by River Gunboats- An Illustrated Encyclopaedia (retail) (epub)
Körös during the First World War. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)
The drawing shows the addition of the spotting top in the form of an armoured crow’s nest. In photographs this is seen at different heights above the deck, because the masts were able to telescope to pass under river bridges. For the same reason the funnels hinged rearwards. Prominent at the bow was the now-standard Danube anchor in the form of a four-arm grapnel. As the moored or floating mine posed the greatest risk to these river monitors, an elaborate minesweeping rake structure could be deployed over the bows to catch and explode these deadly weapons. Below decks, Yarrow boilers supplied steam to two vertical triple expansion engines, built by Schichau in Elbing, giving a speed of 10 knots.
They were built in 1891–2 by Schönichen & Hartmann at Budapest (Körös was originally to be named Theiss). Both vessels were active during the Great War. Körös engaged Serbian artillery within hours of the declaration of war, taking six direct hits on 4 August 1914. Both vessels participated in the breakthrough into the Save River in late September, and they featured in contemporary illustrations of the bombardment of Belgrade. On 28 August both were attacked unsuccessfully by three Romanian torpedo boats. The following day they shelled oil depots at Giurgiu and shipping in Zimnicea. Körös took part in the operation to destroy the Romanian pontoon bridge at Rjahovo on 2 October 1916, in return taking twelve hits from Romanian artillery and suffering heavy damage.
After Russia and Romania had been knocked out of the war, Körös and Szamos participated in the Black Sea cruise to Odessa by Flottenabteilung Wulff, and operated on the River Dnepr. Returning to the Danube, they covered the retreat of the Austro-Hungarian forces, and ended the war at Belene. In 1919 they were taken over by Hungary, and fought against the Czechs and Slovaks.
Körös showing her mine rake. The cumbersome device could be lowered to attempt to catch moored and floating mines. Her crow’s nest on its telescopic mast has been lowered.
Both vessels were withdrawn from service in 1921, Szamos becoming crane pontoon FK 202, and Körös was handed over to the Yugoslavs. For her subsequent service, see YUGOSLAVIA.
Launched:
1892 by Schönichen & Hartmann, Budapest.
Dimensions:
Displ: 448 tons; L: 54m/162ft 9in; B: 9m/25ft 9in; D: 1.2m/5ft 3in.
Crew:
77.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 600ihp 3-cyl VTE steam engines/10 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 12cm L/35; 2 × 7cm L/42 QF; 2 × 8mm MG/Turrets 75mm front (3 × 25mm laminates), 50mm sides and rear (2 × 25mm laminates); Hull 40mm + 10mm on 90mm teak backing; Bulkheads 50mm; Deck 19mm; Conning tower 50mm.
Fate:
Körös to Yugoslavia as Morava; Szamos crane pontoon FK 202.
Körös crewmen displaying pieces of a Romanian torpedo recovered after the unsuccessful attack on their monitor on 28 August 1914
Körös on an unknown date, having the Krupp gun in her aft turret removed/replaced, by the expedient of mooring under a railway (?) bridge. Note her 7cm L/42 on the stern which normally is mounted in the gun tub where the officer is standing, and her armoured crow’s nest lowered.
Both of the gun turrets on Körös were armed with Krupp 12cm L/35 C/89 guns on Krupp mountings. Note that because the gun pivots further back on the mounting, the embrasure is much larger than on the turrets with Škoda 12cm L/35 guns, as on her sister Szamos (and the rebuilt Maros and Leitha). The barrel is also set lower in the embrasure, which makes it easy to distinguish between the two sister-ships.
Temes (I) and Bodrog
Following the decision in the 1890s to build a pair of new monitors every ten years, the Temes class were constructed by the Danubius Schönichen-Hartmann AG Yard in Budapest, and launched in 1904. In this class the sloped deck arrangement of the previous four vessels was replaced by a more classic horizontal deck line. In order to double the ahead firepower, always an advantage in narrow river environments, Josef Thiel designed the class with the narrow ‘tadpole’-shaped main turrets, the circular armoured conning tower being placed between them. Astern firepower was relegated to a single 12cm short-barrelled howitzer behind a minimal shield. The shield was later extended to give the gunners more protection. The great advantage of the howitzer was its ability to fire over high river banks, intervening hills, and into trenches, observed and corrected from the tall armoured crow’s nest on the mast.
The crew of Temes (I) coaling ship from a lighter. Note her name on the lifebelt, her twin wheels on the bridge, and an MG under a tarpaulin on the bridge wing.
