Yugoslav torpedo boat T2

Last updated

T2
Yugoslav torpedo boat T3.jpg
One of T2's sister ships, T3
History
Austria-Hungary-flag-1869-1914-naval-1786-1869-merchant.svg Austria-Hungary
Name77 T then 77
Builder Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino
Laid down24 August 1913
Launched30 January 1914
Commissioned11 August 1914
Out of service1918
FateAssigned to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Naval Ensign of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.svg Kingdom of Yugoslavia
NameT2
AcquiredMarch 1921
Commissioned1923
Out of service1939
FateScrapped
General characteristics
Class and type 250t-class, T-group sea-going torpedo boat
Displacement
  • 262  t (258 long tons)
  • 267.3 t (263 long tons) (full load)
Length57.84 m (189 ft 9 in)
Beam5.75 m (18 ft 10 in)
Draught1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph)
Range1,000  nmi (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement41 officers and enlisted
Armament

T2 was a seagoing torpedo boat operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1923 and 1939. Originally 77 T, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built in 1914, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy, patrol, escort, minesweeping and minelaying tasks, anti-submarine operations, and shore bombardment missions. In 1917, the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 77. Present in the Bocche di Cattaro during the short-lived mutiny by Austro-Hungarian sailors in early February 1918, members of her crew raised the red flag but undertook no other mutinous actions. 77 was part of the escort force for the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought Szent István during the action that resulted in the sinking of that ship by Italian torpedo boats in June 1918.

Contents

Following Austria-Hungary's defeat in 1918, 77 was allocated to the Navy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which later became the Royal Yugoslav Navy, and was renamed T2 and had her armament upgraded. At the time, she and seven other 250t-class boats were the only modern sea-going vessels of the fledgling maritime force. During the interwar period, the navy was involved in training exercises and cruises to friendly ports, but activity was limited by reduced naval budgets. Worn out after twenty-five years of service, T2 was stricken from the naval register and scrapped in 1939.

Background

In 1910, the Austria-Hungary Naval Technical Committee initiated the design and development of a 275- tonne (271- long-ton ) coastal torpedo boat, specifying that it should be capable of sustaining 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) for 10 hours. [1] [2] At the same time, the committee issued design parameters for a high seas or fleet torpedo boat of 500–550 t (490–540 long tons), top speed of 30 kn and endurance of 480 nautical miles (890 km; 550 mi). This design would have been a larger and better-armed vessel than the existing Austro-Hungarian 400-tonne (390-long-ton) Huszár-class destroyers. [3] The specification for the high seas torpedo boat was based on an expectation that the Strait of Otranto, where the Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea, would be blockaded by hostile forces during a future conflict. In such circumstances, there would be a need for a torpedo boat that could sail from the Austro-Hungarian Navy (German: kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine, Hungarian: Császári és Királyi Haditengerészet) base at the Bocche di Cattaro (the Bocche or Bay of Kotor) to the strait during the night, locate and attack blockading ships and return to port before morning. Steam turbine power was selected for propulsion, as diesels with the necessary power were not available, and the Austro-Hungarian Navy did not have the practical experience to run turbo-electric boats. [2] Despite having developed these ideas, the Austro-Hungarian Navy then asked shipyards to submit proposals for a 250 t (250-long-ton) boat with a maximum speed of 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph). [1] Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino (STT) of Triest was selected for the contract to build eight vessels, the T group, ahead of one other tenderer. [2] The T-group designation signified that they were built at Triest. [4]

