The First Battleship Lost on Film

EwinRacing Chair:https://bit.ly/4zOm6dZ Use code "Naval"to save extra 25% Off In June 1918, one of the newest battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Navy was sent into the Adriatic as part of a massive attempt to break the Allied blockade of the Strait of Otranto. Instead, SMS Szent István would meet an unexpected enemy: two tiny Italian torpedo boats. What happened next became one of the most remarkable pieces of naval footage from the First World War. Szent István was one of four Tegetthoff-class dreadnoughts and represented the height of Austro-Hungarian naval construction. Armed with twelve 305 mm guns arranged in four triple turrets, she was a formidable battleship and one of the most powerful ships ever built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. But in the early hours of June 10, 1918, two Italian MAS torpedo boats commanded by Luigi Rizzo approached the Austro-Hungarian formation near the island of Premuda. MAS 15 launched two torpedoes at Szent István, striking the battleship on her starboard side. Szent István began taking on water and developed an increasingly severe list. Her crew attempted counter-flooding, continued operating the pumps, and even tried to tow the stricken battleship to safety. But the flooding could not be contained, and shortly after 6 AM, Szent István capsized and sank. 89 members of her crew went down with the ship. Yet the sinking itself was captured on film. An officer aboard the nearby battleship SMS Tegetthoff recorded the disaster, while an official film crew was also present as part of the planned operation. Instead of recording a successful attack on the Otranto Barrage, they captured the final moments of one of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's newest dreadnoughts. In this video, we'll look at the development of the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought fleet, the rivalry between Austria-Hungary and Italy in the Adriatic, the Battle of Lissa, the construction of the Tegetthoff class, and the events that led to Szent István's final sortie. We'll then examine the torpedo attack itself, the desperate attempts by the crew to save the ship, and why Szent István ultimately capsized. The sinking of Szent István is one of the most visually striking stories of the First World War—not simply because a dreadnought was lost, but because we can actually watch it happen. If you enjoy videos about naval history, battleships, dreadnoughts, World War I, and the strange stories hidden throughout naval history, be sure to like, subscribe, and let me know what topic you'd like to see covered next! #NavalHistory #SzentIstvan #WWI #Battleships #Dreadnought