Theodore Ellyson become first U.S. Navy Pilot

June 30, 1911: Commander Theodore Ellyson becomes the first U.S. Navy Pilot when he flew the first plane purchased by the U.S. Navy at Keuka Lake, near Hammondsport, NY.

The airplane, a Curtiss model E-8-75, was designated A-1 by the Navy. It operated as a seaplan. The originally purchased plane was outfitted with a large central pontoon and outriggers under the wings. It and was manufactured by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company. It had a top speed of 65 mph, powered by a 75 hp, V-8 engine.

The  A-1 was the first of 14 E type fliers ordered by the Navy. leading the development of aviation in the U.S. Navy, including the first catapult launch of a seaplane. The Curtiss Aeroplane Company would be the the major provider of airplanes for the First World War.

Russia launched its first dreadnought sized battleship the Sevastopol

June 29, 1911:
From the New York Times: Russia's first dreadnought, the Sevastapol, was successfully launched at noon today from the Baltic Works in the presence of the Minister of Marine, Naval attaches, a large representation of society, legislators and officials.
Special precautions against a mishap had been taken as there was only a foot of space on either side of the slip. The battleship was laid down June 16, 1909, and it is expected that another two years will be occupied in equipping her. The Sevastapol has a displacement of 23,000 tons and, with 42,000 horsepower, is expected to build a speed of 23 knots per hour. Her armament will consist of twelve 12 inch guns, sixteen 4.7 inch guns, and smaller artillery. The vessel and her equipment have been or will be constructed in Russia.
The Poltava, a sister ship of the Sevastapol, will be launched on July 10. The keels of these two battleships, and of the two others, Petropavlovsk and the Gangut, were laid on the same date, and when the ships are commissioned, they will form the first squadron of the new Baltic fleet. 

After the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Russia's Naval Fleet was decimated. This dropped Russia to sixth as a Naval power from third. Fear that St. Petersburg and the Baltic coast could not be defended, prompted the construction of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, of which the Sevastapol was one of the first. Further deterioration of relations with Germany and the Ottoman Empire forced an increase the number of ships ordered.


The Sevastopol (Севастополь) and her sister ships were not readied for action until mid-1915. The ship's principle role would be in training and providing cover for mine laying operations. She would have more of a role after the fall of Imperial Russia.

Joseph Caillaux forms new government in France

June 28, 1911: Another Government is formed in France, when the new Prime Minister, Joseph Caillaux, appoints his cabinet. This will be the government that deals with the Second Moroccan crisis in the alliance chess match that Germany will force.

He was appointed prime minister by the Chamber of Deputies (Congress) of France, after Ernest Monis was removed by a lack of confidence vote. He was part of the Radical Party, that aligned themselves with other moderates. It was the largest represented party after the 1910 legislative elections, holding 149 of the 590 seats in the Chamber.

His was a coalition government, that chose a more conciliatory approach towards the German Empire. There would be six changes in prime minister before the beginning of WWI. A Radical prime minister would not be appointed for over two years.

The Royal Military College of Australia opens

The Royal Military College of Australia, Duntroon was opened on 27 June 1911 near the newly formed Australian capital of Canberra.

Field Marshall Lord Kitchener of England, invited by the Australian government to advise of defense requirements, recommended that a College be established for the training of officers for a permanent military force
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The first commandant of the College was Sir William Throsby Bridges. He toured several Military Academies in which to model the new academy,

Bridges modeled Duntroon on the US Military Academy at West Point, based on the recommendations of Lord Kitchener. The first class of 41 cadets, 31 from Australia and 10 from New Zealand, moved in and the college was officially opened on 27 June 1911.

At the start of the First World War, Major-General Bridges was given command of the 1st AIF Division. He died at Gallipoli and his body was returned to Australia and buried on the slopes of Mount Pleasant, overlooking the college. In total, forty of the 117 Australian graduates died in the First World War.

Baron Von Bienerth, the Chancellor of the Empire of Austria resigns

June 26, 1911:
Count Richard von Bienerth-Schmerling, prime minister of Austria, resigns after his ruling party, the Christian Socialists lose their majority in Parliament to the Marxist based Social Democratic Party of Austria in the General Elections.

In the Austrian Cabinet, the prime minister was appointed by the Emperor, Franz Joseph, to lead the Cabinet Ministers. Von Bienerth had been appointed in 1908, replacing the existing prime minister who could not break a deadlock between the Czech and German groups. He had survived a realignment of the Cabinet earlier in the year, however the Czechs had disrupted proceedings in the Reichsrat, to the point where there was a  suspension of the Parliament and and von Bienerth lead by decree.

After the election, he was replaced by Paul Gautsch von Frankenthurn. This was the second election in Austria, where voting was not based on the payment of taxes. This incorporated voters of all classes and ethnic groups.

Austrian Election Results 1911

Mehmed V Ends European Tour in Macedonia

June 25, 1911:

The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V essentially concludes his tour of European areas of the Ottoman Empire, in the historical regions of Thrace and Macedonia. These areas include, amongst others, modern day Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Northern Greece. His tour concluded were it had begun, in Salonica, now Thessaloniki in Greece.

The tour was orchestrated by the top officials of the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), the ruling party of the Ottoman Parliament, to essentially rally those groups in the area loyal to the Empire, in a show of solidarity. Increasing unrest in the region, because of perceived Ottoman oppression, had led to uprisings, most notably nationalistic Albanians. This led to the postponement of  the Sultan's visit, which was planned earlier in the year.

The Sultan himself was considered but a figurehead, guided by the "Young Turk" founders of the CUP, like Enver Pasha. This was one of the few times he left Istanbul. The principal purpose was  to be the embodiment of the lineage of the Sultans of the Empire. However his visits on the tour to temples which held relics of past Sultans, were designed to revive flagging loyalty, as well as a show of unity to partisans. In Kosovo, the centerpiece of the visit, was a grand selamlik, or prayer service. Perhaps 100,000 or more loyalists, made their way to Kosovo, for this occasion. The Sultan visited a small mosque in Kosovo, holding a relic of the Sultan Murad (Amaruth), who has conquered the Serbians and expanded the Ottoman Empire into the Balkans, in the late 14th century.  These wholly symbolic and premeditated intimidating events, drew the ire of many observers, such as the American consul George Horton. The Battle of Kosovo is particularly important to Serbian history, tradition, and national identity, further intensifying the insensitivity of the visit to the affected peoples not loyal to the Empire.

The positive effects of the visit were short lived, as in the coming months Organized revolts against the Ottoman Empire and the policies of the C.U.P. ,would result in  regional wars, that would diminish Ottoman influence, and provide the spark for World War One. In just a few weeks: Italy and the Ottoman Empire would clash.

Further links: Sultan Mehmet V's visit to Kosovo in June 1911

A surprisingly opinionated insight of one at the salemlik: Blight of Asia

SMS Viribus Unitis

The SMS Viribus Unitis (With United Forces) was launched on this day on June 24, 1911, from the port city of Trieste in Austria-Hungary, now part of Italy. It was the the first of the dreadnoughts built for the Austria-Hungarian Navy. Though it saw little action because of coal shortages, it did participate in maneuvers to assist German ships and U-boats evade Allied forces. It was destroyed near the end of the war by Italians who did not know that the ship had been surrendered to the state to be known after the war  as Yugoslavia.