Description and construction

The 250t-class, T-group boats had short raised forecastles and an open bridge, and were fast and agile, well designed for service in the Adriatic. [5] They had a waterline length of 57.84 m (189 ft 9 in), a beam of 5.75 m (18 ft 10 in), and a normal draught of 1.54 m (5 ft 1 in). While their designed displacement was 262 tonnes (258 long tons), they displaced about 267.3 tonnes (263 long tons) fully loaded. [6] The boats were powered by two Parsons steam turbines driving two propellers, using steam generated by two Yarrow water-tube boilers, one of which burned fuel oil and the other coal. [7] There were two boiler rooms, one behind the other. [5] The turbines were rated at 5,000–5,700 shaft horsepower (3,700–4,300  kW ) and designed to propel the boats to a top speed of 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph), although a maximum speed of 29.2 kn (54.1 km/h; 33.6 mph) could be achieved. They carried 18.2 t (17.9 long tons) of coal and 24.3 t (23.9 long tons) of fuel oil, which gave them a range of 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph). [7] The T group had one funnel rather than the two funnels of the later groups of the class. [2] 79 T and the rest of the 250t class were classified as high seas torpedo boats by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, despite being smaller than the original concept for a coastal torpedo boat. [1] [8] The naval historian Zvonimir Freivogel states that this type of situation was common due to the parsimony of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. [1] They were the first small Austro-Hungarian Navy boats to use turbines, and this contributed to ongoing problems with them, [2] which had to be progressively solved once they were in service. [5] The crew consisted of three officers and thirty-eight enlisted men. [9] The vessel carried one 4 m (13 ft) yawl as a ship's boat. [6]

The boats were originally to be armed with three Škoda 66 mm (2.6 in) L/30 [lower-alpha 1] guns, and three 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, [2] but this was changed to two guns and four torpedo tubes before the first boat was completed, to standardise the armament with the F group to follow. [4] A 40 cm (16 in) searchlight was mounted above the bridge. [11] The torpedo tubes were mounted in pairs, with one pair mounted between the forecastle and bridge, and the other on a section of raised superstructure above the aft machinery room. [7] They could also carry 10–12 naval mines. [4]

The fourth of its class to be completed, 77 T was laid down on 24 August 1913, launched on 30 January 1914, [4] and completed and commissioned on 11 August 1914. [4] [12] Prior to her commissioning, one 8 mm (0.31 in) Schwarzlose M.7/12 machine gun was included in the armament of all boats of the class for anti-aircraft work. Four mounting points were installed so that the machine gun could be mounted in the most effective position depending on the expected direction of attack. [13] Until October 1915, the boat was painted black, but from that point it was painted a light blue-grey. [6]

Career

World War I

At the outbreak of World War I on 28 July 1914, 77 T was part of the 1st Torpedo Group of the 3rd Torpedo Craft Division of the Austro-Hungarian 1st Torpedo Craft Flotilla, [14] which was led by the scout cruiser Saida commanded by Linienschiffskapitän (Captain) Heinrich Seitz, and supported by the mother ship Gäa. [15] The original concept of operation for the 250t-class boats was that they would sail in a flotilla at the rear of a cruising battle formation, and were to intervene in fighting only if the battleships around which the formation was established were disabled, or to attack damaged enemy battleships. [16] When a torpedo attack was ordered, it was to be led by a scout cruiser, supported by two destroyers to repel any enemy torpedo boats. A group of four to six torpedo boats would deliver the attack under the direction of the flotilla commander. [17]

During the war, 77 T was used for convoy, patrol, escort and minesweeping tasks, anti-submarine operations, [2] and shore bombardment missions. [18] 77 T was transferred to Sebenico on 16 August. [19] In early September, intelligence was received by the Austro-Hungarian command that an Italian volunteer corps were planning to land on the Dalmatian or Istrian coast, and the 1st Torpedo Flotilla was involved in fruitless patrolling off Sebenico and Zara between 19 and 24 September. According to the naval historian Zvonimir Freivogel, this was disinformation that allegedly originated with the French and was intended to keep the Austro-Hungarian fleet engaged while the French conducted operations in the southern Adriatic undisturbed. [20] On the evening of 3 November, the 1st Torpedo Flotilla left Sebenico to make a night torpedo attack on the French fleet, which had begun its seventh raid on the Adriatic on 31 October. By the time they reached the threatened areas, the French had withdrawn as they were running low on coal. [21] On 6 November, 77 T conducted a patrol off the Dalmatian island of Lastovo, and returned to the main fleet base at Pola in the upper Adriatic on 23 December. [19]

