The First Indonesian Aircraft Carrier is Not Just a Trojan Flattop

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The Italian Harrier carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (C 551) was built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone in the early 1980s and commissioned in September 1985.

At 14,150 tons and 591 feet overall, she could carry as many as 18 aircraft, a mix of Harriers and helos.

Italian Navy ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi (C-551) with nine AV-8B Harrier IIs and one Sea King on the flight deck carrier

During her 39-year-and-1-day career with the Italian fleet, she saw active combat with her AV-8B IIs thrice: Kosovo (1999, 30 sorties including warshot Mk 82 GBU-16 bombs and AGM-65 Maverick missiles), OEF Afghanistan (December 2001 to March 2002, 288 sorties) and Libya (2011, dropped 160 Mk82s across 1,221 flight hours).

Garibaldi was the Amphibious Task Force Commander Landing Force in Norway in 2024

Augmented in 2008 by the STOVL F-35B-capable ITS Cavour (CVH 550) and replaced by the 33,000-ton ITS Trieste (L 9890), she was decommissioned on 1 October 2024.

Given to Indonesia as a grant after two years in ordinary service, Garibaldi departed Taranto for Indonesia on the evening of 24 August 2026 under the Italian flag and arrived in Indonesia on 20 September, swapping flags four days later when she became KRI Sriwijaya (100), commissioned by TNI Commander General Agus Subiyanto in Tanjung Priok. Her voyage included 100 selected Indonesian Navy personnel and a training team of Italian specialists from DRASS, led by retired ADM Liborio Palmombella.

Sriwijaya’s escorts will be four Balaputradewa-class frigates, a licensed British Arrowhead Type 31 variant currently under construction by PT PAL, equipped with 64 VLS cells loaded with a mix of Turkish HISAR MR and SIPER LRs.

Operational

With a reduced 400-man crew (the Italians ran 550 plus embarked air group), she has been conducting rotor operations underway in the past couple of weeks with, first, AS565 MBe Panther ASW aircraft of Skadron Udara 100, then Bell 412EP medivac aircraft of Skadron Udara 400, and four big AS332 Super Pumas and H225Ms of Skadron Udara 8.

The exercise also covered several advanced flight techniques, including high-altitude reconnaissance (High Recce) and low-altitude reconnaissance (Low Recce), simulated approaches without touching the ship’s deck (Dummy Approach), brief landings followed by immediate takeoffs (Touch and Go), and full-stop landings (Full Stop).

Drone carrier use?

The Navy also plans to carry Turkish Bayraktar TB3 combat UAVs in the future (60 are on order), which are also planned for Turkey’s local flat-top, the LHD Anadolu. 

Speaking of Turkish drone tech, a Bayraktar TB2 last week did a proof-of-concept evolution carrying 16 Skydagger FPV one-way kamikaze drones underwing, and loosed two on a profile that led to successful attacks.

A Bayraktar TB2 medium-altitude long-endurance tactical UCAV configured as an airborne mothership carrying 16 Skydagger FPV kamikaze drones (eight under each wing) during a test in Keşan, Edirne, Türkiye.

Should we mention that the RN recently tested its first offensive drones from HMS Queen Elizabeth? 

Could Indonesia be the last Harrier operator?

The country’s CNO, Admiral TNI Muhammad Ali, also said there could be plans to add Harriers back to the carrier. Keep in mind that the Italians and Spaniards still operate the last pool and plan to retire them in just a few years.

“Yes, the hope is like that. If the Navy wants it to be like that. But it depends on the budget conditions and others,” Ali said when asked by reporters about the plan to target Harrier fighter aircraft for aircraft carriers at Tanjung Priok Port, North Jakarta, in September.

85 Years Ago: SAS Cleared Hot

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Below, signed 10 November 1941, is the Eight Army order for Operation Squatter, the first SAS mission, which was to be executed on the 16th-18th November, with men drawn from “L” Section, 1 S.A.S. Bde.

Conceived by Lt. David Stirling, the 57-man raid began with a clandestine parachute drop via five twin-engined Bristol Bombay transports behind Axis lines to destroy German and Italian aircraft on the ground at forward airfields (Gazala and Timimi), in support of the planned British Operation Crusader offensive.

SAS volunteers jumping from steel gantries while undergoing parachute training at Kabrit, Egypt. 7 November 1941. Smith, Albert Norman Mitchell and Clements, Harold John K.P., No. 1 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit. IWM (E 6390)

SAS volunteers emplane into an RAF Bristol Bombay transport aircraft prior to a practice jump while undergoing parachute training at Kabrit, Egypt. 7 November 1941. Smith, Albert Norman Mitchell and Clements, Harold John K.P. No. 1 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit. IWM (E 6404)

While it sounds classic North Africa SAS, Squatter was an absolute failure, with one Bombay lost, killing 15 operators right off the bat, and the rest of the force scattered across intractable desert during a freak desert gale and rainstorm, their surviving explosives soaked and useless. Just 22 survivors managed to ex-fil on foot in some 36 hours to a rendezvous point with the LRDG, while everyone else was killed or captured.

Post-Squatter, the SAS took a cue from the LRDG and switched from paradrops to trucks and jeeps, which proved key later, such as in Paddy Mayne’s wildly successful Tamet Airfield Raid the next month and the 18-jeep Sidi Haneish Airfield Raid the following July, by which time the force had grown to some 400 men.

Colonel David Stirling, founder of the Special Air Service, with an SAS jeep patrol in North Africa, 18 January 1943. Keating, Geoffrey John, No. 1 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit. IWM (E 21338)

The SAS was disbanded at the end of the war, but reformed as a Territorial unit in 1947—21st Battalion, Special Air Service Regiment (Artists Rifles)—and was formally added to the Army list as the 22nd SAS in 1952.

Based at Hereford since 1960, the Regiment’s boathouse color has gone on to live its own life.

Happy 251st, USMC

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Washington, D.C. Six Marines with rifles and fixed bayonets at the Navy Yard. LC-DIG-cwpb-04148

For 251 years, Marines have stood ready to fight and win our Nation’s battles.

From the early days of the American Revolution to today’s engagements, the Marine Corps has served as a decisive naval and amphibious force, projecting power, defending our interests, and helping turn the tide in conflicts around the world. Across every clime and place, Marines remain ready to be the first to fight whenever and wherever our Nation needs them.

As America’s 9-1-1 force, the Marine Corps continues to set the standard for readiness, resolve, and warfighting excellence.

Semper Fidelis & Happy Birthday, Marines!

PD has Historic Great War Machine Gun Frozen in Limbo

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A small town police department in Ohio has had a rare machine gun in its collection for years and wants to pass it on to a museum but can’t.

Sheffield Lake, Ohio (pop. 8,950) is about 35 miles west of Cleveland on the shores of Lake Erie. The town’s 12-officer police department has kept an old belt-fed machine gun in its basement since 1989.

