Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Greek torpedo boat Kydoniai

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Ordered
  
January 16, 1912

Commissioned
  
1920

Construction started
  
28 March 1914

Length
  
60 m

Laid down
  
March 28, 1914

Decommissioned
  
April 26, 1941

Launched
  
15 January 1915

Acquired
  
1920 as war reparation from Austria-Hungary

Fate
  
sunk south of Peloponnesos during the German invasion of Greece

The Greek torpedo boat Kydoniai (Greek: TA Κυδωνίαi) served in the Royal Hellenic Navy in 1920–1941. Originally the ship was the Austro-Hungarian Fiume-class torpedo boat SMS Tb 100-M. She was named for the ancient Greek city of Kydoniai (today known as Ayvalik) located in Anatolia; the city was part of the territory awarded to Greece for joining the side of the allied in the Treaty of Sèvres at the end of World War I.

Contents

The ship, along with two sister ships of Monfalcone-built torpedo boats Kios and Kyzikos was transferred to Greece as a war reparation from the Central Powers in 1920.

Service in the Austro-Hungarian Navy

In the build-up to the First World War, Austria-Hungary ordered four 250–tonne boats to be built at the Ganz & Co.– Danubius shipyard in 1912/13. The Navy asked for several improvements compared with the Trieste–class boats. Negotiations broke down in early December because of exaggerated prices requested by Danubius and were only resumed when pressured by the Hungarian Minister of Commerce. Danubius lowered its price by 10%. Finally Ganz & Co. – Danubius got orders for 16 torpedoboats in 1913, despite the fact that original plans had called for the Naval Arsenal Pola to build the Tb 86 to Tb 100 series. These ‘Monfalcone–boats’ were commissioned under the numbers Tb 98 M to Tb 100 M between March, 1915 and March, 1916. They differed from their Trieste sister–ships having two funnels and an extended forecastle. They were very similar to the Fiume-built ships of the same series.

Service in the Hellenic Navy

Kydoniai served in the Hellenic Navy from 1920 until she was sunk during the German invasion of Greece on April 26, 1941. She was at sea south of Peloponnesos when she was hit by German aircraft and was sunk.

References

Greek torpedo boat Kydoniai Wikipedia