NMS ''Constanța'' was a

submarine tender A submarine tender, in British English a submarine depot ship, is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally cannot carry large amounts of foo ...

of the

Romanian Navy The Romanian Naval Forces () is the principal naval branch of the Romanian Armed Forces and 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 flotilla on ...

. She was commissioned in 1931 and fought in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 * Sarr Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player * Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist * Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor Surname * Ain Saar (born 1968), E ...

''. ''Constanța'' was laid down in August 1927 at the Italian Quarnaro Shipyard in

Fiume Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a po ...

, 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 A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

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 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 The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

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

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

). 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