| Battle of the Dalmatian Channels | |||||||
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| Part of theCroatian War of Independence | |||||||
A location map of the central Dalmatia, and location of the area shown on the map of Croatia (inset, red) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Croatia |  Yugoslavia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Sveto Letica |  Nikola Ercegović Ilija Brčič | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Croatian Navy | Yugoslav Navy | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Coastal artillery Naval commandos | 2 frigates 6–7 missile boats 2 torpedo boats 4 patrol boats 3 minesweepers | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 killed | 22 killed 1 patrol boat captured 2 minesweepers sunk 1 frigate damaged 1 missile boat damaged 1 torpedo boat damaged 1 minesweeper damaged 2 aircraft destroyed | ||||||
| 2 civilians killed 9 civilians wounded 2 civilianferries damaged | |||||||
TheBattle of the Dalmatian Channels was a three-day confrontation between three tactical groups ofYugoslav Navy ships andcoastal artillery, and a detachment of naval commandos of theCroatian Navy fought on 14–16 November 1991 during theCroatian War of Independence. On 14 November, the commandos torpedoed the Mirna-class patrol boatPČ-176Mukos close to the island ofBrač in theSplit Channel of theAdriatic Sea, prompting a Yugoslav naval bombardment of Brač andŠolta Island the same day. The driftingMukos was salvaged by Croatian civilian boats and beached atNečujam bay.
The next day, a group of Yugoslav Navy vessels, organised into the Kaštela tactical group (TG), deployed to the Split Channel, and bombarded the city ofSplit in retaliation for the loss ofMukos. In return, Croatian coastal artillery engaged the Kaštela TG. To draw off some of the artillery fire, the Yugoslav Navy deployed another group of vessels from the island ofVis, organised as the Vis TG, south of Šolta, where it was engaged by more Croatian artillery. The Kaštela TG retreated east and joined with the Ploče TG, consisting of threeminesweepers.
On 16 November, the combined Yugoslav force sailed through the Korčula Channel—a strait separating the islands ofHvar andKorčula—to reach safety at the Yugoslav Navy base at Vis. The warships were then engaged by Croatian coastal artillery deployed on Korčula and thePelješac Peninsula, losing two minesweepers to the artillery fire in the process.
The battle marked the last deployment of the Yugoslav Navy into one of the Dalmatian channels, the loosening of the naval blockade of the Croatian coast imposed in September, and the largest Croatian Navy operation in the war. The Croatian Navy later towed the groundedMukos toŠibenik, repaired the vessel and put her into service as OB-62Šolta. During the battle, 22 Yugoslav Navy crewmen, two Croatian gunners and two civilian sailors in Split were killed. Thirty-three Yugoslav officers were charged in relation to the naval bombardment by Croatian authorities.
