 The Austro @-@ Hungarian government ordered the construction of a new fleet in 1908 , following the announcement of the start of construction of the first dreadnought for the Regia Marina ( the Italian navy ) , Dante Alighieri . The ships of this class were among the first ships to utilize triple gun turrets for their main armament , the first one being the Italian battleship Dante Alighieri , which the Austro @-@ Hungarian ships were supposed to act against in a war ; as for the Italian ship , this choice made it possible to deliver a heavier broadside than other dreadnoughts of a similar size . The triple turrets were built at the Škoda Works , in Plzeň , Bohemia ( Czech republic ) , and was available at short notice because Škoda were already working on a design for an order for the Russian navy . 