On 10 May 1915, during the lead-up to the Italian declaration of war on Austria-Hungary, 77 T swept the approaches to the Italian port of Ancona for mines. [19] On the afternoon of 23 May, and almost the entire Austro-Hungarian fleet left Pola soon after to deliver an immediate response against Italian cities and towns along the Adriatic coast, aiming to interdict land and sea transport between southern Italy and the northern regions of that country which were expected to be a theatre of land operations. The fleet split into six groups with a range of targets up and down the coast. [22] On 24 May 1915, 77 T and seven other 250t-class boats participated in the Bombardment of Ancona, which involved shelling Italian shore-based targets, 77 T being involved in the operation against Ancona itself. [23] 77 T laid defensive mines off the Dalmatian port of Split on 6 June. [24] On the night of 18/19 June, separate Austro-Hungarian naval task groups attacked both Venice and Rimini, with distant cover provided by a group led by Saida and the scout cruiser Helgoland and consisting of three destroyers and five 250t-class boats, one of which was 77 T. Near San Benedetto del Tronto, this group intercepted and sank the Italian steamer Grazia. [25] Immediately after this operation, 77 T underwent a refit at Pola. [24] On 23 July, 77 T and another 250t-class boat participated in another shore bombardment mission led by Helgoland against Ortona on the central Adriatic coast of Italy. [26] [lower-alpha 2] 77 T was involved in an attack on the island chain of Pelagosa in the middle of the Adriatic on 28 July. [24] On 17 August, the 1st Torpedo Flotilla again shelled Pelagosa, and 77 T was part of a force led by Saida tasked to protect the southern approaches to the islands from enemy submarines. The success of this bombardment, which destroyed the only source of drinking water, caused the Italians to abandon Pelagosa. [28] 77 T again bombarded Pelagosa on 9 September. During September she conducted patrols between the islands of Lastovo, Pelagosa, and Biševo and the Italian port of Bari. [24]

In late November 1915, the Austro-Hungarian fleet deployed a force from Pola to Cattaro in the southern Adriatic; this group included six of the eight T-group torpedo boats. This force was tasked with maintaining a permanent patrol of the Albanian coastline and interdict any troop transports crossing from Italy. [29] After an attack on Durazzo in Albania in which two Austro-Hungarian destroyers were sunk after straying out of a cleared lane through a minefield, on 30 December 77 T and four other 250t-class boats were sent south with the scout cruiser Novara to strengthen morale and try to prevent the transfer of the captured crew of one of the destroyers to Italy. No Italian ships were encountered, and the group returned to the Bocche the following day. [30]

On 17 January 1916, 77 T salvaged a damaged Austro-Hungarian seaplane near the Montenegrin coastal town of Petrovac and towed it to the Bocche. [24] On 22 February, 77 T and two other 250t-class boats, accompanied by a Kaiman-class torpedo boat, laid a minefield outside the Montenegrin port of Antivari. With Austro-Hungarian forces closing on Durazzo from the land, the Allies began to evacuate by sea, and Austro-Hungarian naval forces were sent to attempt to interdict. On 24 February, Helgoland, four destroyers, 77 T and five other 250t-class boats were sent to intercept four Italian destroyers covering the evacuation, but were unable to locate them. [31] Between 11 March and 2 May 77 T underwent a further refit at Pola, and on 4 May was transferred to the Bocche. [24] On the night of 31 May – 1 June, the Tátra-class destroyers Orjen and Balaton, accompanied by 77 T and two other 250t-class boats, raided the Otranto Barrage, an Allied naval blockade of the Strait of Otranto. Orjen sank the British drifter Beneficent, but once the alarm had been raised, the Austro-Hungarian force withdrew. [32] [33] 77 T laid mines off Cape Rodoni north of Durazzo on 29 June, and returned to Pola in July. On the night of 23/24 September, 77 T and three other 250t boats laid mines off the Po River estuary near Venice. On 12 October, 77 T was attacked by enemy aircraft about 19 km (12 mi) west of the Pinida lighthouse on the eastern coast of Istria. [24]