In 1990, following theelectoral defeat of the government of theSocialist Republic of Croatia, ethnic tensions increased. TheYugoslav People's Army (Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija – JNA) confiscated Croatia'sTerritorial Defence Forces' (Teritorijalna obrana – TO) weapons to minimize resistance.[1] On 17 August, the tensions escalated into anopen revolt byCroatian Serbs,[2] centred on the predominantly Serb-populated areas of theDalmatian hinterland around Knin,[3] and parts ofLika,Kordun,Banovina, andeastern Croatia.[4] This was followed by two unsuccessful attempts by Serbia, supported byMontenegro and Serbia's provinces ofVojvodina andKosovo, to obtain theYugoslav Presidency's approval for a JNA operation to disarm Croatian security forces in January 1991.[5]
After a bloodless skirmish between Serb insurgents andCroatian special police in March,[6] the JNA, supported by Serbia and its allies, asked the federal presidency to give it wartime authorities and to declare a state of emergency. The request was denied on 15 March and the JNA came under the control of Serbian president,Slobodan Milošević. Preferring a campaign to expand Serbia rather than to preserve Yugoslavia, Milošević publicly threatened to replace the JNA with a Serbian army and declared that he no longer recognized the authority of the federal presidency.[7] By the end of March, the conflict had escalated into theCroatian War of Independence.[8] The JNA intervened; they increasingly supported the Croatian Serb insurgents and preventedCroatian police from intervening.[7] In early April, the leaders of the Croatian Serb revolt declared their intention to integrate the area under their control, known asSAO Krajina, with Serbia. Thegovernment of Croatia viewed this declaration as an attempt to secede.[9]
In May 1991, the Croatian government responded by forming theCroatian National Guard (Zbor narodne garde – ZNG),[10] but its development was hampered by aUnited Nations (UN)arms embargo and the Yugoslav Navy's blockade of the Adriatic coast, both of which were introduced in September.[11][12] Following theBattle of the Barracks, the ZNG acquired a significant stock of weapons and ammunition,[13] including 34 Yugoslav Navy vessels moored inŠibenik.[14] Croatian forces usingnaval mines deployed inKaštela Bay rendered the Yugoslav Navy base atLora in Split inaccessible.[15] On 8 October,Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia,[16] and a month later the Croatian National Guard was renamed theCroatian Army (Hrvatska vojska – HV).[10] Late 1991 saw the fiercest fighting of the war; the1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia culminated in theSiege of Dubrovnik[17] and theBattle of Vukovar.[18]
During the first days of November, the Yugoslav Navy stopped theLibertas convoy twice for inspection between the islands ofBrač andKorčula as it enforced the blockade. The convoy of 40 small boats led by the ferrySlavija was on its way to resupplyDubrovnik and retrieve refugees from the besieged city.[19] On 11 November, the Maltese-flagged coasterEuroriver, manned by a Croatian crew, was sunk by gunfire offŠolta Island.[20]
Despite the capture of the Yugoslav Navy vessels in September, Croatia's coastal defences relied on captured coastal artillery on the mainland andthe nearby islands.[21] In central Dalmatia, these included three batteries on the mainland between Šibenik and Split, 90-millimetre (3.5 in) guns onŽirje Island, a 100-millimetre (3.9 in) battery nearZečevo and 88-millimetre (3.5 in) guns on Smokvica Island nearPrimošten. Four coastal artillery batteries on islands off Split—the 88-millimetre Marinča Rat on the island of Šolta, the 85-millimetre (3.3 in) Ražanj battery on the island of Brač, and the 88-millimetre battery Ražnjić and the 85-millimetre battery Privala on the island of Korčula—were captured. Some of the guns captured on Žirje and Šolta were removed and used to set up additional coastal artillery batteries at Kašjuni and Duilovo in Split.[14] Additional batteries were set up inLovište at the tip of thePelješac Peninsula,[22] and in Blace and Črna Luka on Korčula on the coast north ofSmokvica andVela Luka.[23] The battery deployed to Črna Luka contained 76-millimetre (3.0 in)M1942 (ZiS-3) guns. A naval commando detachment from the Croatian Navy was deployed to the western Brač. The coastal artillery was subordinated to theCroatian Navy and commanded by AdmiralSveto Letica.[22]
