Drazki

Museum ship Drazki on static display in Varna's Sea Garden
History
Name:	Drazki
Ordered:	24 February 1904
Builder:	France
Launched:	23 August 1907
Commissioned:	5 January 1908
Fate:	struck; surviving parts were incorporated in a museum ship at the Naval Museum in Varna under the same name, using the hull of Strogi
General characteristics
Displacement:	97 tons
Length:	38 m (125 ft)
Beam:	4.4 m (14 ft)
Draught:	2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	steam engine 1900 hp, 2 boilers
Speed:	26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph)
Complement:	23-30
Armament:	3 × 47 mm guns, 3 × 450 mm torpedo tubes

Drazki (Bulgarian language: Дръзки; also transliterated as Druzki, "Intrepid") was a Bulgarian Navy torpedo boat from the beginning of the 20th century. A ship of the same series is now a museum ship under her name in Varna.

Drazki was one of a series of six torpedo boats built for Bulgaria by the French Schneider et Cie works in Chalon-sur-Saône. The other five ships were: Smeli (Смели, "Brave"), Hrabri (Храбри, "Valiant"), Shumni (Шумни, "Noisy"), Letyashti (Летящи, "Flying") and Strogi (Строги, "Stern"). The ships were built in France and transported in parts to Bulgaria, where they were launched and completed at Varna. Drazki, Smeli and Hrabri were ordered in 1904 and sent to Bulgaria in April 1905. Drazki was launched on 23 August 1907, and commissioned on 5 January 1908. Her two sisters entered service around the same time. The three boats of the second series were ordered in January 1906, launched in August 1908 and commissioned in August 1909.

The Bulgarian Navy's torpedo boats took part in the First Balkan War between 1912 and 1913, serving in the waters of the Black Sea. On 20 November 1912 Letyashti, Smeli, Strogi and Drazki were sent from Varna to intercept a group of Turkish transports. The overall commander was Captain 2nd Rank Dimitar Dobrev, who was embarked on the Letyashti. The Drazki was commanded by Warrant-Officer Georgi Kupov. Shortly after midnight on 21 November they encountered the Ottoman protected cruiser Hamidiye accompanied by two destroyers approximately 32 miles from Varna. Dobrev ordered the ships to close and attack, and at 0043 the Bulgarian ships fired their torpedoes. The first three ships missed, but Drazki was more fortunate. Since she was the last ship in the line, she fired her torpedo at a close range (about 100 m) and scored a hit in the front part of the Hamidiye, causing serious damage. (The latter managed to return to Constantinople/Istanbul for repairs.) Their torpedoes expended, the Bulgarian boats returned to Varna. This engagement was the greatest achievement up to that point in the history of the small Bulgarian Navy. Before the torpedo attack the Ottoman naval commander had declared an ultimatum to the garrison of Varna to surrender as condition for the town to avoid shelling by the Ottoman Navy.