The Royal Romanian Navy during World War I (1914–1918) was divided into two fleets and fought against the forces of the Central Powers. When Romania entered the war in August 1916, the Romanian Navy was officially divided as follows (although usage of the warships was fluid and their assignments changed as the war progressed):
River warships
River Monitors
Brătianu-class
NMS I. C. Bratianu
NMS Al. Lahovari
NMS L. Catargiu
NMS M. Kogalniceanu
Gunboats
Oltul-class (built in the 1880s in Britain, 110 tons, top speed of 10–12 knots, armed with 1 x 57 mm and 1 x 37 mm) NMS Oltul NMS Siretul NMS Bistrita Rahova-class (built in 1882 in Britain, 45 tons, top speed of 9 knots, armed with 1 x 37 mm and 1 x Nordenfelt gun) NMS Rahova NMS Smârdan NMS Opanez NMS Silistra
Torpedo boats
Căpitan Nicolae Lascăr Bogdan-class (built in 1906 in Britain, 47 tons, top speed of 18 knots, armed with 1 x 47 mm, 1 x 6.5 mm and two torpedo tubes) NMS Major Ene NMS Captain L. Bogdan NMS Captain Romano NMS Major Giurascu NMS Major Sontu NMS Major Gr. Ioan NMS Lt. Calinescu NMS Captain V Maracineanu Vedea-class (built in 1894 in Germany, 30 tons, top speed of 10 knots, armed with 1 x 37 mm and two torpedo tubes) NMS Vedea NMS Argeșul NMS Trotușul NMS Teleorman Converted from unarmed river craft
NMS Bujorescu
NMS Catinca
Converted from old spar torpedo boats
NMS Rândunica
Maritime warships
Cruisers
NMS Elisabeta
Torpedo boats
NMS Smeul
NMS Năluca
NMS Sborul
Minelayers
NMS Alexandru cel Bun
Gunboats
NMS Grivița
Training ships
NMS Mircea
Conduct of operations
Fighting in the Danube
During the night of 27 August 1916, just after Romania declared war on Austria-Hungary, three Romanian small torpedo boats (the old 10-ton Rândunica and the two converted hydraulic service vessels Bujorescu and Catinca, each armed with two torpedoes in wooden tubes) attacked the Austro-Hungarian Danube Flotilla stationed in the Bulgarian port of Ruse, aiming to sink one of the monitors. The attack however failed in its immediate purpose, as only one barge loaded with fuel was sunk. Due to this attack, however, the Austro-Hungarian Danube Flotilla retreated 130 km West along the Danube, stopping at Belene and subsequently taking extensive defensive measures.
The Romanian monitors and river torpedo boats were active all throughout the Battle of Turtucaia, providing artillery support to the ground troops along with the Romanian shore batteries. The Romanian monitors and shore batteries fired at ranges of 5–8 km, disrupting enemy artillery build-up, movement of troops and firing positions, and ultimately causing significant human and material damage. The Navy was the last to withdraw from the battle and the sector it defended was the last one to be captured by the enemy. The only Romanian warship to have suffered significant damage inflicted by the enemy was the river torpedo boat Grigore Ion, when she was sent to silence a group of 10 enemy machine guns which were blocking the evacuation of Romanian troops. She managed to destroy a few of them before withdrawing, having been struck by thousands of bullets, and having half of her crew killed.
The Romanian monitors subsequently took part in the First Battle of Cobadin, making an important contribution to achieving the defensive Romanian-Russian victory. As a consequence of this and previous actions at Turtucaia and elsewhere, German General August von Mackensen decided to eliminate the Romanian monitors. He delegated 7 artillery officers, possessing guns with calibers ranging from 150 mm to 305 mm, to attack and destroy the monitors as they were travelling between Rasova and Oltina on 21 September. The German batteries fired with intensity, but by the end of the day, all that was achieved was minor damage to the monitor Lahovari, which also had 6 wounded. When a German aircraft reported that none of the monitors was sunk, Mackensen dismissed all 7 officers.