JRM Zmaj
Encyclopedia
JRM Zmaj (Dragon) was built in Germany as a seaplane tender
for the Royal Yugoslav Navy in 1928–30. She does not appear to have been much used in that role and was converted to a minelayer
in 1937. Captured by the Germans in 1941, she was renamed Drache (Dragon) and redesignated as an aircraft tender and later as a troop transport, before she was rebuilt as a minelayer in 1942. She laid one minefield in 1943 that sank two Allied
destroyers and badly damaged a third in the Aegean Sea
. Drache was also used by the Germans to evaluate the shipboard use of helicopter
s for reconnaissance
purposes. She was sunk by Allied aircraft in 1944 at Samos
and scrapped in place after the end of World War II
.
before World War II and decided that it needed a ship to transport seaplanes between them and to rescue downed aircraft after operations as had been common during World War I
. It decided on the smallest possible ship that could carry supplies and spare parts for ten seaplanes.
of 13 metre and, at full load, a draft of 4 metre. She displaced 1870 tonnes (1,840.5 LT) at standard load. Her two propellers were powered by a pair of eight-cylinder, four-stroke MAN Diesel engine
s that had a maximum output of 3260 shp. This was enough to propel her to a speed of 15 knots. She carried a total of 140 tonnes (137.8 LT) of fuel which gave her a range of 4000 nautical miles (7,408 km). She lacked a traditional funnel as her engine uptakes were taken up through the lattice mainmast.
The ship was fitted with two single 55-caliber
83.5 millimetres (3.3 in) Škoda
anti-aircraft
guns, mounted on the forecastle and the stern. They had a maximum elevation of 85° and fired a 10 kilograms (22 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s. They had a rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute and had a maximum ceiling of 11300 m (37,073.5 ft). Four 40 millimetres (1.6 in) 67-caliber Škoda AA guns were mounted between the bridge and the mainmast in a twin-gun mount on each side of the ship abreast the aircraft hold. They fired a 0.95 kilograms (2.1 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 950 m/s. After her 1937 conversion to a minelayer, Zmaj carried 100 mines.
A single disassembled de Havilland DH.60 Moth
floatplane
was stored in the aircraft hold between the forward superstructure and the mainmast. Its components would be moved from the hold by the aircraft crane to the after deck where it could be assembled. Then the aircraft would be swayed over the side where it could be launched.
in Hamburg
, Germany
. Due to the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty, she had to be built as an unarmed auxiliary. Her keel was laid down in 1928 and she was launched on 22 June 1929. While enroute to Yugoslavia she had a severe engine fire on 9 September 1929 off Flushing, Netherlands
and was forced to return to Hamburg for repairs. These took almost a year and she was accepted by the Royal Yugoslav Navy on 20 August 1930. She was finally commissioned in 1931 after she was armed and finished fitting-out
in Kotor
.
in 1936 has been confirmed. This may be why she was converted to a minelayer the following year. Following her conversion she made port visits to Piraeus
and Istanbul
, accompanied by the destroyer
Dubrovnik
and the submarines and . Zmaj served as the fleet flagship in 1939 and witnessed the new destroyer run aground and sink in January 1940 at the narrow entrance to Sebenico harbor. Shortly before the German invasion of Yugoslavia
on 6 April 1941 Zmaj laid defensive minefields along the Dalmatian Coast and off the main ports. These minefields may have caused the loss of the Yugoslav passenger ships SS Karadjordje and SS Prestolonaslednik Petar off Zlarin
. Zmaj was captured in Split
by the Germans on 17 April.
