Croatian missile boat Kralj Petar Krešimir IV (RTOP-11)

Kralj Petar Krešimir IV in the Lora Naval base in August 2011. Note that the RBS-15 launchers on the stern have been removed.
History
SFR Yugoslavia
Name: Sergej Mašera
Namesake: Sergej Mašera
Builder: Kraljevica Shipyard, Kraljevica, Croatia
Identification: RTOP-501
Fate: Captured unfinished by Croatian forces
Croatia
Namesake: Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia
Launched: 21 March 1992
Sponsored by: Franjo Tuđman
Commissioned: 7 June 1992
Identification: RTOP-11
General characteristics
Displacement:
  • Standard: 315 tonnes (310 long tons)
  • Full: 382 tonnes (376 long tons)
Length: 53.6 m (175 ft 10 in)
Beam: 8.6 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • Maximum: 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph)
  • Continuous: 32.8 knots (60.7 km/h; 37.7 mph)
Complement: 33
Armament:

Kralj Petar Krešimir IV (pennant number RTOP-11) is Kralj-class missile boat in service with the Croatian Navy. It was laid down in 1990 at the Kraljevica Shipyard as the first ship in a new class being built for the Yugoslav Navy. As the Croatian War of Independence started gaining momentum, shipyard workers stalled the completion of the ship until the remaining Yugoslav forces retreated, preserving the ship for the Croatian Navy that was being formed.

After entering service, Kralj Petar Krešimir IV along with Šibenik (RTOP-21) represented the navy's main surface combatants until the end of the war, without participating in combat. Both missile boats were used in the Posejdon '94 exercise in October 1994. Although Kralj Petar Krešimir IV was plagued with engine malfunctions and other equipment problems throughout its service life, it continues to serve with the Flotilla of the Croatian Navy along with four other missile boats.

The ship was the main motive for a series of postage stamps issued by the Hrvatska pošta as well as souvenir coins.

Design and construction

Kralj Petar Krešimir IV was laid down in 1991 in the Kraljevica Shipyard as the first ship of the new Kobra-class missile boats that were planned for the Yugoslav Navy (JRM). The ship was to be named after Sergej Mašera (pennant number RTOP-501) who prevented the destroyer Zagreb from falling into Italian hands during the Invasion of Yugoslavia.[1] As the Croatian War of Independence broke out, shipyard workers stalled the completion of the ship until all of the Yugoslav Forces retreated following the Battle of the Barracks so they could not take the ship with them. It was launched on 21 March 1992.[1][2] Although there were proposals to name the ship after the city of Vukovar that was heavily damaged during the Battle of Vukovar, Franjo Tuđman, Croatian president at the time, suggested naming the ship in accordance with Croatia's naval history. Petar Krešimir IV carries the name of a Croatian medieval king ("kralj" meaning "king"), Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia, who is often viewed in Croatia as having expanded the kingdom of Croatia to incorporate the Dalmatian coast and its islands.[3]

Kralj Petar Krešimir IV measures 53.6 m (176 ft) in length, has a beam of 8.6 m (28 ft) and draught of 2.7 m (8.9 ft). Fully loaded the ship displaces 382 tonnes (376 long tons) while standard displacement measures 315 tonnes (310 long tons).[4]

The ship's gun armament consists of a 57 mm (2.2 in) Bofors (left) and a 30 mm (1.2 in) AK-630 (right).

Propulsion consists of three Zvezda M504B-2 diesel engines mounted on three shafts, putting out 12,500 horsepower (9,300 kW) which enables a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) and a continuous speed of 32.8 knots (60.7 km/h; 37.7 mph). At a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) the ship has a range of 1,700 nautical miles (3,100 km; 2,000 mi) with a 10-day endurance. The ship has a complement of 33, consisting of six officers, 19 NCOs and eight seamen.[4][5]

The ship's principal armament consists of 4–8 RBS-15 anti-ship missiles. Gun armament consists of a single Bofors 57 mm D70 on the ship's bow and a single AK-630 CIWS placed on a higher position towards the stern. Four AIM-70 or six SAG-1 naval mines can be deployed in place of the missile launchers. Self-defense systems are made of two Wallop "Barricade" chaff/infrared decoy launchers paired with radar and laser radiation detectors. Ship sensors include a Racal-Decca BT 502 surface search and Racal-Decca 1290A navigational radar mounted on the ship's mast, as well as a Philips PEAB 9LV 249 Mk2 fire-control radar mounted above the bridge and used for guiding the ship's gun armament. A RIZ PP10M sonar is used for detecting underwater special forces operating in the near vicinity of the ship.[1][6][7]

