hungary
NameKronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie
NamesakeStephanie, Crown Princess of Austria
BuilderStabilimento Tecnico Triestino
Laid down12 November 1884
Launched14 April 1887
Commissioned11 July 1889
Decommissioned1905
FateCeded to Italy as war prize, 1920 broken up, 1926
General characteristics
TypeBarbette ship
Displacement5,075 long tons (5,156 t)
Length87.24 m (286 ft 3 in) o/a
Beam17.06 m (56 ft)
Draft6.6 m (21 ft 8 in)
Installed power8,000 ihp (6,000 kW)
Propulsion
Speed17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Crew430
Armament
Armor

SMS Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie was an ironclad warship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1880s, the last vessel of that type to be built for Austria-Hungary. The ship, named for Archduchess Stephanie, Crown Princess of Austria, was laid down in November 1884, was launched in April 1887 and completed in July 1889. She was armed with a pair of 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in open barbettes and had a top speed of 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph). Her service was limited, in large part due to the rapid pace of naval development in the 1890s, which quickly rendered her obsolescent. As a result, her career was generally limited to routine training and the occasional visit to foreign countries. In 1897, she took part in an international naval demonstration to force a compromise over Greek and Ottoman claims to the island of Crete. Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stephanie was decommissioned in 1905, hulked in 1910, and converted into a barracks ship in 1914. After Austria-Hungary's defeat in World War I, the ship was transferred to Italy as a war prize and was eventually broken up for scrap in 1926.