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| S.M.S. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max coin featuring Rear-Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff |
Austria 20 Euro Silver Coin 2004 SMS Erzherzog Ferdinand Max
Obverse: SMS Erzherzog Ferdinand Max sailing to the Battle of Lissa, denomination below
Reverse: Sailors at the wheel with Admiral Tegetthof in background
Edge Description: Reeded
Composition: Silver
Fineness: 0.9000
Weight: 20.0000g
ASW: 0.5787oz
Diameter: 34mm
The second coin in the silver series "Austria on the High Seas" is dedicated to the S.M.S. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max named after the Archduke (Erzherzog) Ferdinand Max, brother of the Emperor Franz Joseph, commander-in-chief of the Austrian navy and from 1864 the ill-fated Emperor of Mexico.
The coin shows the SMS Erzherzog Ferdinand Max under full steam heading for the island of Lissa in the Adriatic Sea, and the battle with a superior Italian fleet. Tegetthoff's admiral's flag flutters from the mizzenmast.
The reverse shows Tegetthoff himself after a famous painting by Anton Romako. He stands on the bridge, resolute but calm, with hands in his pockets, while four crew members struggle with the wheel to bring the ship into a ramming position. The inscription reads "Admiral Wilhelm von Tegetthoff". At the top of the lettering "ADMIRAL WILHELM VON TEGETTHOFF" runs.
The S.M.S. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max was launched in 1865 as one of the new ironclad steam ships. In 1866 she was chosen by Admiral Tegetthoff to be his flagship in the Battle of Lissa, where she rammed and sank the Italian flagship, the Re d'Italia.
Two years later she became the flagship of the fleet and in 1869 accompanied the Emperor Franz Joseph on his visit to the Holy Land and the opening of the Suez Canal. In the following decade the S.M.S. Erzherzog Ferdinand Max served in the second reserve, until in 1885 she was taken out of service and became an assistant ship in the Artillery School. Archduke Franz Ferdinand wanted to preserve her as a historic vessel, but the Ferdinand Max was finally broken up in 1916.
The Battle of Lissa (sometimes called Battle of Vis) took place on 20 July 1866 in the Adriatic Sea near the Dalmatian island of Lissa ("Vis" in Croatian) and was a decisive victory for an outnumbered Austrian Empire force over a numerically superior Italian force. It was the first major sea battle between ironclads and one of the last to involve deliberate ramming.
The Italian navy fired roughly 1450 shots during the engagement, but failed to do any serious damage to any Austrian ship while losing two battleships. One of the main reasons for this poor performance was internal rivalry between the Italian fleet commanders: for example, Italian Vice Admiral Albini, with his ships, did not engage the enemy during the battle. The engagement was made up of several small battles: the main battle was between seven Austrian and four Italian ironclads and showed the ability of Austrian commander Tegetthoff to divide his more numerous opponents and then destroy the isolated ironclads.
Wilhelm von Tegetthoff (23 December 1827 – 7 April 1871) was an Austrian admiral. Considered one of the prominent naval commanders of the 19th century, Tegetthoff was known for his innovative tactics as well as his inspirational leadership.