The Romanian Royal Army

The Romanian Fluvial Warships

Danube Monitor

Monitoare (Monitors).

"Brătianu"-class
  • "Ion Brătianu"**
  • "Alexandru Lahovary"**
  • "Lascăr Catargiu"*
  • "Mihail Kogălniceanu"*
 BuiltAustro-Hungary (Triest) / Romania (Galați): 1907 (Brătianu, Catargiu), 1908 (Kogălniceanu, Lahovary)
Crew110
Weight680 tons
Length / Width62 / 10,2 m
Draught1,6 m
Speed12 knots
Armament 3 x 120 mm guns in turrets (from 1937: 3 x 120 mm Skoda-Bofors)
2 x 120 mm Howitzers (removed 1937)
1 x 37 mm Rheinmetall AA gun (from 1937)
4 x 47 mm guns (from 1937: 2 x 47 mm)
1 x 2 x 13,2 Hotchkiss MG (from 1937)

*24.8.1944: "Catargiu" sunk by Soviets at Vâlcov and "Kogălniceanu" at Chilia Nouă. Both monitors were recovered in 1953 and repaired at Brăila and Giurgiu shipyards. Used 1953-1957 as training ships. Passed to the reserve in 1957. Scrapped between 1959-1962.
**Captured by the Soviets in 1-2.9.1944. and used further on as 'Mariupol' ('Lahovary') and 'Azov' ('Brătianu'). Returned to Romania in 1951.

"Bucovina"-class
  • "Bucovina"
 BuiltAustro-Hungary: 1915
Crew100
Weight550 tons
Length / Width58 / 10,5 m
Draught1,3 m
Speed12 knots
Engine1500 H.P.
Armament 4 x 120 mm guns (in turrets)
2 (3) x 37 mm AA guns (1 x 37 ?)
2 x 20 mm AA guns (4 x 47 mm guns ?)
2 x 6,5 mm MGs (1 x 13,2 mm twin AA MG ?)

Completely rebuilt and up-gunned at Galați in 1942-43.

"Ardeal"-class
  • "Ardeal"
 BuiltAustro-Hungary: 1904
Crew100
Weight450 (440) tons
Length / Width56 / 9,5 m
Draught1,2 m
Speed12 (10) knots
Engine1500 H.P.
Armament 3 x 120 mm guns (in turrets) (4 x 120 mm ?)
2 x 37 mm guns (1 x 37, 6 x 37 ?)
2 x 20 mm AA guns ? (4 x 20 ?)
1 x 13,52 mm twin MG ?

History: built in 1904 at Linz as "TEMES"; 1914: sunk by the Serbians, then raised from the Danube and rebuilt as "TEMES II"; ~1920: distributed to Romania and renamed as "ARDEAL"; 1937-1938: completely modernised and up-gunned.

  • "Basarabia"
 BuiltAustro-Hungary, 1913 (1914)
Crew100
Weight560 (550) tons
Length / Width62 / 10,5 m
Draught1,3 m
Speed12 knots
Engine1700 H.P.
Armament 4 x 120 mm guns (in turrets)
1 x 37 mm AA guns (2 x 37 ?)
2 x 20 mm AA guns (4 x 20 ?)
1 x 13,2 mm twin MG ?

History: 1913: built at Ganz Co Danubius shipyard from Budapest as "Monitor VIII", then named "INN"; 1915: first action near Belgrade; 12.1915-5.1916: repared in the shipyard; 8.1916: in action on the Romanian Front, it sunk the Romanian passenger ship "Călugăreni"; 29.9.1917 sunk at 14 km far away of Brăila. 28.11-4.12.1917: raised from the Danube. 13.4.1918: renamed as UJVIDÉK, then as MARX (during Kun Bela's Bolshevik regime). 11.1918: Captured by the Yugoslavs and interned in Novi Sad. 1920: distributed to Romania and renamed as BASARABIA; 1942-1943: entirely rebuilt and up-gunned at Galați; 5.9.1944: taken by the Soviets and renamed as ISMAIL; 1951: returned to Romania and renamed as M 405; 1960: scrapped.

Remorchere de dragaj magnetic fluvial (Comandeered Magnetic Dredging Fluvial Tugs).

Tugs
  • "Basarab"
  • N.F.R. "Gherdap"
  • S.R.D. "Amurgul"
  • "Motru"
  • "Haralambos M 3"
  • "Machis M 2"
  
  
Armament 1 x 20 mm gun
1-2 light MGs
S.D.G. mechanical dredge
S.S.C. magnetic dredge

Vedete Fluviale de siguranta (1-14 Security Fluvial Motor Gun Boats - Vedettes).

Motor Gun Boats (nr. 1,   
Armament 1 x 47 mm gun
1 x 30 mm gun
2 MGs
6 A.S. grenades
1 dredge arm
Armoured Motor Gun Boats (nr.5,  
Armament 1 x 20 mm gun
2 x 8 mm MGs
2 light MGs
1 dredge arm

*vedettes no. 2, 12, 14 were sunk between 24.8-27.12.1944

Salupe (Motor Boats).

Motor Boats (nr. 31, 32, 33, 34)  
Armament 1 x 20 mm gun
1 x 8 mm MG
2 light MGs
S.D.G. mechanical dredge
F.S.G. search dredge
6 antisubmarine grenades

Alte Nave Fluviale (Other Fluvial Warships).

  1. MĂCIN, the tugs SMÂRDAN, MARIA, VÂRTOSUL, N.F.R. DECEBAL, N.F.R. ARDEALUL, N.F.R. ALBA-IULIA.

  2. Fluvial patrool boats: no.1-5.

  3. Fluvial tugs for magnetic barges (commandeered in 1945): I.B. CANTACUZINO, S.R.D. Nr.1, ANGELA, PUTNA, IORDAN, IOANIS.

  4. Other comandeered fluvial warships:
    • Passenger ships: N.F.R MIHAI VITEAZUL, N.F.R. ȘTEFAN CEL MARE, S.R.D. SALIGNY, S.R.D ISMAIL, S.R.D PRINCIPELE MIRCEA;
    • other 17 N.F.R. tugs;
    • other 12 S.R.D. tugs;
    • icebreaker tug S.R.D MÂNTUIREA;
    • 3 N.F.R. oil tankers;
    • 3 N.F.R. motor barges;
    • 169 N.F.R. barges without engine;
    • 20 comandeered dredging barges;
    • the GRATI motorboat.
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