Pre-Dreadnought Preservation
The Leitha

1996 photo of the hull of the Lajta (formerly Leitha).
Source: Erwin F. Sieche

Commissioned in 1871 as a river monitor in the Austro-Hungarian navy, the Leitha's hull still floats on the Danube to this day at the Hungarian Danube River Patrol base near Budapest. Although there have been plans to restore her, the Leitha remains an empty hull owned by the War History Museum in Budapest.

For a very detailed operational and reclamation history of the Leitha, reade Erwin Sieche's article on the Leitha.

See also Erwin Sieche's excellent article on the Danube Flotilla in which the Leitha served.

Here is a line drawing side view of the Leitha at the bottom of the page.

An excellent photo of the Leitha in action can be found at Vincze B�la Gy�rgy's Die Schiffe der K.U.K. Kriegsmarine web site.

An additional web site regarding the Leitha as preserved today. Here is one with a few pictures of her including her empty interior hull. This one has additional photographs and includes a line drawing of the river monitor as she appeared in service.

Very special thanks to Tamas Feher and Erwin Sieche for their information on the Leitha.


Stern view of the Lajta (formerly Leitha) in 1996.
Source: Erwin F. Sieche

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