The Galeb class, also known as the Orao class, were minelayers originally built as minesweepers for the Imperial German Navy between 1918 and 1919.

In July 1921, the six unarmed vessels were purchased as "tugs" for the navy of the newly created Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (from 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). Re-armed with two Škoda guns and two anti-aircraft machine guns, they could also carry 24 or 30 naval mines. Initially classified as mining tenders or mine carriers, they were mainly used for training and "show the flag" cruises along the Adriatic coast and islands, introducing the navy to the populace. In 1931 their guns were re-lined or replaced with caliber barrels. In 1935 three ships of the class visited the Greek island of Corfu as part of a "show the flag" cruise, and the following year all ships of the class were re-designated as minelayers. In the lead-up to the April 1941 Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, several ships of the class laid minefields off the Yugoslav coast, which probably resulted in the sinking of two Yugoslav merchant ships. All six were captured by Italy during the invasion.

They were then put into service by the (Italian Royal Navy) under new names as submarine chasers, operating as escorts between Italy and North Africa and along the North African coast. Subjected to attacks by Allied submarines and aircraft, five of the ships were lost or sunk during the war. The remaining vessel escaped being captured by the Germans during the Italian surrender in September 1943, and it was returned to the Royal Yugoslav Navy-in-exile at Malta in December. It was transferred from the Navy-in-exile to the new Yugoslav Navy after the war and immediately employed to help clear the thousands of mines laid in Yugoslav waters during the war. Its armament was replaced, and it was renamed twice before being disposed of in 1962.

Description and construction The Galeb class was built as wartime s by three German shipbuilding yards between 1917 and 1919. The M 1 class comprised 137 ships built between 1914 and 1919, divided into three sub-classes, M1914, M1915 and M1916, with progressive improvements in length, boiler arrangements and armament. The six ships of the Galeb classalso known as the Orao classwere all of the M1916 sub-class. The (Italian Royal Navy) also acquired two M 1 class M1916 sub-class ships in 1921. These sister ships were M 119 and M 120.

+ Construction Yugoslav name German designation Builder Keel laid Launched Completed Orao M97 Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde 1917 28 March 1918 21 April 1919 Galeb M100 Tecklenborg, Geestemünde 1917 23 May 1918 16 June 1919 Gavran M106 Reiherstieg, Hamburg 1917 8 July 1918 31 March 1919 Jastreb M112 Tecklenborg, Geestemünde 1917 12 November 1918 31 October 1919 Kobac M121 Neptun, Rostock 1917 10 September 1918 25 October 1919 Sokol M144 Neptun, Rostock 1917 10 March 1919 20 June 1919

Original construction The hulls of the ships were of transverse steel frame construction with a box keel. They had a raised forecastle and a round tug stern, a single tall funnel and two masts. The fore-mast was encircled by the bridge, and the main-mast was located immediately forward of the aft gun mount. The ships had a waterline length of , an overall length of , a beam of , and a normal draught of . They had a designed displacement of , and at deep load. The overall length and deep load displacement of the Yugoslav vessels varied slightly due to their construction by different shipyards. They used steam generated by two coal-fired marine boilers to drive two three-cylinder vertical triple expansion engines that powered two propeller shafts, each with a single diameter propeller. A single rudder was located between the propellers. The boilers were in separate boiler rooms, and the engines in a single engine room. The engines were rated at and were designed to propel the ship at a top speed of . The ships carried of coal, which gave them a range of at . The crew consisted of 40 officers and men.

The ships of the class had good seakeeping characteristics, were responsive to controls, and had a good turning circle. With their minesweeping gear extended, the ships could maintain a maximum speed of . They were equipped with two yawls as ship's boats. The ships of the class were armed with two SK L/45 naval guns and carried 120 rounds for each gun. They could carry 30 naval mines.

In Yugoslav service In Royal Yugoslav Navy (; ; КМ) service, the highest recorded speed of any of the ships was . When the ships were acquired by the KM as "tugs" in 1921, their original armament had been removed. In KM service their official crew numbered 19, but as they were training ships this was supplemented with instructors and students, and shortly before the Axis invasion in April 1941 the complement was increased to 40. After delivery they were fitted with two Škoda L/45 guns. These were surplus Austro-Hungarian Navy guns that had been intended for mounting on ships that were incomplete at the end of World War I. The guns had been sent to Pula and the Bay of Kotor as coastal artillery, and they were seized by the Serbian Army as the war ended, and thus avoided being acquired by the occupying French forces. These guns weighed each, and when combined with their mount they weighed . The shells weighed , and they could be fired at a rate of between three and eleven per minute to a maximum range of . From the time they were re-armed until the s joined the navy in 1928, the ships of the Galeb class had the most powerful guns in the Yugoslav fleet. The ships were also equipped with two Zbrojovka Brno ZB-60 anti-aircraft machineguns. Sources vary on the number of naval mines that could be carried by the ships while in Yugoslav service, with sources stating either 24 or 30.

In 1931, at least four ships of the class had their guns re-lined to to use the same ammunition as the dual-purpose guns fitted to the Yugoslav light cruiser Dalmacija. The remainder were fitted with new guns in the same calibre. The combined gun and mount weighed . The shells weighed , and the guns could be fired at a rate of twelve per minute, to a maximum range of and a vertical height of .

