Yugoslav submarine Sava

Sava (pennant number P-802) was a Flutto-class submarine in service with the Yugoslav Navy (Serbo-Croatian: Jugoslavenska ratna mornarica – JRM). Built by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico in Monfalcone during the Second World War, Sava was laid down and completed as Nautilo for service with the Italian Regia Marina (Royal Navy).

History
Kingdom of Italy
Name: Nautilo
Builder: Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico (CRDA), Monfalcone, Kingdom of Italy
Laid down: 3 January 1942
Launched: 20 March 1943
Completed: 26 July 1943
Fate: Scuttled in September 1943
History
Nazi Germany
Name: UIT-19
Acquired: 1943
Fate: Sunk 9 January 1944
History
SFR Yugoslavia
Name: Sava
Commissioned: 1949
Identification: P-802
Fate: Stricken in 1971
General characteristics
(as completed in 1943)
Displacement:
  • Surfaced: 905 tonnes (891 long tons)
  • Submerged: 1,068 tonnes (1,051 long tons)
Length: 63.15 m (207.2 ft) (o/a)
Beam: 6.98 m (22.9 ft)
Draft: 4.87 m (16.0 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 2 × diesel engines; 2,400 hp (1,800 kW)
  • 2 × electric motors; 800 hp (600 kW)
Speed:
  • Surfaced: 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph)
  • Submerged: 8.5 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph)
Crew: 48–53
Armament:

The boat was scuttled by her crew in September 1943 following the Italian armistice. She was salvaged by German forces and commissioned in the Kriegsmarine as UIT-19, only to be sunk again in an Allied air raid in 1944. After the war, the Yugoslav Navy salvaged her for the second time, commissioning her as Sava and operating her until 1971.

Design and construction

Sava was laid down on 3 January 1942 as Nautilo, the eighth boat of the Type 1 Flutto-class submarines that were being built for the Regia Marina (Royal Navy) by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone. The boat was launched on 20 March 1943 and completed by 26 July the same year.[1]

As completed, the boat measured 63.15 m (207 ft 2 in) in length overall, with a 6.98 m (22 ft 11 in) beam and a draught of 4.87 m (16 ft 0 in). The boat displaced 905 tonnes (891 long tons) when surfaced and 1,068 tonnes (1,051 long tons) when submerged. Propulsion consisted of two Fiat diesel engines rated at 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) and two CRDA electric motors of a total 800 hp (600 kW), giving the boat a surface speed of 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) and an underwater speed of 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph).[1]

Main armament consisted of six 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes with a complement of 12 torpedoes. Other weapons included a single 3.9 in (99 mm)/47 gun, four 20 mm (0.79 in)/70 guns and/or four 13.2 mm (0.52 in). The boat's crew consisted of four to five officers and 44 to 48 seamen.[1]

Service history

Following the Italian armistice in September 1943, Nautilo was scuttled in Venice harbour. The boat was then refloated by German forces and commissioned in the Kriegsmarine as UIT-19. The boat was once again sunk on 9 January 1944 in Pula, during an air raid carried out by the Royal Air Force. After the end of the war, the boat was raised by the Yugoslav Navy (Serbo-Croatian: Jugoslavenska ratna mornarica – JRM) and moved to the Uljanik Shipyard where she underwent repairs which lasted from 1947 to 1949.[1] The boat was commissioned in 1949 as Sava (pennant number P-802),[2] and with the Mališan (P-901) and Tara (P-801), formed the basis of the new Yugoslav submarine fleet.[3]

In 1958 the boat was relegated to training duties,[2] followed by a major refit which lasted from 1958 to 1960. The refit involved removing her 100 mm deck gun and reconstruction of the conning tower in order to make it more streamlined. She continued serving as a training vessel until she was stricken in 1971.[4] She became a night club in the Croatian town of Dubrovnik called "Yellow submarine".

See also

Notes
  1. Fraccaroli 1974, p. 143–145.
  2. Gardiner 1995, p. 644.
  3. Podmorničarska tradicija na hrvatskom Jadranu.
  4. Fontenoy 2007, p. 242–243.

References
  • Freivogel, Zvonimir. "Podmorničarska tradicija na hrvatskom Jadranu" [Submarine tradition on the Croatian Adriatic]. Sušačka revija. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  • Fraccaroli, Aldo (1974). Italian Warships of World War II. London: Ian Allan Publishing. OCLC 834485650. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  • Gardiner, Robert (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-85177-605-7. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  • Fontenoy, Paul E. (2007). Weapons and warfare - Submarines: An Illustrated History of Their Impact. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781851095636. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
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