USS Zrinyi

USS Zrinyi was a Radetzky-class pre-dreadnought named for a noble Hungarian family of Croatian origin. As SMS Zrinyi, she served in the Austro-Hungarian Navy (K.u.K. Kriegsmarine) during World War I, and was turned over as a prize of war to representatives of the United States Navy at Spalato (also known as Split) in Dalmatia, on the afternoon of November 22, 1919. Simultaneously she was commissioned as USS Zrinyi and Lieutenant E.E. Hazlett, USN, assumed command. The initial American complement consisted of four officers and 174 enlisted men -- the latter entirely composed of United States Naval Reserve Force personnel.

Zrinyi remained at anchor at Spalato for nearly a year while the negotiations that would determine her ultimate fate dragged on. Only once in fact, did she apparently turn her engines over; and that occurred during a severe gale that struck Spalato on February 9, 1920.

On the morning of November 7, 1920, Zrinyi was decommissioned. Chattanooga (C-16) took her in tow and, assisted by Brooks (DD-232) and Hovey (DD-208) pulled the battleship to Papaja, Italy. Under the terms of the treaties of Versailles and St. Germain, Zrinyi was ultimately turned over to the Italian government at Venice. Zrinyi was later broken up for scrap.

General Characteristics

• Displacement: 14,600 tons
• Length: 466 feet
• Beam: 82 feet
• Draft: 26.5 feet
• Speed: 20 knots
• Complement: 30 officers, 860 men
• Armament
  • Primary: four 30.5-centimeter (12-inch) guns in twin turrets
  • Secondary: eight 24-centimeter (9.1-inch) guns in twin turrets
  • Other: 20 10-centimeter (3.9-inch) rapid-fire cannons, six 11-pounders, three 24-centimeter (17.7-inch) torpedo tubes