In the Blockade of Montenegro (10 April – 14 May 1913) a multi-national naval squadron summoned by the Great Powers and under the command of Sir Cecil Burney blockaded the Montenegrin ports. The purpose of the

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...

was stopping Montenegrin reinforces and supplies from reaching the

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

coast.

History

During the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

, the

Great Powers A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...

decided that the disputed region should be given to the newly independent kingdom of Albania, created as a neutral country under international administration, and they decided to carry out a

to reinforce this decision. As Montenegro continued their siege of Scutari, the Great Powers decided to implement the blockade, which was declared on 10 April 1913. The purpose was to prevent Serbian supplies and reinforcements from reaching the Albanian coast. The blockade, consisting of a "multi-national naval squadron", lasted from 10 April until 14 May 1913. Among the ships involved in the blockade were the Austro-Hungarian SMS ''Aspern'', SMS ''Erzherzog Franz Ferdinand'', SMS ''Radetzky'', SMS ''Salamander'', SMS ''Zenta'' and SMS ''Zrínyi'', the British HMS ''Africa'', HMS ''Britannia'', HMS ''Commonwealth'', HMS ''Dominion'', HMS ''Hibernia'', HMS ''Hindustan'', HMS ''King Edward VII'' and HMS ''Zealandia'' (

3rd Battle Squadron The 3rd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships and other vessels, active from at least 1914 to 1945. The 3rd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During the First ...

), HMS ''Dublin'' and HMS ''Darmouth'', the French ''Edgar Quinet'' and ''

Ernest Renan Joseph Ernest Renan (; 27 February 18232 October 1892) was a French Orientalist and Semitic scholar, expert of Semitic languages and civilizations, historian of religion, philologist, philosopher, biblical scholar, and critic. He wrote influe ...

'', the German SMS ''Breslau'', and the Italian ''Ammiraglio di Saint Bon'' and ''Francesco Ferruccio''. The block initially extended along the Montenegrian-Albanian coast from

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

(now in

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

) up to the outlet of the river Drin, near

Shëngjin Shëngjin is a coastal town and a former municipality in Lezhë County, northwestern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality of Lezhë. The population at the 2011 census was 8,091.

, in present-day

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. On 23 April, Burney extended the block up to

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

in Albania. Pressured by the international blockade, Serbia withdrew its army from Scutari, which was subsequently occupied by a joint Allied ground force.

References

{{reflist Battles of the First Balkan War 1913 in Albania 1913 in Montenegro Battles involving the United Kingdom Battles involving Austria-Hungary Battles involving Montenegro