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River Gunboats

Page 6

by River Gunboats- An Illustrated Encyclopaedia (retail) (epub)


  Single 19cm L/35 turret.

  Profile and plan of the Škoda design of a twin 9cm L/45 turret proposed as secondary armament for Monitors XI and XII. The fifth gun of this calibre was to have been mounted in a shield on the rear superstructure, similar to those on the rebuilt Temes.

  A future monitor project proposed in 1915 by Engineers Silvius Morin and F Cossutta of Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)

  Monitor Design Projects

  This long shallow-draught vessel was intended to mount two Škoda 30.5cm L/12 siege howitzers, of the type used since 1914 to batter fortifications from the Western Front to Poland. The huge howitzers, each weighing more than 20 tons, fired a HE shell weighing 287kg at a rate of ten shells an hour, to a range of 12,300m (13,500 yards). The latest model, to be mounted in the monitor, in hooded barbettes, was the M 16 with longer L/12 barrel and 360° traverse. Interestingly, in 1918 a Škoda howitzer, the larger 38cm L/17 model, was test-fired on the old coast defence ship SMS Budapest in place of the forward turret. It proved unsuccessful due to the ship continuing to roll with the recoil of firing, making for poor accuracy with subsequent shots. There is no reason to believe that the river monitor design would have been any more successful had the vessel been constructed. Proposed secondary armament was to be two of the powerful 7cm L/50 guns in DP mountings.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 800 tons; L: 68m/223ft 1in; B: 11m/36ft 1in; D: 1.5m/4ft 11in.

  Guns/Armour:

  2 × 30.5m L/12 howitzers; 2 × 7cm L/50 anti-balloon guns; 4 × 8mm MG/Barbettes 40mm; Hull 60mm to 30mm; Deck 30mm; Conning tower 50mm front, 40mm rear.

  Fate:

  Never begun, project only.

  (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)

  On 11 December 1917, Engineer Silvius Morin proposed a super river monitor model displacing 2,000 tons. Suitable single-gun 24cm L/40 turrets were available on the pre-dreadnought coast-defence ship SMS Budapest, and the old armoured cruiser SMS Kaiser Karl VI. Once again, the state of the Empire at this late stage of the war precluded laying down any such large river monitor.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 2,000 tons; L: 80m/262ft 5in; B: 15m/49ft 3in; D: 2m/6ft 7in.

  Guns/Armour:

  2 × 24cm L/40; 4 × twin 9cm L/45 anti-balloon guns.

  Fate:

  Never begun, project only.

  Škoda 7cm L/50 gun on the LA mounting, planned for the secondary armament. The most powerful of the 7cm weapons, its shell case was the long 66x575 R.

  The giant Škoda 30.5cm L/12 siege howitzer planned for the 1915 monitor. (Tacom 35th scale model publicity shot)

  RIVER PATROL BOATS

  Patrouillenboot a

  Armed with an 8mm Salvator-Dormus MG and two spar torpedoes, and fitted with a funnel cowl. She could conceivably have carried a pair of launch cradles for 14in Whitehead torpedoes, but they would have greatly increased her draught and reduced the stability of this small craft.

  Launched:

  1894 by Schichau, Elbing.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 33 tons; L: 22m/72ft 2in; B: 3.5m/11ft 6in; D: 1.1m/3ft 7in.

  Power/Speed:

  Single screw; 2-cyl compound steam engine.

  Guns/Armour:

  1 × 8mm Salvator-Dormus Model 1893 MG; 2 × spar torpedoes/Bulletproof conning tower.

  Patrouillenboot a. (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  Patrouillenboot b

  As Patrouillenboot a had not met expectations, a larger PB was ordered from Danubius, powered by internal combustion engines rather than steam. In company with the monitors Temes and Körös and the minesweeper Andor, Patrouillenboot b broke through the Serbian mine barrage and entered the Sava River under heavy shellfire, on 28 September 1914. Patrouillenboot b was paid off in 1915.

  Launched:

  1906 by Danubius Schönichen- Hartmann, Budapest.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 36.5 tons; L: 28m/91ft 10in; B: 4.4m/14ft 5in; D: 0.4m/1ft 4in.

  Power/Speed:

  Twin screws; 4-cyl internal combustion engines.

  Guns/Armour:

  1 × 37mm Hotchkiss Model 1885 QF; 2 × 8mm Salvator-Dormus Model 1893 MG/Bulletproof conning tower, MG turrets and crow’s nest.

  Fate:

  Stricken 23 August 1915.

  Patrouillenboot b. (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  With the local beauties perhaps expecting a cruise on the river.