In Yugoslav Navy service following World War II, the engines of the surviving ship were rated at and her top speed remained 15 kn. With a load of of coal, she achieved a range of at 15 kn and at . Her crew was increased to 68. The ship's armament was replaced by two Vickers QF 2-pounder naval guns, one twin German Flak 38 and two twin Browning machine guns. She could carry either 22 SAG-1 or 34 SAG-2 naval mines.

Service history Yugoslav service

The six minesweepers were bought by the government of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia) on 20 July 1921 for 1,400,000 marks each. Taken into service in the navy of the new kingdom, they were initially classified as mining tenders, or mine carriers (). They were renamed Orao (Eagle), Galeb (Seagull), Gavran (Raven), Jastreb (Hawk), Kobac (Sparrow Hawk), and Sokol (Falcon). They were used as training ships for the fledgling navy, and the ships of the class were also used for "show the flag" cruises along the Adriatic coast and islands, introducing the navy to the populace. They also exercised with the eight s the navy had acquired from defeated Austria-Hungary after World War I, as a means of assessing training standards. In 1923, Gavran was renamed Labud (Swan). In 1932, the British naval attaché reported that the crews of Yugoslav ships were engaging in little gunnery training and few exercises or manoeuvres, due to reduced budgets. In August 1935, the seaplane carrier accompanied by Galeb, Labud and Kobac, visited the Greek island of Corfu. By 1936, the class had been re-classified as minelayers. In 1938–39 Jastrebs boilers were refitted for oil-firing only.

After World War II broke out, the ships were brought to a heightened state of readiness, although Yugoslavia remained neutral. In the weeks prior to the April 1941 German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia, the ships of the class laid several protective minefields along the Adriatic coast. It is likely that mines laid near the island of Zlarin off the port of Šibenik by Labud and Kobac resulted in the loss of the passenger steamer Prestolonaslednik Petar and the passenger steamer Karađorđe on 2 April, when they were directed to make port at Šibenik instead of the Bay of Kotor. On 6 Aprilthe first day of the invasionaircraft of the Yugoslav Maritime Air Force provided air cover while Jastreb laid a minefield off Budva harbour. During the invasion all the ships of the class were captured by the Italians. Kobacs crew defected with their ship to the newly created fascist puppet state called the Independent State of Croatia (, NDH) at Šibenik on 10 April, but she was soon after seized by the Italian navy. The crews of Galeb and Labud also sailed to Šibenik in an attempt to join the NDH navy, but they were intercepted and captured by the Italians on 17 and 21 April respectively. Also on 17 April, Sokol and Orao were captured at Split while undergoing repairs. During the chaos of the surrender, Orao was sabotaged by an explosive charge in a boiler. Jastreb was captured at the Bay of Kotor.

Italian service The six ships of the class were soon put into commission in the Italian navy as follows:

+ Italian ship names Yugoslav name Italian name From the Italian name for the island of: Date of commissioning Orao Vergada Vrgada 25 October 1941 Galeb Selve Silba 25 May 1941 Labud Zuri Žirje 29 May 1941 Jastreb Zirona Drvenik Unknown Kobac Unie Unije 30 November 1941 Sokol Eso Iž Unknown All six ships were re-commissioned as submarine chasers, and they were used as escorts on the supply routes between Italy and North Africa and along the North African coast. They were suited to this role due to their solid build and high endurance.

Vergada Put into service by the Italians after repairs, Vergadas crew sailed her to Malta at the time of the Italian surrender in September 1943. She was handed back to the Royal Yugoslav Navy-in-exile in Malta on 7 December.

Selve From 15 to 17 December 1941, Selve and Zuri escorted the steamer Cadamosto and the German steamer Spezia between the Italian Libya ports of Benghazi and Tripoli. On 26 June 1942 she left Trapani on the west coast of Sicily, accompanied by her sisters Eso and Oriole (ex-Zuri), escorting the steamer Iseo to Tripoli. Eso and Oriole collided, and due to damage caused in the collision they were towed back to Trapani by Selve, with Iseo sailing on alone and safely reaching Tripoli on 28 June. From 1 to 4 August, Selve, Eso, and the escorted the steamer Istria from Tripoli to Benghazi, and on 7 and 8 August, Selve and her sister Oriole escorted the steamer Iseo from Benghazi to Tobrukalso in Italian Libya. Selve, along with the torpedo boat , escorted the steamers Sibilla and Albachiara from Tobruk to Benghazi between 11 and 13 August. This was followed by an escort, accompanied by Eso, of the German steamer Ostia and the tanker Olympos from Benghazi to Tobruk on 23 and 24 August, during which the made an unsuccessful attack.

On 31 August and 1 September, Selve escorted the steamer Alato from Tobruk to Derna in Italian Libya, and she was quickly joined by two German submarine chasers escorting Olympos to the same port. From 14 to 20 September, Selve escorted the steamer Sportivo from Benghazi to Tripoli, and on her return voyage between 29 September and 1 October she escorted the steamers Amba Alagi and Anna Maria. Selve was damaged by a Royal Air Force air raid at Benghazi on 6 November and burned out, being broken up in 1948.

Zuri then Oriole