Orjen-class torpedo boat

Velebit photographed in 1939
Class overview
Builders:	Lürssen, Vegesack, Nazi Germany
Operators:	Royal Yugoslav Navy  Regia Marina  Kriegsmarine  Yugoslav Navy
Built:	1936–1939
In commission:	1936–1963
Completed:	8
Lost:	6
Retired:	2
General characteristics (as completed)
Displacement:	61.7 tonnes (60.7 long tons) (full)
Length:	28 m (91 ft 10 in) (o/a)
Beam:	4.3 m (14 ft 1 in)
Draught:	1.51 m (4 ft 11 in)
Propulsion:	Three shafts; 3 × petrol engines; 3,300 hp (2,500 kW)
Speed:	31 kn (57 km/h; 36 mph)
Complement:	16–22
Armament:	2 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes 1 × 40 mm (1.6 in)

The Orjen-class was a class of eight motor torpedo boats built for the Royal Yugoslav Navy (Jugoslavenska kraljevska ratna mornarica; JKRM). The boats were built by the Lürssen Shipyard based on the German S-2 torpedo boats. At the start of the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, two boats managed to escape to Alexandria in Egypt where they continued serving with Allied forces. The remaining ones were captured by Italian forces and commissioned with the Regia Marina (Royal Navy).

After the Italian Armistice in September 1943, the boats were taken over by German forces and commissioned with the Kriegsmarine, until they were finally scuttled in October 1944. The two boats that had escaped to the Allies in 1941 returned to Yugoslavia after the war and were commissioned with the new Yugoslav Navy before being decommissioned by the early 1960s.

Background and description

During the early 1930s, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was facing an economic recession brought on by the Great Depression, which was further complicated by internal political instability.^[1] In the mid-1930s the Yugoslav government sought to improve relations with the Kingdom of Italy, and create new economic opportunities by developing closer ties with Nazi Germany.^[2] Cooperation with Germany was soon reflected in the acquisition of new ships for the Royal Yugoslav Navy, which had previously been acquired in France and Great Britain. The first such deal came in 1936 when the Navy placed an order for eight motor torpedo boats that were to be built by the Lürssen Shipyard, based on the existing German design of the S-2 class torpedo boat. An additional order for two Type II submarines was planned, but never eventuated.^[3]

The boats measured 28 m (91 ft 10 in) in length overall, with a 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) beam and a draught of 1.51 m (4 ft 11 in). Fully loaded, they displaced 61.7 tonnes (60.7 long tons). Main propulsion consisted of three Daimler-Benz petrol engines rated at 3,300 hp (2,500 kW), giving the boats a maximum speed of 31 kn (57 km/h; 36 mph).^[4] An auxiliary engine of unknown power was also installed.^[5] Crew size varied between 16 and 22, depending on source.^[5][4] Armament consisted of two 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes and a single 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft gun.^[4]

Boats

Source: ^[6][4]

Service history

Royal Yugoslav Navy service

At the start of the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia all eight Orjen-class boats and the two small Četnik-class boats were assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Division in Šibenik.^[7] On 11 April, a naval force consisting of several Orjen-class boats among other ships, was expected to assist ground forces in attacking the Italian enclave of Zara which the Yugoslav High Command feared would be used as a bridgehead during the invasion.^[8][9] The attack, however, never materialized and the Yugoslav ships were instead attacked by Italian bombers forcing them to retreat to Kotor.^[8][10] By 17 April the complete collapse of Yugoslav defences was imminent, prompting the commander of the 3rd Torpedo Boat Division Ivan Kern to suggest that Durmitor, Kajmakčalan, Dinara, Triglav, Rudnik and Suvobor sail out of Boka Kotorska to evade capture by the Axis and continue their fight with Allied forces.^[11] Kern approached the commanding officers of Durmitor, Kajmakčalan, Rudnik and Suvobor with the idea, only to be rejected by all of them.^[12]

At the same time, unknown perpetrators sabotaged Triglav causing a fire, further deteriorating crew morale already hampered by desertion while Milan Spasić and Sergej Mašera died blowing up the destroyer Zagreb to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Following this, Kern decided to sail out with just two boats, Durmitor and Kajmakčalan which he deemed had the most trustworthy crews, leaving Boka Kotorska on 17 April.^[13] Because both boats were in poor condition and overloaded with personnel, the maximum speed they could achieve was no more than 29 knots. Before passing through the Strait of Otranto, the boats successfully evaded two groups of Italian ships. They finally arrived at Navarino Bay on 19 April before continuing to Souda Bay where they arrived 22 April. In Souda Bay Durmitor and Kajmakčalan were tasked with escorting a convoy to Alexandria protecting it from possible Stuka attacks. Once in Alexandria they reunited with the remaining JKRM forces that managed to escape, forming the JKRM in exile. The boats were first tasked with patrolling the outside of the harbor in anticipation of an attack by Axis coastal craft.^[14] In June they operated against Vichy French forces in Syria.^[15] In 1944 they were reported as being tasked with escorting convoys between Alexandria and Port Said.^[16] However, with time the serviceability of the boats became a problem because of the lack of spare parts needed for their German-built propulsion.^[14]

Axis service

The remaining six boats were captured by Italian forces and commissioned with the Regia Marina (Royal Navy), receiving designations MAS 3—8 D, with "MAS" standing for Motoscafo Armato Silurante (English: Torpedo Armed Motorboat) and the prefix D denoting they were captured in Dalmatia. Their designations were once again changed in July 1942, with the prefix "MAS" being replaced with "MS" and new numerals from 41 to 46. During their Italian service the boat's weapons were also changed. The original torpedo armament was replaced with two 21.7 in (550 mm) torpedo tubes, while the original 40 mm (1.6 in) gun was removed in favor of two 20 mm (0.79 in)/65 guns on MS 41—44 or one 40 mm (1.6 in)/43 gun and one 15 mm (0.59 in)/38 machine gun on MS 45—46. The boats were also equipped to carry 12 to 20 depth charges.^[5]

Following the Italian Armistice in September 1943, the majority of the boats were taken over by the Kriegsmarine. MS 41 was scuttled by its crew on 9 September at Monfalcone. Sources are inconsistent regarding the boat's aftermath; according to Italian sources it was raised and repaired by German forces before being sunk by a mine between Porto Corsini and Porto Garibaldi in October 1944. German sources on the other hand, claim it was never commissioned by the Kriegsmarine. MS 45 was also scuttled by its crew just a few days later, on 18 September at Cattolica. The remaining four boats, MS 42—44 and MS 46 were commissioned with the Kriegsmarine as S 2—5. All four were sunk in October 1944 at Salonika.^[6]

Post-war service

After the end of the war, Durmitor and Kajmakčalan, along with other JKRM ships and personnel in exile, returned to Šibenik in May 1945.^[17] They were commissioned with the new Yugoslav Navy (Serbo-Croatian: Jugoslavenska ratna mornarica; JRM) as TČ 5 and TČ 6, later being redesignated as TČ 391 and TČ 392. Both were stricken in 1963.^[18]

See also

• List of ships of the Royal Yugoslav Navy
• List of ships of the Yugoslav Navy

Notes

References

Books

Other sources