Kaiser Max-class ironclad (1862)

Photo of Prinz Eugen before 1867
Class overview
Operators:	Austro-Hungarian Navy
Preceded by:	Drache class
Succeeded by:	Erzherzog Ferdinand Max class
Built:	1861–1863
In commission:	1863–1873
Completed:	3
Scrapped:	3
General characteristics
Displacement:	3,588 t (3,531 long tons; 3,955 short tons)
Length:	70.78 meters (232.2 ft) pp
Beam:	10 m (33 ft)
Draft:	6.32 m (20.7 ft)
Installed power:	1,926 indicated horsepower (1,436 kW)
Propulsion:	1 single-expansion steam engine
Speed:	11.4 knots (21.1 km/h; 13.1 mph)
Crew:	386
Armament:	16 × 48-pounder guns 15 × 24-pounder guns 1 × 12-pounder gun 1 × 6-pounder gun
Armor:	Belt: 110 mm (4.3 in)

The Kaiser Max class of broadside ironclads was a group of three vessels built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the 1860s. The class consisted of Kaiser Max, the lead ship, Prinz Eugen, and Juan de Austria. They were an improved version of the preceding Drache class, being larger, carrying a larger gun battery, and having more powerful engines. The three ships were all laid down in 1861, launched in 1862, and completed in 1863.

Don Juan d'Austria took part in the Second Schleswig War in 1864 but did not see combat. Two years later, Austria was attacked by Prussia and Italy in the Seven Weeks' War; a major naval engagement was fought against Italy at the Battle of Lissa in July 1866, where all three ships saw action. After the war, they were modernized, but did not see further active service. In poor condition by 1873, the Navy decided to discard the ships. But because parliament refused to budget funds to build replacements, the commander of the Navy, Friedrich von Pöck requested permission to "rebuild" the three Kaiser Maxes, which was granted. In fact, the three ships were broken up, with only their engines, armor plate, and some other equipment being reused in the new ships.

Following the launch of the French Gloire, the world's first ironclad warship, the Austrian Navy began a major ironclad construction program under the direction of Archduke Ferdinand Max, the Marinekommandant (naval commander) and brother of Kaiser Franz Josef I, the emperor of Austria. In 1861, the first two ships, the Drache class, were laid down and three more were ordered. These ships were designed by the Director of Naval Construction Josef von Romako; he based the design for the three new ships on the Drache class, but enlarged it and incorporated more powerful engines. The new ships also carried more guns.