[烛光生存狂]-The Constanta-Tuzla Naval Battle

The most important naval engagement in the Black Sea in 1941 took place on 26 June, four days after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa. A Soviet naval group led by the Voroshilov cruiser, accompanied by six destroyers and several other ships tried to execute an attack on the Constanta port facilities. The group had been spotted 60 miles east of the coast at 0030 by the NMS Delfinul submarine, which was on patrol in the area. Thus the defence had some time to prepare. A much stronger task force, with the Pariskaya Komuna battleship was waiting 120-150 miles off the coast, prepared to exploit an eventual success of the initial strike force.

The Voroshilov group sent two flotilla leaders (the Moskva and the Kharkov) in a scouting raid on the Constanta harbour. At 0358, the two ships opened fire with their 130 mm guns from 15 miles. In a relatively short time (ten minutes) they fired 350 rounds on the Palas railway station and on the port, managing to set on fire a munitions train and some oil tanks.

The destroyers NMS Regina Maria and NMS Marasti, which were near the Tuzla Cape manoeuvred to a parallel direction and opened fire at 0412 from 14 miles with their 120 mm artillery. Because of the high profile of the coast around Tuzla, the Romanian destroyers were difficult to spot, in opposition with the Soviet ships, which were clearly silhouetted against the dawn. At 0420 the Kharkov was hit. The German coastal batteries joined the duel. The 280 mm Tirpitz battery fired at 0422, but after five salvoes the two ships sailed out of its range. The Moskva had also been damaged by the Romanian destroyers. Its main mast shot off by a small calibre round, most likely a 120 mm shell. In total they had fired only 12 salvoes.

As they were retreating, the damaged Moskva entered a minefield, hit one, broke in two and sank very quickly. Only 69 of its 400 men crew survived.

Two Romanian torpedo boats, the NMS Viforul and the NMS Vijelia, attempted to attack the Kharkov, but they were driven off by the rest of the Voroshilov’s group. In the meantime, one of its escorts set off a mine, which damaged the cruiser.

Also, a formation of Soviet bombers (from 40 BAP/ChF) attacked the port facilities, but it did not manage to cause too much damage. The NMS Murgescu claimed two shot down and the NMS Marasti claimed one. They lost in total nine SBs.

The idea that this was the spearhead of an invasion force is not far-fetched, as the Soviets already started to infiltrate in the Danube Delta. If it had succeeded it could have destabilized the southern part of Eastern Front.

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