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Smârdan-class River Monitor: Romania’s Floating Tank
History:
The Smârdan-class river monitor has its roots in earlier Romanian riverine craft, with the overall concepts dating back to 1860. Following the Second World War, Romania continued to maintain its Danube River Fleet of armored boats despite much of their previous equipment having been taken by the USSR. However, as time went on, Romania became more and more independent, building their own ships to replace the Soviet hand-me-downs they had been using previously. In 1986, a class of ships was laid down, representing a massive leap forward for the Danube Fleet. This class, initially dubbed the Grivita-class, evolved over the next two years to become the Smârdan-class, with the lines between the two classes being, at least by the research I’ve been able to do, somewhat blurry. Despite this, NATO gave them two distinct classifications, though they are delineated as being in the same family. The Grivita-class was known as the Brutar-I while the updated Smârdan-class is known as Brutar-II. The two classes were so closely connected that two ships initially meant for the Grivita-class were upgraded during construction to join the Smârdan-class. This resulted in the Smârdan-class consisting of six ships, two of which were laid down before the namesake ship. These six ships were Rahova, Opanez, Smârdan, Posada, and Rovine, with the first two coming from the Grivita-class.
By 1993 all ships had been commissioned and put into service, becoming the most powerful armored monitors on the Danube, once again cementing Romania’s power in the region. They serve with the 67th Gunboats Divizion “Comandor Virgil Alexandru Dragalina”, one of the two main components of the Danube Flotilla. They remain in service to this day, despite having been succeeded by the larger Mihail Kogălniceanu-class monitors. Following Romania’s entrance into NATO, they have participated in numerous exercises in the region with other NATO powers.
Description:
The Smârdan-class is an impressively large monitor when compared to the other vessels in the Romanian Danube Flotilla at the time, only surpassed by the succeeding Mihail Kogălniceanu-class. With a length of 50.7m (166 ft 4 in), a width of 8m (26 ft 3 in), and a draft of 1.5m (4 ft 11 in), the Smârdan-class follows the usual wide and flat design, making it ideal for use in extremely shallow water and enhancing its overall stability. It features a centrally-mounted wheelhouse at the front surrounded by ample deck space, allowing marines and naval infantry to hitch a ride when needed.
The class is powered by three 1200 hp Doosan marine diesel engines, each driving a propeller shaft. The combined 3,600 hp output allows for a top speed of around 16 kts (18 mph, 29.6 km/h). The displacement varies depending on the source, but I have seen numbers between 322-410 tons. This likely also varies with load.
The Smârdan-class is heavily armored, though I could not find exact values. Given that several components are taken from or influenced by armored vehicles, it is undeniable that this is a well-protected vessel. Armor covers every weapon mount, the central pilot house, and most internal components.
When it comes to the weaponry featured on the Smârdan, the list is long and varied. It is a true floating arsenal, featuring weapons for engaging any type of threat. Its main cannon is the 100mm A430, a naval version of the M1977 anti-tank gun. It uses the Soviet 100x695mm rimmed cartridge, meaning it can share ammunition with the BS-3 field gun and D-10 tank gun, along with their variants and offshoots. Domestic ammunition also exists and, thanks to being based on an AT gun, it has the ability to theoretically fire APFSDS rounds, though their effectiveness against ships is dubious. This gun is placed in an armored turret at the front, somewhat resembling a turret out of the T-54/55 extended family, albeit with distinctive welded angles as opposed to smooth cast curves.
On either side of the main turret sit two BPU-1 turrets. This is a modular turret which can be found on numerous light armored vehicles in the Eastern Bloc, including the Romanian TAB-77 APC. Each turret carries a 14.5mm KPVT and a coaxial 7.62mm PKT, providing both medium and short-range defensive fire. The elevation angles also allow for interception of aircraft, though the Smârdan has other weapons for that purpose. On either side of the wheelhouse are two MR4N quadruple 14.5mm KPV mounts. Similar to the Soviet ZPU-4, these Romanian AA emplacements feature an armored bathtub surrounding the gun, protecting the crew from shell fragments and small arms fire. The top is open, however, meaning strafing runs from airplanes are still a concern. For longer-range anti-aircraft defense, a twin-barrel 30mm M1980/88 anti-aircraft gun sits at the rear. With a maximum firerate of 500 RPM, a maximum range of 3.5 km, and a muzzle velocity of 1050 m/s, this is a highly effective weapon against aircraft while also protecting the rear arc from enemy ships.
There is one more weapon found on the Smârdan-class, though it is retracted when not in use. Mounted side-by-side amidships between the pilot house and the M1980/88 AA gun are two retractable 40-tube 122mm BM-21 Grad rocket launchers. These are elevated to provide rocket artillery cover for naval landings or other coastal operations. There are some obstructions to their firing arcs due to them being mounted side by side, but each one can cover its respective 180 degree arc to the side and, with the right angle, sometimes they can both aim in the same direction.
Specifications:
Spoiler
General Specifications:
Displacement: 370 tons
Length: 50.7m
Beam: 8m
Draft: 1.5m
Armor: Unknown, but likely quite heavy and comprehensive
Engines: 3x 1200 hp Doosan diesel engines (3,600 total hp), 3 shafts
Speed: 16 kts (18 mph)
Complement: 47
Armament:
Primary: 1x 100mm A430 Cannon
Secondary/anti-air: 1x2 30mm M1980/88 twin-barrel anti-aircraft gun, 2x4 14.5mm MR4N quadruple heavy machine gun mounts, 2x BPU-1 turrets (1x 14.5mm KPVT and 1x 7.62mm PKT each)
Additional Weapons: 2x Retractable 40-tube BM-21 Grad MLRS
Gallery:
If there is anything I have missed or gotten incorrect, please let me know! I hope you enjoyed reading this, and I hope you will also check out my other suggestions! Thanks, and have a great day.
Sources:
Spoiler
https://www.navypedia.org/ships/romania/ro_of_vb95.htm
Romanian Navy – River Monitors and Gunboats – The Searchers
https://www.blindbatnews.com/2021/01/river-gun-boat-romania/78576
https://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/europe/romania.htm
https://www.navy.ro/despre/organizare/sectia2_div67.php
Smârdan-class river monitor - Wikipedia