Service SMS
Novara was a
frigate that
circumnavigated the Earth in the course of the
Austrian Imperial expedition of 1857–1859, during the reign of (
Kaiser)
Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria. It was a sailing ship with three
masts of sails and six decks, outfitted with 42
cannons, and had a water
displacement of nearly 2,107
tons. originally named
Minerva when the lengthy construction started in
Venice during 1843, the partially completed frigate was renamed
Italia by Venetian revolutionaries in 1848, finally launched with the name
Novara in 1850, and converted to a steam cruiser during 1861–1865. The name
Novara originated with the
Battle of Novara in March 1849: following the Austrians' retaking of
Venice in August 1849, Field Marshal
Radetzky visited the shipyard there, and the officers petitioned him to have the nearly-completed
Italia renamed in honour of his victory over
King Charles Albert at the Italian town of
Novara.
Sydney (5 November 1858),
Auckland,
Tahiti,
Valparaíso,
Gravosa, and
Triest (returning on 26 August 1859).
Gallery showing the differences before and after the 1862 rebuild File:Novara in cut.gif|Novara, the original hull in cross-section File:SMS Novara versions 1861 vs 1862 comparison.jpg|1861 vs 1862 hulls compared File:SMS Novara 1864 Martinique.jpg|Novara in 1864 at
Martinique File:SMS Novara (1862) figurehead.jpg|New and different figurehead
Voyages with Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian In April 1864, SMS
Novara carried the Archduke Maximilian and his wife Charlotte to
Veracruz, in the Americas, for their establishment as the new Emperor and Empress of Mexico during the
Second Mexican Empire.
Novara arrived at Veracruz, Mexico on 28 May 1864. == See also ==