Found during a welfare check, the circa 1918 Colt Vickers WWI aircraft machine gun was impounded because it was not legally registered with the ATF, and the agency has had it ever since.

The Colt Vickers in question. (Photo: Sheffield Lake PD)

And, while the department would be okay passing it on to a museum intact, that isn’t a thing right now.

Around 2022, SLPD contacted the ATF, which advised that it would have to be destroyed or demilitarized by cutting it, even if it were donated to a museum.

“Given its historical significance, that was not an option we were willing to pursue,” the SLPD noted.

Next they tried the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton.

“Because it is a federal institution, we were hopeful there might be a lawful avenue to preserve and transfer the firearm intact. Unfortunately, those discussions ultimately did not result in a transfer,” said the department.

They are currently trying to find a home for it with the Smithsonian and hope it works out.

“We don’t want to destroy it or cut it apart. This firearm has survived intact since approximately 1918. Everything still appears to function, and the components appear to be original,” said the department. “And since the Sheffield Lake Police Department has no plans for an armed aircraft anytime soon, our goal isn’t to use it. Our goal is to preserve it.”

What is the Colt Vickers?

Developed by Hiram Maxim about 1904, the 33-pound Vickers gun (not counting the weight of the tripod and ammo) was put into production at Kent, England, that year and, by 1915, was in low-rate licensed production at Colt in the U.S. With a relatively slow (450-550 rpm) rate of fire, the water-cooled gun was steady and reliable, especially in sustained fire, and is still encountered in Third World service.

Vickers ground machine guns seen at Camp Hancock, Augusta, Georgia, with officers of the 28th U.S. Infantry Division in January 1918. With water and tripod, the Vickers tipped the scales at over 90 pounds. (Photo: U.S. Army 111-SC-002670 via National Archives.)

Some 12,125 Colt Vickers Model of 1915 ground machine guns were produced, chambered in .30-06 Springfield, with 2,888 later converted into 28-pound forward-firing aircraft machine guns.

The conversion modified the water-filled cooling jacket with air-cooling slots and synchronized it to fire through the propeller without hitting it. One such Colt Vickers is seen here at the Fort Rucker Army Aviation Museum. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Two such guns were mounted under a hump on the forward fuselage of the Snoopy-famous Sopwith Camel, one of the era’s best fighter aircraft, seen here at the Fort Rucker Army Aviation Museum. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Used extensively by British and allied forces in the Great War, the Vickers was one of several aerial guns in service with American forces by 1918, but was all but extinct by WWII.

A close-up view of several types of machine guns used in the Great War by the US Army: an air-cut Vickers, an aviation Marlin-Rockwell M1895-18, and a Browning LMG. U.S. Army Ordnance Department photo, circa 1918, via the National Archives.

Still, it is nice to see that one of these historic guns, trapped in limbo, is at least treading water and is, for now, safe from the torch. Perhaps a future federal machine gun amnesty or further NFA reform could allow it to find a forever home, intact.

A whiff of gunpowder in the Poconos

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While passing through the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania recently on an industry trip, I recalled a fierce battle fought some 110 years ago.

During the late summer of 1916, the “blue” gentlemen volunteers of the Yale Battery, after spending weeks learning their trade while school was out, drilling by day and attending military science classes until 9:30 p.m. each night, put their 3-inch guns to work, defending their ground around the Tobyhanna Artillery Range (now Army Depot) against a “red” foe.

As noted by the NYT

An invading force, which was making a drive through the Pocono Mountains to capture the military stores on the Government reservation at Tobyhanna, was scattered this morning by the artillery fire of Battery B, one of the crack batteries of Yale men who have been taught in six weeks of seventeen-hour days to handle three-inch guns, find ranges and fire accurately on targets hidden from the gunners.

First stood up in 1915 as Europe burned at war, the all-volunteer Yale Battery robbed the school’s football and baseball teams of some of its best prospects, whose free time was spent thinking about battle. Eventually, some 500 undergrads donned uniforms and studied field artillery.

Among their military science professors were U.S. Army regulars, Captains Robert Melville Danford (USMA 1904) and Sherman Miles (USMA ’05), the latter the son of Gen. Nelson A. Miles of Plains Wars fame and grandson of William Tecumseh Sherman. Importantly, Miles served from 1912 to 1914 as a military attaché in the Balkans, observing the combat there against the Ottomans; then, during the Great War served as a military observer in Russia until 1916.

By early 1916, the Yale men formed four batteries, A, B, C, and D, in the Connecticut National Guard’s 10th Field Artillery Regiment, with Danford as a NG Colonel and Miles as a NG Lt. Colonel. They had a set of M1895 Mountain guns for campus drill hall use back at New Haven and 3-inch M1902 field pieces (later donated French 75s) while away at camp.

165-WW-124F-037

Yale Battery at Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. 1917. The 10th Regiment, F.A., Connecticut, N.G., had four batteries made up of Yale men—A, B, C, and D. They were in camp from July to September 1917. 165-WW-124F-021

Yale University. Battery of American Mountain guns on the firing platform of Artillery Hall, manned by a group of Yale R.O.T.C. members. New Haven, Connecticut. 1917. 165-WW-124F-032

By late 1917, the French ambassador presented them with four actual battle-used French 75s, and the school augmented them with four fake “quaker” guns and caissons for drill purposes. By that time, the school was one of the first ROTC units in the country, with Danford in command.

165-WW-124F-001

By the fall of 1917, only one Letterman remained on campus, the sporting interest almost exclusively being on the Batteries.

Approximately 9,500 to 10,000 Yale students, faculty, and alumni served in the Great War, with 227 students dying in the conflict.

NARA’s catalog includes a tremendous number of images of the Yale Battery.

Today, Yale has separate Army, Navy (Bulldog Battalion), and Air Force (Detachment 009) ROTC programs, but fewer than 100 students are enrolled across all three combined. For what it is worth, the campus only rejoined ROTC in 2012, after disbanding its units in 1972 during the protests over the Vietnam War.

As for the Battery’s instructors, after the Great War, Danford continued to serve in high-profile assignments, including Commandant of Cadets at West Point, and was Chief of Field Artillery as a major general during World War II. He passed in 1974, aged 95. Miles served in France during the Meuse–Argonne Offensive, spent much of the interwar years as an attaché and (controversially) in MID, then served in WWII as a major general over the First Service Command in Boston. He died in 1966 at age 83.

Burke Repair! Get Your (Overseas) Burke Repair!

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NORFOLK, Va. (May 16, 2026) – Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) returns to Naval Station Norfolk, May 16, 2026, following a historic 11-month deployment to U.S. 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Fleets as part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. During their historic deployment across four fleets, the crew of Mahan conducted 19 replenishments-at-sea and executed 25 sea and anchor details. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Smalls, III)

The U.S. Navy has 75 active Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, 10 under construction, and 13 more on order, for a planned total of 99. Without a doubt, they are the backbone of the Fleet, which only has about 115 active surface combatants of all types (DDG, LCS, CG).

