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T8
a black and white photograph of a small ship underway
T8'ssister ship,T3,the only significant external difference was thatT8had two funnels
History
Austria-Hungary
Name97 Fthen97
BuilderGanz & Danubius
Laid down5 March 1915
Launched20 August 1916
Commissioned9 December 1916
Out of service1918
FateAssigned to theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
NameT8
AcquiredMarch 1921
Out of serviceApril 1941
FateCaptured by Italy
Italy
NameT8
AcquiredApril 1941
Out of service11 September 1943
FateSunk by German aircraft
General characteristics
Class and type250t-class,F-group sea-goingtorpedo boat
Displacement
  • 243.9 t (240long tons)
  • 267 t (263 long tons) (full load)
Length58.76 m (192 ft 9 in)
Beam5.84 m (19 ft 2 in)
Draught1.5 m (4 ft 11 in)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed28–29kn(52–54 km/h; 32–33 mph)
Range1,200nmi(2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement41
Armament

T8was a sea-goingtorpedo boatthat was operated by theRoyal Yugoslav Navybetween 1921 and 1941. Originally97F,a250t-class torpedo boatof theAustro-Hungarian Navybuiltin 1915–1916, she was armed with two 66 mm (2.6 in) guns and four 450 mm (17.7 in)torpedo tubesand could carry 10–12naval mines.She saw active service during World War I, performingconvoyescort, patrol, andminesweepingtasks, andanti-submarine operations.In 1917 the suffixes of all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were removed, and thereafter she was referred to as97.

FollowingAustria-Hungary's defeat in 1918,97was allocated to the Navy of theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes,which later became the Royal Yugoslav Navy, and was renamedT8.At the time, she and the seven other 250t-class boats were the only modern sea-going vessels of the fledgling maritime force. During theinterwar period,T8and the rest of the navy were involved in training exercises and cruises to friendly ports, but activity was limited by reduced naval budgets. The boat was captured by the Italians during theGerman-ledAxisinvasion of Yugoslaviain April 1941. After her main armament was modernised, she served with theRoyal Italian Navyunder her Yugoslav designation, conducting coastal and second-line escort duties in theAdriatic Sea.Following the Italiancapitulationin September 1943,T8was sunk by German aircraft while attempting to escape toAllied-held southern Italy.

Background

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In 1910, theAustria-HungaryNaval Technical Committee initiated the design and development of a 275-tonne(271-long-ton) coastaltorpedo boat,specifying that it should be capable of sustaining 30knots(56 km/h; 35 mph) for 10 hours.[1][2]At the same time, the committee issued design parameters for a high seas or fleet torpedo boat of 500–550 t (490–540 long tons), top speed of 30 kn and endurance of 480 nautical miles (890 km; 550 mi). This design would have been a larger and better-armed vessel than the existing Austro-Hungarian 400-tonne (390-long-ton)Huszár-classdestroyers.[3]The specification for the high seas torpedo boat was based on an expectation that theStrait of Otranto,where theAdriatic Seameets theIonian Sea,would beblockadedby hostile forces during a future conflict. In such circumstances, there would be a need for a torpedo boat that could sail from theAustro-Hungarian Navy(German:kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine,Hungarian:Császári és Királyi Haditengerészet) base at theBocche di Cattaro(the Bocche or Bay of Kotor) to the strait during the night, locate and attack blockading ships and return to port before morning.Steam turbinepower was selected for propulsion, asdieselswith the necessary power were not available, and the Austro-Hungarian Navy did not have the practical experience to runturbo-electricboats.[2]

Despite having developed these ideas, the Austro-Hungarian Navy then asked shipyards to submit proposals for a 250 t (250-long-ton) boat with a maximum speed of 28 kn (52 km/h; 32 mph).[1]Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino(STT) ofTriestwas selected for the contract to build the first eight vessels, designated as the T-group. Another tender was requested for four more boats, but whenGanz & Danubiusreduced their price by ten per cent, a total of sixteen boats were ordered from them, designated the F-group.[2]The F-group designation signified the location of Ganz & Danubius' main shipyard atFiume.[4]

Description and construction

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Further information:250t-class torpedo boat § F-group

