Radetzky class: powerful guns, limited elevation

The Radetzkys combined four 12-inch main guns with an improved eight-gun 9.4-inch battery, bringing Austria-Hungary closer to a modern capital-ship standard. Their heavy guns offered strong muzzle velocity and an initially high rate of fire, but the mountings limited them to 20 degrees of elevation. This reduced range and the opportunity for plunging fire, which affected how an opponent's deck armour would be tested. The ships also carried a substantial medium battery and could make 20.5 knots, placing them in the semi-dreadnought category. Gun elevation, armour design, expected battle range, and the timing of construction after HMS Dreadnought were connected design choices rather than isolated specifications.