In 1917, one of 77 T's 66 mm guns may have been placed on an anti-aircraft mount. According to the naval historian Zvonimir Freivogel, sources vary on whether these mounts were added to all boats of the class, and on whether these mounts were added to the forward or aft gun. [34] On 3 February 1917 she was transferred to the Bocche, and four days later she conveyed the German Vizeadmiral Hugo Kraft to Pola for an inspection. During a storm on 8 February, a crew member fell overboard in the Bay of Kvarner and drowned. [24] On 21 May, the suffix of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats was removed, and thereafter they were referred to only by their numeral. [2] 77 was again transferred to the Bocche on 17 August. [24] On 23 September 1917, 77 and another 250t-class boat were laying a minefield off Grado in the northern Adriatic when they had a brief encounter with a Royal Italian Navy (Italian: Regia Marina) MAS motor torpedo boat. [35] During 1917, 77 conducted two minesweeping operations and escorted thirty-six convoys. [24]

On 1 February 1918, a mutiny broke out among the sailors of some vessels of the Austro-Hungarian Navy at the Đenovići anchorage within the Bocche, largely over poor food, lack of replacement uniforms and supplies, and insufficient leave, although the poor state of the Austro-Hungarian economy and its impact on their families was also a factor. 77 was present in the anchorage, [36] and one of her crew raised a red flag, but the executive officer ordered the flag be lowered. The commanding officer of the group of four 250t boats including 77 to light their boilers, intending to order the boats to leave the vicinity of Sankt George and Gäa which were both controlled by mutineers but the mutineers ordered the boiler fires put out. The following day, while her commanding officer was absent, a red flag was again raised on 77. Other torpedo boats followed the lead of 77, but by 3 February the revolt was over, and the mutinous sailors were removed from all affected vessels. Five days later, 77 was transferred to Pola for repairs, but by 14–15 February was operational again, chasing a enemy submarine. [37]

By 1918, the Allies had strengthened their ongoing blockade on the Strait of Otranto, as foreseen by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. As a result, it was becoming more difficult for the German and Austro-Hungarian U-boats to get through the strait and into the Mediterranean Sea. In response to these blockades, the new commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, Konteradmiral Miklós Horthy, decided to launch an attack on the Allied defenders with battleships, scout cruisers, and destroyers. [38] During the night of 8/9 June 1918, Horthy left Pola with the dreadnought battleships Viribus Unitis and Prinz Eugen. At about 23:00 on 9 June, after some difficulties getting the harbour defence barrage opened, the dreadnoughts Szent István and Tegetthoff, [39] escorted by one destroyer and six torpedo boats, including 77, also departed Pola and set course for Slano, north of Ragusa, to rendezvous with Horthy in preparation for a coordinated attack on the Otranto Barrage. About 03:15 on 10 June, [lower-alpha 3] while returning from an uneventful patrol off the Dalmatian coast, two Italian MAS boats, MAS 15 and MAS 21, spotted the smoke from the Austro-Hungarian ships. [41] With their engines off, the two Italian boats waited for the lead ships of the starboard escort, the Huszár-class destroyer Velebit and 77, to pass, before launching their attack. [42] Both boats successfully penetrated the escort screen and split to engage the dreadnoughts individually. MAS 21 attacked Tegetthoff, but her torpedoes missed. [41] Under the command of Luigi Rizzo, MAS 15 fired two torpedoes at 03:25, both of which hit Szent István. Both boats evaded pursuit. The torpedo hits on Szent István were abreast of her boiler rooms, which flooded, knocking out power to the pumps. Szent István capsized less than three hours after being torpedoed. [40] 77 helped rescue survivors from Szent István. [37] This disaster essentially ended Austro-Hungarian fleet operations in the Adriatic for the remaining months of the war. [43]