The Yugoslav Navy deployed three tactical groups (TGs) named Kaštela, Vis and Ploče off the coast of central Dalmatia from its bases on the islands ofVis andLastovo. The Kaštela TG was deployed to the sea off Split and north of the islands of Šolta and Brač. It consisted ofKoni-class frigateVPBR-31Split,Končar-class fast attack craft RTOP-401Rade Končar and RTOP-403Ramiz Sadiku,Osa-class missile boat RČ-306Nikola Martinović,Shershen-class torpedo boats TČ-220Crvena zvezda and TČ-224Pionir II and twoMirna-class patrol boats, includingPČ-176Mukos.[22] Kaštela TG may have also included an additional Osa-class missile boat.[24] The Ploče TG, deployed to the sea between the mainland and Brač to the east of the Kaštela TG, consisted of threeminesweepers: ML-143Iž, ML-144Olib and ML-153Blitvenica. The Vis TG was deployed off the western tip of the island ofHvar.[22] It consisted of aKotor-class frigate VPBR-34Pula commanded by Captain Ilija Brčić,[25] oneKončar-class fast attack craft, two Osa-missile boats and two Mirna-class patrol craft.[26] The Yugoslav Navy fleet was under overall command of Rear AdmiralNikola Ercegović.[27]
On 14 November at 5:34 p.m., the Croatian naval commandos attackedMukos off Brač using a torpedo fired from the island.[28] Her crew reported an explosion in the bow of the ship and requested assistance from the Kaštela TG because she started to sink. The Kaštela TG dispatchedPionir II, which reachedMukos shortly afterwards and had transferred the crew of the damaged vessel by 6:10 p.m.Mukos was left to drift towards Šolta with her bow fully submerged and containing the bodies of three dead crew members. For nearly the entire night, the Kaštela TG directed gunfire against theMilna andStomorska areas of Šolta to draw fire from Croatian coastal artillery. However, the coastal artillery deployed in the targeted areas did not return fire. Additional Yugoslav vessels sortied from Vis but returned to their base before the morning without transiting theSplit Entrance—the strait between the islands of Brač and Šolta. By that time, the naval gunfire also died down. The Ploče TG remained in their assigned area of patrol.[22]
On 15 November at 6:42 a.m., the Kaštela TG commenced a naval bombardment of targets in Split and on the islands of Brač and Šolta. The order was issued aboard VPBR-31Split and the JNA Maritime Military Sector command and JNA bases in Split were advised of the attack. The JNA based in Split did not join the bombardment.[22] Letica notified the JNA Maritime Military Sector commanding officer Major GeneralNikola Mladenić[29] of the attack, but Mladenić said he could not control the situation because his headquarters was denied a supply of electricity. TheEuropean Community Monitor Mission (ECMM) was also notified; they promised to make efforts to stop the bombardment. Shortly after, Letica ordered the coastal artillery to commence fire against the Kaštela TG. Besides several near-misses, the coastal artillery fire scored a direct hit against VPBR-31Split,[22] that was attributed to the Marinča Rat-based battery on Šolta.[30] Croatian sources said Mladenić ordered the bombardment in retribution for the loss ofMukos.[31]
In response to the difficult position of the Yugoslav Navy vessels north of Šolta and Brač, the Vis TG led byPula sailed north from the island of Vis to draw some of the artillery fire away from the Kaštela TG. As the ships approached the Split Entrance, they made a radar contact sailing away from Split towards open sea at a high speed.Pula, attempting to enforce the blockade imposed in September, requested the vessel by radio to stop for an inspection. The vessel failed to respond andPula fired several shots in front of it before Brčić noticed that it was ahydrofoil carrying an ECMM team and flying theflag of Europe. He abandoned the pursuit and proceeded to Šolta.[25]
The Vis TG came under fire from the coastal artillery when it arrived within 7 to 8 nautical miles (13 to 15 kilometres; 8.1 to 9.2 miles) of Šolta. In response to the incoming fire,Pula fired her 76-millimetre (3.0 in) bow-mounted gun against targets on Brač and Šolta. Croatian sources said that approximately 800 rounds were fired indiscriminately, striking civilian targets, while Brčić said the TG under his command acted only against artillery located outside residential areas.Pula also fired four salvos ofdepth charges using herRBU-6000 rocket launcher while the land was outside its range to draw greater attention from the artillery gunners.[25]
