Yugoslav submarine Smeli
| History | |
|---|---|
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia | |
| Name: | Smeli |
| Namesake: | Daring |
| Builder: | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes, France |
| Launched: | 1 December 1928 |
| In service: | 1928–1941 |
| Out of service: | 1941 |
_crowned.svg.png){kind=small} Italy | |
| Name: | Antonio Bajamonti |
| Namesake: | Antonio Bajamonti |
| Acquired: | Captured on 17 April 1941 |
| In service: | 1941–1943 |
| Out of service: | 9 September 1943 |
| Fate: | Scuttled by the Italians at La Spezia in Liguria |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Osvetnik-class diesel-electric submarine |
| Displacement: |
|
| 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: |
|
| Test depth: | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement: | 43 |
| Armament: |
|
The Yugoslav submarine Smeli (Daring) was the second of the Osvetnik-class 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 1928, and was built to a partial double hull Simonot design similar to the French Circé-class. 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 N2, 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 Antonio Bajamonti. She was scuttled at La Spezia in Liguria by the Italians in September 1943 the day after the Italian surrender.
History
Description
Smeli 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 Circé-class.[3] Her Serbo-Croatian name translates as "Daring". Along with her sister ship of the Osvetnik-class, Osvetnik, 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 long tons (25.4 t) 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 Smeli was designed to reach a top speed of 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph) under diesel power and 9.2 knots (17.0 km/h; 10.6 mph) 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
Smeli was the second of her class, and the fourth submarine of the navy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, which subsequently became the Royal Yugoslav Navy.[2] She and Osvetnik 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 October 1934, Smeli visited Bizerte in the French protectorate of Tunisia, and the Kelibia Roads off the coast of Tunisia.[6] In August and September 1937, Smeli, along with the British-made submarine Hrabri and the depot ship Zmaj visited Greece, including the port of Piraeus, and the islands of Crete and Corfu.[7]
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.[8] She was subsequently captured by the Italian XVII Corps at the Bay of Kotor.[9][10] Still in good condition, she was taken as war booty, and initially designated N2. 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).[11] She was commissioned by the Italians as the Bajamonti-class Antonio Bajamonti, named after Antonio Bajamonti, the 19th-century politician and mayor of the Dalmatian port of Split. Despite her submerged stability and good diving rate, her age and shallow diving depth meant that she was only used for training and experimentation.[11] She was scuttled by the Italians at La Spezia in Liguria on 9 September 1943, the day after the Italian surrender.[2]
See also
Notes
- ↑ Bagnasco 1977, p. 171.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Chesneau 1980, p. 358.
- 1 2 Fontenoy 2007, p. 188.
- ↑ Jarman 1997, p. 183.
- ↑ Jarman 1997, p. 451.
- ↑ Jarman 1997, p. 544.
- ↑ Jarman 1997, p. 838.
- ↑ Terzić 1982, p. 267.
- ↑ Bagnasco 1977, p. 251.
- ↑ Terzić 1982, p. 457.
- 1 2 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.
- Jarman, Robert L., ed. (1997). Yugoslavia political diaries 1918–1965 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) 2. Belgrade, Yugoslavia: Narodna knjiga. OCLC 10276738.
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