Soon after this event, Linienschiffsleutnant Armin Pavić took command of 77 Pavić went on to reach the rank of kontraadmiral in the interwar Royal Yugoslav Navy (Serbo-Croatian Latin : Kraljevska mornarica, KM; Краљевска морнарица). During 1918, 77 conducted seven anti-submarine missions, six minesweeping operations, and escorted twenty-three convoys. [37] As the end of the war approached in November and the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke apart, on 1 November the boat was ceded to the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, [44] which was a short-lived fragment of the empire which united with the Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Montenegro on 1 December, becoming the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (from 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). [45]

Post World War I

The Austro-Hungarian Empire sued for peace in November 1918, and 77 survived the war intact. [2] Immediately after the Austro-Hungarian capitulation, French troops occupied Cattaro, which was treated by the Allies as Austro-Hungarian territory. [46] During the French occupation, the captured Austro-Hungarian Navy ships moored at Cattaro were neglected, and 77's original torpedo tubes were destroyed or damaged by French troops. [47] In 1920, under the terms of the previous year's Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, which officially ended the participation of rump Austria in World War I, she was allocated to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). [48] Along with three other 250t-class T-group boats, 76, 78 and 79, and four 250t-class F-group boats, she served with the KM. Taken over in March 1921 when French forces withdrew, [47] [48] in KM service, 77 was renamed T2. [4]

When the navy was formed, she and the other seven 250t-class boats were the only modern sea-going vessels in the KM. [49] New torpedo tubes of the same size were ordered from the Strojne Tovarne factory in Ljubljana. [9] In KM service it was intended to replace one or both guns on each boat of the 250t class with a longer Škoda 66 mm L/45 gun, and according to Freivogel this included the forward gun on T2. She was also fitted with one or two Zbrojovka 15 mm (0.59 in) machine guns. In KM service, the crew increased to 52, [9] and she was commissioned in 1923. [50] In 1925, exercises were conducted off the Dalmatian coast, involving the majority of the KM. [51] T2 underwent a refit in 1927. [50] In 1932, the British naval attaché reported that Yugoslav ships engaged in few exercises, manoeuvres or gunnery training due to reduced budgets. [52] By 1939, the maximum speed achieved by the 250t class in Yugoslav service had declined to 24 kn (44 km/h; 28 mph), [9] and in that year T2 was stricken from the naval register due to her age and scrapped soon after. [50] [53]

See also

Notes

  1. L/30 denotes the length of the gun's barrel. In this case, the L/30 gun is 30 calibre, meaning that the barrel was 30 times as long as the diameter of its bore. [10]
  2. According to Cernuschi and O'Hara, the 23 July operation involved 74 T and 78 T in a shore bombardment and landing operation led by Saida against San Benedetto del Tronto, Ortona and Termoli. [27] Freivogel states that a separate group of destroyers attacked Termoli and Campomarino, and a landing party from two more destroyers cut the telegraph cable on the Tremiti Islands, and does not mention the involvement of Saida. [26]
  3. Sources differ on what the exact time was when the attack took place. Sieche states that the time was 03:15 when the Szent István was hit; [40] Sokol claims that the time was 03:30. [39]

