Ordered in response to a pair of Italian ironclads in 1860, Drache and Salamander were laid down in early 1861, launched later that year, and completed in 1862.

The launch of the French Gloire, the world's first ironclad warship, started a naval arms race between the major European powers.

The Austrian Navy began a major ironclad construction program under the direction of Archduke Ferdinand Max, the Marinekommandant (naval commander) and brother of Kaiser Franz Josef I, the emperor of Austria.

This program was in response to a similar naval expansion in the recently-united Kingdom of Italy across the Adriatic Sea, and marked the beginning of Austria's participation in the Austro-Italian ironclad arms race.

Drache did not escape unscathed, however, as she was hit by Italian shells numerous times; she lost her main mast, was temporarily set on fire, and her commander was killed.

[10] Nevertheless, the loss of Palestro and the ironclad Re d'Italia led the demoralized Italian fleet to disengage and retreat to their base at Ancona.

Badly rotted by 1875, Drache was stricken from the naval register on 13 June that year and eventually broken up for scrap in 1883.

[6] Salamander lingered on in service as a guard ship from 1875[13] until 18 March 1883, when she too was stricken from the register and converted into a mine storage hulk.