SMS ''Salamander'' was a

minelayer A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...

built for the

Austro-Hungarian Navy The Austro-Hungarian Navy or Imperial and Royal War Navy (german: kaiserliche und königliche Kriegsmarine, in short ''k.u.k. Kriegsmarine'', hu, Császári és Királyi Haditengerészet) was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Ships of the A ...

and launched in 1891.

History

It was the second Austrian ship to be given this name after , launched in 1861 and scrapped in 1896. The new ''Salamander'' displaced about 268 tons. In July 1891 it was towed to

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

, and from 1892 to 1893 it was a

sea mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ve ...

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

, transporting students from the Austro-Hungarian academy. Between 1897 and 1902 it was assigned to the mine school and also to the telegraph school. In 1902 it participated in an exhibition at

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

, attended by

Emperor Franz Joseph I Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

. On 10 April 1913, it joined the international

Blockade of Montenegro 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 was stopping Montenegrin ...

. In 1914 it was active in the mine shift in the bay of Pola (

Pula Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...

), later performing the same duty at the bay of

Muggia Muggia ( vec, label=Venetian language, Venetian, Triestine dialect, Muja; german: Mulgs; fur, Mugle; sl, Milje) is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the south-west of the Province of Trieste, in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia on the border w ...

and later still at the

Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( Montenegrin and Serbian: , Italian: ), also known as the Boka, is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay. It is also the southernmost part of the hi ...

. It was at the Farasina Channel early in 1916, and was back at work at the bay of Pola by February. In June of the same year, it laid mines on submarines off

Cape Planka The Cape Planka ( hr, Rt Ploča, ''Punta Planka'') is a cape of Croatian shore of the Adriatic Sea located southeast of village of Rogoznica in the Šibenik-Knin County. The cape is the most prominent point of land along the Dalmatian shore. It ...

, and later in the Lesina Channel and near Curzola (

Korčula Korčula (, it, Curzola) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It has an area of , is long and on average wide, and lies just off the Dalmatian coast. Its 15,522 inhabitants (2011) make it the second most populous Adriatic island after K ...

). In 1916 there was an incident with a mine explosion, causing the death of six men. In 1917 it fought against submarines at the Bay of Quarnero (

Kvarner The Kvarner Gulf (, or , la, Sinus Flanaticus or ), sometimes also Kvarner Bay, is a bay in the northern Adriatic Sea, located between the Istrian peninsula and the northern Croatian Littoral mainland. The bay is a part of Croatia's internal wa ...

). It was transferred to the United Kingdom in 1920 but eventually broke down a few months later in

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...

, Italy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salamander Ships built in Trieste 1891 ships