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NMS ''Rândunica'' was the first torpedo boat of the
Romanian Navy The Romanian Navy ( ro, Forțele Navale Române) is the navy branch of the Romanian Armed Forces; it operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube. It traces its history back to 1860. History The Romanian Navy was founded in 1860 as a river flo ...
. A small British-built
spar torpedo A spar torpedo is a weapon consisting of a bomb placed at the end of a long pole, or spar, and attached to a boat. The weapon is used by running the end of the spar into the enemy ship. Spar torpedoes were often equipped with a barbed spear at ...
boat, she was commissioned in 1875 and fought during the
Romanian War of Independence The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On , Romania and the R ...
and during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.


Construction and specifications

''Rândunica'' was built by
Yarrow and Company Yarrow Shipbuilders Limited (YSL), often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde. It is now part of BAE Systems Surface Ships, owned by BAE Systems, which has also ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, and was commissioned two years before the start of the Romanian War of Independence. During the war, she was armed with a single spar torpedo. In 1900, she was rebuilt at the
Galați shipyard __NOTOC__ The Galați shipyard ( ro, Șantierul naval Galați), formally Damen Shipyards Galați, is a shipyard located on the Danube in Galați, a city located in the Moldavia region of Romania. History Origins through communism Shipbuilding is a ...
in Romania, having the following specifications: displacement of 10 tons, length of 14 meters, beam of 2.40 meters, draught of 1 meter, top speed of 8 knots and crew of 5.


Service


Romanian War of Independence

In 1877, during the
Romanian War of Independence The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On , Romania and the R ...
, according to a Russian-Romanian treaty signed in April that year, ''Rândunica'' served under joint Romanian-Russian command. She was also known as ''Tsarevich'' by the Russians. Her crew consisted of a Russian Lieutenant, Dubasov, three Romanians: Major Murgescu (the official liaison officer with the Russian headquarters), engine mechanic Vasile Belea, navigator Gheorghe Constantinescu and another 10 sailors. The attack of ''Rândunica'' took place during the night of 25–26 May 1877, near
Măcin Măcin () is a town in Tulcea County, in the Northern Dobruja region of Romania. Location Măcin is located in the north-western part of the Northern Dobruja region, in Tulcea County. The city is located at the intersection of the DN22 ( E87) an ...
. As she was approaching the Ottoman monitor ''Seyfi'', the latter fired three rounds at her without any effect. Before she could fire the fourth round, ''Rândunicas spar struck her between the midships and the stern. A powerful explosion followed, with debris from the Ottoman warship raising up to 40 meters in the air. The half-sunk monitor then re-opened fire, but was struck once again by another torpedo boat, with the same devastating effects. The crew of ''Seyfi'' subsequently fired their rifles at ''Rândunica'', as the latter was retreating and their monitor was sinking. Following this action, Ottoman warships throughout the remainder of the war would always retreat upon sighting spar torpedo boats. The Russian Lieutenants Dubasov and Shestakov were decorated with the Order of St. George, while Major Murgescu was decorated with the
Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir (russian: орден Святого Владимира) was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptize ...
as well as the
Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five ...
. ''Rândunica'' was returned to full Romanian control in 1878, after the Russian ground forces had finished crossing the
Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , ...
. The Ottoman monitor ''Seyfi'' was a 400-ton ironclad warship, with a maximum armor thickness of 76 mm and armed with two 120 mm guns.


World War I

''Rândunica'' was modernized in 1900 at the Galați shipyard, most notably being fitted with a superstructure for better crew living conditions. On 27 August 1916, just after Romania declared war on
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, ''Rândunica'' attacked the Austro-Hungarian Danube Flotilla stationed in the Bulgarian port of Ruse. Commanded by Captain Aurel Negulescu, she was fitted with two torpedoes in wooden tubes. In the evening of 27 August, she launched her two torpedoes at one of the Austro-Hungarian monitors, but only one barge loaded with fuel was struck, which exploded and sank. The Austro-Hungarian warships subsequently retreated 130 km West along the Danube, stopping at
Belene Belene ( bg, Белене ) is a town in Pleven Province, Northern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Belene Municipality. The town is situated on the right bank of the Danube river, close to the town of Svishtov. Geo ...
and taking extensive defensive measures. She was decommissioned in 1925, later benefitting from three more reconstructions, one in 1928, one in 1951 and one in 1972. She was cut up in Tulcea, after an attempt to be brought to the Romanian Navy Museum in 1984.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rândunica 1875 ships World War I naval ships of Romania Ships built in Poplar Torpedo boats of the Romanian Naval Forces Torpedo boats of the United Kingdom