NMS Elisabeta
Encyclopedia
NMS Elisabeta was a small protected cruiser
built by Armstrong
for Romania
in the 1880s. Serving mainly as a training ship, she represented Romania at the opening of the Kiel Canal
in 1895. She helped protect Romanian interests in Constantinople during the First Balkan War
in 1912–13, but played no significant part in the Second Balkan War
and was disarmed and hulk
ed at the beginning of World War I
. Employed as a barracks ship after the war, she was scrapped in 1926.
of 33 in 6 in (10.21 m) and a draft at the bow of 11 in 6 in (3.51 m) that increased to 12 in 6 in (3.81 m) at the stern. She displaced 1330 long tons (1,351 t) at full load.
Elisabeta had two triple expansion steam engines driving 9 inch screw propellers. Four cylindrical boiler
s provided steam to the engines. The engines had a normal designed output of 2500 ihp or 4700 ihp using forced draft. During her trials on 14 September 1888, Elisabeta had a top speed of 19.049 knots, but she averaged 18.053 knots. She carried 322 long tons (327.2 MT) of coal.
Elisabtas main armament consisted of four single 15 centimetres (5.9 in)/35-caliber Krupp
breech-loading
guns on pivot mounts in semi-circular sponson
s on the side of the ship. She carried four single 57 millimetres (2.2 in) Nordenfelt
guns, two each in the bow and stern. She also carried four 37 millimetres (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun
s. Four 356 millimetres (14 in) above-water torpedo tube
s were also fitted, one each in the bow and stern and one on each broadside.
Her protective deck was 1.7 inches (4.3 cm) thick on the flat and increased to 3.4 inches (8.6 cm) on the slopes. It tapered to 1 inches (2.5 cm) at the ends of the ship.
Naval Arsenal. She made several summer training voyages around the Black Sea
in 1889 and 1890. At the beginning of 1891 she began a five-month cruise in the Mediterranean. She represented Romania at the 1892 Columbus celebrations of Livorno
, Barcelona
and Lisbon
. In 1894 she made a short cruise in the Black Sea followed by a longer Mediterranean cruise. Elisabeta sailed for Kiel
in 1895 to participate in the opening celebration of the Kiel Canal
and continued on to Stockholm
where she was inspected by the King of Sweden
. She made the first Romanian survey of their coast in 1898 and underwent a major refit at Galaţi in 1904–05 where her sailing rig was reduced to two pole masts.
Elisabetas armament was exchanged for four French Saint-Chamond 120 millimetres (4.7 in) and 75 millimetres (3 in) guns in 1907. She was in Constantinople
during the First Balkan War
where she landed several shore parties to protect the Romanian Legation. After the end of the war she returned to Romania on 15 June 1913, only a day before Bulgaria began the Second Balkan War
. She remained at Sulina
to defend the mouths of the Danube
during the war. Disarmed when World War I began, her armament was emplaced on the Danube River to protect against possible attacks by Austro-Hungarian river monitors, and she remained in Sulina for the duration of the war. After the war she was used as a barracks ship at Galaţi and later at Sulina before she was sold for scrap
in 1926.
Protected cruiser
The protected cruiser is a type of naval cruiser of the late 19th century, so known because its armoured deck offered protection for vital machine spaces from shrapnel caused by exploding shells above...
built by Armstrong
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
for Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in the 1880s. Serving mainly as a training ship, she represented Romania at the opening of the Kiel Canal
Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal , known as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal until 1948, is a long canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.The canal links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. An average of is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula....
in 1895. She helped protect Romanian interests in Constantinople during the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
in 1912–13, but played no significant part in the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
and was disarmed and hulk
Hulk (ship)
A hulk is a ship that is afloat, but incapable of going to sea. Although sometimes used to describe a ship that has been launched but not completed, the term most often refers to an old ship that has had its rigging or internal equipment removed, retaining only its flotational qualities...
ed at the beginning of 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...
. Employed as a barracks ship after the war, she was scrapped in 1926.
Description
Elisabeta was built of steel and measured 239 in 10 in (73.1 m) 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 33 in 6 in (10.21 m) and a draft at the bow of 11 in 6 in (3.51 m) that increased to 12 in 6 in (3.81 m) at the stern. She displaced 1330 long tons (1,351 t) at full load.
