Austro-Hungarian cruiser Zenta sunk
- Category:
- Military operations
- Front:
- War at sea
- Date:
- 16 August 1914
- Author:
- Łukasz Skowroń
- Tags:
- Austria-Hungary, France, Mediterranean Sea, Montenegro
On 16 August 1914, in the southern Adriatic off the coast of Montenegro, a combined Franco-British fleet surprised the Austro-Hungarian cruiser SMS Zenta and sank her. It was the first naval battle in the Adriatic of the war, known as the action off Antivari, today’s Bar.
The blockade of Montenegro
Zenta, an older protected cruiser, together with the destroyer Ulan, was blockading the coast of Montenegro and shelling the port of Antivari. Montenegro had been at war with Austria-Hungary for several days, and its coast was an easy target for the Austro-Hungarian fleet from its nearby base in the Bay of Kotor.
The day before, at the entrance to the Adriatic, the French and British squadrons had joined forces under the command of the French admiral Boué de Lapeyrère. On the morning of 16 August the Allied fleet, led by modern battleships, sailed deep into the Adriatic and came upon the two Austro-Hungarian ships.
An unequal fight
Zenta stood no chance against battleships. The French battleship Courbet opened fire at long range, and other ships soon joined in. Zenta’s captain tried to draw the enemy away and give the destroyer time to escape. The manoeuvre succeeded: Ulan managed to escape to the Bay of Kotor. Zenta herself, hit many times and on fire, sank. 173 members of her crew were killed and several dozen wounded. Some of the survivors swam to the Montenegrin shore and were taken prisoner.
Significance
The sinking of Zenta was an Allied success, but it brought no breakthrough. The French had hoped that the main body of the Austro-Hungarian fleet would come out to fight, but it stayed in its safe harbours. Soon the Allied fleet, lacking bases and supplies in the Adriatic, had to withdraw. For the rest of the war the fighting in the Adriatic was mainly a guerrilla war waged by submarines, destroyers and light craft.
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Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 19 September 1914 · War at seaFrench fleet bombards KotorOn 19 September 1914 French battleships shelled Austro-Hungarian batteries at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, covering the withdrawal of their own cruisers.
- 15 August 1914 · War at seaBritish and French squadrons join forces at the entrance to the AdriaticOn 15 August 1914 British and French warships joined forces at the entrance to the Adriatic to blockade the Austro-Hungarian fleet together.
- 1 March 1915 · War at seaAustrians bombard AntivariOn the night of 1–2 March 1915 Austro-Hungarian warships raided Antivari. They wrecked the pier and food stores and sank the King of Montenegro's yacht.
- 6 August 1914 · War at seaFranco-British naval conventionOn 6 August 1914 France and Britain concluded a naval convention in London. A French admiral took command of the Allied forces in the Mediterranean.