SMS Budapest was a Monarch-class coastal defense ship built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1890s. After their commissioning, Budapest and the two other Monarch-class ships made several training cruises in the Mediterranean Sea in the early 1900s. Budapest and her sisters formed the 1st Capital Ship Division of the Austro-Hungarian Navy until they were replaced by the newly commissioned Habsburg-class pre-dreadnought battleships at the turn of the century. In 1906 the three Monarchs were placed in reserve and only recommissioned during the annual summer training exercises. After the start of World War I, Budapest was recommissioned and assigned to 5th Division together with her sisters.
A model of Budapest at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Vienna
Right elevation and plan of the Monarch class; the shaded area is armored.
Monarch-class coastal defense ship
The Monarch class was a class of three coastal defense ships built by Austria-Hungary at the end of the 19th century. The Monarchs were the first ships of their type to utilize turrets. The class comprised three ships: SMS Monarch, SMS Wien, and SMS Budapest, each armed with four 240 mm (9 in) L/40 guns in two turrets and capable of 15.5 knots at full speed. Budapest was fitted with slightly more modern and powerful engines, giving her a top speed of 17.5 knots.
SMS Wien circa 1898
Right elevation and plan of the Monarch-class coastal defense ships
A 1:50 scale model of the battleship Budapest