Service history

The ship's name on the port side of the hull

Kralj Petar Krešimir IV was commissioned with the Croatian Navy on 7 June 1992.[8] On 28 October 1992 Tuđman arrived on the island of Vis onboard Petar Krešimir IV escorted by the missile boat Dubrovnik and the torpedo boat Vukovar.[9] The next day Petar Krešimir IV transported Tuđman to the city of Dubrovnik.[10] In October 1994, Kralj Petar Krešimir IV and Šibenik (RTOP-21) participated in the "Posejdon '94" exercise conducted jointly with the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence. The event was the first time Croatian Navy ships live fired an RBS-15 anti-ship missile and would also be the only instance of the RBS-15 missiles being used for the next 21 years.[11] The next live firings didn't happen until 2015 when a single missile was launched from a coastal launcher and another one from Petar Krešimir IVs sister ship, Kralj Dmitar Zvonimir (RTOP-12).[12]

The ship's engines proved to be problematic since it was commissioned; because they were designed for providing high speed bursts during a short period of time, they're not suited for longer patrols at lower speeds, have a high fuel consumption and have been partially operational for most of the time; problems that would plague Kralj Petar Krešimir IV throughout its service life.[13][14]

In 2004 one of its engines was out of order with the two remaining ones in need of an overhaul. The fire control system for the ship to ship missiles was non operational for some time at that point.[15] A 2005 study highlighted the need for the modernization of Kralj Petar Krešimir IV with its engines and combat systems being designated as a priority.[16] In June 2006 the Ministry of Defense issued the Croatian Armed Forces Long Term Development Plan 2006–2015 (hr. Dugoročni plan razvoja Oružanih snaga Republike Hrvatske 2006–2015) in which it was stated that one of the Navy's priorities was equipping Kralj Petar Krešimir IV with new engines and anti-aircraft systems.[17] The planned modernisation wasn't carried out, instead the ship was docked and underwent only basic maintenance during 2010.[18]

Kralj Petar Krešimir IV during the Croatian Navy Day on 18 September 2009 in Rijeka.

On 28 August 2008 Slobodna Dalmacija reported that certain countries were interested in buying Kralj Petar Krešimir IV, among them Georgia who lost most its fleet during the Russia–Georgia war; according to the report, the deal was stopped by Russia. Although the MoD declined to comment on the potential sale to Georgia, they did confirm that they would consider offers if any were given, as well as that the ship would remain in service until a deal was made.[19] In 2010 frigate lieutenant Antonija Didović assumed command of Kralj Petar Krešimir IV becoming the first female commander in the Navy's history. Didović began her officer career in January 2006 as the commanding officer of the Ship's Weapon Section (Oružni brodski odred) before being promoted to first officer in 2008 and finally commander on 1 July 2010.[20]

A report about the state of the armed forces in 2011 stressed out the inoperability of the engines on Petar Krešimir IV as the single biggest maintenance problem for the Navy.[21] In November 2013 the MoD announced the overhaul of Kralj Petar Krešimir IV as one of their plans for 2014.[22] Work on the ship which included a major overhaul of its engines, was finished by 18 June 2014 at the Prgin nautical center in Šibenik. After a test drive at maximum speed, the ship was once again declared fully operational; for the first time since mid-2011 when it was out of service because of technical problems.[23]

Accolades

Kralj Petar Krešimir IV was featured in a series of postage stamps issued by the Hrvatska pošta named "Hrvatsko brodovlje" (en. Croatian ships). Published from 27 August 1998, the series was printed in two million copies. In 2012 the Croatian Numismatic Club issued a souvenir coin marking the 20th anniversary of the ship being launched.[24][25]

See also

Notes

References

Books

  • Saunders, Stephen (2004). Jane's Fighting Ships 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. ISBN 0 7106 2623 1.
  • Wertheim, Eric (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 15th Edition: Their Ships, Aircraft And Systems. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591149552.
News reports

