Battle of Antivari

Battle of Antivari
Part of the Mediterranean Theater of World War I

Painting showing SMS Zenta and SMS Ulan in the Battle of Antivari
Date16 August 1914
Location42°6′N 19°3′E / 42.100°N 19.050°E / 42.100; 19.050
Result Anglo-French victory
Belligerents
 France
 United Kingdom
 Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Augustin Lapeyrère Paul Pachner
Strength
2 dreadnoughts
10 pre-dreadnoughts
6 armoured cruisers
1 protected cruiser
20+ destroyers
1 protected cruiser
1 destroyer
Casualties and losses
2 pre-dreadnoughts damaged
2 destroyers damaged
173 killed
50+ wounded
1 destroyer damaged
1 protected cruiser sunk

The Battle of Antivari or Action off Antivari was a naval engagement between a large fleet of French and British warships and two ships of the Austro-Hungarian navy at the start of the First World War. The old Austrian protected cruiser SMS Zenta and the destroyer SMS Ulan were blockading the Montenegrin port of Antivari, when on 16 August 1914, they were surprised and cut off by a large Anglo-French force that had sortied into the Adriatic. Zenta fought and was destroyed, to give Ulan a chance to escape, which she did. The ships of the Austrian fleet at Cattaro, unaware of events, did not come out of port to meet the Allied fleet. After blockading the Adriatic for a short while the French were forced to withdraw due to a lack of supplies.