SMS Warasdiner
 SMS Warasdiner 1914
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SMS Warasdiner was a destroyer of the Austro-Hungarian Navy . The boat, which was put into service in August 1914, was ordered by China in 1910. The collapse of the German Empire in 1912 prevented a delivery, and after the outbreak of World War I the Austro- Hungarian Navy acquired the boat, which largely corresponded to the Austro-Hungarian destroyers of the Huszár class .
The Warasdiner remained in service until 1918. It was then taken over by Italy and scrapped there.
Building history
In 1908 the Chinese Empire decided to expand the fleet and set up a so-called "large fleet program". Since the Chinese shipyards were unable to meet the requirements, a naval delegation was commissioned to look abroad. This delegation stayed on December 30, 1909 for three days under the leadership of Admiral Scha on an information visit in Pola . As a result of this visit, the Chinese Navy ordered a total of three 3000 t training cruisers (Chao-Ho class), eight gunboats , a transporter and a destroyer of the Huszàr class in 1910. At the STT shipyard ( Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino ) in Trieste , the destroyer Lung Tuan ( Chinese龍 湍) was laid on April 1, 1911 . The required armament did not consist of Austrian guns, but of two 7.62 cm L / 50 cannons and two 4.7 cm SFK (Schnellfeuerkanonen) L / 50 from the British company Elswick. The two 45 cm torpedo twin tube sets were supplied by Whitehead. The test drive took place on July 1, 1912, with an output of 6,747 PSi and a maximum speed of 30.65 knots, which corresponded to the customer's requirements.
After the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution in China on October 10, 1911 and the associated political changes, the already completed destroyer was no longer removed and the shipyard initially stayed on the vehicle. The Austro-Hungarian Navy, to which the destroyer was offered in November 1912, initially refused to buy it. It was only when the war broke out in August 1914 that the vehicle was remembered and bought for 1.292 million crowns . The destroyer was towed from Trieste to Pola on August 1st , the British guns were removed and replaced by Austrian ones. On August 28, 1914, the vehicle was put into service under the name Warasdiner . With the same dimensions, it was 700 PSi more powerful and 1.5 knots faster than its identical sister ships in the Huszàr class. It was the last Austrian destroyer to have a piston steam engine.
War missions
During the war, SMS Warasdiner carried out numerous reconnaissance, mine-laying, convoy and security trips . Mention should be made:
- December 5, 1915 - Together with the destroyers Huszár , Pandur , Turu and three torpedo boats from Cattaro, an advance against San Giovanni di Medua in northern Albania. Warasdiner captured 27 crew members of the French submarine Frésnel and destroyed the boat , which was stranded in the Bojan estuary, by artillery fire.
- May 4, 1916 - Assistance with the recovery of the torpedoed destroyer Csepel of the Tátra class .
- August 2, 1916 - The destroyers Warasdiner and Wildfang bombard Molfetta , then merge with the restraint group ( Kleiner Kreuzer Aspern and two torpedo boats ). On the return trip, the group engages in a sea battle with the Italian cruiser Nino Bixio and the destroyers Nievo , Pilo , Abba , Mosto , Ardente and Indomito .
- February 15, 1918 - During an escort, the Warasdiner collided with the Herzegovina in a snow storm . The stern is damaged in the process. It will be made ready for use again in the shipyard.
At the end of the war, the ship was in the port of Pola and was captured by Italian troops.
The Allied Naval Commission in Paris awarded it to Italy in 1920 as spoils of war for demolition, ie it had to be scrapped. This happened in 1921.
Technical specifications
- Water displacement - 386 ts / max. 404.8 ts
- Length - 67.13 meters
- Width - 6.25 meters
- Draft - 1.8 meters
- Drive - 4 Yarrow boilers with coal firing - Two 4 cylinder steam engines
- Power - 6747 psi
- Speed max. 30.6 kn
- Armament - two 7 cm L45 guns, four 7 cm L30 guns, four 45 cm deck torpedo tubes
- Crew - 70 men
Note: For the sake of authenticity, the place names are given in the spelling of the Imperial and Royal Navy. The links refer to today's conditions.
literature
- Erwin Sieche: torpedo ships and destroyers of the K. u. K. Marine (= naval arsenal with international naval news and naval overview 34). Podzun-Pallas Verlag, Wölfersheim-Berstadt 1996, ISBN 3-7909-0546-1 .
- Wilhelm M. Donko : Warships for China - built in Austria-Hungary in Köhler's Fleet Calendar 2018, pp. 138–142