NMS ''Constanța'' was a

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

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 ...

. She was commissioned in 1931 and fought in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, being scrapped in 1977.

Construction and specifications

''Constanța'' was one of the earliest purpose-built submarine tenders. She was commissioned in 1931, ahead of Germany's first purpose-built submarine tender, ''

Saar Saar or SAAR has several meanings: People Given name *Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player *Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist *Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), Esto ...

''. ''Constanța'' was laid down in August 1927 at the Italian Quarnaro Shipyard in Fiume, being completed in 1931. She measured 77.8 meters in length, having a beam of 11.2 meters and a draught of 4 meters. She was fitted with torpedo storing and loading facilities, engineering workshops, and submarine salvage and signalling facilities. Power plant consisted of two diesel engines powering two shafts, giving her a top speed of 13 knots. Her armament consisted of two 102 mm guns and two 40 mm anti-aircraft guns. She displaced 1,329 tons standard with a full load displacement of 2,300 tons, having a range of over 10,000 nautical miles.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, according to Romanian sources, her armament was modified: the two 102 mm guns were replaced by two 76 mm Armstrong naval/AA guns, the two 40 mm Bofors guns were replaced by two 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and two twin 13 mm machine guns were also fitted. At the start of

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named afte ...

in June 1941, ''Constanța'' was the flagship of the ''Grupul submarine și vedete torpiloare'' (The submarines and motor torpedo boats group), the only formation of the

designated for offensive operations. The group also comprised the submarine '' Delfinul'' and three motor torpedo boats of the

Vospers Vosper & Company, often referred to simply as Vospers, was a British shipbuilding company based in Portsmouth, England. History The Company was established in 1871 by Herbert Edward Vosper, concentrating on ship repair and refitting work. By t ...

type ('' Viscolul'', ''Viforul'' and ''Vijelia''). She was commanded by Lieutenant-Commander Victor Voinescu, who was also the commander of the entire group. On 3 August 1941, one of her 76 mm guns shot down 1 Soviet aircraft. During May and June 1942, she took part in amphibious landing drills. In the summer of 1944, she was fitted with an anti-magnetic belt.Nicolae Koslinski, Raymond Stănescu, ''Marina română in al doilea război mondial: 1942–1944/1944-1945 (Volumes 2 and 3)'', Făt Frumos Publishing, 1996 On 28 August 1944, she was captured by Soviet forces and, unlike most other warships of the Romanian Navy, was never returned. She was commissioned on 5 September 1944, and on 14 September enlisted in

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

. On 20 October 1944 she was renamed ''Bug'' (Буг, for a

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

). On 4 September 1973 she was hulked and designated ''PKZ-87'' (ПКЗ-87) until being written off on 16 April 1977 and scrapped in 1978 in Sevastopol.

References

External links

NMS ConstantaBlueprint
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constanța World War II naval ships of Romania Submarine tenders World War II naval ships of the Soviet Union 1931 ships Ships built in Fiume Captured ships Auxiliary ships of the Soviet Navy