| Austro-Hungarian "Tb 1" Type |
| - Coastal Boats - |
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Torpedoboats |
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| Simultaneously with the orders to develop the new destroyers (Huszár-class) and sea-going torpedoboats (Kaiman-class) orders were placed to develop a 110 t coastal torpedoboat in 1905. Since there was no experience with steam-turbines then, project preparation lasted till 1907, when bids were called from STT, F. Schichau, Friedrich Krupp AG - Kiel, and Yarrow, London. The Navy Command decided in favor of a design by the Naval Technical Committee. Orders were placed with STT for the construction of eight coastal torpedoboats on June 10, 1908, reduced to six in September (Tb 1 to Tb 6). An order for another six (Tb 7 to Tb 12) went to the Danubius A.G. The politically motivated splitting of the order led to organizational as well as technical problems. Because the Danubius boats had not only different boilers, but also different main- and auxiliary machines, shafts and screws. As a result two different stores of spare parts had to be maintained. | |
| The navy called these oil-fired boats ‘Petroleurs’ or ‘Naphta-boats’. During the trial runs of the Danubius boats it was discovered that the torque of the single propeller caused a permanent port listing of 7.5 degrees. The size of the props were reduced on all boats to eliminate the excess torque. The boats’ appearance differed: with the Trieste boats of 1909/10 the 40-cm searchlight was placed on a stand in front of the first funnel, while the Fiume boats commissioned in 1910/11 had them mounted on top of the conning tower. | |
| The boats were stationed at Lussin (Losinj), Zara (Zadar), and Sebenico (Sibenik) prior to the outbreak of the war, two of them had been assigned to the machine, respectively torpedo school. During the war they were assigned coastal survey, mine sweeping, convoy duties, as well as submarine chasing and AA cover. The two officers of Tb 11 were overpowered by four mutineers, the boat defected to Italy on October 5, 1917 and served as the Francesco Rismondo. Since the Austrians feared commando operations by the defected boat, all A.-H. boats of this type carried a sheet metal sign in form of >< at the mast as most secret identification signal when operating. None of the other boats was lost. |
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| Technical Data: | Explanation of data sheets | |
| Built: Displacement: Dimensions: Propulsion: Max. Speed: Fuel: Range: Crew: |
1909 116.1 / ? ts 44.16 × 4.32 × 1.20 2,500 iHP by S.T.T.; 2 Yarrow wt boilers; 1 VTE; 1 shaft 28 kts 21.2 t oil 600sm / 17 kts 2 + 18 |
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| Tactical Data: | ||
| Main: Torpedoes: Depth Charges: Mines: Searchlights |
2x47 cal 44 Skoda QF - 2×450 ? ? 1 x 400 |
| S.M.Tb "Tb 4" - 1909-05-07: laid down at STT; 1909-12-02: launched; 1909-12-31: Commissioned at Lussin Station; 1911/12: Usual duty; 1914: allocated to 14. Torpedoboat Group at Lussin; 1915: At Lussin Station, saved Italian crew of "Luftschiff" Cittá di Ferrara.; 1916: Several missions; 1917: 21. Torpedoboat Group at Lussin; 1918: Allocated to Coastal Defense Command Triest as minesweeper; 1920: Ceded to Italy and scrapped | |
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