The counterfactual turns on procurement timing and Austria-Hungary's proven industrial capacity. The Škoda works and related armour, engineering, and shipbuilding facilities could supply the ships once political authority and funding arrived. Had Haus followed Montecuccoli's willingness to begin early with imperial support, construction might have started in 1913 instead of waiting for 1914 approval. The Tegetthoffs took roughly two to three years to build, and Szent István shows that a ship well advanced when war began could still be completed. Four Tegetthoffs and perhaps two Ersatz Monarchs would have created a six-capital-ship Austro-Hungarian force in the Mediterranean. France, Britain, and Italy would have needed a counterforce continuously ready because Austria-Hungary could choose when to sortie.
Notable Point · 27:24-31:10
Could an Ersatz Monarch have reached service in wartime?
If construction had begun in 1913 rather than waiting on later approval, one or more ships might have been sufficiently advanced to finish during the First World War.