| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | Yugoslav Royal Navy Regia Marina Kriegsmarine |
| Completed: | 3 |
| Lost: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: | 1,210 long tons (1,230 t) standard 1,655 long tons (1,682 t) full load |
| Length: | 98 m (321 ft 6 in) |
| Beam: | 9.45 m (31 ft 0 in) |
| Draught: | 3.18 m (10 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shaft geared turbines, 3 boilers, 40,000 hp |
| Speed: | 38 knots (44 mph; 70 km/h) |
| Complement: | 145 |
| Armament: | • 4 × 120 mm (4.7 in) guns (4×1) • 4 × 40 mm (1.6 in) guns • 2 × machine guns • 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (3×2) • 30 mines |
The Beograd-class destroyers were built for the Yugoslav Royal Navy in the late 1930s. The ships all took part in World War II. Two of the three were captured by the Italian Navy after the invasion of Yugoslavia in 1941, and one of those was subsequently captured by the Germans.
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Following the large destroyer Dubrovnik the Royal Yugoslav Navy commission a smaller size for this group of ships. The ships were designed by the French company "Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire". The first Beograd class destroyer was built in France and the other two in Yugoslavia. The armament was provided by the Czech company Skoda and the machinery by Yarrow Shipbuilders.
The Ljubljana was in dockyard on 17 April 1941 and was captured. The Zagreb was blown up in Kotor to prevent capture. The Beograd was at sea and damaged from a dive bombing attack. She returned to Kotor, but was also captured by the Italian's.
The Ljubljana was renamed Lubiana, and the Beograd renamed Sebenico by the Regia Marina. Both ships served as convoy escorts on the supply run to North Africa. The Lubiana was sunk by grounding in the Gulf of Tunis on 1 April 1943.
The Sebenico was captured by the Germans in Venice after the Italian Armistice in September 1943. The ship was renamed TA43 and entered service in the Kriegsmarine on 17 October 1944. She served in the Northern Adriatic Sea and was heavily damaged by Yugoslav artillery in April 1945. The ship was scuttled in Trieste on 1 May 1945.
| Ship | Builder | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beograd | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes | 23 December 1937 | 28 April 1939 | Captured by Italy 17 April 1941, renamed Sebenico. Captured by Germans 1943. Scuttled 1 May 1945 |
| Ljubljana | Yarrow, Kraljevica | 28 June 1938 | December 1939 | Captured by Italy 17 April 1941. Sunk 1 April 1943 |
| Zagreb | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Split | 30 March 1938 | August 1939 | Scuttled 17 April 1941 |
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