The Austro-Hungarian navy wore a uniform very similar to most other European navies of the period. Officers  wore several different uniforms, a blue double breasted jacket, a blue frock coat or a white single breasted tunic. Matching blue or white trousers were worn. Rank was shown in the form of gold bars around the cuff and on the shoulder straps. Headgear consisted of a peaked blue naval cap with a black hatband, a similar white cap or a blue kepi style cap. All of these headgear were worn with a gold embroidered badge showing an anchor surrounded by a laurel wreath below a Hapsburg imperial crown (see below). For formal occasions officers wore a bicorn hat.

The figure on the left is based on a photograph of an Dr Leo Arbesser von Rastburg, an Officer on "SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth" taken onboard in 1914. He wears the blue officer's peaked cap with imperial insignia, blue naval frock coat with his rank indicated on his shoulder straps and by gold bars on his cuffs and blue naval trousers.

Dr Leo Arbesser von Rastburg was a ship's doctor on board the SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth from 1913-14. Throughout his travels in North Africa and Asia with the SMS Kaiserin Elisabeth he took many interesting photographs. The photo on which this illustration is based was taken in Shanghai in January 1914. More of his photos can be seen at Die Fotos von Dr Leo Arbesser Website. In August 1914 he travelled via San Francisco and New York back to Austria, arriving home in November 1914. In the 1960's he was still a member of the Tsingtao Comrades Group (Tsingtau-Kameradschaft).

Austro-Hungarian Naval Officers Uniform
Hadtorteneti Muzeum, Budapest

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