However, on the current 36-month OFRP block, each of these active ships needs to undergo a 6-8 month Selected Restricted Availability (SRA/DSRA), including a dry-docking every five years or so, and shorter 2-4 weeks-long Continuous Maintenance Availabilities (CMAV).

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 36-Month OFRP Cycle Rotation │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
├── 1. Maintenance Phase (Approx. 6–7 Months)
│ • Selected Restricted Availability (SRA)
│ • Drydocking Selected Restricted Availability (DSRA)
│
├── 2. Basic Training Phase (Approx. 4–5 Months)
│ • Systems integration, unit-level certifications
│
├── 3. Integrated Phase (Approx. 2–3 Months)
│ • Strike Group integration exercises (COMPTUEX)
│
├── 4. Deployment Phase (7–8 Months standard)
│ • Overseas combatant command deployment
│
└── 5. Sustainment Phase (Remaining months)
• High-readiness surge state; routine pierside repairs (CMAVs)

Then, with old ships at mid-life, an 18-24 month DDG MOD 2.0 Modernization is on the table, followed by at least a final SLEP at the 30-year mark. Keep in mind that Burke herself is 35 years old and still going strong. 

It looks something like this when you put it together:

Timeline / Ship Age Maintenance Milestone Primary Focus & Scope
Years 5–10 First Major DSRA Structural hull inspection, tank preservation, shaft pulling, sonar dome maintenance, and Baseline Aegis software/hardware upgrades.
Years 15–20 Mid-Life Mid-Period Availability (MPA) Major machinery overhaul, generator refurbishments, habitability upgrades, and combat system patch updates.
Years 20–25 DDG MOD 2.0 / Modernization Overhaul Comprehensive mid-life modernization lasting 18 to 24 months. Includes structural retrofits, installing modern combat systems (e.g., Aegis Baseline 9/10), SEWIP Block III electronic warfare suites, upgraded SPY radar arrays, and major hull/mechanical refreshes.
Years 30–35+ Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) Deep structural hull/piping repairs, main reduction gear re-alignments, and system overhauls to extend operational readiness beyond the original 35-year design life out to 40+ years.

Now multiply that by 75 hulls (soon to be 99), and you get the idea of why the Navy has maintenance backlogs.

While only two shipyards make Burkes (Ingalls at Pascagoula and Bath in Maine), just three East Coast yards (BAE Systems Norfolk, General Dynamics NNS, and BAE Systems Jacksonville), and four West Coast yards (General Dynamics NASSCO, BAE Systems San Diego, Continental Maritime of San Diego, and Vigor in Seattle) do almost all the maintenance work.

The Navy’s four public yards prioritize nuclear ships (CVNs, SSBNs, SSGNs, and SSNs) and have no bandwidth for DDGs.

Forward-deployed tin cans get a shorter refresh at Navantia (five Rota-based FDNF Europe destroyers in 6th Fleet) and via SRF-JRMC (10 7th Fleet DDGs of DESRON 15 at Japanese yards such as Sumitomo and Mitsubishi). Don’t be surprised to see 7th Fleet tin cans in South Korean yards at some point in the near future as well.

With that being said, there are changes afoot to help alleviate the maintenance burden on CONUS yards.

Navantia recently started including drydocking in its maintenance schedule, the first since the 2014 arrival of FDNF-E destroyers.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) sits in dry dock at Navantia Shipyard in Cadiz Oct. 8, 2026. The evolution marks the first dry docking of a U.S. Navy warship in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations since the arrival of Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe destroyers and expands forward-deployed maintenance capability and readiness generation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jett Morgan)

Likewise, the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) recently completed a week-long pier-side voyage repair period in Mombasa, Kenya, aboard the destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71), marking the first U.S. Navy ship maintenance availability in Mombasa in recent years. Ross is part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group and had been deployed for six months when it swung by Mombasa.

A rough Ross arriving in Mombasa, 5 September 2026. 260905-N-NO901-1002

A more trim Ross leaving Mombasa, 10 September 2026. 260910-O-N0901-1001

With 350 military and civilian personnel based out of Naples, FDRMC is a globe-trotting group able to roam around 5th and 6th Fleet areas and use friendly ports for short repairs. Such groups will be invaluable in any Pacific war (or continued Middle East war with Bahrain vorboten), and more should be stood up. Pronto.

Speaking of which, Austal USA launched AFDM 15 this summer, the U.S. Navy’s first Auxiliary Floating Dry Dock Medium built in more than 40 years. The dock can service DDGs, CGs, LCSs, & LSDs, etc.

The Navy had 14 such AFDMs during the Cold War, but now AFDM-15 is the only one, with no more on order.

As Salamander says, that is a crime, and at least four should be bought, as a minimum.

The one-of-a-kind Beretta SO10 Kronos: Art that reimagines time

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Beretta is celebrating its 500th anniversary, and this unique piece is amazing.

I give you the SO10 Kronos.

The presser:

Gardone Val Trompia, October 2026 – Beretta and the Italian timepiece maker La Vallée proudly unveil the SO10 Kronos, one of the most groundbreaking one-off creations conceived to celebrate Beretta’s 500th anniversary.

A masterpiece of mechanical engineering, the SO10 Kronos celebrates the passage of time by bringing the artistry of haute horlogerie into the heart of Beretta’s most exclusive shotgun.

The result of years of co-development between La Vallée and Beretta, this one-of-a-kind creation features unprecedented side plates with sapphire-crystal openings that reveal the SO10 action’s intricate inner workings, re-engineered with a newly developed opening system and elevated by refined, watchmaking-inspired finishes.

Carlo Gussalli Beretta, PB Selection Business Development Manager of Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A., has declared: “Gunmaking and watchmaking art share many common elements – the craftsmanship, the mechanical precision, the zero-tolerance approach in every detail, and the strive for innovation even in the smallest component. Among the one-off creations celebrating Beretta’s 500th anniversary, SO10 Kronos stands as the most emblematic piece. Not only for its rarity, but for its meaning: time — the true protagonist of this milestone.”

Massimiliano Quintavalle, CEO of La Vallée, explains the purpose behind SO10 Kronos:

”SO10 Kronos brings together two distinct family-owned Italian traditions that share a common spirit of innovation and an uncompromising respect for craftsmanship. The SO10 Kronos project began from a shared desire to explore what could be achieved when highly specialized mechanical disciplines come together around a single exceptional object. Horology is an art of mechanical thinking. It is an ongoing discovery of how components interact, how structures can be conceived differently, and how engineering and craftsmanship can transform the experience of an object. SO10 Kronos provided an opportunity to apply that thinking in a new context. The result is a singular creation in which each craft remains recognizable while contributing to a common expression of Italian mechanical culture.”