Renamed as Drache (Dragon) by the Germans she was initially used in support of Luftwaffe seaplane units, but was redesignated as an aircraft rescue ship on 7 August 1941. Her armament was increased by two 2 centimetre (0.78740157480315 in) and one 1.5 centimetre (0.590551181102362 in) anti-aircraft guns as well as racks for a dozen depth charge
s. She was transferred on 27 December to the Aegean and reclassified as a troop transport. Drache was modified at Trieste
between April and August 1942 for service as a minelayer. Her existing armament was replaced by two 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in), five 3.7 centimetres (1.5 in) and six 2 cm AA guns. She was equipped with four mine rails on her after deck that could accommodate up to 120 mines and another 120 mines could be carried internally. Her crane was replaced by two derricks and the lattice mainmast was plated over and resembled a funnel. A 20 metre platform was built behind the funnel above the main deck.
Drache was recommissioned on 20 August 1942 and she was renamed Schiff 50 on 6 November. She conducted a number of minelaying operations in the Aegean as well as some of the west coast of Greece
. After the surrender of Italy in September 1943 she was used to carry troops to reconquer the island of Kos
on 2–3 October (Operation Eisbär). On 8 October she was unsuccessfully attacked by the British submarine although her companion, the , was sunk. Draches most successful operation was a mine barrage laid just east of the islands of Pserimos
and Kalymnos
to protect German troops during the Battle of Leros
. The British destroyer and the , carrying supplies and reinforcements for the British forces on Leros, ran into this minefield on the evening of 22 October. Adrias had her bow blown off and Hurworth was sunk attempting to come to the aid of Adrias. Adrias, however, was eventually able to make it back to Alexandria
. Two nights later the destroyer encountered the same minefield while carrying reinforcements to Leros. She hit a mine, broke in two, and sank in five minutes.
Drache was also used for shipboard trials with the Flettner Fl 282
Kolibri (Hummingbird) helicopter. She embarked the V6 and V10 prototypes for a period in 1942 and in January–February 1943. They used the small platform abaft the funnel to take-off and land. The German Navy
wished to evaluate their potential for anti-submarine warfare
and mine reconnaissance, but visual detection proved to be possible only in clear weather.
The ship was attacked by Allied aircraft several times in 1943 and early 1944, but she was only lightly damaged on two occasions. Nonetheless her anti-aircraft armament was augmented during 1944. One quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38 mount was installed on each side of the bridge and she carried a total of thirteen 2 cm guns. Her 10.5 cm guns were exchanged for lighter 8.8 centimetres (3.5 in) guns to compensate for the increased top weight. However this proved to be insufficient to save Drache when she was attacked by several British Bristol Beaufighter
s on the afternoon of 29 September 1944 while anchored in Vathy
harbor on the Greek island of Samos. She was set on fire, exploded and sank two hours later; eleven of her crew died during the attack. She was not salvaged and remained in place to be scrap
ped after the end of the war.
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
for the Royal Yugoslav Navy in 1928–30. She does not appear to have been much used in that role and was converted to a minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
in 1937. Captured by the Germans in 1941, she was renamed Drache (Dragon) and redesignated as an aircraft tender and later as a troop transport, before she was rebuilt as a minelayer in 1942. She laid one minefield in 1943 that sank two Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
destroyers and badly damaged a third in the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
. Drache was also used by the Germans to evaluate the shipboard use of helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s for reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
purposes. She was sunk by Allied aircraft in 1944 at Samos
Samoš
Samoš is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Kovačica municipality, in the South Banat District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,247 people .-See also:...
and scrapped in place after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Background
The Royal Yugoslav Navy operated a series of seaplane bases on the Dalmatian CoastDalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
before World War II and decided that it needed a ship to transport seaplanes between them and to rescue downed aircraft after operations as had been common during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It decided on the smallest possible ship that could carry supplies and spare parts for ten seaplanes.
General characteristics
Zmaj was 83 metre long overall. She had a beamBeam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 13 metre and, at full load, a draft of 4 metre. She displaced 1870 tonnes (1,840.5 LT) at standard load. Her two propellers were powered by a pair of eight-cylinder, four-stroke MAN Diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s that had a maximum output of 3260 shp. This was enough to propel her to a speed of 15 knots. She carried a total of 140 tonnes (137.8 LT) of fuel which gave her a range of 4000 nautical miles (7,408 km). She lacked a traditional funnel as her engine uptakes were taken up through the lattice mainmast.
