In her edition dated 29 August 1916 the local Dutch newspaper Vlissingse Courant published a news item dealing with the Romanian armed forces. The existing small navy wouldn’t play an important role in the war which was going on, the army which could number more as 600.000 men would. For this weblog is particularly the details dealing with the navy important. There was one small aged cruiser of 1.320 ton called Elisabeta (1) dating from 1888, four monitors of 600 ton serving as river vessels on the Danube, a few vessels serving in the coastguard service, three aged torpedo boats, a guard ship and some smaller vessels without significant value for war purposes. When the First World War started were in Italy four destroyers of 1.400 ton and a submarine standing on stocks for Romanian account but it can’t be doubt if they will be delivered. The naval personnel numbered 147 officers, 98 civilians, 75 midshipmen and 2.562 sailors.
Note
1. This protected cruiser was built at of steel at the British yard of Armstrong at Elswick, completed September 1888, commissioned October 1888, after the First World War serving as floating barracks and sold to be broken up in 1926. With a displacement 1,330 long tons or 1,351 tons were the dimensions 239’10 x 33’6”x 12’6”. The Triple expansion engines and 4 cylindrical boilers supplied 2,500 ihp allowing a speed of 18 knots. Her crew numbered 170 men. She was armed with 4x1-5.9: guns, 4x1-2.2”guns, 4x1-1.5”gunsand 4x1-14.0” torpedo tubes. The armour consisted of a 1-3’4” deck. See fore details also for instance the note ‘Royal Rumanian Navy Cruiser Elisabeta’, written by Greg Kelly, http://www.gwpda.org/naval/weliz000.htm.
Note
1. This protected cruiser was built at of steel at the British yard of Armstrong at Elswick, completed September 1888, commissioned October 1888, after the First World War serving as floating barracks and sold to be broken up in 1926. With a displacement 1,330 long tons or 1,351 tons were the dimensions 239’10 x 33’6”x 12’6”. The Triple expansion engines and 4 cylindrical boilers supplied 2,500 ihp allowing a speed of 18 knots. Her crew numbered 170 men. She was armed with 4x1-5.9: guns, 4x1-2.2”guns, 4x1-1.5”gunsand 4x1-14.0” torpedo tubes. The armour consisted of a 1-3’4” deck. See fore details also for instance the note ‘Royal Rumanian Navy Cruiser Elisabeta’, written by Greg Kelly, http://www.gwpda.org/naval/weliz000.htm.
