The Austrian government also, which with less necessity for naval strength now than it had when it possessed Lombardy and Venice, has slackened greatly in the production of iron-clads of late years, and has but two, and these of very moderate size, under completion. These are the barbette-battery ships _Kronprinz Rudolph_, of 6900 tons, and the _Kronprinzessin Erzherzogin Stefanie_, of 5150 tons. The former vessel is to carry 12-inch armor, and to be armed principally with three 48-ton guns; and the latter to carry 9-inch armor, and to be armed with two such guns. There is much uncertainty about even the intended speed of these vessels, neither the French _Carnet_ nor the _Universal Register_ stating the speed, while the Admiralty assigns a speed of 14 knots to the _Rudolph_ only. But while the _Carnet_ gives the indicated horse-power of each as 6500, the _Register_ gives that of the _Rudolph_ as 8000, and that of the smaller vessel as much as 11,000. If these latter figures be correct, the _Rudolph_ will exceed 14 knots and the _Ferdinand_ 16.[40] Austria already possesses two powerful iron-clads in the _Custoza_ and the _Tegetthoff_, but her _Kaiser_, _Lissa_, _Ferdinand Max_, and _Hapsburg_ are old wooden vessels, lightly armored and armed, and need not be further considered. Besides the iron-clads already named, she has likewise the three iron central-battery and belted ships _Don Juan d’Austria_, _Kaiser Max_, and _Prinz Eugen_, each of 3500 tons, 2700 indicated horse-power, and 13½ knots speed, with 8-inch armor (the thickest) on the belt, and each carrying eight guns of 9 tons. The unarmored vessels of Austria (other than those classed as torpedo craft) are numerous, but most of them are small and slow. Those of thirteen knots and upward are but three in number, the _Laudon_, _Radetzky_, frigates of 3380 tons and 14 knots speed, and the wooden gun-vessel _Hum_, of 890 tons and 13¼ knots speed. Austria is providing herself with several of Sir W. Armstrong & Co.’s light steel vessels of eighteen knots speed for torpedo service, of which she has one, the _Panther_, completed, and two others, the _Leopard_ and _Seehund_ (all of 1550 tons), under construction. She had also four 14-knot torpedo-vessels, built at Pola and Trieste. Of torpedo “boats” she has the following: _Completed_, First class, 135 feet in length, 2; second class, over 100 feet in length, 18; third class, from 85 to 90 feet in length, 8. _Incompleted_, First class, 135 feet in length, 2; second class, over 100 feet in length, 8.—Total, 38.[41]