SMS Viribus Unitis 1918
Marker: recorded wreck position (First World War).
Key facts
| Name | SMS Viribus Unitis | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1918 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | First World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | battleship | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Nationality / flag | State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, Austria–Hungary | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, Austro-Hungarian Navy | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | World War I | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | Adriatic Sea | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Nearest coast | Croatia | Natural Earth (public domain); approx. 5 km from land |
| Position | 44.8692, 13.8192 | Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0) |
About the wreck
SMS Viribus Unitis was an Austro-Hungarian dreadnought battleship, the first of the Tegetthoff class. "Viribus Unitis", meaning "With United Forces", was the personal motto of Emperor Franz Joseph I.
Viribus Unitis was ordered by the Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1908 and was laid down in Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard in Trieste on 24 July 1910. Viribus Unitis was launched from the shipyard on 24 June 1911 and was formally commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 5 December 1912. She spent her early career performing training missions and making trips to foreign ports. In June 1914, she carried Archduke Franz Ferdinand on a trip to Bosnia with his wife Sophie. During his visit to Sarajevo, he was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in the event that caused the beginning of World War I.
During World War I, Viribus Unitis took part in the flight of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and light cruiser Breslau. In May 1915, she also took part in the bombardment of the Italian port city of Ancona. Viribus Unitis was sunk while at anchor by limpet mines emplaced by Italian sailors on 1 November 1918.
Diving & visiting
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria travelled aboard Viribus Unitis in late June 1914 en route to Bosnia to observe military manoeuvres. On 25 June, he boarded the ship in Trieste Harbour and travelled to the mouth of the Neretva River, where he transferred to another vessel. On 30 June, two days after Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Gavrilo Princip in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo, Viribus Unitis transported their bodies back to Trieste.
Location
- Recorded position: 44.8692, 13.8192 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: Adriatic Sea
- Nearest coast: Croatia
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article SMS Viribus Unitis (revision 1373687988), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section and section(s) “Archduke Franz Ferdinand's visit to Sarajevo”; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
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All 163 wrecks of the World War I →
Browse more: Europe wrecks · wrecks off Croatia · Adriatic Sea · First World War