Austria-Hungary tried to keep the Tegetthoff programme a state secret for roughly a year. Once the project became public, Italian dreadnought construction helped make the strategic case for it. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Austrian Navy League supplied political support as the ships moved toward approval and service. Their appearance also raised an uncomfortable French question because the Italian Navy ranked first among the resident Mediterranean powers while France expected to rank second. Tegetthoff quality could displace France from that position and force Britain to reconsider its preference for assigning only older battleships to the theatre.
Notable Point · 55:25-57:14
Secrecy, naval politics, and the Tegetthoffs' Mediterranean status
The Tegetthoff programme moved from a year of secrecy to public backing, while its quality unsettled the naval hierarchy of the Mediterranean.