The Kaštela TG started to withdraw east at approximately 8:00 a.m., fearing the shortest available route to Vis might be mined in the area of Split Entrance. It reached the eastern tip of Brač by 8:30 a.m. At 9:28 a.m., threeYugoslav Air ForceJ-21 Jastrebs flew low over Brač and Šolta; minutes later, two were reportedly shot down byanti-aircraft artillery.[22] Six Yugoslav jets were sortied against targets on Brač and Šolta.[25] Following the naval action that morning, Croatian civilian boats from Šolta towed the partially submergedMukos toNečujam Bay and ran it aground there. In the afternoon, the Kaštela TG and the Ploče TG linked up east of the island of Hvar.[22]
On 16 November at 11:00 a.m., the Kaštela and Ploče TGs started to assemble at the eastern end of the Korčula Channel, which separates the islands of Hvar and Korčula just north of Cape Lovište at the westernmost tip of the Pelješac Peninsula. The relatively slow minesweepersIž andOlib, which belonged to the Ploče TG, were hit in the bow and the engine room respectively, by the 76-millimetre (3.0 in) guns at Lovište. To assist the minesweepers,Split turned around to engage the artillery at Cape Lovište while the minesweepers sailed north closer to the Hvar shore in increasingly thick fog.[22] The Croatian guns at Lovište also scored hits on the missile boat RČ-306 and the torpedo boat TČ-224.[32]
At 3:30 p.m., the Kaštela TG turned around once more to attack Cape Lovište, but were engaged by nearby coastal artillery located on Korčula.Blitvenica was damaged in the shooting and the entire naval force moved north-west towardsŠćedro Island.[22]Iž sustained heavy damage and ran aground in Torac Bay off Hvar, and was abandoned.Olib sank between Pelješac and Hvar.[33] Her crew were rescued by the remaining vessels in the group. At 7:00 p.m., the fleet sailed south from Šćedro towards the western part of Korčula, seeking shelter as theSirocco wind strengthened. As the ships approached Korčula, they were fired upon by coastal artillery at Črna Luka and Cape Privala, forcing them to turn west towards Vis.[22] The Vis TG did not engage Croatian positions on 16 November.[25] The coastal guns at Privala reported seven hits onSplit.[32]
The Yugoslav Navy was defeated[34] and its ships did not sail north of the Split Entrance again. The battle was the largest engagement of the Croatian Navy during the war.[22] Two Croatian anti-aircraft gunners were killed in action on the island of Brač.[30] According to Mladenić, the Yugoslav Navy lost 22 seamen—including three aboardMukos—two minesweepers and a patrol craft. The Yugoslav Air Force lost two aircraft but the pilots were rescued by a helicopter that sortied from Vis and picked them up from the sea. Croatian Navy divers later raisedMukos and she was towed to Šibenik by a Brodospas-owned tug.[22] She was repaired and turned over to the Croatian Navy as OB-62Šolta.[33] Two civilians were killed and nine were wounded in the naval bombardment of Split.[35] The bombardment damaged the Archaeological Museum, Split Municipality Building,Arena Gripe, Public Sanitation Institute, the Technical School, and theferriesBartol Kašić andVladimir Nazor, which were moored in thePort of Split.[25] The two civilian fatalities were crew members ofVladimir Nazor.[22]
Croatian authorities charged 33 JNA officers—including Brčić who wastriedin absentia and convicted to 15 years in prison—for the bombardment of Split, Šolta and Brač. Brčić, who later became a high-ranking officer of theMontenegrin Navy, was arrested inNaples in late 2007 when he travelled to aNATO function. He was not extradited to Croatia.[36] Most of the other charged officers were also triedin absentia. As of 2013[update], fifteen officers—including Brčić—were convicted, one was acquitted and seventeen cases were ordered by theSupreme Court of Croatia to be retried because of irregularities during previous trials.[31]
In Croatia, the events of 14 and 15 November 1991 are referred to as the Battle of Split (Bitka za Split)[25] or the Battle of the Split Channel (Boj u Splitskom kanalu),[22] while the events of 16 November are referred to as the Battle of the Korčula Channel (Bitka u Korčulanskom kanalu). The events spanning all three days of the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels are also referred to as the Battle of the Adriatic (Bitka za Jadran).[37]
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