Her career was fairly limited, in part due to reduced naval budgets in the 1870s that also delayed her completion.

Custoza was somewhat more active in the 1880s, taking part in an international naval demonstration against the Ottoman Empire in 1880, being modernized in 1882, and a trip to Spain for the Barcelona Universal Exposition in 1888.

The first became the Custoza, and the second became Erzherzog Albrecht, the latter built to a slightly smaller design owing to budgetary shortages.

Romako had studied the Battle of Lissa, fought in 1866, and decided the new ships should favor heavy armor and the capability of end-on fire to allow it to effectively attack with its ram.

[3] Though she proved to be a fairly fast and maneuverable ship, Custoza was built to an obsolescent design, and did not meet the standards of other major navies in the period, which demanded greater armor protection and superior firepower.

[4] Italy, Austria-Hungary's rival across the Adriatic Sea laid down the two Duilio-class ironclads, very powerful turret ships carrying 450 mm (17.7 in) guns just four years after Custoza.

[6] Abroad, Custoza's design influenced Nathaniel Barnaby, the British Chief Constructor, for his HMS Alexandra.

Her pronounced ram bow had an inverted slope up to the forecastle, which extended to the aft end of the central casemate.

[10] The ship had a cellular double bottom that extended up the lower sides of the hull, up to the battery deck; it ran from frame 52 in the bow to frame 34 in the stern; on either ends, the sharp narrowing of the hull form prevented the double bottom from being extended further.

Steam was provided by eight coal-fired boilers with thirty-two fireboxes, which were trunked into a pair of funnels located amidships.

[9][12] Custoza was armed with a main battery of eight 26-centimeter (10.2 in) 22-caliber breech-loading guns manufactured by Krupp's Essen Works.

[20] She participated in the annual fleet maneuvers in 1888, along with the ironclads Don Juan d'Austria, Kaiser Max, and Tegetthoff, and the cruisers Panther, Meteor, and Leopard.

There, the Spanish Queen Maria Christina and Archduke Charles Stephen of Austria inspected both Custoza and Tegetthoff.

[22] The following year, the ship took part in a set of major training exercises with five other ironclads, several cruisers, and smaller vessels.