The250t-classF-group boats had short raisedforecastlesand an openbridge,and were fast and agile, well designed for service in the Adriatic.[5]They had awaterline lengthof 58.76 metres (192 ft 9 in), abeamof 5.84 m (19 ft 2 in), and a normaldraughtof 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in). While their designeddisplacementwas 243.9 t (240 long tons), they displaced 267 tonnes (263 long tons) fully loaded.[6]The boats were powered by twoAEG-Curtis steam turbines driving twopropellers,using steam generated by twoYarrowwater-tube boilers,[2]one of which burnedfuel oiland the other coal.[4]There were two boiler rooms, one behind the other.[7]The turbines were rated at 5,000shaft horsepower(3,700kW) with a maximum output of 6,000 shp (4,500 kW) and were designed to propel the boats to a top speed of 28–29 kn (52–54 km/h; 32–33 mph).[6]They carried 20.2 tonnes (19.9 long tons) of coal and 31 tonnes (30.5 long tons) of fuel oil, which gave them a range of 1,200nautical miles(2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph).[7]The F-group had twofunnelsrather than the single funnel of the T-group.[2]79 Tand the rest of the 250t class were classified as high seas torpedo boats by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, despite being smaller than the original concept for a coastal torpedo boat.[1][8]The naval historian Zvonimir Freivogel states that this type of situation was common due to the parsimony of the Austro-Hungarian Navy.[1]They were the first small Austro-Hungarian Navy boats to use turbines, and this contributed to ongoing problems with them,[2]which had to be progressively solved once they were in service.[5]The crew consisted of three officers and thirty-eight enlisted men.[9]The vessel carried one 4 m (13 ft)yawlas aship's boat.[10]

The boats were armed with twoŠkoda66 mm (2.6 in)L/30[a]guns, with the forward gun mounted on the forecastle, and the aft gun on thequarterdeck.[7]A 40 cm (16 in)searchlightwas mounted above thebridge.[12]They were also armed with four 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes mounted in pairs, with one pair mounted between the forecastle and bridge, and the other aft of the mainmast.[7]One 8 mm (0.31 in)Schwarzlose M.7/12 machine gunwas carried foranti-aircraftwork. Four mounting points were installed so that the machine gun could be mounted in the most effective position depending on the expected direction of attack.[13]They could also carry 10–12naval mines.[4]

97 Fwas the sixteenth and last boat of the F-group to be completed. She waslaid downat Fiume on 5 March 1915,launchedon 20 August 1916 andcommissionedon 9 December.[13]

Career

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World War I

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The original concept of operation for the 250t-class boats was that they would sail in aflotillaat the rear of a cruising battle formation, and were to intervene in fighting only if thebattleshipsaround which the formation was established were disabled, or in order to attack damaged enemy battleships.[14]When a torpedo attack was ordered, it was to be led by ascout cruiser,supported by two destroyers to repel any enemy torpedo boats. A group of four to six torpedo boats would deliver the attack under the direction of the flotilla commander.[15]

In 1917, one of97's 66 mm guns may have been placed on an anti-aircraft mount. According to the naval historian Zvonimir Freivogel, sources vary on whether these mounts were added to all boats of the class, and on whether these mounts were added to the forward or aft gun.[16]In March,97was allocated to the 5th Torpedo Boat Group of the 5th Torpedo Boat Division of the 1st Torpedo Flotilla, which was led by the scout cruiserHelgoland.[17]On 14 July, the boat was sent to the Bocche. On 28 September,97supported an air attack onBrindisiin southern Italy.[18]On 29 November,97,83,96and the Huszár-class destroyerCsikóswere escorting the steamerDalmatiawhen theconvoywas attacked by a submarine just west of the mouth of theBojana river,which forms the border between Montenegro and Albania. All four torpedoes missed.[19]During 1917,97escorted thirty-six convoys.[18]

On 9 January 1918,97was damaged by heavy seas, and was sent for repairs.[18]On 24 May,97,along with her sisters77and78,and theKaiman-classboats58and59,pursued an unidentified British submarine near the island ofGalijolain the mid-Adriatic.[20]On 1 February 1918,a mutiny broke outamong the sailors of some vessels of the Austro-Hungarian Navy at theĐenovićianchorage within the Bocche, largely over poor food, lack of replacement uniforms and supplies, and insufficient leave, although the poor state of the Austro-Hungarian economy and its impact on their families was also a factor. While97was in the Bocche, she was undergoing boiler cleaning at the arsenal atTeodoat the time and her crew did not join the revolt, which was suppressed the following day.[21]

