NMS Amiral Murgescu

Amiral Murgescu at sea
Class overview
NameAmiral Murgescu-class escort minelayer
Builders
Operators
Preceded byAlexandru cel Bun-class minelayer
Built1938–1941
In commission1941–1988
Planned4
Completed2
Retired2
History
Romania
NameAmiral Murgescu
NamesakeAdmiral Ioan Murgescu [ro]
BuilderGalați shipyard, Romania
Laid down1 August 1938
Launched14 June 1939
Commissioned2 March 1941
CapturedBy the Soviet Union, 1944
Soviet Union
NameDon
NamesakeRiver Don
Acquired1944
Commissioned1944
Stricken27 May 1988
FateSold for scrap, 4 July 1988
Service record
Commanders:
  • Alexandru Dumbravă (1941–1942)
  • Ovidiu Mărgineanu (1942–1943)
  • Gheorghe Harting (1943)
  • Anton Foca (1943–1944)
Operations:
Victories:
  • 1 cruiser damaged
  • 1 destroyer leader, 1 R-boat, 1 S-boat, 2 motor gunboats and up to 12 submarines sunk
  • 12 aircraft destroyed
Awards:
General characteristics
TypeMinelayer/Escort vessel
Displacement
  • 812 tons (standard)
  • 1,068 tons (full load)
Length76.9 m (252 ft 4 in)
Beam9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Draught2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Propulsion2 Krupp diesel engines 1,600 kW (2,100 hp), 2 shafts
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range3,400 nautical miles (6,300 km; 3,900 mi)
Complement135
Armament
  • 2 x 105 mm SK C/32 naval/AA guns
  • 2 x 37 mm Rheinmetall AA guns
  • 4 × 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns
  • 2 × 13 mm M1929 twin machine guns
  • 2 x depth charge throwers
  • 65 x depth charges
  • 135 x mines
  • 1 x motor launch armed with:
    • 1 × 20 mm Oerlikon AA gun
    • 1 x 8 mm machine gun
    • 6 x depth charges

NMS Amiral Murgescu was a minelayer and convoy escort of the Romanian Navy, the first sea-going warship built in Romania and the largest Romanian-built warship of World War II. She laid numerous minefields, from the Bulgarian port of Burgas to the Crimean port of Sevastopol, which inflicted significant losses to the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. She also carried out numerous convoy escort missions and took part in the Axis evacuation of the Crimea in May 1944. Due to her success in combat, she was decorated twice by May 1944. She was captured by the Soviet Union in September 1944 and served until 1988, when she was scrapped.