Yugoslav submarine Osvetnik

Osvetnik underway in 1930
History
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Name:	Osvetnik
Namesake:	Avenger
Builder:	Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes, France
Launched:	14 January 1929
In service:	1929–41
Out of service:	1941
Italy
Name:	Francesco Rismondo
Namesake:	Francesco Rismondo
Acquired:	Captured on 17 April 1941
In service:	1941–43
Out of service:	18 September 1943
Fate:	Scuttled by the Germans at Bonifacio after capture
General characteristics
Class and type:	Osvetnik-class diesel-electric submarine
Displacement:	630 long tons (640 t) (surfaced) 809 long tons (822 t) (submerged)
Length:	66.5 m (218 ft 2 in)
Beam:	5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)
Draught:	3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	2 × shaft MAN diesel engines 1,480 bhp (1,100 kW), 2 × Nancy electric motors 1,000 shp (750 kW)
Speed:	14.5 knots (26.9 km/h) (diesel) 9.2 knots (17.0 km/h; 10.6 mph) (electric)
Range:	3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) (surfaced) 75 nmi (139 km; 86 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) (submerged)
Test depth:	80 m (260 ft)
Complement:	43
Armament:	6 × 550 mm (22 in) torpedo tubes (4 × bow, 2 × stern) 1 × 100 mm (3.9 in) gun 1 × 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft gun

The Yugoslav submarine Osvetnik (Avenger) was the first of the Osvetnik-class diesel-electric submarines built by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes, France for the navy of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). She was launched in 1929, and was built to a partial double hull Simonot design similar to the French Circé class. She was armed with six 550 mm (22-inch) torpedo tubes, one 100 mm (3.9 in) gun, and one 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft gun, and could dive to 80 metres (260 ft).

Prior to World War II she participated in several cruises to Mediterranean ports. During the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, she was captured by Italian forces at the Bay of Kotor. Initially designated N1, her armament was changed and her conning tower modified. Due to her age and shallow diving depth, when she was commissioned into the Royal Italian Navy as Francesco Rismondo her service was limited to training and experimentation. She was scuttled off the island of Corsica by the Germans shortly after her capture in September 1943 following the Italian surrender.

Yugoslav naval policy in the interwar period lacked direction until the mid-1920s, although it was generally accepted that the Adriatic coastline was effectively a sea frontier that the naval arm was responsible for securing with the limited resources made available to it. In 1926, a modest ten-year construction program was initiated to build up a force of submarines, coastal torpedo boats, torpedo bombers and conventional bomber aircraft to perform this role. The Osvetnik-class submarines were one of the acquisitions aimed at developing a naval force capable of meeting this challenge.