Yugoslav submarine Osvetnik
 Osvetnik underway in 1930
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia | |
| Name | Osvetnik |
| Namesake | Avenger |
| Builder | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes, France |
| Launched | 14 January 1929 |
| In service | 1929–1941 |
| Out of service | 1941 |
 Italy | |
| Name | Francesco Rismondo |
| Namesake | Francesco Rismondo |
| Acquired | Captured on 17 April 1941 |
| In service | 1941–43 |
| Out of service | 18 September 1943 |
| Fate | Scuttled by the Germans at Bonifacio after capture |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | diesel-electric submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 66.5 m (218 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in) |
| Draught | 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 × shaft kW), 2 × Nancy electric motors 1,000 shp (750 kW) |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement | 43 |
| Armament |
|
Osvetnik (Avenger) was the first of the
Prior to
Description and construction
Yugoslav naval policy in the interwar period lacked direction until the mid-1920s,[1] although it was generally accepted that the Adriatic coastline was effectively a sea frontier that the naval arm was responsible for securing with the limited resources made available to it. In 1926, a modest ten-year construction program was initiated to build up a force of submarines, coastal torpedo boats, torpedo bombers and conventional bomber aircraft to perform this role. The Osvetnik-class submarines were one of the acquisitions aimed at developing a naval force capable of meeting this challenge.[2]
Osvetnik was built for the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) by the Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire company (ACL) at Nantes, France. Her partial double hull design,[3] was based on plans by ACL's chief engineer, G. Simonot,[4] and was similar to the French Circé-class submarines.[5] Her Serbo-Croatian name translates as "Avenger". Along with her sister submarine Smeli, she had an overall length of 66.5 m (218 ft 2 in), a beam of 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in), and a surfaced draught of 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in). Her surfaced displacement was 630 long tons (640 t), or 809 long tons (822 t) submerged, and her crew consisted of 43 officers and enlisted men.[4] She had an operational depth of 80 m (262 ft).[5]
For surface running, the Osvetnik-class boats were powered by two
Service history
Osvetnik was the first of her class, and the third submarine of the navy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which subsequently became the Royal Yugoslav Navy. She was launched on 14 January 1929.[4] She and her sister submarine Smeli arrived in the Bay of Kotor on 9 December 1929.[6] In 1932, the British naval attaché reported that Yugoslav ships engaged in few exercises, manoeuvres or gunnery training due to reduced budgets.[7] In September 1933, Osvetnik and the British-designed submarine Nebojša cruised the southern part of the central Mediterranean.[8] In August 1935, Osvetnik visited Malta, this time in company with the British-designed submarine Hrabri.[9] In August 1936, Nebojša and Osvetnik visited the Greek island of Corfu.[10]
When the
Still in good condition, she was taken as war booty, and initially designated N1 by the Royal Italian Navy. She was refitted and modernised at Pola in the upper Adriatic, which involved the replacement of some of her armament and modifications to her conning tower. After these modifications, her displacement was 665 long tons (676 t) (822 long tons (835 t) submerged).[15] She was commissioned by the Italians as the Bajamonti-class Francesco Rismondo, named after Francesco Rismondo, a Dalmatian-born Italian hero of World War I. Despite her submerged stability and good diving rate of 35 seconds, her age and shallow diving depth meant that she was only used for training and experimentation.[15] Shortly after the Italian surrender, she was captured by the Germans on 14 September 1943 at Bonifacio at the southern tip of the island of Corsica, and they scuttled her four days later.[4]
See also
Footnotes
- ^ Jarman 1997a, p. 732.
- ^ Jarman 1997a, p. 779.
- ^ Bagnasco 1977, p. 171.
- ^ a b c d e Chesneau 1980, p. 358.
- ^ a b c Fontenoy 2007, p. 188.
- ^ Jarman 1997b, p. 183.
- ^ Jarman 1997b, p. 451.
- ^ Jarman 1997b, p. 453.
- ^ Jarman 1997b, p. 641.
- ^ Jarman 1997b, p. 738.
- ^ Terzić 1982, p. 267.
- ^ Terzić 1982, p. 374.
- ^ Bagnasco 1977, p. 251.
- ^ Terzić 1982, p. 457.
- ^ a b Bagnasco 1977, pp. 170–171.
References
Books
- Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-87021-962-7.
- Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London, England: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-146-5.
- Fontenoy, Paul E. (2007). Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-563-6.
- Freivogel, Zvonimir (2020). Warships of the Royal Yugoslav Navy 1918–1945. Vol. 1. Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus. ISBN 978-953-8218-72-9.
- Jarman, Robert L., ed. (1997a). Yugoslavia Political Diaries 1918–1965. Vol. 1. Slough, Berkshire: Archives Edition. ISBN 978-1-85207-950-5.
- Jarman, Robert L., ed. (1997b). Yugoslavia Political Diaries 1918–1965. Vol. 2. Slough, Berkshire: Archives Edition. ISBN 978-1-85207-950-5.
- Terzić, Velimir (1982). Slom Kraljevine Jugoslavije 1941: Uzroci i posledice poraza [The Collapse of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1941: Causes and Consequences of Defeat] (in Serbo-Croatian). Vol. 2. Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Narodna knjiga. OCLC 10276738.
| Coastal defence ship |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Light cruiser | ||
| Destroyers |
| |
| Corvette | ||
| Gunboat/Royal yacht | ||
| Torpedo boats |
| |
| Motor torpedo boats | ||
| Submarines |
| |
| Minelayers |
| |
| Minesweepers | ||
| River flotilla | ||
