Corvette captain Virgil Sandor de

The attack on the Otranto cap 22 December 1916

 

participated in the attack on damming the Strait of Otranto and on 22 December 1916 in the Strait was raised network of barrier for submarines of the Central Powers, which limited their cruise. Austria-Hungary war fleet on it frequently attacked. One of the attacks was an on December 22, 1916, to allow the return of submarines U38 and U52 on the Adriatic which were based. Attack participated: flagship, the destroyer SMS Scharfschütze, commander lieutenant-commander Bogumil Nowotny, SMS Dinara, commander lieutenant-commander Virgil Sandor de (* 1868 1953 La Paz County, Arizona), SMS Reka, Lieutenant Commander Milan Milenkovich and SMS Velebit, which commanded by Lieutenant Commander Koch Method. The fleet at anchor at 12.00. from his base Bocchi di Cattaro. A dense fog started at 18.00 pm., The wind but it soon dissipated.

  Assault Squad at 20.00. There has been Seno at Otranto. SMS Reka destroyer sailed to the left at the end of the formation around 21:18 and registered the first enemy ships activated from civil steamers. After a few minutes, two steamers were fired at the light signal rocket fired. The captain turned to his ship in this direction, and with him three more units at the end of his one-pound line. Scharfschütze opened fire at 21:30 and the river followed his example in fire on steamers that trawling.
                          

One of them is under fire began to dive quickly and soon other sank the British steam fishing boats. Destroyer SMS Scharfschütze (fifth unit of class Huszar I.) shelling ended and turned north to the lamps.

A little later, the SMS Reka (tenth unit of class Huszár II.) did turnover. There were new, fast light coming from the north-west. The two destroyers communicate their indetification light signals and reduce speed to wait for two more ships to join them. SMS Scharfschütze recognized by the silhouettes of enemy destroyer, 21:40 pm. He opened fire and turned back.

Destroyers SMS Velebit (eleventh unit of class Huszar II.and SMS Dinara (twelfth unit of class Huszár II.) was at that time they did not manage to connect.         

The approaching French destroyer which Casque, Protet, Bisson-class, Commandant Rivière, Commandant Bory, the Dehorter, Bouclier-class and Boutefeu, Bouclier-class turned quickly to the east, during which there are two French destroyers, the Casque and the Commandant Rivière to the scene of the battle approached. The sniper was a hit around 21:48 on the Rivière einbuchen, and they set on fire. The Casque maneuvered to burning his companions, the sniper and Réka them obsolete. The French ships wanted the path of imperial destroyer off, while Lieutenant Commander Nowotny break through their line wanted. The battle has begun in total darkness between the six French and four Austro-Hungarian destroyers, and soon developed into such a mess that neither the group nor the commanders of individual ships, the situation was not seen. The Destroyers have a melee on the night ment under which the temporary flash of headlights was still dark. Because of the chimney, smoke and gunpowder they could not see the hit, and even the ship\'s commander was the enemy of their own units differ. The end of the battle were able to this time none of the participants lots comprehensively assessed, and only many years after the war succeeded in the details. Forget The French admiral, who was then in a line as the ship,