Temes (I) as in 1904. Note the mast can be pivoted down on the battery deck and the funnel can hinge rearwards to clear bridges. In her original configuration Temes (I) could always be told apart from her sister Bodrog by her two large ventilator cowls at the rear of the battery deck. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)
The two turrets of Bodrog with the shielded 7cm L/18 gun above, photographed at Odessa. Note the slatted optical signalling device behind the gun shield, used to send messages in Morse. Above the bridge is a gun tub with an 8mm MG.
The Škoda 12cm L/35 turrets fitted to Temes (I) and Bodrog. Note the severely restricted interior space.
The 12cm L/10 howitzer mounted on the stern of both vessels, with its small shield.
Bodrog fired the first shots of the Great War even before the official start of hostilities, capturing three Serbian boats at Zemun on 26 July 1914.
Temes (I) was flagship of the Danube Flotilla from 1908 to 1914. She was an early victim of a Serbian mine, sinking on 23 October 1914 with thirty-one men killed and ten wounded. She was salvaged and rebuilt with two high-angle 9cm L/45 anti-balloon gun mountings replacing her single 12cm howitzer.
Bodrog participated in the destruction of the pontoon bridge at Rjahovo on 2 October 1916.
In April 1918 both monitors crossed the Black Sea to Odessa as part of Flottenabteilung Wulff. Retreating towards Budapest at the end of the war, on 31 October 1918 Bodrog grounded on a sandbank downstream from Belgrade, and was captured by Serb forces.
In April 1920 Temes (I) was passed to Romania as the Ardeal. For her subsequent service, see ROMANIA. Bodrog was passed to Yugoslavia as the Sava. For her subsequent service, see YUGOSLAVIA.
The wreck of Temes (I), sunk after hitting a Serb mine in the Sava River on 23 October 1914. Thirty-one crewmen lost their lives. The heavy loss of life and the extent of the damage confirms that she suffered a partial magazine explosion when the mine detonated in the region of the starboard 12cm turret. She was repaired in Budapest, and returned to service with a modernised secondary armament.
4.7cm L/44 QF.
Launched:
Temes (I) 26 March 1904, Bodrog 12 April 1904, by Danubius Schönichen-Hartmann AG, Budapest.
Dimensions:
Displ: 440 tons; L: 56.2m/184ft 5in; B: 9.50m/31ft 2in; D: 1.2m/3ft 11in. Temes (I) rebuilt: Displ: 440 tons; L: 58.6m/192ft 3in; B: 9.56m/31ft 4in; D: 1.5m/4ft 11in.
Crew:
86.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 700ihp 3-cyl VTE steam engines/17.8 knots. Temes (I) rebuilt: 16.9 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 12cm L/35; 1 × 12cm L/10 howitzer; 2 × 37mm Hotchkiss revolver cannon, replaced 1913/1914 by 2 × 47mm L/44 QF; 1 × 8mm MG/Turrets 75mm front, 50mm sides, 40mm rear; Hull 40mm + 10mm on 90mm teak backing; Deck 19mm; Conning tower 50mm. Bodrog 1915: 2 × 47mm replaced by 1 × 7cm L/18 QF; MG increased to 2. Temes (I) 1917: 2 × 12cm L/35; 2 × 9cm L/45; 2 × 8mm MG.
Fate:
Bodrog to Yugoslavia; Temes (I) to Romania.
The gunners manning the 12cm howitzer on the stern of Bodrog. Note how cramped the cupola is. (Photo courtesy of www.kriegsmarine.at)
One of the two 47mm L/44 QF guns on the battery deck of Bodrog. Note the very short recoil, indicated by the polished part of the barrel. (Photo courtesy of www.kriegsmarine.at)
Temes (I) firing her new 9cm guns. From the assemb
led guests on the left, including at least one lady, this may be her recommissioning ceremony.
Temes (I) as re-commissioned on 23 April 1917. The drawing shows her reduced forward superstructure, and the 12cm howitzer aft replaced by two new 9cm guns with AA capability. She had been lengthened by 2.40m (7ft 10½in). Note the funnel hinging arrangement to pass under low bridges. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)
9cm L/45 anti-balloon gun at full elevation. The mounting had a range of -3° to +90°. The fitting of two of these modern weapons gave the rebuilt Temes a powerful anti-aircraft capability for the time.