By 1918, the Allies had strengthened their ongoing blockade on the Strait of Otranto, as foreseen by the Austro-Hungarian Navy. As a result, it was becoming more difficult for theGermanand Austro-HungarianU-boatsto get through the strait and into theMediterranean Sea.In response to these blockades, the new commander of the Austro-Hungarian Navy,KonteradmiralMiklós Horthy,decided to launch an attack on the Allied defenders with battleships, scout cruisers, and destroyers.[22]During the night of 8 June, Horthy left Pola in the upper Adriatic with thedreadnought battleshipsViribus UnitisandPrinz Eugen,[23]with an escort that included97.[24]At about 23:00 on 9 June, after some difficulties getting theharbour defence barrageopened, the dreadnoughtsSzent IstvánandTegetthoff,[23]with an escort force, also departed Pola and set course forSlano,north of Ragusa, to rendezvous with Horthy in preparation for a coordinated attack on the Otranto Barrage. About 03:15 on 10 June,[b]while returning from an uneventful patrol off the Dalmatian coast, twoRoyal Italian Navy(Italian:Regia Marina)MAS boats,MAS 15andMAS 21,spotted the smoke from the Austrian ships. Both boats successfully penetrated the escort screen and split to engage the dreadnoughts individually.MAS 21attackedTegetthoff,but her torpedoes missed.[26]Under the command ofLuigi Rizzo,MAS 15fired two torpedoes at 03:25, both of which hitSzent István.Both boats evaded pursuit. The torpedo hits onSzent Istvánwere abreast herboiler rooms,which flooded, knocking out power to the pumps.Szent Istváncapsizedless than three hours after being torpedoed.[25]This disaster essentially ended major Austro-Hungarian fleet operations in the Adriatic for the remaining months of the war.[27]

On 12-13 June,97covered the salvage of the Austro-Hungarian submarineSMU-10which had been stranded. On 22 July,97escorted the minelayerChamäleon.On 8 September,97was based at the Bocche again.[18]On 14 October,97was part of a force which included her sisters76,88,and100,providing anti-aircraft cover for the steamshipBrünnas the latter was attempting to free thestrandedhospital shipOceania.Oceaniahad struck a mine and her crew had beached her offCape Rodoniin Albania. The attempt was unsuccessful, andOceaniawas abandoned.[28]During 1918,97conducted seven anti-submarine patrols and escorted forty-three convoys.[18]As the end of the war approached and theAustro-Hungarian Empire broke apart,on 1 November96was ceded to theState of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs,[29]which was a short-lived fragment of the empire which united with theKingdom of SerbiaandKingdom of Montenegroon 1 December, becoming theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes(from 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia).[30]

Interwar period

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The Austro-Hungarian Empire sued for peacein November 1918, and97survived the war intact.[2]Immediately after the Austro-Hungarian capitulation, French troops occupied the Bocche, which was treated by the Allies as Austro-Hungarian territory.[31]During the French occupation, the captured Austro-Hungarian Navy ships moored at the Bocche were neglected, and97's original torpedo tubes were destroyed or damaged by French troops.[32]In 1920, under the terms of the previous year'sTreaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye,by whichrump Austriaofficially ended World War I, she was allocated to theKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes(KSCS, later Yugoslavia).[33]Along with three other 250t-class F-group boats,87,93and96,and four 250t-class T-group boats, she served with theRoyal Yugoslav Navy(Serbo-Croatian Latin:Kraljevska Mornarica,KM; Краљевска Морнарица). Taken over in March 1921 when French forces withdrew,[33][32]in KM service,97was renamedT8.[4]When the navy was formed, she and the other seven 250t-class boats were the only modern sea-going vessels in the KM.[34]New torpedo tubes of the same size were ordered from the Strojne Tovarne factory inLjubljana.[9]

class=notpageimage|
Map of theIndependent State of Croatiashowing the location of Dubrovnik

In KM service it was intended to replace one or both guns on each boat of the 250t class with a longer Škoda 66 mm L/45 gun, and according to Freivogel this included the forward gun onT1.She was also fitted with one or twoZbrojovka15 mm (0.59 in) machine guns. In KM service, the crew increased to 52,[9]and she was commissioned in 1923.[35]In 1925, exercises were conducted off theDalmatiancoast, involving the majority of the navy.[36]In May and June 1929, six of the eight 250t-class torpedo boats – includingT8– accompanied the light cruiserDalmacija,thesubmarine tenderHvarand the submarinesHrabriandNebojša,on a cruise toMalta,the Greek island ofCorfuin the Ionian Sea, andBizertein theFrench protectorate of Tunisia.[37]The ships and crews made a very good impression on theRoyal Navywhile visiting Malta.[38]In 1932, the British navalattachéreported that Yugoslav ships engaged in few exercises, manoeuvres or gunnery training due to reduced budgets.[39]