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Freivogel 2022, p. 60.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gardiner 1985, p. 339.
  3. Freivogel 2022, p. 59.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Greger 1976, p. 58.
  5. 1 2 3 Freivogel 2020, p. 102.
  6. 1 2 3 Freivogel 2022, p. 65.
  7. 1 2 3 Freivogel 2020, pp. 102–103.
  8. O'Hara, Worth & Dickson 2013, pp. 26–27.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Freivogel 2020, p. 103.
  10. Friedman 2011, p. 294.
  11. Freivogel 2022, pp. 64–65.
  12. Freivogel 2022, p. 63.
  13. Freivogel 2022, p. 67.
  14. Greger 1976, pp. 11–12.
  15. Freivogel 2019, p. 70.
  16. Freivogel 2019, p. 68.
  17. Freivogel 2019, p. 69.
  18. Cernuschi & O'Hara 2015, p. 171.
  19. 1 2 3 Freivogel 2022, p. 76.
  20. Freivogel 2019, p. 100.
  21. Freivogel 2019, pp. 119–120.
  22. Freivogel 2019, p. 168.
  23. Cernuschi & O'Hara 2015, p. 168.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Freivogel 2022, p. 77.
  25. Freivogel 2019, p. 182.
  26. 1 2 Freivogel 2019, p. 185.
  27. Cernuschi & O'Hara 2015, p. 169.
  28. Freivogel 2019, pp. 188–189.
  29. Halpern 2012, p. 229.
  30. Freivogel 2019, p. 211.
  31. Freivogel 2019, pp. 221–222.
  32. Halpern 1987, p. 151.
  33. Halpern 2015, p. 279.
  34. Freivogel 2022, p. 66.
  35. Cernuschi & O'Hara 2016, p. 67.
  36. Freivogel 2019, pp. 358–360.
  37. 1 2 3 Freivogel 2022, p. 78.
  38. Sokol 1968, pp. 133–134.
  39. 1 2 Sokol 1968, p. 134.
  40. 1 2 Sieche 1991, pp. 127, 131.
  41. 1 2 Sokol 1968, p. 135.
  42. Freivogel 2019, p. 380.
  43. Cernuschi & O'Hara 2016, p. 75.
  44. Freivogel 2020, p. 10.
  45. Ramet 2006, pp. 42–44.
  46. Djukanović 2023, p. 11.
  47. 1 2 Freivogel 2020, p. 12.
  48. 1 2 Vego 1982, p. 345.
  49. Chesneau 1980, p. 355.
  50. 1 2 3 Freivogel 2020, p. 104.
  51. Jarman 1997a, p. 733.
  52. Jarman 1997b, p. 451.
  53. Greger 1976, p. 60.

Related Research Articles

<i>Beograd</i>-class destroyer Class of three destroyers built for the Royal Yugoslav Navy in the late 1930s

The Beograd class of destroyers consisted of three ships built for the Yugoslav Royal Navy in the late 1930s, a variant of the French Bourrasque class. Beograd was constructed in France and Zagreb and Ljubljana were built in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. In January 1940, Ljubljana struck a reef off the port of Šibenik, and was still under repair when the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia commenced in April 1941. During the invasion, Zagreb was scuttled to prevent its capture, and the other two ships were captured by the Italians. The Royal Italian Navy operated Beograd and Ljubljana as convoy escorts between Italy, the Aegean Sea, and North Africa, under the names Sebenico and Lubiana respectively. Lubiana was lost in the Gulf of Tunis in April 1943; Sebenico was seized by the Germans in September 1943 after the Italian surrender and was subsequently operated by the German Navy as TA43. There are conflicting reports about the fate of TA43, but it was lost in the final weeks of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adriatic Campaign of World War I</span>

The Adriatic Campaign of World War I was a naval campaign fought between the Central Powers and the Mediterranean squadrons of Great Britain, France, the Kingdom of Italy, Australia, and the United States.

<i>Tátra</i>-class destroyer

The Tátra class consisted of six destroyers built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy shortly before the First World War.

Yugoslav torpedo boat <i>T3</i> Austro-Hungarian then Yugoslav torpedo boat operating between 1921 and 1945

T3 was a sea-going torpedo boat that was operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. Originally 78 T, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built in 1914, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns, four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy, escort and minesweeping tasks, anti-submarine operations and shore bombardment missions. In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 78. She was part of the escort force for the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought Szent István during the action that resulted in the sinking of that ship by Italian torpedo boats in June 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Yugoslav Navy</span> 1921–1945 maritime warfare branch of Yugoslavias military

The Royal Navy, commonly the Royal Yugoslav Navy, was the naval warfare service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. It was brought into existence in 1921, and initially consisted of a few former Austro-Hungarian Navy vessels surrendered at the conclusion of World War I and transferred to the new nation state under the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The only modern sea-going warships transferred to the new state were twelve steam-powered torpedo boats, although it did receive four capable river monitors for use on the Danube and other large rivers. Significant new acquisitions began in 1926 with a former German light cruiser, followed by the commissioning of two motor torpedo boats (MTBs) and a small submarine flotilla over the next few years. When the name of the state was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929, the name of its navy was changed to reflect this. In the late 1920s, several of the original vessels were discarded.

