Editing Tegetthoff-class battleship (section)

===Pre-war===
[[File:SMS Prinz_Eugen_trials.png|thumb|left|300px|''Prinz Eugen'' conducting sea trials in May 1914|alt=A large battleship steaming away through the water at high speed. Its stern can be seen in the foreground with water hitting the sides of the ship. Smoke can be seen billowing out of the funnels of the ship.]]
Prior to World War I, the ''Tegetthoff'' class served as the pride of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, conducting several voyages throughout the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas as members of the 1st Battle Division under the command of Vice-Admiral [[Maximilian Njegovan]].{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=244}} In the spring of 1914 ''Viribus Unitis'' and ''Tegetthoff'', together with ''Zrínyi'' and the coastal defense ship {{SMS|Monarch||2}}, traveled the [[eastern Mediterranean]], the [[Sea of Sicily]], and the [[Levant]], visiting the ports of [[İzmir|Smyrna]], [[Beirut]], [[Alexandria]], and [[Crown Colony of Malta|Malta]].{{sfn|Gill|1914|p=828}}{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=244}}{{sfn|Noppen|2012|p=23}} While at port in Alexandria, two of ''Monarch''{{'}}s crew contracted [[smallpox]] and cerebrospinal [[meningitis]] which caused the ship to be quarantined for several weeks in Pola.{{sfn|Sieche|1999|pp=245–246}} Meanwhile, ''Viribus Unitis'' and ''Tegetthoff'' arrived at Malta on 22 May, before leaving for Pola on 28 May.{{sfn|Halpern|1971|pp=223–224}}{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=244}} Upon their return, ''Viribus Unitis'' was tasked with transporting Ferdinand to the [[Condominium of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] in order to watch military maneuvers. Following the maneuvers, Ferdinand and [[Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg|his wife Sophie]] planned to visit Sarajevo to open the state museum in its new premises.{{sfn|Dedijer|1966|pp=9, 285}} On 24 June the battleship brought the Archduke from Trieste to the [[Neretva|Narenta River]], where he boarded a yacht which took him north towards Sarajevo. After observing the military maneuvers for three days, the Archduke met his wife in Sarajevo. On 28 June 1914, they were shot to death by [[Gavrilo Princip]].{{sfn|Albertini|1953|p=36}}

Upon hearing of the assassination, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy [[Anton Haus]] sailed south from Pola with an escort fleet comprising ''Tegetthoff'', the scout cruiser {{SMS|Admiral Spaun||2}}, and several torpedo boats. Two days after their murders, Ferdinand and Sophia's bodies were transferred aboard ''Viribus Unitis'', which had been anchored waiting to receive the Archduke for his return, and were transported back to Trieste.{{sfn|Morton|1989|p=238}} ''Viribus Unitis'' was shadowed by Haus' escort fleet for the journey, with the fleet moving slowly along the Dalmatian coast, usually within sight of land. Coastal towns and villages rang church bells when the ships passed while spectators watched the fleet from the shoreline.{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=244}} The Archduke's death triggered the [[July Crisis]], culminating in Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on the [[Kingdom of Serbia]] on 28 July 1914.{{sfn|Stevenson|1996|p=12}}{{sfn|Sondhaus|1994|p=245}}