To achieve the extraordinary refinement of SO10 Kronos without compromising structural integrity, we reimagined each side plate as a single monobloc element, meticulously machined from solid high-strength alloy steel. At its heart, a gold trilobe spring secures the mechanism’s pins, replacing conventional screws with an elastic retaining solution inspired by precision watchmaking and capable of withstanding even the most severe shocks. A newly conceived opening mechanism allows both side plates to open effortlessly with a simple twist of the curved safety catch integrated into the crystal, providing an unobstructed view of the meticulously finished components.

The side-plate architecture was designed to integrate a shaped sapphire crystal, revealing the intricate beauty of the action beneath while maintaining the structural characteristics required by the firearm. An innovative mounting system, inspired by traditional gold inlay techniques in fine gunmaking, secures the sapphire crystal. A dedicated groove was machined around the sapphire recess. Gold is then hand-hammered into the groove, acting as a semi-rigid retaining interface that secures the sapphire while allowing the assembly to accommodate the mechanical stresses generated during operation.

Luciano Sasso, Head of R&D at La Vallée, shares the approach that brought the project to life: ”For La Vallée, the project became an opportunity to apply the same principles that govern horological creations: questioning established solutions, engineering every component with purpose, and pursuing an uncompromising level of execution down to the smallest detail. However, the significance of SO10 Kronos lies not only in the individual technical solutions. The finishing received the same attention as the mechanisms of La Vallée’s own horological creations. Hand-defined edges, individually prepared surfaces, and meticulously controlled transitions between finishes achieve an exceptional level of execution. Every surface is adorned with authentic horological finishes, from Geneva stripes to polished bevels, from gold-plated sleeve bearings to delicate straight and radial graining, reflecting the meticulous refinement reserved for the finest timepieces.”

While reimagined as a masterpiece of mechanical art, the SO10 Kronos remains rooted in the uncompromising engineering that defines every SO10. Beneath its refined aesthetics lies a vault-strong architecture designed to withstand the test of time and be passed down from one generation to the next. Its machined receiver, free of castings or welds, a rear longitudinal locking bolt aligned with the hinge pins, two additional locking lugs in the lower receiver, and the renowned trapezoidal barrel locking shoulders work together to deliver the exceptional strength, durability, and longevity that have become hallmarks of the SO10 tradition.

Roberto Savassi, Over and Under Design Manager for Beretta, explained: “If you want to open a glass window on a shotgun, the SO10 is the one: it is an engineering masterpiece itself. But the SO10 mechanism is also the most complex to approach, realize, and revise from both an engineering and a manufacturing standpoint. The millimetric precision needed to create a perfectly functioning shooting mechanism on the detachable sideplates creates a fragile balance when you need to redesign the components with something completely new. We worked closely with La Vallée to transfer some of their timepieces’ technical features and finishing to the Beretta SO10, and we also dared to introduce, for example, completely new lever geometries for disassembly.  And I have to say, this passed all Beretta most difficult tests.”

To balance the visual impact of the remarkable open-worked mechanism, the SO10 Kronos receiver features a refined English-style gold-inlaid border engraving that frames the action with timeless elegance and proportion.  Discreet yet meaningful details elevate the design throughout, from the gold-inlaid 500 Years emblem on the bottom of the receiver to the intricate scroll engravings adorning the locking shoulders, top lever, and safety catch. Faithful to the Beretta SO10 tradition, the shotgun features Grade 5 walnut stock, enhanced by 80 meticulously hand-applied coats of Tru-Oil® to achieve extraordinary depth, luminosity, and tactile richness.

Completing the masterpiece is a bespoke black leather case inspired by the same open-worked philosophy. At its center, a transparent glass panel reveals the shotgun even when the case is closed, transforming it into a display piece. Inside, a classic French-fitted layout in black microfiber, enriched with refined details and elegant accessories, enhances the overall sense of exclusivity while naturally drawing attention to the shotgun’s extraordinary side plates.

About Beretta

Founded in 1526 in Gardone Val Trompia (Italy) by the Beretta Family, who have led the company for 15 generations, Fabbrica d’Armi Pietro Beretta S.p.A. is an international manufacturer of commercial firearms, military weapons, and products for outdoor sports such as hunting, competition, and tactical shooting. Beretta operates worldwide to support enthusiasts, defense, and law enforcement officers, providing them with a complete ecosystem (firearms, clothing, accessories, and services) and featuring the most modern technologies, assembly lines, quality control, and local highly qualified workers, who hand down the Italian tradition of gunsmithing since the Renaissance. All this represents an irreplaceable asset to achieve the degree of accuracy and quality that made Beretta a world-renowned brand.

With more than 50 global subsidiaries, Beretta Holding Group is a world-renowned leader with a distinguished reputation in hunting, sports shooting, and defense & law enforcement, thanks to its wide selection of premium products.

Szabadsag at 70

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A young Hungarian girl, Erika Kornélia Szeles, emerges from a building housing resistance fighters in Budapest, carrying a Mauser, November 1956. Note the knocked-out Soviet ISU-152 heavy self-propelled gun casually in the background. Photo by Danish journalist Vagn Hansen. 

After 11 years under a generally disliked Soviet occupation, a series of quiet events led to a full-blown rebellion in Budapest, with ripples across Hungary, in late October-early November 1956, remembered today in the country as the 1956 Revolution (1956-os forradalom).

At the time, the Soviets only had a two-division Special Corps in the country, along with forward elements of three other divisions, about 20,000-30,000 men depending on the season and the regular annual arrival and departure of conscripts.

In typical Russian style, the pushback was handled poorly and sparked a heavy, armor-led response against the Hungarian populace. The engagements were sharp, with the Soviet Operation Whirlwind (Operation Vikhr) deploying as many as 12 fresh divisions from the Carpathian and Kyiv Military Districts in the USSR, as well as units moved in from neighboring Romania, with upwards of 2,000 tanks and armored vehicles.

By comparison, the Hungarian People’s Army (Magyar Néphadsereg) had approximately 120,000 troops organized into 9 active ground divisions and supporting air components. While its officer corps, with dual command held by Red commissars (known in Hungarian as politikai tiszt, or political officers), was largely paralyzed, many Hungarian troops joined the rebellion, bringing small arms with them.

The cry of “Szabadság” (freedom, liberty) and “Ruszkik, haza!” (“Russians, go home!”) was a common refrain. The Hungarians had fought the Russians in 1812, 1848-49, 1914-18, and 1941-45, the latter including a brutal 50-day Red Army siege of Budapest that killed some 38,000 of its residents, so you can see the historic enmity.

Over the first week of November, the Soviets lost at least 699 killed, 51 missing (or deserted), and 1,980 wounded in Hungary, according to Russian military historian General G. F. Krivosheev.