Elisabeta had two triple expansion steam engines driving 9 inch screw propellers. Four cylindrical boiler
Boiler (steam generator)
A boiler or steam generator is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. Although the definitions are somewhat flexible, it can be said that older steam generators were commonly termed boilers and worked at low to medium pressure but, at pressures above this, it is more...
s provided steam to the engines. The engines had a normal designed output of 2500 ihp or 4700 ihp using forced draft. During her trials on 14 September 1888, Elisabeta had a top speed of 19.049 knots, but she averaged 18.053 knots. She carried 322 long tons (327.2 MT) of coal.
Elisabtas main armament consisted of four single 15 centimetres (5.9 in)/35-caliber Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
breech-loading
Breech-loading weapon
A breech-loading weapon is a firearm in which the cartridge or shell is inserted or loaded into a chamber integral to the rear portion of a barrel....
guns on pivot mounts in semi-circular sponson
Sponson
Sponsons are projections from the sides of a watercraft, for protection, stability, or the mounting of equipment such as armaments or lifeboats, etc...
s on the side of the ship. She carried four single 57 millimetres (2.2 in) Nordenfelt
QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt
The QF 6 pounder Nordenfelt was a light 57 mm naval gun and coast defence gun of the late 19th century used by many countries.Note that this gun should not be confused with the short-barreled 57 mm Cockerill-Nordenfelt "Canon de caponnière" or fortification gun, which was used to arm the...
guns, two each in the bow and stern. She also carried four 37 millimetres (1.5 in) Hotchkiss gun
Hotchkiss gun
The Hotchkiss gun can refer to different products of the Hotchkiss arms company starting in the late 19th century. It usually refers to the 1.65-inch light mountain gun; there was also a 3-inch Hotchkiss gun...
s. Four 356 millimetres (14 in) above-water torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s were also fitted, one each in the bow and stern and one on each broadside.
Her protective deck was 1.7 inches (4.3 cm) thick on the flat and increased to 3.4 inches (8.6 cm) on the slopes. It tapered to 1 inches (2.5 cm) at the ends of the ship.
Service
Elisabeta sailed for Romania at the end of October 1888, arriving there about three weeks later, and received her armament at the GalaţiGalati
Galați is a city and municipality in Romania, the capital of Galați County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, in the close vicinity of Brăila, Galați is the largest port and sea port on the Danube River and the second largest Romanian port....
Naval Arsenal. She made several summer training voyages around the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
in 1889 and 1890. At the beginning of 1891 she began a five-month cruise in the Mediterranean. She represented Romania at the 1892 Columbus celebrations of Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
. In 1894 she made a short cruise in the Black Sea followed by a longer Mediterranean cruise. Elisabeta sailed for Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
in 1895 to participate in the opening celebration of the Kiel Canal
Kiel Canal
The Kiel Canal , known as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Kanal until 1948, is a long canal in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.The canal links the North Sea at Brunsbüttel to the Baltic Sea at Kiel-Holtenau. An average of is saved by using the Kiel Canal instead of going around the Jutland Peninsula....
and continued on to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
where she was inspected by the King of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. She made the first Romanian survey of their coast in 1898 and underwent a major refit at Galaţi in 1904–05 where her sailing rig was reduced to two pole masts.
Elisabetas armament was exchanged for four French Saint-Chamond 120 millimetres (4.7 in) and 75 millimetres (3 in) guns in 1907. She was in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
during the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
where she landed several shore parties to protect the Romanian Legation. After the end of the war she returned to Romania on 15 June 1913, only a day before Bulgaria began the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
. She remained at Sulina
Sulina
Sulina is a town and free port in Tulcea County, Romania, at the mouth of the Sulina branch of the Danube. It is the easternmost point of Romania and of the continental European Union.-History:...
to defend the mouths of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
during the war. Disarmed when World War I began, her armament was emplaced on the Danube River to protect against possible attacks by Austro-Hungarian river monitors, and she remained in Sulina for the duration of the war. After the war she was used as a barracks ship at Galaţi and later at Sulina before she was sold for 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...
in 1926.