Battle of Antivari
| Battle of Antivari | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Antivari, Adriatic Sea 42°06′00″N 19°05′00″E / 42.1000°N 19.0833°E | |
| Result | Anglo-French victory |
France 
United Kingdom
Austria-Hungary Augustin Lapeyrère
Paul Pachner10 pre-dreadnoughts
6 armoured cruisers
1 protected cruiser
20+ destroyers
1 destroyer
2 destroyers damaged
50+ wounded
1 destroyer damaged
1 protected cruiser sunk
The Battle of Antivari or Action off Antivari was a naval engagement between a large fleet of
Background
When war broke out between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and
Battle
The Allied Fleet managed to cut off Zenta from the main Austro-Hungarian naval base at Cattaro. Badly outnumbered, Zenta's commander, Captain Paul Pachner, decided to fight to allow Ulan to escape. Zenta also had a serious disadvantage because her 120 mm guns were significantly outranged by the heavier guns on the Allied ships. The French battleships scored many hits on Zenta without suffering any damage. Zenta was sunk with 173 men killed and over 50 wounded but the sacrifice enabled Ulan to escape.[1]
Aftermath
Unaware of the situation outside Antivari until it was virtually over, that part of the Austro-Hungarian fleet stationed at Cattaro did not sortie to give battle as the French had hoped. French ships were not damaged by Austrian gunfire however 3 major guns exploded while firing, and the following day Justice, Démocratie, and two destroyers were damaged in a series of collisions. The action ended the Austro-Hungarian blockade of Montenegro which was a success for the Entente.[2] The French fleet could not remain in the Adriatic for long and had to return to Malta periodically for supplies.[3]
Order of battle
- Courbet, dreadnought battleship, flagship
- Jean Bart, dreadnought battleship
- 1st Battle squadron
- 2nd Battle squadron
- Vérité, pre-dreadnought battleship, Squadron Flagship
- Justice, pre-dreadnought battleship
- Démocratie, pre-dreadnought battleship
- Patrie, pre-dreadnought battleship, Division Flagship
- République, pre-dreadnought battleship
- 1st Light Division
- Ernest Renan, armoured cruiser
- Edgar Quinet, armoured cruiser
- 2nd Light Division
- Victor Hugo, armoured cruiser
- Jules Ferry, armoured cruiser
- Jurien de la Gravière, protected cruiser
- 3 Destroyer Squadrons
- HMS Warrior, armoured cruiser
- HMS Defence, armoured cruiser
- 4 Destroyers
- Blockade Force
- Auxiliary Force
- SMS Monarch (1895)
- SMS Panther (1885)
- 2 Destroyers
Notes
- ^ Koburger 2001, p. 33.
- ^ Tucker 2014, p. 116.
- ^ Koburger 2001, p. 35.
References
- Koburger, Charles W. Jr. (2001). The Central Powers in the Adriatic, 1914–1918: War in a Narrow Sea. Westport, CT: Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-97071-0.
- Tucker, Spencer C., ed. (2014). World War I: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection (illus., rev. ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-965-8.
Further reading
- Halpern, P. G. (1995) [1994]. A Naval History of World War I (pbk. UCL Press, London ed.). Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-85728-498-4.