Ersatz Monarch was tailored to control the Adriatic

Ersatz Monarch resembled Nevada in its ten-gun main battery, with a twin turret superfiring over a triple at each end, and in its 21-knot speed. Its protection and 14-inch guns were well suited to fighting the Italian Cavour and Duilio classes. Four Monarchs operating with the four Tegetthoffs could form a battle line that threatened Italian coastal targets and returned to base without needing to pursue the enemy across the Mediterranean. Faster Italian ships could attempt attacks against part of that line, but the Adriatic offered less room to exploit their speed than the wider Mediterranean basins. A short Austro-Hungarian bombardment sortie might also end before repeated attacks produced results. One damaging salvo could disable an Italian attacker and force other ships to protect it, weakening the opposition to the next sortie. Austro-Hungarian fire control receives credit, while the earlier fleet's turret-ventilation problems are described as having been corrected after the Ancona bombardment.