World War II

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In April 1941, Yugoslavia enteredWorld War IIwhen it wasinvadedby theGerman-ledAxis powers.At the time of the invasion,T8was located at the Bay of Kotor along with her sister shipT1(formerly76). The two boats were formally part of the 3rd Torpedo Division, but they were left at Kotor when the rest of the division was deployed to the central Dalmatian port ofŠibenikjust prior to the invasion, in accordance with a plan to attack theItalian enclave of Zarain northern Dalmatia, which was quickly cancelled.[40]T8was under repair at the time of the invasion,[41]and was captured by the Italian Navy at the Bay of Kotor shortly after the Yugoslav capitulation and was operated by them under her Yugoslav designation, conducting coastal and second-line escort duties in the Adriatic. Her guns were replaced by two 76.2 mm (3 in) L/40 anti-aircraft guns,[42]and her bridge was enclosed.[5]She was allocated toMaridalmazia,the military maritime command of Dalmatia (Comando militare maritime della Dalmatia), which was responsible for the area from the northern Adriatic island ofPremudasouth to the port ofBarin theItalian governorate of Montenegro.[43]

The Italianscapitulatedin September 1943, and by this time,T8was being utilised atDubrovnikin southern Dalmatia as aguard ship.On 8 September,T8returned from escorting a convoy to Durazzo in Albania. On 9 September she received orders to supportItalian Armyoperations aimed at preventing the Germans from securing the Dalmatian coast, with a secondary role to escort ships with evacuating personnel. At 22:00, the commander of the Dubrovnik Naval District,Capitano di vascello[c]Alfredo Bernardinelli, came aboardT8and the boat patrolled to the island ofKorčula.After providing cover for vessels fleeing from the islands of Korčula andMljetand the ports ofPločeandGruž,the boat intended to return to Dubrovnik, but it had been occupied by the Germans and the boat and its crew faced capture. Bernardinelli and the boat's captain decided to escape from the Germans by sailing via the island ofLastovo– where they planned to replenish boiler water – to Italy, but around 16:00 on 11 September, whileT8was passing between the islets ofOlipaandJakljanin theElaphiti Islandsoff southern Dalmatia, she was attacked by nine GermanJunkers Ju 87"Stuka"divebombersand was sunk in a few minutes. About half of her crew died, along with Bernardinelli and her captain, and many were wounded. Survivors were rescued by local Partisans who brought them to Lastovo. They were evacuated from Lastovo toBariinAllied-held Italy on 23 September on the hospital shipLubiana.[45][46]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^L/30 denotes the length of the gun's barrel. In this case, the L/30 gun is 30calibre,meaning that the barrel was 30 times as long as the diameter of its bore.[11]
  2. ^Sources differ on what the exact time was when the attack took place. Sieche states that the time was 3:15 am when theSzent Istvánwas hit,[25]while Sokol claims that the time was 3:30 am.[23]
  3. ^Capitano di vascelloin the Italian navy was equivalent to a contemporary BritishRoyal Navycaptain.[44]

Footnotes

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  1. ^abcdFreivogel 2022,p. 60.
  2. ^abcdefgGardiner 1985,p. 339.
  3. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 59.
  4. ^abcdGreger 1976,p. 58.
  5. ^abcFreivogel 2020,p. 102.
  6. ^abFreivogel 2022,p. 70.
  7. ^abcdFreivogel 2020,p. 115.
  8. ^O'Hara, Worth & Dickson 2013,pp. 26–27.
  9. ^abcFreivogel 2020,p. 103.
  10. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 65.
  11. ^Friedman 2011,p. 294.
  12. ^Freivogel 2022,pp. 64–65.
  13. ^abFreivogel 2022,p. 67.
  14. ^Freivogel 2019,p. 68.
  15. ^Freivogel 2019,p. 69.
  16. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 66.
  17. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 145.
  18. ^abcdeFreivogel 2022,p. 105.
  19. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 88.
  20. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 76.
  21. ^Freivogel 2019,pp. 358–360.
  22. ^Sokol 1968,pp. 133–134.
  23. ^abcSokol 1968,p. 134.
  24. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 74.
  25. ^abSieche 1991,pp. 127, 131.
  26. ^Sokol 1968,p. 135.
  27. ^Cernuschi & O'Hara 2016,p. 75.
  28. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 87.
  29. ^Freivogel 2022,p. 102.
  30. ^Ramet 2006,pp. 42–44.
  31. ^Djukanović 2023,p. 11.
  32. ^abFreivogel 2020,p. 12.
  33. ^abVego 1982,p. 345.
  34. ^Twardowski 1980,p. 355.
  35. ^Freivogel 2020,p. 104.
  36. ^Jarman 1997a,p. 733.
  37. ^Adriatic Guard 1930.
  38. ^Jarman 1997b,p. 183.
  39. ^Jarman 1997b,p. 451.
  40. ^Freivogel & Rastelli 2015,p. 93.
  41. ^Freivogel 2020,p. 118.
  42. ^Brescia 2012,p. 151.
  43. ^Freivogel & Rastelli 2015,pp. 126 & 130.
  44. ^Freivogel 2020,p. 348.
  45. ^Freivogel 2020,pp. 118–119.
  46. ^Freivogel & Rastelli 2015,p. 171.