Inn and Enns
A hundred tons larger than the preceding class, Inn and Enns carried a powerful armament. For the first time the main guns were mounted in a twin turret, which saved weight compared with the two single turrets on Temes and Bodrog. The single howitzer for high-angle fire was replaced by three of the same calibre, mounted in between-deck cupolas which gave all-round armour protection to the gunners, albeit at the expense of internal space. The anti-balloon function was fulfilled by two 47mm L/50 guns on the superstructure.
The telescoping mast carrying an armoured crow’s nest was now standardised. This had three sections which retracted one inside the other, following which the retracted mast could be folded down to lie flat to clear bridges. The funnel was also much lower than on the previous classes, for the same reason.
Enns with folding pole masts in place of the lattice mast carried by her sister Inn. The class has the two-gun forward fire capability of Temes (I) and Bodrog, now mounted for the first time in a twin turret, with longer guns. Indirect fire capability was greatly increased by replacing the single shielded 12cm L/10 howitzer at the stern with three such weapons, mounted in armoured cupolas, countersunk into the rear deck. The tertiary armament now comprised two 47mm L/50 DP guns in large shields, mounted on the superstructure. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)
Enns completed in October 1914, and she soon undertook her first artillery duel with Serbian gunners defending Belgrade. She twice attacked the Flaminia pontoon bridge, then wintered on the Lower Danube at the close of 1917. Taken over in October 1918 by Hungary as the Drava, she was finally handed over to Yugoslavia as the Drava: for her subsequent service, see YUGOSLAVIA.
Her sister-ship was completed in April 1915. On 22 September 1917 Inn struck one of five Serbian mines near Braila, and sank in 7m of water in five minutes. The Danube Flotilla’s Chief of Staff, Korvettenkapitän von Förster, and one warrant officer were killed, and eight crewmen were injured. Salvaged between two barges in December 1917, she was repaired at Budapest and lengthened by 2.4m (7ft 10½in) by adding a block between ribs 15 and 19.
In April 1919 she became the Hungarian Ujvidek, then under the Communist regime of Bela Kun she was renamed Marx. Finally, she was ceded to Romania as the Basarabia. For her subsequent service, see ROMANIA.
Launched:
29 July 1914 (Enns) by Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino Werft, Linz; 25 February 1915 (Inn) by Ganz & Co, Budapest.
Dimensions:
Displ: 536 tons; L: 60.2m/197ft 6in; B: 10.5m/34ft 5in; D: 1.3m/4ft 3in. Inn rebuilt: Displ: Approx. 700 tons full load; L: 62.6m/205ft 5in; B: 10.5m/34ft 5in; D: 1.3m/4ft 3in.
Crew:
86.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 750ihp (Inn rebuilt: 2 × 780ihp) oil-fired 3-cyl VTE steam engines/17.8 knots
Guns/Armour:
2 × 12cm L/45; 3 × 12cm L/10 howitzers; 2 × 47mm L/50 QF; 6 to 8 × 8mm MG/Turrets 75mm front, 50mm sides, 40mm rear; Hull 40mm + 10mm on 90mm teak backing; Deck 25mm; Conning tower 50mm front, 40mm rear, 2 × 10mm plates roof.
Fate:
Enns to Yugoslavia; Inn to Romania.
Inn with telescopic foremast and armoured crow’s nest. This type of mast was first tested on the Maros class. It telescoped downwards in three sections. As it was offset to starboard, the telescoped mast could be folded backwards to lie alongside the funnel.
Inn sunk in 7m of water. She struck a mine 14km (almost 9 miles) downriver from Braila on 22 September 1917. Three men were killed, two seriously injured and six suffered minor injuries.
Salvage work on Inn began in October 1917. She arrived in Budapest for repairs in February 1918, and her bows were lengthened by 2.4m (7ft 10½in). Note her two 47mm L/50 DP mounts on the rear of the battery deck. The large shield has been removed from the mount on the left, and both barrels are missing, presumably to lighten the wreck. Also visible is her rear conning tower.
Enns seen after suffering damage during the bombardment of Belgrade on 8 October 1915. She was hit below the waterline by a 138mm shell fired by the French battery on Topcider Hill. Here her pumps are in action to keep her afloat, and she safely reached Budapest for repairs.
Twin 12cm L/45 gun turret.
The French 138mm shell which fortunately did not explode. The 12cm magazine was flooded.
Single 12cm L/10 howitzer in armoured cupola. Enns and Inn carried three of these cupolas on the rear deck, countersunk into the deck plating, providing a powerful indirect fire capability.
