Did Romania consider building a larger navy?

[Christian W.]

When you think of all the resources Romania had, four destroyers plus minor warships seems small. I belive that Romania would have been in position built a larger navy.

[Victor]

Throughout the inter-war period there were a couple of plans drawn up, which were only partially completed, due to lack of funds. The Navy was the Cinderella of the armed forces and it didn't get as much as it requested. Amongh the ships that should have existed were a light cruiser and 4 large destroyers.

There was also the idea that Romania did not need a much larger fleet, because it could not hope to compete with the ChF and Bulgaria had a tiny navy.

Throughout the war, the existing forces proved to be enough for coastal defence in cooperation with artillery and mines. More submarines would have been a good addition, but their construction at Galati took a while and were only available in 1944.

[Christian W.]

light cruiser and 4 large destroyers.

Do you have these ships technical information?

[dragos03]

The program of 1937/1939 provided for a light cruiser of 5000t, 4 destroyers of 1300-1500t, 3 submarines, 4 minelayers, 9 MTBs and other ships.

Of these, only 1 minelayer (Amiral Murgescu), 2 submarines (Rechinul, Marsuinul) and 3 MTBs were actually built.

There were various other fleet development plans between 1899-1937. For example, the 1899 program provided for 6 coastal battleships, among other ships.

I think the Romanian Danube Fleet was always considered more important than the Black Sea one. The Danube Fleet had 7 monitors and a number of torpedo boats and was the most powerful river fleet in the world.

[Mita2002]

I might be too late, but Romania, during the 30s, was looking for a flagship which would represent its ambitions, and provide some prestige. The Romanian economy was not big enough to afford a masive naval rearmament scheme, so the navy decided to buy a single ship that would become the crown jewel of the Romanian Navy, yet not as expensive as a normal battleship. Because of that, the navy officials wanted a ship similar to the German Deutchland class Pocket Battleship. The design was handled by the Italians from whom Romania had already bought several destroyers and a submarine. The Italian company Ansaldo presented Project 102 which would have been of a similar size to the German Deutchland class but with Swedish-built guns. Although the project was impressive, this was an expensive ship and Romania hesitated. This would have been the Mihai Viteazul class Pocket battleship. The project was cancelled in 1939, when WW2 started.

Mita2002

[Ironmachine]

[...] the Romanians attempted to spend their oil revenues on a modest fleet construction program in the 1930s. Italian shipyards presented them with a number of very interesting proposals, and we have these present. The Ansaldo combine's U90 project was a variation on the German "pocket battleship" concept, with six 10-inch (254mm) guns in a pair of triple turrets on the hull of a Duca degli Abruzzi class light cruiser. As the design developed, the hull had to be enlarged to carry such a powerful main armament and the ship would have displaced about 10,000 tons had she been built. OTO offered a much smaller ship with their U102 project, a light cruiser with six six-inch guns mounted forward in the same turrets used in the Littorio class battleships with the aft deck kept clear to handle seaplanes a concept very similar to the Japanese Oyodo drafted about a year later. Neither of these cruiser programs, nor the attempt to add a second division of four destroyers to the fleet, would come to fruition

http://www.avalanchepress.com/BS_Toys.php


Technical data and drawings for the two designs can be seen here: https://forum.worldofwarships.eu/topic/ ... rogrammes/

[Herculaneum]

http://www.worldwar2.ro/organizare/?article=25
On 22 June 1941, there were 23 warships in the Sea Naval Force based in Black Sea.

the Destroyer Squadron: 4 ships
the Gunboat Section: 3 ships
the Corvette Section: 3 ships
the Mine-laying Section: 5 ships
the Submarine and Torpedo Boats Group: 1+3 ships

Further information about the Romanian navy in ww2 is accessible through the link in above.