Raid on Pescara
11th of July, 1909 - 07:48 local time
Austro-Hungarian Order of Battle
Armored Cruisers
SMS
Donau (Frundsberg-class, Flagship)
SMS
Adria (Adria-class)
SMS
Sankt Georg (Kaiserin-class)
Protected Cruisers SMS
Szigetvar (Jupiter-class)
SMS
Jupiter (Jupiter-class)
SMS
Aspern (Aspern-class)
SMS
Novara (Aspern-class)
SMS
Admiral Spaun (Aspern-class)
SMS
Dromedar (Achilles-class)
SMS
Vulcan (Achilles-class)
SMS
Taurus (Achilles-class)
SMS
Arethusa (Achilles-class)
SMS
Helgoland (Aspern-class)
SMS
Aurora (Aspern-class)
SMS
Zenta (Zenta-class)
Torpedo Boats (
2) Ulan-class
(
14) Panther-class
The
Jupiter alerted the fleet; von Höhnel answered the call. The entire 2nd Squadron formed in the Adriatic and set itself westward - the installations at Pescara were not unguarded. The "battle line" was led by the three Austrian armored cruisers still in service, trailed by a mixture of Achilles, Aspern, and even the singular Zenta-class cruiser. Both the
Jupiter and the
Szigetvar sat ahead of the column, acting as scouts; the new
Jupiter-class would see its first combat trial.
It did not take long for a sighting.
Jupiter reported an unidentified vessel at 10:02, moving NNW, about five miles out from the fleet. By 10:09, one vessel had turned into four, and 10:10 confirmed von Höhnel's guess - a naval ensign was spotted aboard the lead ship, thought to be an Italian armored cruiser.
Indeed it was the very same Italian cruiser that von Höhnel's
Donau had fought just a month prior. Now, however, it was no duel - both sides had their reinforcements.
Slowly, the line revealed itself - it was not the cruiser line that von Höhnel expected, but rather a singular
Marco Polo leading a wolfpack of torpedo boats. The
Marco Polo closed in, showering the
Jupiter in ineffective fire. It would not remain ineffective forever, though; the
Jupiter, capable as it was, was not built to take 8" shells regularly - or even sparingly. Accordingly then, it pulled back, allowing the
Donau and
Adria to take the front.
Soon enough, a second grouping of ships appeared on the horizon, by all appearances a protected cruiser and destroyer escort. They all raced northward in pursuit of the safety of Ancona, but the Donau gave chase, even after taking a hit to the aft boilers.
The
Marco Polo slipped away, but the Italian torpedo boats were less lucky. Caught between their Austrian counterparts and the
Donau, a short-lived knife fight emerged between the fleeing Italians and the Austrian cruisers.
As the destroyers slipped away for a brief respite, all three Austrian cruisers dropped multiple broadsides on the Pescara military base, leveling it within minutes.
The Italians returned however, and were quickly met with the blistering fire of the
Donau's secondaries and the
Jupiter-class's rapid-fire armament. However, these Italians were not cowardly - even as the
Artigliere-class fell to shreds, a set of torpedoes raced at the
Adria - two missed their mark, but a third hit home.
A torpedo meant for the
Adria slammed into the
Szigetvar behind it, rocking the ship and nearly tearing it in half.
The ensuing clusterf-...
The
Donau raced away from the coastline, calling for all craft to do the same. Distance had to be made from the Italian torpedo boats or the entire cruiser squadron would go up in flames.
The cruiser squadron made it away, and one of the Italian torpedo boats sank quickly into the deep. However, the Italians would not go empty handed - the
Szigetvar was a good ship, but it was never meant to take a blast that large and make it home.
Listing to port, she sank quietly into the deep. The
Sebenico, under cover from the
Donau, picked up survivors as the ragged Austrians made their way home. von Höhnel had gotten careless - he sat in melee range with the Italian torpedo boats, and had expected to win. Had he sat a little farther away, those boats would be dead in the water. Instead, more Austrian sailors had to die from his mistake.
An Austrian torpedo boat, the
Kigio, also sank into the deep a few hours later. It had taken a waterline shot in the melee; the bulkhead holding the water at bay ruptured halfway into the Adriatic, and the ship sank minutes later.
Sebenico retrieved only the commander and watchman from the fast-sinking wreckage.
Eventually, the Austrians made it home. One plucky destroyer captain, throwing his life away, had changed a calm victory into a stunning defeat.
---
The loss of the
Szigetvar and the severe damage on the
Adria was decisive, much more so than the loss of another Italian military base.
Thankfully, Italy was far from drawing the war, and farther still from winning it. Still, mistakes happened that shouldn't have.
Weber's mood was lightened by the news that another one of the Italian submarines had been sunk off the coast of Croatia.
Another Italian raider found itself interned in Spain, and a second...well, a second raider found itself at the hands of the
Adria.
Action off Corfu
27th of September, 1909 - 13:06 local time
Austro-Hungarian Order of Battle
Armored Cruisers SMS
Adria (Adria-class)
Protected Cruisers SMS
Taurus (Achilles-class)
The recently-repaired
Adria joined the
Taurus protected cruiser on a patrol, ensuring no trade made it out of the Black Sea and into the Adriatic. It was a boring job, of course, as little came through this area that wasn't friendly these days - well, apparently, except today.
At 13:13 local time, the
Taurus signalled an unidentified contact just over ten miles out. Taurus identified it as an Italian transport at 13:15.