The ship was fitted with two single 55-caliber
Caliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
83.5 millimetres (3.3 in) Škoda
Škoda Works
Škoda Works was the largest industrial enterprise in Austro-Hungary and later in Czechoslovakia, one of its successor states. It was also one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Europe in the 20th century...
anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
guns, mounted on the forecastle and the stern. They had a maximum elevation of 85° and fired a 10 kilograms (22 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s. They had a rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute and had a maximum ceiling of 11300 m (37,073.5 ft). Four 40 millimetres (1.6 in) 67-caliber Škoda AA guns were mounted between the bridge and the mainmast in a twin-gun mount on each side of the ship abreast the aircraft hold. They fired a 0.95 kilograms (2.1 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 950 m/s. After her 1937 conversion to a minelayer, Zmaj carried 100 mines.
A single disassembled de Havilland DH.60 Moth
De Havilland DH.60 Moth
The de Havilland DH 60 Moth was a 1920s British two-seat touring and training aircraft that was developed into a series of aircraft by the de Havilland Aircraft Company.-Development:The DH 60 was developed from the larger DH 51 biplane...
floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
was stored in the aircraft hold between the forward superstructure and the mainmast. Its components would be moved from the hold by the aircraft crane to the after deck where it could be assembled. Then the aircraft would be swayed over the side where it could be launched.
Construction
Zmaj was built by Deutsche WerftDeutsche Werft
Deutsche Werft was a German shipbuilding company, located in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1918 on initiative by Albert Ballin and with Gutehoffnungshütte , Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft and Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft as investors.During World War II...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Due to the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty, she had to be built as an unarmed auxiliary. Her keel was laid down in 1928 and she was launched on 22 June 1929. While enroute to Yugoslavia she had a severe engine fire on 9 September 1929 off Flushing, Netherlands
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
and was forced to return to Hamburg for repairs. These took almost a year and she was accepted by the Royal Yugoslav Navy on 20 August 1930. She was finally commissioned in 1931 after she was armed and finished fitting-out
Fitting-out
Fitting-out, or "outfitting”, is the process in modern shipbuilding that follows the float-out of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her owners...
in Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
.
Service
Zmaj appears to have been little used in her intended role; only her salvage of an upside-down Dornier Wal in the Bay of KotorBay of Kotor
The Bay of Kotor in south-western Montenegro is a winding bay on the Adriatic Sea. The bay, sometimes called Europe's southernmost fjord, is in fact a submerged river canyon of the disintegrated Bokelj River which used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen...
in 1936 has been confirmed. This may be why she was converted to a minelayer the following year. Following her conversion she made port visits to Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, accompanied by the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik (ship)
The Dubrovnik was a destroyer built for the Yugoslav Royal Navy in the 1930s. The ship was named after the city of Dubrovnik....
and the submarines and . Zmaj served as the fleet flagship in 1939 and witnessed the new destroyer run aground and sink in January 1940 at the narrow entrance to Sebenico harbor. Shortly before the German invasion of Yugoslavia
Invasion of Yugoslavia
The Invasion of Yugoslavia , also known as the April War , was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II...
on 6 April 1941 Zmaj laid defensive minefields along the Dalmatian Coast and off the main ports. These minefields may have caused the loss of the Yugoslav passenger ships SS Karadjordje and SS Prestolonaslednik Petar off Zlarin
Zlarin
Zlarin is a small island of the Dalmatian coast of Croatia near the city of Šibenik. Administratively, it is part of the Šibenik-Knin County. In winter times the island has a population of 276 people, but from March to October its population grows substantially up to 1,500 people. Zlarin has a...
. Zmaj was captured in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
by the Germans on 17 April.