These losses came primarily in the 8th and 9th districts around the Corvin Passage (Corvin köz) and Móricz Zsigmond körtér along with the Kilian Barracks, where Hungarian freedom fighters used anti-tank tactics and Molotov cocktails in narrow streets to good effect.

Additionally, defecting Hungarian Army units–specifically Colonel Pál Maléter and men of the 1st Hungarian Armored Division–brought formal military anti-tank guns and 76mm field artillery into the city defense. They were joined by members of the irregular National Guards (Nemzetőrség), many of whom had fought the Soviets on the Eastern Front just a decade earlier.

Although the figures are all over the place and the Russians never officially owned up to them, photos from the battle show somewhere around 50 tanks (primarily WWII-era T-34-85s, along with several newer T-54s and a small number of IS-3 heavies) and 60 APCs (mainly BTR-40 and BTR-150), augmented by a few SPGs (ISU-152s and SU-76Ms), destroyed or abandoned to the rebels, with several hundred others damaged.

For NATO intelligence, the appearance of the AKM carbine, BTRs, and T-54s was of keen interest, although there were few assets on the ground to exploit them.

For many in the West, images of destroyed Russian armor were a joy to behold.

The butcher’s bill paid by the rebels was high, with some 3,000 Hungarians killed and over 20,000 wounded. When the smoke cleared, something like 35,000 were arrested and at least 229 executed– including the good Colonel Pál Maléter. Another 1,000 Hungarians were deported to labor camps in the USSR.

Over 200,000 Hungarians (almost 2 percent of the total population) fled the country as refugees, mostly escaping across the Austrian border before it was sealed. Many of these exiles would later show up in the French Foreign Legion and U.S. Army Special Forces, the latter courtesy of the Lodge Act, where their native language skills, deep knowledge of Warsaw Pact geography, and tactical experience fighting Soviet armor were prized.

As for the Soviets after 1956, they kept as many as 100,000 troops and upwards of 27,000 vehicles in Hungary for the rest of the Cold War, typically two tank divisions, two motor rifle divisions, Spetsnaz units, an air army, and a long logistics train across some 100 garrisons. This included another 30,000–40,000 civilian family members and support staff. The message was clear: the Red Army wasn’t going anywhere.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the thawing of East-West relations, Moscow finally began withdrawing to its own borders, and 15 drawn-out months later, the last military transport train left Hungary on 16 June 1991.

Soviet Southern Group of Forces commander, Lt. Gen. Viktor Silov, crossed the border into Ukraine three days later, ending nearly 47 years of unwelcome military presence.

Mosin-Nagant, SKS, and M1 Garand Values in 2026

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Not long ago, a Mosin-Nagant cost under $100. Today, a plain Soviet M91/30 sells for about $300 to $500.

SKS rifles and M1 Garands have climbed too. If you’re thinking of selling or trading in one of these, old price assumptions can cost you. 

Here’s how to tell what you’ve got and what it’s worth, so you don’t do that blind. We’ll also cover what else to know about these rifles before you sell.

Why Mosin, SKS, and Garand Prices Keep Climbing

One big reason is import restrictions. Chinese rifle imports stopped in 1994. The State Department also blocked new imports of Russian-made guns and ammo in 2021.

Surplus Garands have a different problem. The U.S. stopped making them for the military in the 1950s, leaving them frozen in time.

Today, the government sells its surplus Garands to civilians through the Civilian Marksmanship Program, or CMP.  In late 2025, the CMP said its stock of original receivers was nearly exhausted. It’s now restoring old drill rifles to stretch supply a few more years.

So the supply of all three rifles is either fixed or running down. If you own any of them, though, that’s good news for you.

What Milsurp Rifles Are Worth Now

The prices below are as of November 2026. They’re based on completed sales.

Prices move, so check recent sales before you put a number on anything. If you’d rather skip the legwork, a gun collection buyer like Cash for Arms can quote you directly. That works for one rifle or several. 

Mosin-Nagant Value

The M91/30 is the standard Soviet infantry Mosin. In decent shape, it sells for about $300 to $500. Expect a trade-in offer to come in lower. 

Two Mosin variants are worth noticeably more than others. Finnish-built M39s usually sell for about $700 and up, while genuine Soviet sniper rifles with their original PU scopes can top $1,000. Get these checked by a knowledgeable appraiser or expert before you price.

SKS Value

Where an SKS was made matters most for its price. Russian rifles generally get the highest values.

To tell them apart from others, check the top of the receiver cover. On most Russian rifles, it shows a star or a triangle with an arrow inside. Chinese rifles carry Chinese characters instead.

Chinese Norinco SKS rifles are the most common kind in the U.S., with over a million imported commercially. They usually sell for about $350 to $600.

A 22mm rifle grenade launcher on the muzzle means a Yugoslav M59/66. Those usually sell in the mid-$500s. Note that the earlier Yugoslav M59 has no launcher. 

Circa 1950s Russian SKS rifles often bring around $600 and up. Matching numbers push them higher still. That means the receiver’s serial also appears (stamped at the factory) on the cover, bolt, carrier, trigger guard, magazine, and stock. Numbers scratched on with an electric pencil came from a later rebuild, and collectors pay less for those. 

M1 Garand Value

Look at the rear of the receiver, called the heel. It shows the maker and the serial number. The maker in particular can make a big difference in the rifle’s value.

Most Garands were built by Springfield Armory. Those sell for around $1,475.

Winchester-made rifles sell for around $1,625 these days, and International Harvester rifles for around $1,850. H&R rifles sell for around $1,300.

The CMP itself sells rebuilt Garands for $1,150. Most Garands on the open market sell for more.

Note that a World War II date by itself doesn’t add much. Collectors are often more focused on the original, era-correct parts: rifles with those, in superb condition, can go over $3,000.

What Raises a Milsurp Rifle’s Value

Many surplus rifles were rebuilt at an arsenal, often more than once. The CMP says most M1s were rebuilt at least once.

So, mixed parts are normal, and the prices above already reflect them. Here’s what pushes a rifle higher.

  • Original matching numbers. Factory-stamped serials on every numbered part bring a premium.
  • Correct accessories. A period-correct bayonet, sling, or magazine adds value. Sell them with the rifle, not separately.
  • A good bore. A bright bore with sharp rifling matters to shooters and collectors alike.

What Cuts a Milsurp Rifle’s Value

On the other hand, the things below can bring down your rifle’s value.

  • Conversion to a hunting rifle. Cut-down stocks and shortened barrels take away much of the collector value.
  • Holes for a scope mount. Drilling the receiver to mount a scope cuts collector value sharply.
  • Refinishing. New bluing or a sanded stock usually lowers value.
  • Renumbered parts. Parts renumbered later to match the receiver are worth less than original matching ones.

What to Know Before You Sell a Milsurp Rifle

Every price in this article depends on details. Markings, matching numbers, and originality are what buyers pay for. When you sell, your job is to make sure they see them.