References

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  • Brescia, Maurizio (2012).Mussolini's Navy.Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Seaforth Publishing.ISBN978-1-59114-544-8.
  • Cernuschi, Enrico &O'Hara, Vincent P.(2016). "The Naval War in the Adriatic Part II: 1917–18". In Jordan, John (ed.).Warship 2016.London: Bloomsbury. pp. 62–75.ISBN978-1-84486-438-6.
  • Djukanović, Bojka (2023).Historical Dictionary of Montenegro.Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.ISBN978-1-5381-3915-8.
  • Freivogel, Zvonimir & Rastelli, Achille (2015).Adriatic Naval War 1940-1945.Zagreb: Despot Infinitus.ISBN978-953-7892-44-9.
  • Freivogel, Zvonimir (2019).The Great War in the Adriatic Sea 1914–1918.Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus.ISBN978-953-8218-40-8.
  • Freivogel, Zvonimir (2020).Warships of the Royal Yugoslav Navy 1918-1945.Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus.ISBN978-953-8218-72-9.
  • Freivogel, Zvonimir (2022).Austro-Hungarian Torpedo-Boats in World War One.Zagreb, Croatia: Despot Infinitus.ISBN978-953-366-036-9.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: ignored ISBN errors (link)
  • Friedman, Norman(2011).Naval Weapons of World War One.Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-84832-100-7.
  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1985).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921.London, England: Conway Maritime Press.ISBN978-0-85177-245-5.
  • Greger, René (1976).Austro-Hungarian Warships of World War I.London, England: Allan.ISBN978-0-7110-0623-2.
  • Jarman, Robert L., ed. (1997a).Yugoslavia Political Diaries 1918–1965.Vol. 1. Slough, Berkshire: Archives Edition.ISBN978-1-85207-950-5.
  • Jarman, Robert L., ed. (1997b).Yugoslavia Political Diaries 1918–1965.Vol. 2. Slough, Berkshire: Archives Edition.ISBN978-1-85207-950-5.
  • O'Hara, Vincent; Worth, Richard & Dickson, W. (2013).To Crown the Waves: The Great Navies of the First World War.Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN978-1-61251-269-3.
  • Ramet, Sabrina P.(2006).The Three Yugoslavias: State-Building and Legitimation, 1918–2005.Bloomington: Indiana University Press.ISBN978-0-253-34656-8.
  • Sieche, Erwin F. (1991). "S.M.S. Szent István: Hungaria's Only and Ill-Fated Dreadnought".Warship International.XXVII(2). Toledo, Ohio: International Naval Research Organization: 112–146.ISSN0043-0374.
  • Sokol, Anthony Eugene (1968).The Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Navy.Annapolis, Maryland: U.S. Naval Institute.OCLC1912.
  • Spomenica prvog putovanja kr. mornarice u inostrane vode: Krf-Malta-Bizerta: Maj, 1929[The Account of the First Voyage of the Royal Navy to Foreign Waters: Corfu–Malta-Bizerte: May 1929] (in Serbo-Croatian). Split, Yugoslavia: Izvršni odbor Jadranske straže [Executive Board of the Adriatic Guard]. 1930.OCLC442500742.
  • Twardowski, Marek (1980). "Yugoslavia". In Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger (eds.).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946.Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 355–359.ISBN978-0-87021-913-9.
  • Vego, Milan (1982). "The Yugoslav Navy 1918–1941".Warship International.XIX(4): 342–361.ISSN0043-0374.
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