Renamed as Drache (Dragon) by the Germans she was initially used in support of Luftwaffe seaplane units, but was redesignated as an aircraft rescue ship on 7 August 1941. Her armament was increased by two 2 centimetre (0.78740157480315 in) and one 1.5 centimetre (0.590551181102362 in) anti-aircraft guns as well as racks for a dozen depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s. She was transferred on 27 December to the Aegean and reclassified as a troop transport. Drache was modified at Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
between April and August 1942 for service as a minelayer. Her existing armament was replaced by two 10.5 centimetres (4.1 in), five 3.7 centimetres (1.5 in) and six 2 cm AA guns. She was equipped with four mine rails on her after deck that could accommodate up to 120 mines and another 120 mines could be carried internally. Her crane was replaced by two derricks and the lattice mainmast was plated over and resembled a funnel. A 20 metre platform was built behind the funnel above the main deck.
Drache was recommissioned on 20 August 1942 and she was renamed Schiff 50 on 6 November. She conducted a number of minelaying operations in the Aegean as well as some of the west coast of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. After the surrender of Italy in September 1943 she was used to carry troops to reconquer the island of Kos
Battle of Kos
The Battle of Kos was a brief battle between British, Italian and German forces for the control of the Greek island of Kos, in the then Italian-held Dodecanese islands in the Aegean Sea.-Background:...
on 2–3 October (Operation Eisbär). On 8 October she was unsuccessfully attacked by the British submarine although her companion, the , was sunk. Draches most successful operation was a mine barrage laid just east of the islands of Pserimos
Pserimos
Pserimos is a small Greek island in the Dodecanese chain, lying between Kalymnos and Kos in front of the coast of Turkey. It is part of the municipality of Kálymnos, and reported a population of 130 inhabitants at the 2001 census....
and Kalymnos
Kalymnos
Kalymnos, is a Greek island and municipality in the southeastern Aegean Sea. It belongs to the Dodecanese and is located to the west of the peninsula of Bodrum , between the islands of Kos and Leros : the latter is linked to it through a series of islets...
to protect German troops during the Battle of Leros
Battle of Leros
The Battle of Leros was the central event of the Dodecanese Campaign of the Second World War, and is widely used as an alternate name for the whole campaign. Leros was occupied by British forces on 15 September 1943...
. The British destroyer and the , carrying supplies and reinforcements for the British forces on Leros, ran into this minefield on the evening of 22 October. Adrias had her bow blown off and Hurworth was sunk attempting to come to the aid of Adrias. Adrias, however, was eventually able to make it back to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. Two nights later the destroyer encountered the same minefield while carrying reinforcements to Leros. She hit a mine, broke in two, and sank in five minutes.
Flettner Fl 282
|- References :NotesBibliography* Coates, Steve and Jean-Christophe Carbonel. Helicopters of the Third Reich. Crowborough, UK: Classic Publications Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-903223-24-5....
Kolibri (Hummingbird) helicopter. She embarked the V6 and V10 prototypes for a period in 1942 and in January–February 1943. They used the small platform abaft the funnel to take-off and land. The German Navy
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
wished to evaluate their potential for anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
and mine reconnaissance, but visual detection proved to be possible only in clear weather.
The ship was attacked by Allied aircraft several times in 1943 and early 1944, but she was only lightly damaged on two occasions. Nonetheless her anti-aircraft armament was augmented during 1944. One quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38 mount was installed on each side of the bridge and she carried a total of thirteen 2 cm guns. Her 10.5 cm guns were exchanged for lighter 8.8 centimetres (3.5 in) guns to compensate for the increased top weight. However this proved to be insufficient to save Drache when she was attacked by several British Bristol Beaufighter
Bristol Beaufighter
The Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
s on the afternoon of 29 September 1944 while anchored in Vathy
Vathy, Samos
Vathy is a town and a former municipality on the island of Samos, North Aegean, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Samos, of which it is a municipal unit. It is the capital and main town of the island. The municipal unit comprises numerous towns,...
harbor on the Greek island of Samos. She was set on fire, exploded and sank two hours later; eleven of her crew died during the attack. She was not salvaged and remained in place to be scrap
Scrap
Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value...
ped after the end of the war.