Retouched and marked-up photograph of Austrian Warships, June 9, 1915. A penciled note on the back says, 'Photo by amateur'. The Austro-Hungarian Empire's primary port was Pola on the Adriatic Sea.
Reverse:Pencil: Austrian warships. Photo by amateur, reproduced by permission.Stamped: Jun-9 1915
"The afternoon of 29 December saw a high-speed chase with most of the gunnery exchanges taking place at extreme range and with the Helgoland frequently outranged. The Austrians had the advantage of speed, even through the Allies were between them and safety. Seitz steamed westward and southwestward almost up to the Italian coast all the while trying to work around his pursuers. Darkness permitted him to make his escape."
The Allies attempted to transport the remnants of Serbia's defeated army from Albania's ports of Durazzo and Valona to safety, and on December 28, 1915, the Austro-Hungarian light cruiser Helgoland and five destroyers (Balaton, Lika, Triglav, Csepel, and Tátra) set out to stop them. Balaton sank the French submarine Monge and, in the harbor of Durazzo, the Austro-Hungarian destroyers sank a Greek steamer and two schooners. Turning in the harbor, Lika and Triglav hit mines, with Lika sinking and Triglav heavily damaged. Trying to tow Triglav, Csepel damaged its screw. The Allies soon had two Italian light cruisers Quarto and Nino Bixio with four destroyers, and the British light cruisers Dartmouth and Weymouth steaming to catch the Austro-Hungarians. Captain Heinrich Seitz commanded Helgoland and the Austro-Hungarian squadron.
A Naval History of World War I by Paul G. Halpern, page 157, copyright © 1994 by the United States Naval Institute, publisher: UCL Press, publication date: 1994
1915-12-29, 1915, December, war at sea, Adriatic Sea, Adriatic