  Patrouillenboot c and d

  Patrouillenboot c was scuttled at Pancsova on 9 September 1914. Patrouillenboot d was sunk by Serb artillery at Belgrade on 15 May 1915, showing the vulnerability of these small craft to artillery fire.

  Launched:

  1909 by private yard, Lustenau, Bodensee.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 39 tons; L: 30m/98ft 5in; B: 4.4m/14ft 5in; D: 0.7m/1ft 4in.

  Power/Speed:

  Twin screws; 4-cyl internal combustion engine.

  Guns/Armour:

  1 × 8mm Salvator-Dormus Model 1893 MG/Bulletproof conning tower, MG turret and crow’s nest.

  Fate:

  c scuttled 9 September 1914; d sunk 15 May 1915.

  Patrouillenboot c and d. (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  Patrouillenboot c.

  Patrouillenboot e and f

  Patrouillenboot f was renamed Stör (I) in December 1916. She was transferred to the Adriatic Lagoon Flotilla ‘Acquaeduct’ in mid-March 1917, and served there as PM 1 (Panzer Motorboot = Armoured Motor Boat). There is no note of her ultimate fate but it is probable she was taken over by the Italians in 1920.

  Launched:

  1908–9 by Yarrow, Glasgow.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 12 tons; L: 18m/59ft; B: 2.7m/8ft 10in; D: 0.4m/1ft 4in.

  Power/Speed:

  Triple screws; 5 × petrol engines.

  Guns/Armour:

  Both: 1 × 8mm MG; Stör: + 1 × 37mm Hotchkiss Model 1885 QF/Bulletproof shield protecting the wheel and crow’s nest; Stör: MG turret.

  Fate:

  e sold 1913; f as Stör (I) to Italians 1920?

  Stör (I). Right: Patrouillenboot g and h. (Drawings by László Benczúr)

  Patrouillenboot e, showing the distinctive lines of the Yarrow motor boat, and the stern flap to prevent the boat from sitting down at speed. Ordered in 1908/1909 from the yard in Glasgow, the high operating costs led to her being sold to a private buyer in 1913.

  Patrouillenboot g and h

  Yarrow-type Patrouillenboot g was built by Danubius in 1909. She was scuttled at Pancsova on 10 September 1914. Her sister Patrouillenboot h was renamed Lachs in December 1916 and transferred with Patrouillenboot f to the Adriatic Lagoon Flotilla ‘Acquaeduct’ in mid-March 1917, where she served as PM 2. Once again, her ultimate fate is not known, but as with PM 1 she probably became Italian in 1920.

  Launched:

  1909 by Danubius, Budapest.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 12 tons; L: 18m/59ft; B: 2.7m/8ft 10in; D: 0.4m/1ft 4in.

  Power/Speed:

  Triple screws; 5 × petrol engines.

  Guns/Armour:

  1 × 37mm Hotchkiss Model 1885 QF; 2 × 8mm MG/Bulletproof shield protecting the wheel; armoured conning tower, MG turret and crow’s nest.

  Fate:

  g scuttled 10 September 1914; h as Lachs to Italians 1920?

  Patrouillenboot h.

  60-ton Patrouillenboot

  The Navy budget of 1914/15 allocated funds for two 60-ton and four 120-ton patrol boats. The smaller 60-ton boats i and k were built within a year at the DDSG shipyard at Budapest which had had no work on private orders since the outbreak of the war. Before the vessels were launched it was decided to name the patrol vessels after fish found in the Danube.

  60-ton Patrouillenboot. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)

  Fogas (‘Pike-perch’). Note the scale provided by the crewmen, otherwise these ‘miniature destroyers’ are hard to size from a plan alone. Here she shows off her two Danube-type anchor
s.

  Csuka (‘pike’). The armoured shelter in front of the mainmast protects the auxiliary steering position. The forward mast and crow’s nest can telescope downwards and the rear mast pivots between brackets, to pass under bridges.

  Patrouillenboot i was commissioned in December 1915, and in 1916 took the name Fogas (Hungarian for ‘pike-perch’). In April 1920 she was transferred to the Austrian Army’s Pioneer Corps, under her original name. For her subsequent service, see AUSTRIA Post-1918.

  Patrouillenboot k was commissioned in March 1916 as Csuka (Hungarian for ‘pike’). In 1920 she was ceded to Hungary, under the name Siófok. For her subsequent service, see HUNGARY.

  Launched:

  Late 1915 (Fogas), early 1916 (Csuka), by DDSG Shipyard, Budapest.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 60 tons; L: 36m/118ft 1in; B: 4.6m/15ft 1in; D: 0.9m/2ft 11in.