This means whoever buys or prices your rifle should know milsurp. To a buyer who doesn’t, an M39 is just another Mosin. You’ll never get what it’s really worth.

Then show them the proof. Photograph every marking, plus the serial on each numbered part. Buyers price milsurp from those details, so a vague “all matching” isn’t enough.

How you sell depends on what matters more: price, speed, or effort. Trading in at a shop is the quickest option, and it’s credit toward your next gun… but expect a lower number than the prices above.

Selling privately can bring more, but it’s the most work. You’ll photograph, list, vet buyers, and arrange the transfer yourself. An auction house can do it for you, for fees. Either way, you usually have a long wait ahead. 

Nearly all these rifles qualify as curios and relics or C&R, by the way. A buyer with a C&R license can receive one straight from another state. Get a copy of that license first, and check your state’s rules.

Or skip all of that. A buyer who knows milsurp, like Cash for Arms, can price your rifle from the photos you’ve taken. They’ll handle the transfer paperwork too. 

Warship Wednesday (on a Thursday) 5 November 2026: The Soldier Queen

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Here at LSOZI, we take a break every Wednesday to explore the old steam/diesel navies from 1833 to 1954, profiling a different ship each week. These ships have a life, a tale all their own, which sometimes takes them to the strangest places.- Christopher Eger.

If you enjoy my always ad-free Warship Wednesday content, you can support it by buying me a cup of joe at https://buymeacoffee.com/lsozi As Henk says: “Warship Coffee – no sugar, just a pinch of salt!”

Warship Wednesday 4 November 2026: The Soldier Queen

By Perkins from Fahey Collections, USNI

Above, we see the Regele Ferdinand-class destroyer (distrugătorul) NMS Regina Maria of the Royal Romanian Navy (Marinei Regale Române) early in her career, likely in the 1930s.

Some 85 years ago this week, the long-lived Maria drew blood, credited with sinking the Soviet Black Sea Fleet Malyutka-class submarine M-58 near the Danube estuary, one of at least 16 Russian boats likely killed by the Romanians during WWII.

Romanian Tin Can Backgrounder

The blue water MMR was one of Europe’s youngest navies in the 1930s, tracing its origins to 1880, when the Danube Flotilla Corps of the recently unified Romanian Principalities acquired the 198-foot Trieste-built gunboat NMS Grivița. Armed with two 57mm Nordenfelt 3-pounders and three smaller pieces, Grivița could make 9 knots and was based in newly Romanian Constanța on the Black Sea, the port ceded along with Northern Dobruja by the Ottoman Empire.

Grivița was later augmented by the very small (1,300 ton, 240-foot, four 5.9-inch guns) protected cruiser Elisabeta, built in 1888 by Armstrong, and a trio of French-built Smeul-class torpedo boats for its newly formed Black Sea Division (Divizia de Mare).

Royal Romanian Protected Cruiser NMS Elisabeta, with a full sailing rig, arrived in Romania for the first time in 1889.

A dozen new Vifor-class destroyers had been ordered from Cantieri Navali Pattison, Naples, prior to the Great War, but only four were completed and, impounded in 1915, were used by the Italians during the war as scout cruisers (esploratori= explorers).

Following the country’s occupation during WWI, the Romanian fleet had contracted but was rebuilt in the early 1920s with seven 250t-class torpedo boats received from Austria as war reparations, the former Vifor-class destroyers/Italian scout cruisers Sparviero and Nibbio (entering service as NMS Mărăști and NMS Mărășești), as well as assorted river monitors and gunboats.

The Mărăști and Mărășești, besides seeing their first five years in Italian service, were small ships, at 1,700 tons with a 310-foot overall length. As they had a speedy 34-knot suite and 5.9-inch guns, as well as two twin 17.7-inch torpedo tubes, the Italians had classed them as scout cruisers. Sisters Vifor/Aquila and Viscol/Falco, were retained by the Italians and passed on to Franco during the Spanish Civil War. For Romanian service, they were rebuilt by Pattison in the 1920s with five 4.7″/45 Schneider-Canet-Armstrongs in lieu of the 5.9s.

Romania still wanted more than two destroyers and once again entered into a contract with Pattison for two more improved Vifor/Mărăști types to be completed at the company’s Naples yard. However, because Pattison had a long relationship with British shipbuilders (the Italian Nembo class built by the yard was a modified Thornycroft design, while the follow-on Indomito and Sella classes used many British components, including Parsons turbines), they instead offered the Romanians something different.

In 1916, Thornycroft developed a 2,000-ton/339-foot/5-gunned/6×21-inch torpedo-tubed/38-knot destroyer leader to compete with designs from other British firms, namely Cammell Laird.

The Royal Navy ordered seven Thornycroft DLs, with HMS Shakespeare as the first of just five completed before the Admiralty chose Cammell Laird’s design.

British flotilla leader HMS Shakespeare at sea, IWM 18680, and drawing by AD Baker

Post-war, Thornycroft took their Shakespeare DL design, beefed up the horsepower of its four Yarrow boilers and two Brown-Curtis turbines to push 40 knots, and offered it to overseas clients.

The Spanish adopted the improved design as their domestically produced Churruca-class destroyer, while Argentina ordered a trio in 1927 as the Mendoza class destroyers, built in England by JS White, Cowes. All three 2,125-ton Mendozas exceeded their design speed during sea trials, with ARM La Rioja (E-4) reaching 39.4 knots on her measured mile without exceeding her engines’ limits.

March 1929 East Cowes, Isle of Wight Argentine destroyer ARA La Rioja Mendoza class

The Thornycroft improved DL design by K.C. Barnaby, as built by Pattison in Naples, was even lighter than the Mendozas (1,880 tons) with a 52,000shp suite of four three-drum Thornycroft boilers pushing two Parsons geared turbines for a designed speed of at least 37 knots.

Rather than the twin guns preferred by the Italians, they would use five advanced Swedish-made Bofors 4.7″/50 Mark 4s with a 45-degree maximum elevation, controlled by a Siemens FCS which included a pair of optical rangefinders.

Romanian Regele Ferdinand-class destroyer in late WWII splinter camo with stern 120mm Bofors swung out

They also carried two triple 21-inch ST tubes of Italian make with accompanying Whitehead fish– the first time torpedoes that big had been used by the Romanians.

Two were ordered in 1927 from Pattison: NMS Regele Ferdinand and Regina Maria, laid down side by side in June and both delivered by September 1930, bringing the MMR to a four-destroyer fleet for the first time. Cost per hull was 205,000 pounds, without armament.

Commissioned without pennant numbers, Regele Ferdinand received an Ace of Cups (Asul de Cupa) hull identifier symbol, while Regina Maria received an Ace of Spades (Asul de pica). This made a set with Mărăşeşti (Ace of Clubs) and Mărăşti (Ace of Chariots).