In fact, that description was mostly correct. The ship in question was a
Citta di Verona-class, an armed merchant ship used by the Italians as a raider. The
Taurus gave chase - it would not be difficult to catch, but it would be nasty to fight. Naval mines, torpedo tubes, and even a small complement of 4" guns. The
Taurus kept distance, first opening fire at 14:07 local time. At range and under maneuver, the
Citta had little to no advantage. Its guns were rapid firing, but 4" guns would only do superficial damage to even the
Achilles' 2" belt at this range.
When the
Adria caught up, the raider slowed to a crawl. The two ships plastered the
Citta with gunfire, raking the ship's hull from bow to stern. Shells landed all around for several minutes until a lucky shot from the
Adria struck the
Citta's magazine - a ball of fire roared out from the underbelly of the ship, the converted merchant evaporating before their eyes.
The
Taurus searched for survivors, but found none - the former raider was now nothing but a charred husk, sinking quickly into the deep.
---
A minor footnote in the battles of the now nineteen month war, but one that helped to dull the pain of the
Szigetvar's loss.
The loss of a civilian vessel pressed into active service only raises the tensions felt across Italy. The Austrian front has stalled, but there is no need for it to continue - Italy will fall from within, given time.
The Germans were kind enough to offer their superior weapons technology at a low price, which Weber quickly agreed to. The ability to build competitive capital ships was a dream that Weber hoped to make a reality; this brought it one step closer.
The Last Stand of SMS Panther
8th of October, 1909 - 16:30 local time
Austro-Hungarian Order of Battle
Torpedo Boats SMS
Panther (Panther-class)
SMS
Boa (Panther-class)
SMS
Sebenico (Panther-class)
When three Austrian destroyers happened upon an Italian convoy, the
Panther's veteran commander told them to hold firm, to probe the enemy defenses.
They were quickly surrounded; they tried to use their superior speed to escape, but the
Panther was hit in the engine room; maneuverability quickly fell, and the commander knew they wouldn't make it. The two remaining torpedo boats fled away from the Italians. But the
Panther did not evacuate; their guns kept firing, and their crew continued to fight.
The
Panther loosed a torpedo directly into the side of one of the torpedo boats, ruining its powerplant and causing massive flooding.
A second
Artigliere went up in a great fireball, thanks to a well-aimed shot from the
Panther. Italians continued to swarm around the boat, and the Austrians returned fire with all the veracity and anger of a dreadnought. The
Boa and
Sebenico slipped away, the convoy slowly lumbering up ahead.
The SMS Panther, surrounded by Italian torpedo boats.
The Italians would not stand for being upstaged, however. One shot took out the
Panther's aft gun; a second ruined one of the starboard secondaries. But it did not matter; the crew of the
Panther put a round through a
Nembo as it raced by, fouling the engine and sending it careening into an
Artigliere.
The
Panther had taken seven direct hits, but its luck and valor could not last forever. Two Italian torpedoes slammed into the destroyer, ripping it apart like so much paper.
But the
Panther had done its job. The
Boa and
Sebenico had slipped away, and now rained havoc upon the enemy convoy. Two Italian torpedo boats served as the convoy escort, but the night covered their attack, and obscured their vision.
After confirming two transports and possibly a third, the two torpedo boats slid back into the night, their objective completed due entirely to the valiant sacrifice of the
Panther and her crew.
In the end, the Panther fired 53 rounds, landed five (of which one killed the Ascaro, an Italian boat), took eight hits, and two torpedoes before sinking.
It was a victory in the most technical of senses, but it was a loss that rallied the Austrian people. The front page article across Austria-Hungary was the valiant last actions of the
Panther, the valiant torpedo boat that could.
Weber was frustrated to cross another ship off the register, but at least it had gone in a dignified manner. It had taken a ship down with it - and left the remaining fleet to do their job, and do it well. Three torpedo boats took out twelve times their tonnage in return for one boat sinking. That was a victory in his book, certainly.
The Italian domestic situation had finally gotten bad enough that the Kaiser could approach Weber with peace plans. Weber remained firm, ensuring that the Kaiser understood that Austria should not let them off easy.
The Italians would not agree; even with their society falling down around them, the idea of losing any sovereign territory was out of the question to them.
Italian raiders continued to be interned or otherwise destroyed. German forces continued to support Austrian operations, maintaining the blockade with efficiency.
The
Orjen is commissioned into the Navy, a replacement for the
Warasdiner. Protesters arrive at the commissioning to argue for social revolution, although an impassioned speech by Weber quickly calms their temper.
A German-Austrian development was made: triple-gun turrets. It had been theorized for years, but the first practical examples had been shown to work, with some considerations. Counterintelligence forces believe Russian agents may have stolen the technology, but Weber dismissed the matter - better to use it for another time, when the war was less of a concern.
Tyrrenhian Action
13th December, 1909 - 17:40 local time
Austro-Hungarian Order of Battle
Armored Cruisers SMS
Donau (Frundsberg-class)
SMS
Adria (Adria-class)
Torpedo Boats
SMS
Turul (Panther-class)
SMS
Salamander (Panther-class)
SMS
Lussin (Panther-class)
SMS
Sebenico (Panther-class)
A torpedo boat fell out of the fog; a torpedo fell into the hull of the
Donau. The
Adria gave chase, but it was impossible to see; the stormy night offered no visibility, no answers.
The stormy night did more than obscure visibility; it ensured the demise of the
Donau. Heavy waves crashed into the ship, ensuring it drowned within sight of the port of Cattaro, less than five miles from safety. The Italians were never seen, never even identified - but the second
Frundsberg-class fell into the deep, dying as the first.
Italy scraped their way back up with this victory, but they still stood far from victory. The end of December saw the beginning of the end of the conflict; Weber downed a third drink, hoping that this blasted conflict would finally end.