  Crew:

  27.

  Power/Speed:

  Twin screws; 2 × 400ihp VTE steam engines/12 knots.

  Guns/Armour:

  1 × 66mm L/30 K.09; 2 × 8mm MG/Hull 5mm; Deck 4mm: Turret 5mm; Conning tower 5mm.

  Fate:

  Fogas transferred to Austria 15 April 1920; Csuka ceded to Hungary 1920.

  120-ton Class

  The larger 120-ton boats, l, m, n, and o, were built within one year by Ganz & Co. Danubius Maschinen- Waggon- und Schiffbau A.G., Budapest and commissioned on 14 March, 28 March and 28 April 1916 respectively. They were allocated the following fish names: l became Wels (‘Cat-fish’), m became Barsch (‘Perch’), n became Compó (‘Tench’) and o Viza (‘Sterlet’).

  In December 1918, Wels and Barsch were interned at Beograd, and in January 1919 the Yugoslavs briefly commissioned them as Bregalnica and Neretva respectively. However, with the redistribution of the ex-Austro-Hungarian vessels, on 15 April 1920 Wels and Viza were allocated to Hungary as Szeged and Kecskemét respectively. In addition, Compó, which had been allocated to Austria, was never re-commissioned, and was later sold to Hungary and renamed Györ. For their subsequent service, see HUNGARY.

  At the same time in 1920 Barsch was allocated to Austria and re-commissioned under her original name. For her subsequent service, see AUSTRIA Post-1918.

  Launched:

  Late 1915 and early 1916, by Ganz & Danubius, Budapest.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 129 tons (133 tons full load); L: 44m/144ft 4in; B: 6m/19ft 8in; D: 1m/3ft 3in.

  Crew:

  27.

  Power/Speed:

  Twin screws; 2 × 600shp AEG geared steam turbines/15 knots (up to 18.5 knots on trials).

  Guns/Armour:

  2 × twin 66mm L/26; 4 × 8mm MG/Hull 8mm; Deck 6mm: Turret 5mm; Conning tower 5mm.

  Fate:

  Transferred as above details.

  Three more 120-ton boats were ordered from Ganz & Co. Danubius but were not completed until 1918. They were larger, with a dual-purpose armament. Boats p and q were named Stör (II) (‘sturgeon’) and Lachs (II) (‘salmon’). Patrouillenboot r was launched in 1918 but never commissioned and was broken up in Hungary.

  In January 1919 Stör and Lachs were commissioned by Hungary as Komárom and Pozsony respectively, but in 1920 Stör was officially allocated to Austria and re-commissioned under her original name. For Pozsony, see HUNGARY; for Stör, see AUSTRIA Post-1918.

  120-ton class. (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  Launched:

  1918 by Ganz & Danubius, Budapest.

  Dimensions:

  Displ: 129 tons (140 tons full load); L: 45.5m/149ft 3in; B: 6m/19ft 8in; D: 1m/3ft 3in.

  Crew:

  42.

  Power/Speed:

  Twin screws; 2 × 700shp AEG geared steam turbines/16 knots.

  Guns/Armour:

  Stör and Lachs: 2 × 75mm L/30 K 16 DP guns; 6 × 8mm MG. Patrouillenboot r: 2 × 9cm L/45 DP guns; 6 × 8mm MG/Hull 10mm; Deck 6mm: Turret 5mm; conning tower 10mm.

  Fate:

  Stör to Austria; Lachs to Hungary; r broken up after the war.

  Compó (Hungarian for ‘Tench’). Once more, in the absence of crewmen in a photo to give an idea of scale, one could easily mistake these river patrol gunboats for small destroyers.

  The twin 66mm L/26 gun mounting which armed the four patrol boats of the Wels class. Although still compact, they were somewhat more spacious than the sternmost cupola on Bosna and Sava. (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  The new dual-purpose single turret designed for ‘p’ and ‘q’, armed with a 7.5cm L/30 Škoda gun.

  Stör (II). (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  (Plans of Linz courtesy of Erwin Sieche)

  Linz

  In 1914 and 1915, an armoured motor boat, Linz, operated on the Lakes and River Flotilla, armed with a 7cm L/42 and three MGs. Also, for the FMK armed riverboats, see GERMANY, Danube.

  ARMED STEAMERS

  With such a large expanse of the Danube and its tributaries to patrol, it was only to be expected that the purpose-built monitors and patrol boats should be backed by an extensive flotilla of requisitioned and armed river steamers. The vessels included the Artur, Balaton, Dunajec, Goplana, Kopernic, Krakow, Kraus, Krystina, Kujawiak, Melsztyn, Nadwislanin, Neptun, Planeta, Polonez, Przyjaciel Publiki, Pulawy, Samson, Steinkeller, Tyniec, Una, Wanda, Wawel (A), Wawel (B) and Wenera. Many of these can be found on the Website of www.kriegsmarine.at.

