14-18
Austro-Hungarian Destroyers of the Tátra class and their derivatives
Authors: Zvonimir Freivogel
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Austro-Hungarian Navy was initially ordering its early destroyers abroad, or building them in licence after foreign designs, like the numerous Yarrow-designed and VTE-powered Huszár class, but shorthly before World War One, Austro-Hungarian ship-builders developed an excellent design. The steam turbine-powered, fast and strongly armed destroyers of the Tátra class were very successful on the Adriatic during the 1914-18 war. At first only six were built, and the second batch was cancelled after the war broke out, but after two of these valuable ships were sunk by mines in a single action, four additional and slightly modified vessels were ordered, and completed late during the war. Together with scout cruisers of the Admiral Spaun and Saida classes they formed the backbone of the A-H light naval forces, and were very active during the war. The surviving vessels were divided by the victors, serving for several years after the war under French and Italian flags.