Maximilian Njegovan

Maksimilijan Njegovan (31 October 1858 – 1 July 1930) was an Austro-Hungarian admiral of Croatian descent. He was the Navy's senior administrator as well as its fleet commander in World War I, from 1917 to 1918. He "inherited a competent but exhausted service."

Background

Njegovan was born in 1858 in Agram (now Zagreb). Upon graduation from the Imperial and Royal Naval Academy in Fiume (now Rijeka), he joined the fleet in Pola (Pula) in 1877 as a Seekadett. In 1893, after receiving a short instructional course as torpedo officer of Alpha, he received his first command, the torpedo boat Condor.

At the Naval Academy, he was an instructor in seamanship from 1898 to 1905. Njegovan then held command of the battleship Budapest until 1907. He served from 1907 to 1909 as chief of staff to the Marinekommandant (Navy Commander), Rudolf Montecuccoli, and as adjutant and chief of operations of the Marinesektion (Naval Section of the War Ministry), of which Montecuccoli was Chef (Chief).

He was promoted to Konteradmiral in 1911 and Vizeadmiral in 1913. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 he was named commander of the 1st Division of the 1st Battle Squadron, hoisting his flag in the dreadnought battleship Tegetthoff.