  • Krnić, Denis (12 May 2009). "Topovnjače "Krešimir" i "Zvonimir" idu u rashod" [Missile boats "Krešimir" and "Zvonimir" to be decommissioned]. Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • Šoštarić, Eduard (9 July 2004). "HRM nema nijedan ispravni brod" [HRM doesn't have a single operational ship]. Nacional. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • Krnić, Denis (28 August 2008). "Moskva stopirala prodaju 'Petra Krešimira' Gruziji" [Moscow stopped the sale of ‘Petar Krešimir’ to Georgia]. Slobodna Dalmacija. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • Ogurlić, Dragan (14 October 2006). "Osvajanje vojarni u Rijeci" [Conquest of barracks in Rijeka]. Novi list (in Croatian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 December 2013.
  • "MORH predstavio ostvarenje plana nabave za 2013. i plan za 2014" [MORH presents fulfilment of 2013 acquisition plans and plans for 2014]. Croatian Radiotelevision (in Croatian). 6 November 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • Kardum, Zdravko (6 April 2012). "Umirovljeni videadmiral Zdravko Kardum: Potapamo HRM, Jadranom će vladati stranci" [Retired vice admiral Zdravko Kardum: We are sinking the Croatian Navy, the Adriatic will be controlled by foreigners]. Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • Pintarić, Vesna (July 2010). "Vojska mi je pružila ono što u civilstvu nisam mogla ostvariti" [The military offered me what I couldn't achieve in civilian life]. Hrvatski vojnik (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  • Puljizević, Lada (July 2014). "Raketna topovnjača Kralj Petar Krešimir IV. ponovno zaplovila Jadranom" [The missile boat Kralj Petar Krešimir IV. sails on the Adriatic once again]. Hrvatski vojnik (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  • "Listopad 92. - Oslobođenje juga Hrvatske - Sloboda od Neretve do Prevlake" [October 92. - Liberation of the Croatian south - Freedom from the Neretva to Prevlaka]. Slobodna Dalmacija. 11 December 1999. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  • "Višani se neće iseljavati" [The people of Vis won't emigrate]. Slobodna Dalmacija. 11 December 1999. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  • Pintarić, Vesna (26 May 2015). "Protubrodskom raketom RBS-15B izravno u cilj" [RBS-15B directly into the target]. Hrvatski vojnik (in Croatian). zZagreb: Ministry of Defense (474). Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  • Žabec, Krešimir (9 October 2015). "'Dmitar Zvonimir' nakon 21 godine ispalio bojnu raketu na moru" [After 21 years 'Dmitar Zvonimir' fires a missile at sea]. Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 16 October 2015.
Other sources

  • "Fast Attack Craft" (PDF). Brodarski institut. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • "Fast Missile Corvette Class Petar Kresimir IV - Specification". Agencija Alan. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  • "Dugoročni plan razvoja Oružanih snaga Republike Hrvatske 2006 - 2015" [Croatian Armed Forces Long Term Development Plan 2006 - 2015] (PDF). Ministry of Defence. June 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • "Godišnje izvješće o spremnosti obrambenog sustava - 2010" [Annual report about the readiness of the defense system - 2010] (PDF). Ministry of Defence. April 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • "Zagreb, 15. prosinca 1995" [Zagreb, 15 December 1995]. predsjednik.hr. 15 December 1995. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  • "Flotila HRM" [HRM Flotilla]. Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • "Fast Missile Corvette". Hrvatska brodogradnja Jadranbrod. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-04.
  • "Projects". Hrvatski numizmatički klub. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  • Aščić, Ivo (March 2013). "Marke - svjedočanstva života" [Stamps - a testimony of life]. Hrvatski vojnik. Ministry of Defense (417). Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  • "Godišnje izvješće o spremnosti obrambenog sustava, provođenju kadrovske politike i ukupnom stanju u Oružanim Snagama Republike Hrvatske za 2011. godinu, s izvješćem o stanju obrambenih priprema u Republici Hrvatskoj za 2011. godinu" [Annual report about the readiness of the defense system, conduction of human resource policies and the total state of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia for the year 2011, with a report about defense preparations in the Republic of Croatia for the year 2011.] (PDF) (in Croatian). Government of the Republic of Croatia. 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  • "Godišnje izvješće o spremnosti obrambenog sustava, provođenju kadrovske politike i ukupnom stanju u Oružanim Snagama Republike Hrvatske" [Annual report about the readiness of the defense system, conduction of human resource policies and the total state of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia] (PDF). Ministry of Defense. December 2005. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
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