Progress of the battle Crimean Offensive

romanian destroyer regele ferdinand



soviet g-5-class motor torpedo boat

the evacuation of crimea in april–may 1944 complex , extensive operation of romanian navy during second world war. 15 april 14 may, numerous german , romanian warships escorted many convoys between constanța , sevastopol. scale , importance of operation can attested usage in combat of 4 romanian destroyers, largest axis warships in black sea. last phase of evacuation (10-14 may) saw fiercest combat, axis ships transported, under constant attacks soviet aircraft , shore artillery, on 30,000 troops. of these, 18,000 transported romanian ships. on 11 may, german tanker friederike torpedoed , heavily damaged soviet submarine l-4, preventing participation.

in total, romanian , german convoys evacuated on 113,000 axis troops crimea, of them (over 63,000) during first phase of evacuation (15-25 april). achievement earned romanian naval commander, rear-admiral horia macellariu, knight s cross of iron cross (crucea de cavaler crucii de fier, in romanian). no romanian navy warships lost during evacuation, destroyer regele ferdinand came close being sunk. struck large aerial bomb, fell in fuel tanks, failed detonate. bomb extracted several days after end of operation. 2 naval actions involving romanian navy took place during second phase of evacuation (25 april-10 may), near sevastopol. on 18 april, soviet leninets-class submarine l-6 twice attacked depth charges , damaged romanian gunboat ghiculescu, numerous bubbles emerged depths after each attack, before being finished off german submarine hunter uj-104. during night of 27 april, convoy escorted romanian gunboat ghiculescu, german submarine hunter uj-115, 1 r-boat, 2 kfk naval trawlers , 19 mfps (including romanian pta-404 , pta-406) engaged soviet g-5-class motor torpedo boats tka-332, tka-343 , tka-344, after 3 attacked , damaged german submarine hunter uj-104. ghiculescu fired tracer rounds 88 mm gun, enabling entire escort group locate 2 soviet mtbs , open fire. tka-332 hit , sunk. on 12 soviet aircraft shot down during evacuation, including 2 minelaying destroyer escort amiral murgescu. last axis pockets in crimea destroyed on 12 may. last axis warship leave peninsula amiral murgescu, carrying on board 1,000 axis troops, including german general walter hartmann.