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NMS Delfinul

1936 WORLD WAR 2

NMS Delfinul History

The first and most prolific attack submarine in service with the Romanian Navy was the NMS Delfinul ("Dolphin"). Lacking local expertise and the necessary building facilities, Romanians rely on Italian shipyards for their work. The submarine was completed in 1931, but due to many modifications requested by the Romanians, it was not officially commissioned with the Romanian Navy until 1936.

It played a small role for the country during World War II (1939-1945), and for a time it was the only Axis submarine in the Black Sea.

Delfinul was already considered obsolete at the start of the war, having owned only one ship for her career - a lone merchant. In turn, the ship completed a total of nine patrols and served in Romania under the motto "Fortune favors the bold".

Upon completion, Delfinul will have a surface displacement of 650 tons and a submerged displacement of 900 tons. She is 223 feet long, with a beam of 19 feet and a draft of 12 feet. There are 40 crew members on board. Power comes from Krupp diesel engines, propelling the vessel at 14 knots surface speed and 9 knots underwater. The generator provided power underwater, but the boat had to surface to charge (a common failure in submarines of that era).

The range reaches 2000 nautical miles. Armament includes 4 x 533mm torpedo tubes (all mounted on the bow) and a 102mm Bofors deck gun (mounted forward of the conning tower).

During World War II, Delfinur was headquartered in Constanta, which provided the Romanian Navy with a strong psychological deterrent against the free movement of the Soviets in the Black Sea. His first wartime patrol was on June 22, 1941, and his last was at the end of June, early July 1942.

The last voyage was in support of Operation Yalta, where large hostile air power forced it to do most of its work underwater. The submarine was then pursued for a long time and suffered damage, forcing it to be evacuated for repairs at Galati (November 1942). In 1944, "King Michael's coup" took place, removing the leadership of Nazi Antonescu from power in the country. Delfinul was taken over by advancing Soviet troops and returned to service on October 20 of the same year, as was the TS-3.

She served under the banner of the Soviet Navy until her final retirement on October 12, 1945. In 1951, the submarine was owned by Romania, but her days of fighting were almost over. In 1957, her name was removed from the naval register and the ship was scrapped.