Yugoslav torpedo boat <i>T1</i> Austro-Hungarian then Yugoslav torpedo boat operating between 1921 and 1959

T1 was a seagoing torpedo boat that was operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. Originally 76 T, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built in 1914, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy, escort and minesweeping tasks, anti-submarine operations and shore bombardment missions. In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 76. She was part of the escort force for the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought Szent István during the action that resulted in the sinking of that ship by Italian torpedo boats in June 1918.

Yugoslav destroyer <i>Beograd</i> Yugoslav ship active in WWII

Beograd was the lead ship of her class of destroyers, built for the Royal Yugoslav Navy in France during the late 1930s, and designed to be deployed as part of a division led by the flotilla leader Dubrovnik. She entered service in April 1939, was armed with a main battery of four 120 mm (4.7 in) guns in single mounts, and had a top speed of 35 knots.

250t-class torpedo boat Boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy

The 250t class were high-seas torpedo boats built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy between 1913 and 1916. A total of 27 boats were built by three shipbuilding companies, with the letter after the boat number indicating the manufacturer. There were small variations between manufacturers, mainly in the steam turbines used, and whether they had one or two funnels. The eight boats of the T-group, designated 74 T – 81 T, were built by Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, located at Triest. The sixteen boats of the F-group, 82 F – 97 F, were built by Ganz-Danubius at their shipyards at Fiume and Porto Re. The three M-group boats, 98 M – 100 M, were manufactured by Cantiere Navale Triestino at Monfalcone.

<i>Kaiman</i>-class torpedo boat Austro-Hungarian warships in World War I

The Kaiman class were high-seas torpedo boats built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy between 1904 and 1910. A total of 24 boats were built by three shipbuilding companies. Yarrow Shipbuilders built the lead ship, Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino of Trieste built 13 boats, and Ganz-Danubius constructed the remaining 10 boats at their shipyards at Fiume. The class was considered to be a successful design, and all boats saw extensive active service during World War I, undertaking a range of tasks, including escort duties, shore bombardments, and minesweeping. All survived, although several were damaged by naval mines and collisions. One was torpedoed and badly damaged by a French submarine, and two sank an Italian submarine. All the boats were transferred to the Allies and scrapped at the end of the war, except for four that were allocated to the navy of the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. These were discarded and broken up between 1928 and 1930.

Yugoslav torpedo boat <i>T7</i> Sea-going torpedo boat operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy

T7 was a sea-going torpedo boat operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. Originally 96 F, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built in 1915–1916, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy escort, patrol, and minesweeping tasks, and anti-submarine operations. In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 96.

Yugoslav torpedo boat <i>T5</i> Sea-going torpedo boat

T5 was a sea-going torpedo boat operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. Originally 87 F, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built in 1914–1915, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy, patrol, escort and minesweeping tasks, anti-submarine operations and shore bombardment missions. In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 87. She was part of the escort force for the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought Szent István during the action that resulted in the sinking of that ship by Italian torpedo boats in June 1918, and rescued many of her crew.

Schichau-class torpedo boat Class of Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats

The Schichau class consisted of 22 torpedo boats built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy between 1885 and 1891. The class was one of the first torpedo boat classes built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, and they were initially powered by steam from a single locomotive boiler and were armed with two 37 mm (1.5 in) Hotchkiss guns and two 356 mm (14 in) torpedo tubes. The entire class was reconstructed between 1900 and 1910, when they received two Yarrow boilers and a second funnel.

Yugoslav torpedo boat <i>T6</i> Royal Yugoslav Navy sea-going torpedo boat

T6 was a sea-going torpedo boat that was operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. Originally 93 F, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built in 1915–1916, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy, escort, patrol and minesweeping tasks, and anti-submarine operations. In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 93.