As the old cruiser Elisabeta was scrapped in the 1930s, these four ships formed the Romanian battle line.

Jane’s 1929, with the MMR’s four destroyers listed, the new Ferdinands over the older Vifor/Mărăștis.

This all brings us to…

Meet Regina Maria

Our subject was named for Marie of Romania, née Princess Marie of Edinburgh, the Kent-born bride of the late King Ferdinand I (whose name the class leader carried).

The ceremonial colonel of the 4th Roșiori Cavalry Regiment, Marie volunteered as a nurse in military hospitals during the Great War and opposed signing the May 1918 Treaty of Bucharest with the Germans and Austrians, earning her the description “truly the only man in Romania.” Post-war, she championed Greater Romania’s interests at the Paris Conferences, waving her ministers aside and leading negotiations herself; the country’s size doubled with the acquisition of Transylvania from defeated Hungary without plebiscites, although the region was only about 55 percent ethnically Romanian. This led to her being called “The Soldier Queen.”

Both destroyers arrived at Constanța on 7 September 1930, where King Carol II (son of the destroyers’ namesakes) and Prime Minister Iorga inspected them.

Handsome ships, they often went overseas during their decade of pre-war service to show the flag.

In that vein, Maria represented Romania as one of 17 nations sending ships to join 134 Royal Navy vessels in the May 1937 Spithead Fleet Review off the coast of Portsmouth to celebrate the coronation of King George V.

Romanian destroyer Regina Maria Coronation Fleet Review for King George VI, May 1937

In January 1938, she attempted to carry Crown Prince (later King) Michael to Greece to attend a royal wedding there. On the way to the event, the ship was caught in a maelstrom and forced to return to port.

Maria also sailed in the International Squadron with the British battlewagon HMS Malaya, French cruiser Emil Bertin, Kriegsmarine cruiser Emden, Soviet destroyer leader Moskva, and Greek destroyer Hydra, following the Turkish Navy Destroyer TCG Zafer and battlecruiser Yavuz to carry the coffin of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk the 60 short miles from Sarayburnu Port in Istanbul to Izmit in November 1938.

By 1939, with war on the horizon, in a refit at the Galaţi shipyard, they picked up two Italian depth charge throwers, two German 37mm SK C/30 flak guns, and a pair of French 13.2mm M1929 Hotchkiss machine guns, the latter AAA guns replacing two original 40/67 Škoda guns.

Going into 1940, the MMR had 15,113 all ranks including 1,002 officers, 780 warrant officers (maiștri militari=military foremen), 257 NCOs and 13,074 enlisted. Besides the Black Sea Division and Danube Flotilla, the force had eight coastal artillery batteries and three Marine Infantry (Infanterie Marină) battalions numbered 15th-17th.

War!

In the summer of 1940, Stalin occupied Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina in a sharp, undeclared war led by Gen. Georgy Zhukov’s 460,000-man Southern Front, which left 40,000 unprepared Romanian troops captured while inflicting only about 100 casualties on the Russians. The region, of which only about 10 percent of its 3 million inhabitants were Russians, was carved away while Hungary and Bulgaria also pressed territorial claims on Romania. Germany and Italy arbitrated, and Romania lost Northern Transylvania and Southern Dobruja to Hungary and Bulgaria, respectively.

Hurting, Romania joined the Tripartite Pact with Germany, Italy and Japan in November 1940, with Marshal Ion Antonescu in control of the government.

Fully mobilized, the Romanian Third and Fourth Armies were on the front lines to liberate Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina when Romania entered WWII on the Axis side in June 1941 with the Operation Barbarossa invasion of the Soviet Union.

In response, the much stronger Black Sea Red Banner Fleet soon went on the offensive and raided the MMR’s principal base at Constanza.

Soviet VADM Filipp Oktyabrskiy in the cruiser Voroshilov, with the destroyers Moskva, Kharkov, Bodry, and Dzerzhinsky, began bombarding Constanza at 0400 on the morning of 26 June, on Barbarossa +5, firing 350 shells. In response, the Romanian destroyers Mărăști and Regina Maria and German-manned coastal artillery (three 11-inch SK L/45 Great War-era guns from Nassau-class battlewagons) returned fire while a poorly timed Soviet bomber raid, flying right into the already aroused defenders in broad daylight, was met by Axis fighters and AAA guns, which shot down multiple Soviet aircraft.

When the smoke cleared, Moskva, which had her mainmast brought down by a Romanian 4.7-inch shell, had blundered into a Romanian minefield and sank with 268 sailors killed and 69 survivors captured by the locals. Voroshilov and Kharkov limped off, damaged by a mine and Axis shells, respectively. The raid was an Axis victory by all accounts, with only minor damage done to the port.

Convoys and sub-busting

As the ground war went bad for the Soviets in the summer and fall of 1941, the Romanian fleet left its mine- and gun-protected citadel and began probing toward Odessa, eventually protecting convoys headed to the occupied Russian ports along the Northwest Black Sea coast as well as convoys from the Bosporus to Constanța, safeguarding them from Soviet submarine attack.

It was on such runs that MMR surface ships splashed four M-class boats via depth charges:

  • M-31 by Mărășești on 7 July 1943.
  • M-58 by Regina Maria on 4 November 1941.
  • M-59 by Regele Ferdinand on 17 December 1941
  • M-118 by the Romanian minesweepers Sublocotenant Ghiculescu and Locotenant-Commandor Stihi Eugen on 1 October 1942. Ghiculescu also sank the Leninets-class submarine L-6 in April 1944.

At least three other M-class boats (M-33, M-34, and M-60) went missing, thought to have been lost probing Romanian coastal minefields.

As you can probably tell, the 200-ton Malyutkas (Russian for “baby, little one”) had a rough war, with 34 of their 109-strong class lost between the Arctic, Baltic, Black, and Pacific fleets.

Of note, the “three kings,” the Romanian minelayers NMS Amiral Murgescu, Regele Carol I, and Aurora, would lay fields that also accounted for the Soviet subs S-34, Shch-211, Shch-210, Shch-208, Shch-212, Shch-213, and L-24.

Multiple sources also disagree on how and when the accumulated Soviet subs vanished in the Black Sea in WWII, so there is that.

By early 1944, both Ferdinand and Maria would land their No. 2 4.7-inch Bofors in favor of a German 88mm/42 SK C/30 Flak gun. They would also be fitted with four German 20/65 C/38 Flak guns and an S-Gerat sonar suite.

They also got large recognition flashes and a splinter camo scheme.

Romanian destroyer Regina Maria in dry dock. Note the Ace of Spades and new splinter camo

Royal Romanian Navy destroyer NMS Regina Maria mounting German 88 in 2nd mount

Romanian Dunkirk

When the tide turned on Barbarossa (the Romanians suffered 180,000 casualties at Stalingrad), the Romanian Navy had its own Dunkirk: “Operation 60,000,” the evacuation of Crimea, which pulled out men from the trapped Romanian Mountain Corps and the Wehrmacht’s 17th Army.