  On the right is the ex-DDSG steamer Una (227 tons; length 54m/177ft). She survives at the time of writing as the Zupa, and is awaiting restoration at Belgrade. On the left is Inn with the telescopic lattice mast lowered.

  Ex-DDSG steamer Samson, fitted out as a river gunboat (467 tons; length 62m/203ft 5in). Note how her deck curves downward at bow and stern similar to the arrangement pioneered on Maros and Leitha, and for the same reasons. From the drawing she is armed with two 7cm L/42 on the upper deck and two 7cm L/18 at bow and stern, no doubt supplemented by several 8mm Schwarzlose MG. (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  The following are a selection of photos and plans:

  Samson. Tied up alongside is the Russian Danube submarine S-3, captured at Reni on 3 March 1918.

  Balaton, another steamer with curved deck line (displacement 225 tons, length 55m/180ft 5in), armed with two 7cm L/42 plus a 8mm Schwarzlose MG on the upper deck and two 7cm L/18, at bow and stern. (Drawing by László Benczúr)

  Bascka and Bája

  These two small river tugs, 80 tons displacement and 21.5m (70ft 6in) long, were quite well-armed for their size, and the wheelhouse was armoured. Note the funnel is able to pivot rearwards to pass under bridges, and it also acts as a mast for radio aerials. Bascka was sunk by a mine in July 1919. (Drawing by László Benczúr

  Bája, showing her forward 7cm L/18 Škoda QF cannon. Behind the shield on the wheelhouse roof is an 8mm MG, probably a Salvator-Dormus Model 1893.

  VISTULA FLOTILLA

  The Austro-Hungarian Navy had planned the formation of a Vistula Flotilla as early as 1889, with the paddle steamers Wawel and Krakow. In 1897 they commissioned the paddle tug Krystina, the passenger steamer Dunajec and the two small paddle steamers Wilga and Iskra. In 1910 the Zieleniewsky Works in Krakau launched the Melsztyn, Wanda, Kopernik and Tyniec. With the Balkan crisis of 1912, in November of that year the river steamers began to be armed: Wawel received four 37mm Hotchkiss and two 8mm MG, Wanda, Melsztyn and Kopernik two 37mm and two 8mm MG, and Dunajec and Tyniec received just a pair of 8mm MG each. In addition, steps were taken to add bulletproof protection: 8mm around the machinery spaces, and 5mm on the deck and conning tower. Other steamers added up to thirty sandbags plus two MG on tripods.

  The Vistula Flotilla was put on a war footing on 30 July 1914, to protect Austro-Hungarian shipping from Russian attacks, operating from bases in Austrian Galicia. In addition to the Austro-Hungarian vessels, the German Volunteer Motorboat Corps, or FMK, was sent to the Vistula by the German Army. For details, see GERMANY. After the Russian Army had been expelled from Poland, in 1915 the Flotill
a extended its zone of operations further to the North, escorting tugs and barges carrying supplies for Austro-Hungarian and German forces operating to the east of the River. In March 1916 the Flotilla was increased by the arrival of seven armed motorboats: Alpha, Gamma, Dora, Ida, Cb der Enns, Hedwig and Gott mit uns. Their numbers were swelled by the inclusion of two captured Serbian vessels Save and Danubius.

  Wawel

  Profile of Wawel. (Drawn by Herbert Winkler, in Marine - Gestern, Heute, 1975 Vol 2)

  Krystina

  Krystina, with white hull and buff upperworks, with her funnel and mast folded down to pass under the bridge on which the photographer is standing. (Photo from Website www.kriegsmarine.at)

  The armament fitted on the stern of Krystina: two 37mm Model 1885 single-barrelled Hotchkiss Model 1885 QF guns, with an 8mm Schwarzlose MG mounted between them, giving formidable firepower to such a small vessel. (Photo courtesy of www.kriegsmarine.at)

  Profile of Krystina, powered by a 150ihp steam engine, and drawing 0.65m/2ft 1½in. Armed with four 37mm Hotchkiss QF and two 8mm MG. (Drawn by Herbert Winkler, in Marine - Gestern, Heute, 1975 Vol 2)

  Dunajec

  Dunajec seen from a bridge. She appears here to be armed with two 37mm Hotchkiss Model 1885 QF. (Photo courtesy of www.kriegsmarine.at)

 

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