SMS Erzherzog Karl SMS " Erzherzog Karl " ( German : " His Majesty ' s ship Archduke Karl " ) was a pre - dreadnought battleship built by the Austro - Hungarian navy in 1902 . The lead ship of the , she was launched on 3 October 1903 . They were assigned to the III Battleship Division . For most of World War I , " Erzherzog Karl " remained in her home port of Pula , in present - day Croatia , except for four engagements . In 1914 , she formed part of the Austro - Hungarian flotilla sent to protect the escape of the German ships SMS " Goeben " and SMS " Breslau " from the British - held Mediterranean ; she advanced as far as Brindisi before being recalled to her home port . Her sole combat engagement occurred in late May 1915 , when she participated in the bombardment of the Italian port city of Ancona . She also took part in suppressing a major mutiny among the crew members of several armored cruisers stationed in Cattaro between 1 – 3 February 1918 . She also attempted to break through the Otranto Barrage in June of that year , but had to retreat when the dreadnought was sunk . After the war , " Erzherzog Karl " was awarded to the French as a war prize , but ran aground at Bizerte . She was scrapped in Italy in 1921 . Design . The " Erzherzog Karl " displaced . She was long , had a beam of and a draft of . She was manned by 700 men . She and her sisters were the last and largest pre - dreadnought class built by the Austro Hungarian Navy , surpassing the by approximately . The ships were propelled by two two - shaft , four cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines . On trials , they developed , which propelled the ship at a speed of . On trials , the " Erzherzog Karl " s engines managed to produce a knot more speed than was originally planned . " Erzherzog Karl " carried a primary armament of four / 40 caliber guns in two twin turrets on the centerline . These guns were an Austro - Hungarian replica of the British 24 cm / 40 ( 9 . 4 " ) Krupp C / 94 , which was used on the " Habsburg " s . Her secondary armament consisted of twelve / 42 caliber guns , also made by Škoda , mounted in eight single casemates on either wing of the ship and two twin turrets on the centerline . shell at maximum elevation with a muzzle velocity of . The gun weighed 12 . 1 tons and could fire three rounds per minute . The ships had a tertiary armament for protection against torpedo boats in the form of the / 45 caliber gun , also manufactured by Škoda . Anti - aircraft and airship protection was covered by the four Vickers anti - aircraft guns on the ship bought from Britain in 1910 and mounted onto " Erzherzog Karl " The " Erzherzog Karl " was also fitted with two above water torpedo tube s , although they were rarely used . Service history . At the outbreak of World War I , the " Erzherzog Karl " was in the III division of the Austrian - Hungarian battle - fleet . She was mobilized on the eve of the war along with the remainder of the fleet to support the flight of and . The two German ships were attempting to break out of Messina , which was surrounded by British troops , and make their way to Turkey . The breakout succeeded . When the flotilla had advanced as far south as Brindisi in south eastern Italy , the Austro - Hungarian ships were recalled . In company with other units of the Austro Hungarian navy , the " Erzherzog Karl " took part in the bombardment of Ancona on May 24 , 1915 . There she and her sisters expended 24 rounds of 240 mm armor - piercing shells at signal and semaphore stations as well as 74 rounds of 190 mm shells aimed at Italian gun - batteries and other port installations . A major mutiny among crews of the armored cruisers stationed in Cattaro , including and , began on 1 February 1918 . Two days later , the three " Erzherzog Karl " - class ships arrived in the port and assisted with the suppression of the mutiny . Following the restoration of order in the naval base , the armored cruisers " Sankt Georg " and " Kaiser Karl VI " were decommissioned and " Erzherzog Karl " and her sisters were stationed in Cattaro in their place . For the morning of 11 June , Admiral Miklos Horthy planned a major assault on the Otranto Barrage ; the three " Erzherzog Karl " s and the four s were to provide support for the s . The plan was intended to replicate the success of the raid conducted one - year earlier . Horthy ' s plan was to destroy the blockading fleet by luring Allied ships to the cruisers and lighter ships , which were protected from the heavier guns of the battleships , including the guns of the " Erzherzog Karl " class . However , on the morning of 10 June , the dreadnought was torpedoed and sunk by an Italian torpedo boat . Horthy felt that the element of surprise had been compromised , and therefore called off the operation . This was to be the last military action the " Erzherzog Karl " - class ships were to take part in and they spent the rest of their career at port in Pula . Following the end of World War I in November 1918 , " Erzherzog Karl " was first taken over by Yugoslavia in 1919 , but was then ceded as a war reparation to France . However , " Erzherzog Karl " ran aground at Bizerte on her voyage to Britain and was scrapped in Italy in 1920 . Footnotes . Footnotes Citations