Sava and Temes (II) (later renamed Bosna)
Sava and Temes (II) followed the lines of Inn and Enns. It was originally planned to mount a second twin 12cm L/45 turret at the stern, but wartime shortages meant that the same three-cupola arrangement as on Enns and Inn was finally fitted. The rearmost of the three cupolas exchanged the short-barrelled howitzer for a pair of 7cm (actually 66mm) L/26 anti-balloon guns with +90° elevation.
In September 1918 Sava entered a Romanian drydock in Galata, but with the general collapse in November she was withdrawn to Budapest. Given the Hungarian name Soca in January 1919, in April 1920 she was handed over to Romania as the Bucovina: for her subsequent service, see ROMANIA.
When the original Temes was salvaged and rebuilt, in May 1917 Temes (II) was renamed Bosna. She was one of the monitors in Flottenabteilung Wulff, crossing the Black Sea to Odessa and operating on the Dnepr. In January 1919 she was handed over to Yugoslavia as the Vardar. For her subsequent service, see YUGOSLAVIA.
Sava moored beside the walls of the fortress of Smederevo, built in 1428. Her lattice mainmast has been retracted. This mast proved too top-heavy, so finally Sava was rebuilt with a pole mainmast.
Sava as built, with her telescopic mast, which folded forward once retracted. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)
Launched:
31 May 1915 (Sava), 20 June 1915 (Temes II) by Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino Werft, Linz.
Dimensions:
Displ: 600 tons; L: 61m/200ft 2in; B: 10.5m/34ft 5in; D: 1.3m/4ft 3in.
Crew:
86.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 800ihp oil-fired 3-cyl VTE steam engines/17.8 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × twin 12cm L/45; 2 × 12cm L/10 howitzers; 1 × twin 7cm L/26 QF; 2 × 47mm L/50 DP guns; 6 × 8mm MG/Turrets 75mm front, 50mm sides, 40mm rear; Hull 40mm + 10mm on 90mm teak backing; Deck 25mm (2 × 12.5mm laminates); Conning tower 50mm front, 40mm rear, 45mm roof.
Fate:
Bosna to Yugoslavia; Sava to Romania.
Bosna. Her masts pivoted to be able to pass under bridges. Note the three MG turrets on each side of the bridge.
Temes (II), renamed as Bosna, without a telescopic mainmast. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)
A pair of Škoda 66mm L/26 guns (twin mounting number 266, probably from a Wels class patrol boat). These guns were formerly on display at the Budapest Military Museum. (Photographed on 18 May 1986 by Erwin Sieche)
The twin 66mm stern mounting with +90° elevation. The photo shows the cupola on Temes (II). (Photo from Website http://kreiser.unoforum.pro)
Monitors XI and XII
These powerful vessels were designed to replace the original Maros and Leitha. Voted in the 1916 Budget, they were laid down at the Linz shipyard, but the chaotic state of the Empire and material shortages meant that they were never completed. Monitors XI and XII were broken up on the slips shortly after the e
nd of the war. If they had entered service they would have proved to be formidable river combat ships. Their two large turret guns would have been useful for shore bombardment, and their secondary armament of no less than five 9cm DPguns could have fended off Allied air attacks of the later war period. For the first time, the monitor design included a double bottom, as an increased insurance against mines and grounding damage. Also, the anti-mine and torpedo bulkhead protection, added to their greatly increased size and beam, would have enhanced their survivability – except, perhaps, in the case of a strike in the region of one of the wing turret magazines, as had occurred with Temes. The British ‘Insect’ class had been designed to out-gun the existing Danube monitors in the early years of the war. They would have had great difficulty opposing Monitors XI and XII.
Launched:
Laid down at Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino Werft, Linz.
Dimensions:
Displ: 1,265 tons; L: 76m/249ft 4in; B: 13m/42ft 8in; D: 2m/6ft 7in.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 19cm L/35; 2 × twin and 1 × single 9cm L/45 anti-balloon guns; 2 × 47mm L/33 QF; 4 × 8mm MG/Hull 75mm; Anti-mine and torpedo bulkheads 20mm; Deck 30mm slopes, 17mm flat; Double bottom.
Fate:
Never completed; scrapped after the war.
The proposed appearance of Monitors XI and XII if they had been completed. As they were designated ‘Ersatz Maros’ and ‘Ersatz Leitha’ it is possible they would have taken up the names of the very first monitors when these were withdrawn. (Drawing by Erwin Sieche)