Romanian Boats

[Henry Higgins]

I am thinking about making a small Romanian flotilla using Type 1 vospers and converted Higgins – they aren’t ideal for the Dutch MTBs but should be a good start. Paint scheme wise all I have seen are side views which look to be light grey. Does anyone know what clour the deck should be, and did they have air recognition stripes like the Italian boats? I think I read somewhere that they had the same red and white stripes but I can’t remember

[invisible officer]

A complicated plan. The Romanian navy sources are vague.

Yes, the Romanian Navy used the red / white stripes on most vessels.

V 1 – 3 , the ex British MTB-20 (Viforul), MTB-21 (Vijelia) and MTB-23 (Viscolul) had grey decks. 20 and 21 sunk 9 November 1941. So just 1 MTB until 1943.

In that year 7 former Italian MAS became Romanian.

TM 63-69 got sold as spares to Bulgaria and Romania 1941-42.
Romanian sources claim the following in addition to the old Vosper V 1 – 3
V 4 – Vedenia
V 5 – Vantul
V 6 – Vijelia
V 7 – Viforul
V 8 – Vartejul
V 9 – Vulcanul

But that the boats did any war service is a big ??? The Dutch had given the engines some very “special” treatment.

3-Viscolul, 4-Vedenia, 5-Vantul, 6-Vijela, 7-Viforul, 8-Vartejul, 9-Vulcanul are listed as present at Konstanza am 19. August 1944 by Kriegsmarine. But a lot oft the vessels on the list had been hulls only. It also lists the former Italian Type 500 MAS under German numbers S 502, S 503, S 504, S 506 but as Romanian.

TM 52 and 53 went to Bulgaria following tests in Germany. No service as MTB.

TM 54 – 61 are finished as German S 151 – 158 with German engines and served from Pola.

[elcee]

I read about the MAS boats that were aquired by the Kriegsmarine in the Black Sea (S501-507; 11. SFltl). But i thought they were put out of service, because there were no spare parts for the engines. Maybe Romanians were somewhat more creative than the Kriegsmarine was.

As a side note (i am sure IO knows this, but others might not), the “German” S151 are not like the german boats we have in cruel seas (so far).
They were smaller, with a displacement of about 60 tons compared to the 100 tons of the S38 and S100, otherwise the shape is quite similar to the S38.
The armament was different as well, besides 2 torpedo tubes the S151 was armed with a single 2cm gun at the rear and a 1.5cm gun behind the bridge, as far as i know there was no gun added on the front of the ship.

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