Yugoslav submarine Osvetnik
| History | |
|---|---|
 KSCS/Kingdom of Yugoslavia | |
| Name | Osvetnik |
| Namesake | Nemesis |
| Builder | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes, France |
| Launched | 14 January 1929 |
| In service | 1929–1941 |
| Out of service | 1941 |
| History | |
 Italy | |
| Name | Francesco Rismondo |
| Namesake | Francesco Rismondo |
| Acquired | Captured on 17 April 1941 |
| In service | 1941–1943 |
| Out of service | 18 September 1943 |
| Fate | Scuttled by the Germans at Bonifacio after capture |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Osvetnik-class diesel-electric submarine |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 630 long tons (640 t) (surfaced) 809 long tons (822 t) (submerged) |
| Length | 66.5 m (218 ft) |
| Beam | 5.4 m (18 ft) |
| Draught | 3.8 m (12 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × shaft MAN diesel engines 1,480 bhp (1,100 kW), 2 × Nancy electric motors 1,000 shp (750 kW) |
| Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) (diesel) 9.2 knots (17.0 km/h) (electric) |
| Test depth | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement | 43 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 6 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (4 × bow, 2 × stern) 1 × 100 mm (3.9 in) gun 1 × 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft gun |
The Yugoslav submarine Osvetnik (Nemesis) was the first of the Template:Sclass- diesel-electric submarines built by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes, France for the navy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). She was launched in 1929, and was built to a partial double hull Simonot design similar to the French Template:Sclass-. She was armed with six 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes, one 100 mm (3.9 in) gun, and one 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft gun, and could dive to 80 metres (260 ft).
Prior to World War II she participated in several cruises to Mediterranean ports. During the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, she was captured by Italian forces at the Bay of Kotor. Initially designated N1, her armament was changed and her conning tower modified. Due to her age and shallow diving depth, when she was commissioned into the Regia Marina as Francesco Rismondo her service was limited to training and experimentation. She was scuttled off the island of Corsica by the Germans shortly after her capture in September 1943 following the Italian surrender.
History
Description
Osvetnik was built for the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) by the Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire company at Nantes, France. Her partial double hull design,[1] was based on a Simonot design,[2] similar to the French Template:Sclass-.[3] Her Serbo-Croatian name translates as "Nemesis". Along with her sister ship of the Template:Sclass- 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) (809 long tons (822 t) submerged), and her crew consisted of 43 officers and enlisted men.[2]
Construction
She had two shafts driven by two MAN (Maschinenfabrik) diesel engines or two Nancy electric motors, and carried 25 tonnes (25 long tons) of fuel oil. The diesel engines were rated at 1,480 bhp (1,100 kW) and the electric motors at 1,000 shp (750 kW), and Osvetnik was designed to reach a top speed of 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) under diesel power and 9.2 knots (17.0 km/h) on her electric motors. She was able to dive to a depth of 80 metres (260 ft), and had a surface range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph), and 75 nautical miles (139 km; 86 mi)* at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.[3] She was armed with six 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (four bow-mounted, two stern-mounted), one 100 mm (3.9 in) gun, and one 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft gun.[2]
Career and fate
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.[2] She and her sister submarine Smeli arrived in the Bay of Kotor on 9 December 1929.[4] In 1932, the British naval attaché reported that Yugoslav ships engaged in few exercises, maneuvers or gunnery training due to reduced budgets.[5] In September 1933, Osvetnik and the British-designed submarine Nebojša cruised the southern part of the central Mediterranean.[6] In August 1935, Osvetnik visited Malta, this time in company with the British-designed submarine Hrabri.[7] In August 1936, Nebojša and Osvetnik visited the Greek island of Corfu.[8]
When the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, she was located in the Bay of Kotor on the southern Adriatic coast along with the three other submarines of the flotilla.[9] On 10 April, Osvetnik and Hrabri received orders for an operation against the Italian enclave of Zara on the Dalmatian coastline, but the mission did not proceed.[10] She was subsequently captured by the Italian XVII Corps at the Bay of Kotor.[11][12]
Still in good condition, she was taken as war booty, and initially designated N1. 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).[13] 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, her age and shallow diving depth meant that she was only used for training and experimentation.[13] On 14 September 1943, she was captured by the Germans at Bonifacio at the southern tip of the island of Corsica, and they scuttled her four days later.[2]
Footnotes
- ^ Bagnasco 1977, p. 171.
- ^ a b c d e Chesneau 1980, p. 358.
- ^ a b Fontenoy 2007, p. 188.
- ^ Jarman 1997, p. 183.
- ^ Jarman 1997, p. 451.
- ^ Jarman 1997, p. 453.
- ^ Jarman 1997, p. 641.
- ^ Jarman 1997, 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.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - 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.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Fontenoy, Paul E. (2007). Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-563-6.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Jarman, Robert L., ed. (1997). Yugoslavia political diaries 1918–1965. Vol. 2. Slough, Berkshire: Archives Edition. ISBN 978-1-85207-950-5.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Terzić, Velimir (1982). Slom Kraljevine Jugoslavije 1941 : uzroci i posledice poraza (in Serbo-Croatian). Vol. 2. Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Narodna knjiga. OCLC 10276738.
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