Austrian Dreadnoughts.

New York Times 100 years ago today, February 2, 1913:
Charge That They Are Stolen English Models Repudiated.
    VIENNA, Jan. 23.— The Naval Technical Committee has just made its report in regard to the building of a new class of dreadnoughts. Certain specifications having been given to the press, Le Yacht of Paris, the semi-official French maritime journal, declares that the plans are stolen from the new British superdreadnoughts now under construction.
    The accusation has made quite a stir in the press here, and in the course of a long article Die Zeit says:
    "It is known that the constructors of our navy have understood until now how to insure for our battleships a surprising fighting capacity when displacement is considered. This has only been reached by a carefully considered compromise between the necessary attributes of the modern warship. On the other hand, there are several original types of ship in our fleet which have been imitated frequently abroad. Thus it causes the greater astonishment that the foreign press attempts to stigmatize our new constructions, the detailed plans of which are not even fixed, and which are naturally kept secret, as imitations of the English dreadnoughts."
    "On this subject," continues Die Zeit, "we have received from a highly-placed naval personage (doubtless Admiral Montecucculi is indicated) the following statement:
    " 'No words need be wasted on such suspicions, which can be easily seen through. As a matter of fact, the fundamental principles of the building and armament of first-class warships are the common property of all seafaring nations, and types of vessels of the same date have numerous points of resemblance. Thus, all navies have adopted the practice of placing the heavy gun turrets amidships, so as to be able to carry out most powerful broadside firing, and England was not the leading State in this special point.
    " 'The Austro-Hungarian ships were the first with raised triple turrets. Accusations such as those made — the object of which may be easily recognized when the excited comments on our very moderate fleet building plans in the English and French press are followed — will not prevent our marine administration from realizing the plans allowed by the means placed at its command. Certain powers must accustom themselves to the idea that other States also wish for a place in the sun, and that exclusive privileges in the questions of the command of the sea and shipbuilding policy cannot be maintained.
    " 'Further, it would only be the duty of our marine authorities to obtain early information on new foreign constructions, and not to refrain from employing any new foreign inventions in shipbuilding technique which were considered of practical value. Such absurd press attacks have, like other lies, short lives, and no one will be deceived by them."