Yugoslav torpedo boat <i>T8</i> Yugoslav torpedo boat

T8 was a sea-going torpedo boat that was operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1941. Originally 97 F, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navybuilt in 1915–1916, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy escort, patrol, and minesweeping tasks, and anti-submarine operations. In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 97.

Yugoslav torpedo boat <i>T4</i> Yugoslav torpedo boat

T4 was a seagoing torpedo boat operated by the Royal Yugoslav Navy between 1921 and 1932. Originally 79 T, a 250t-class torpedo boat of the Austro-Hungarian Navy built in 1914, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, and could carry 10–12 naval mines. She saw active service during World War I, performing convoy, patrol, escort and minesweeping tasks, anti-submarine operations and shore bombardment missions. In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as 79. Underway during the short-lived mutiny by Austro-Hungarian sailors in early February 1918, her captain realised the danger and put her crew ashore. She was part of the escort force for the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought Szent István during the action that resulted in the sinking of that ship by Italian torpedo boats in June 1918.

<i>Novara</i>-class cruiser Scout cruiser class of the Austro-Hungarian Navy

The Novara class was a class of three scout cruisers built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Named for the Battle of Novara, the class comprised SMS Saida, SMS Helgoland, and SMS Novara. Construction started on the ships shortly before World War I; Saida and Helgoland were both laid down in 1911, Novara followed in 1912. Two of the three warships were built in the Ganz-Danubius shipyard in Fiume; Saida was built in the Cantiere Navale Triestino shipyard in Monfalcone. The Novara-class ships hold the distinction for being the last cruisers constructed by the Austro-Hungarian Navy.

SMS <i>Orjen</i> Austro-Hungarian Tatra-class destroyer

SMS Orjen was one of six Tátra-class destroyers built for the kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine shortly before the First World War. Completed in 1914, she helped to sink an Italian destroyer during the action off Vieste in May 1915 after Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. Two months later the ship participated in an unsuccessful attempt to recapture a small island in the central Adriatic Sea from the Italians. In November and early December Orjen was one of the ships conducting raids off the Albanian coast to interdict the supply lines between Italy and Albania, although she did not participate in the First Battle of Durazzo in late December. Orjen participated in several raids on the Otranto Barrage in 1916–1917 with limited success. She was transferred to Italy in 1920 in accordance with the peace treaties ending the war and renamed Pola. She mostly served as a training ship or in Italian North Africa when she was not in reserve from 1924 to 1928. Renamed Zenson in 1931, the ship was scrapped in 1937.

SMS <i>Tátra</i> Austro-Hungarian lead ship of Tatra-class

SMS Tátra was the lead ship of her class of six destroyers built for the kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine shortly before the First World War. Completed in 1913, she helped to sink an Italian destroyer during the action off Vieste in May 1915 after Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary. Two months later the ship participated in an unsuccessful attempt to recapture a small island in the Central Adriatic Sea from the Italians. In November and early December Tátra was one of the ships conducting raids off the Albanian coast to interdict the supply lines between Italy and Albania. During the early stages of the 1st Battle of Durazzo in late December, the ship was tasked to tow her one of her sister ships that had been crippled by a mine. She was forced to abandon her sister when the Austro-Hungarians were spotted by a strong force of Allied ships and had to evade their pursuit. Tátra participated in several unsuccessful raids on the Otranto Barrage in 1917. She was transferred to Italy in 1920 in accordance with the peace treaties ending the war and renamed Fasana. The Regia Marina used her for spare parts; she was discarded in 1923 and subsequently scrapped.

The Ersatz (Replacement) Triglav class consisted of four destroyers built for the Austro-Hungarian Navy during the First World War. Completed late in the war, they saw little action; three ships were seized by Italy and one by France as war reparations in 1920.

SMS Triglav was one of four Ersatz Triglav-class destroyers built for the kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine during the First World War. Completed in 1917, she participated in several unsuccessful raids on the Otranto Barrage later that year. She was transferred to Italy in 1920 in accordance with the peace treaties ending the war and renamed Grado. The Regia Marina kept her in service until 1937 and the ship was subsequently scrapped.

References