OMm35-class minelayer

The OMm35 class was a group of two small minelayers of the Czechoslovakian Navy. They were captured by Germany in 1939 and transferred to the Romanian Navy in 1941. The two vessels were then captured by Soviet forces in September 1944, their subsequent fates being unknown.

OMm35 in 1939
Class overview
Name: OMm35 class
Builders: Škoda, Komárno
Operators:
Built: 1938-1939
In service: 1938-1944?
Completed: 2
General characteristics
Class and type: OMm35-class minelayer
Displacement: 60 tons
Length: 32 m (105 ft)
Beam: 4 m (13 ft)
Draught: 1 m (3.3 ft)
Propulsion: 2 diesel engines, 670 kW (900 hp), 2 shafts
Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Armament:
  • In Romanian service:
  • 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun
  • 6 x 8 mm machine guns (2x2, 2x1)
  • 22 mines
Armour:
  • Twin machine guns: 48 mm
  • Conning tower: 6 mm

Construction and characteristics

The two vessels were built by Škoda in Komárno between 1938 and 1939. They measured 32 meters in length, with a beam of 4 meters and a draught of 1 meter. Named OMm35 and OMm36, the two boats displaced 60 tons each. Initially, they were armed with two machine guns on a single mount and were able to carry up to 22 mines. They were powered by two diesel engines generating an output of 900 hp powering two shafts, which gave the two vessels a top speed of 19 knots. Seized by the Germans in 1939, they were briefly commissioned by the Kriegsmarine as FM1 and FM2, before being transferred to the Romanian Navy in 1941 as V5 and V6. In Romanian service, their armament was increased to one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun and two twin plus two single 8 mm machine guns. The two twin machine guns were protected by 48 mm of armour and the conning tower by 6 mm. The two boats were captured by Soviet forces in September 1944, their subsequent fate remaining unknown.[1][2][3]

Career

V5 and V6 laid several mine barrages on the Chilia branch of the Danube Delta against Soviet warships during Operation München, however these proved to be ineffective.[4] During the summer of 1943, joint German-Romanian forces carried out a sweeping operation across the Danube Delta, over 50 mines being swept as a result. Five of these mines were swept by V5.[5]

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References
  1. Robert Gardiner, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, Naval Institute Press, 1980, p. 355
  2. Jipa Rotaru, Ioan Damaschin, Glorie și dramă: Marina Regală Română, 1940-1945, Ion Cristoiu Publishing, 2000, p. 260 (in Romanian)
  3. Navypedia: V5 armoured motor gunboats (1938-1939/1940)
  4. Nicolae Koslinski, Raymond Stănescu, Marina română in al doilea război mondial: 1941-1942, Făt-Frumos, 1996, pp. 123-158 (in Romanian)
  5. Jipa Rotaru, Ioan Damaschin, Glorie și dramă: Marina Regală Română, 1940-1945, Ion Cristoiu Publishing, 2000, p. 278 (in Romanian)
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