Lieutenant Commander of the Prosthetics and the second group served destroyer wrote the following: "um 21.30, we have lights, and around 21:39 cannon fire sighted. The character of our head, Fregattkapitän de Boisanger knowing, I feared that he is at full speed to the enemy hinrast. At his flag ship (Casque) and on the Rivière, all boiler operates at full capacity, but on the other four destroyers have two boilers only "small fire", and these were 19 knots with maximum speed. The Casque really ran off with 20 knots speed, and at 21:46 they had already a 600-meter advantage. The Rivière broke from the formation, and ran 28 knots boat speed under the flag, and it reached just then, (around 21.48) as set out in a strong enemy fire device. In order not to overtake, the ship had almost completely stopped. This is a huge cloud of smoke arose, and we have both ships lost from sight. To be in the direction of enemy Cattaro rücktretenden turned off the way I am exactly in the direction of east, and the other three destroyers have followed me. "Accordingly, here is the report of the Rivière is what this is:" 21 hours 48 minutes. Before and flashing in a big bow cannon fire, and has blinded us. We saw a strong light, and white lights, which we mark the signal R / B on the mast raised. It seemed as if all would shoot. As if we are not only the fire of the enemy, but also the fish of the steamer had made on us. (Note: mistakenly shooting the Rivière to the trawler, which wore white lights.) At 21:52, 42 degrees starboard before us, we have two large clouds of smoke sighted, and white lights on the starboard side. To hear a clamor 21:54: torpedo tax board! Un at a distance of 100 m, we have an enemy destroyer beholds, who immediately fired at us. We finished with full force, and the torpedo missed its objective. Then exploded two hits in the boiler house, our speed dropped rapidly, and we have the scene of battle in the West to leave. "Liner Lieutenant Forget has his report in the following manner continued:" At 21:55 we arrived in a melee in which you have no difference between enemy and friend were both shot on us. I knew that the Casque anywhere in our immediate vicinity was staying, so I have the identification signals on the mast, but had no response. The enemy maneuvered with lights off, but I have the smell of Kohlengas felt (the French ships were equipped with oil fired), but I dared not the headlights on, so I\'m not one of our units will illuminate. By 22:15, I have in a northerly direction at full speed chasing the enemy, but they are no longer made. "Report of the Commandant Bory Destroyer:" The trawler, which has a U-boat hunt has taken me as an enemy and attacked. We have turned our Kenzeichensignal, and we turned towards the south, against a suspected target. Later we took on the North Course, with the destroyers and Prosthetics Dehorter to unite. "(Note: A French destroyer and the Italian-English vessel group, which also expired on the prosecution, have only in the morning by 2 clock hit, but now has Abba the destroyer with 31 knots speed in the first Casque, then in the Boutefeu eingerammt. The Casque had damaged by Bory in drag are taken and the three damaged ships have reached Brindisi in the morning. The Abba has in the collision and a dead a severely injured, lost.) The remaining back Velebit and Dinara have for a while a fight with the times from the right, sometimes emerging from the left ment under the French, with which they fire in short duel came. Because of the strike on the Boilerdeckaufbau of Dinara was a man died. The destroyer turned during the battle in the West, and after only a few hundred meters there is, she could no longer find his group, though he tried. That alone drove Korvettenkapitän Sándor heading north to home. The Velebit then the association has achieved, and then unfolded a new skirmish in connection with which we from the report of the commander of the sniper, Korvettenkapitän Nowotny we quote: "We have the muzzle of the cannon fire of Réka seen, behind our backs times from the dense smoke appeared. The impact left the grenades around 21:45 have the whole deck with water. Slowly, we have gained space and Anfeuerung has also weakened. Then we realized that the 4 remaining strong behind our enemy destroyer behind our back line breached. The Dinara aimed directly against the enemy (the River) and they have each other at 100 meters approached. The Dinara launches two torpedoes from the enemies skillfully avoided, while 5 of the impact of the grenade Dinara made unable to move. At this critical moment, the enemy of us lose sight of, in the big smoke and we have between the enemy and the emerging durchgeschlüpft trawlers. We have seen their lanterns, but we even have our blaßblauen lanterns at the stern off. Then enlightened 100 meters before the Velebit a headlamp and a torpedo crashed on the water, but has missed the target. The enemy tried now (22.05) with the Velebit ram to destroy, but the Hungarian gun Zieler Dudás has on its target tube solar glass filter attached, and the headlights of the enemy imposed. Other hits were the enemy destroyer, and they hurriedly drove off. "The group had a sniper after 22.00 its speed reduced to 20 knots and turned toward the north-northeast, and then at 22:55 Eastern. After a few minutes we have in the light of the headlamp of the steel Velebit with huge speed Anras Casque day. The French destroyer was at a distance of 100 meters under fire, while these two torpedoes had imposed, but blinded by the light, he has poorly targeted. The fast was Casque two hits against the Boiler Boiler kaputtgegangen our home, and because of the reduced speed so she could no longer contact the skirmish reside. After that, nothing more the way of the sniper group home disturbed. The group has completely executed its mission, has made the network of the fish steamer rescued the U38, and provided free passage for the U52. The impact of the attack remained so stable that this submarine was on the other day on the water surface ungelassen the remaining cross-Enge Otranto. 

    
 
HUSZÁR CLASS
 
Building data:
 

Name
Shipyard
Established keel
Floatation
Acceptance
The first group

HUSZÁR

Yarrow
1904. 09. 14
1905. 05. 31
1905. 07. 04.
ULAN
Stab. Tecnico
1905. 09. 27.
1906. 04. 08.
1906. 09. 21.
STREITER
Stab. Tecnico
1905. 10. 30.
1906. 06. 16.
1906. 12. 31.
WILDFANG
Stab. Tecnico
1905. 12. 07.
1906. 08. 29.
1907. 06. 15.
SCHARFSCHÜTZE
Stab. Tecnico
1906. 04. 12.
1906. 12. 05.
1907. 09. 15.
USKOKE
Stab. Tecnico
1906. 09. 01.
1907. 07. 07.
1907. 12. 31.
HUSZÁR (II.)
Seearsenal
1909. 11. 29.
1910. 12. 20.
1911. 02. 08.
 
 
 
 
 

The second group

TURUL
Danubius
1907. 07. 27.
1908. 08. 09.
1908. 12. 31.
PANDÚR
Danubius
1908. 08. 02.
1908. 10. 25.
1909. 01. 31.
CSIKÓS
Danubius
1908. 02. 21.
1909. 01. 24.
1909. 11. 16.
RÉKA
Danubius
1908. 08. 13.
1909. 04. 28.
1909. 12. 31.
VELEBIT
Danubius
1908. 11. 05.
1909. 07. 24.
1909. 12. 31.
DINARA
Danubius
1909. 01. 28.
1909. 10. 16.
1909. 12. 31.
 
 
 
 
 

Chinese built on order, seized Destroyer

WARASDINER
Stab. Tecnico
1911. 04. 01.
1912. 04. 03.
1914. 09. 10.

SMS Novara where he served Oberstabs Bootsmann k.u.k Kriegsmarine Ján Ličko after inclusion of the cruiser from the shipyard Ganz & Co. - Danubius, Fiume service with the last commander later k.u.k. Kriegsmarime. He served under his command and the flagship battleship SMS Viribus Unitis. Previously served on armored cruiser SMS Kaiser Karl VI during his voyages to China, Australia and Singapore.

Poznámky: Rakúsko-uhorské námorníctvo, Císárske a kráľovské vojnové námorníctvo, skrátene C. a k. vojnové námornictvo (nemecky Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine, skrátene K. u. k. Kriegsmarine, maďarsky Császári és Királyi Haditengerészet) bolo námornou zložkou ozbrojených síl Rakúsko-Uhorska. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M.- Academy

Marine - Academy

In Fiume year1916

SMS Reka Otranto

Updated: 11.03.2024