Between 14 and 24 April 1944, the Romanians ran 25 convoys out of the peninsula, bringing out 72,358 souls in the path of the Red Army, including 29,494 Germans, 20,779 Romanians, 15,055 Russian volunteers, 723 Slovaks, 2,559 Soviet POWs, and 3,748 civilians.

Regina Maria off Sevastopol, 1944 via Preston

Romanian destroyer Regele Ferdinand

A second round of evacuations, between 9 and 13 May 1944, saw another 47,825 evacuated (28,992 Germans including Gen. Walter Hartmann, 15,078 Romanians, 336 Russian volunteers, 52 prisoners, and 3,367 civilians).

In all, the Crimean withdrawal saw the Romanians bring out 108,000 Axis soldiers– 16,000 of whom were wounded– along with 2,611 prisoners, 7,115 civilians, and 22,548 tons of vital war materials and munitions.

A mix of exhausted faces on Regele Ferdinand during Operation 60,000, the evacuation of the Crimea. You can note Romanian sailors in their jumpers along with beret-clad Vânători de munte mountain troops. Torpedo tubes in the background. Of interest, the 35,000 Romanian mountain troops pulled out of Crimea later provided admirable service to the Soviets, notably in the Tatra Mountains, once Romanian switched sides late in the war.

Running the gauntlet from the Crimea to Constanza in the face of the Red Air Force and Navy cost eight lost freighters, a tanker, and a dozen smaller tugs and lighters.

While the Romanians shot down at least 12 Soviet bombers, others found their marks, and Ferdinand was struck by a large bomb that, while it did not explode, caused enough damage to knock her out of the war.

Red Banner Days

By August 1944, amid the ongoing collapse and the withdrawal of the Romanian Third Army from Bessarabia into the Constanza area, King Michael I led a coup on 23 August that arrested Marshal Antonescu and led Romania to immediately switch sides, join the Allies, and declare war on Germany.

In Constanza, RADM Horia Macellariu (who earned a German Knight’s Cross for Operation 60,000) still amazingly had all four of his pre-war destroyers, but only two were serviceable (our Regina Maria and Marasesti). Meeting with German VADM Helmuth Brinkmann, who had orders to hold Constanța at all costs, agreed to let the Germans in harbor quietly on the night of 25/26 August, with 70 packed vessels shipping south to Bulgaria before dawn.

After that, Georgescu ordered his men to disarm and seize the local German-operated shipping in Romanian coastal waters and up the Danube.

While 60 ships were scuttled, 538 German-Bulgarian vessels, mostly minor, were captured and subsequently passed on to the advancing Red Army and Navy, which arrived at Constanza with a 26-ship battleship-led task force on 5 September. This windfall included 213 barges, 90 coastal tankers, 25 pontoons, 22 tugboats, 20 sloops, 14 motor barges, and many similar vessels.

Speaking of the Red Navy, while they were taking away every captured Axis barge and pontoon the Romanians offered, they also impounded every MMR vessel that could float and moved them across the Black Sea to Caucasian ports.

The takeover of Regina Maria by Soviet Naval Infantry was brutal, with the ship’s skipper, Captain Tudor Nicolae, seriously wounded by several bayonet strikes and rifle blows. The head of the Romanian destroyer group, Căpitan-comandorul Alexandru Dumbravă, blew his head in with a revolver in Maria’s command cabin rather than surrender his vessels.

At 0600 on 12 October 1944, the Romanian Navy noted that the NMS Mărășești, Regina Maria, Mărăști, Regele Ferdinand, Amiral Murgescu, the base ship Constanța, the submarine Rechinul, and three gunboats left the port southward under Soviet control, in an unknown direction.

The older Mărăști and Mărășești, Great War veterans, served in the Red Navy as Lovkiy and Lyogkiy, respectively, until they were returned with most of the other Romanian ships in October 1945, along with two gunboats, two very old torpedo boats, a small submarine, and two hydrographic vessels.

They soon dropped their prefix NMS (Nava Majestății Sale= His/Her Majesty’s Ship) as the fleet was rebranded as the more communist-oriented Marina Republicii Populare Române (Navy of the Romanian People’s Republic).

Ferdinand, repaired in the Soviet Union and painted green, was recommissioned as Likhoy, while Regina Maria became Letuchiy. They continued to serve in the Soviet Black Sea Fleet until July 1951.

Regele Ferdinand as Soviet Likhoy

Romanian Regina Maria as Soviet Letuchiy

Back Home, under a Red Star

Returned as a “donation” to Romania, part of the Warsaw Pact after 1955, Ferdinand and Maria lost their regal names but earned new pennant numbers: first D1 and D2, then D9 and D10.

They likewise served in the outlandishly designated 418th Destroyer Division, which was rebadged as the 101st.

Janes 1954, with Ferdinand and Maria still the best ships in the Romanian fleet. Note Marasti and Marasesti, veterans of two world wars and four flags, are still in service as well!

The same quartet remained in the 1960s. The Romanians at the time still had two of the old Imperial Austrian Navy 250-ton torpedo boats in service, Sborul (ex-SMS T 81F) and Smeul (ex-SMS T 83F), dating to 1913 and given as reparations in 1920.

Having served 30 very hard years, and cut off from support for their Western machinery and weapons, it was only a matter of time before the twins were non-functional. The same could be said for the even older Marasti and Marasesti.

Starting in 1955, as a benefit of being in the co-prosperity sphere, the Romanians took over three Soviet-built Project 122bis and later three Project 204E subchasers. Light ships at some 325 and 500 tons, respectively, they were nonetheless better than the old Italian-built tin cans and ideal for confined Black Sea waters.

With that, the baton was passed.

Ferdinand and Maria, along with Marasti and Marasesti, were stricken in April 1961 and scrapped. Assorted relics from all four of the historic ships were saved, including apparently one set of torpedo tubes from Maria, and are in the collection of the Romanian National Muzeul Marinei.

Epilogue

By the 1980s, the Romanian Navy had moved away from Soviet-built ships and produced six Project Tetal I/II-type Bărbuneanu/Sebastian-class frigates.

Once the Cold War thawed, the Romanian Navy, now the Forțele Navale Române, once again looked west, to an English design.

In 2004, they acquired a pair of surplus British frigates of the Type 22 (Broadsword) class, ex HMS Coventry and ex HMS London. They were duly commissioned in Portsmouth in September 2005 as Regele Ferdinand (F 221) and Regina Maria (F 222), the first time those names had been on the Romanian naval list in 61 years.

Both Regele Ferdinand (F 221) and Regina Maria (F 222) continue in service today.

Some things are cyclical.

Thanks for reading!

Meminisse est ad Vivificandum – To Remember is to Keep Alive

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