Regele Carol I: A Story of Wartime Bravery & Tragedy

In 1898, Regele Carol I was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.

On March 22, 1898, the ship was launched.

Regele Carol I had a length of 107 meters.

In July of 1898, construction of Regele Carol I was completed and the ship was commissioned.

Regele Carol I then began serving her intended role as a passenger steamship for the Romanian Maritime Service.

In early 1899, Regele Carol I was drydocked for a retrofit.

The retrofit would allow the ship to reach faster speeds.

After the refit, the ship would be able to achieve a maximum speed of 18 knots.

After the upgrade, Regele Carol I would primarily sail between Constanta, Istanbul and Piraeus.

In 1905, the ship was equipped with wireless telegraphy.

For the next several years, Regele Carol I would operate uneventfully between local ports.

In 1914, the First World War broke out in Europe.

Despite that, Romania was not yet involved in the conflict.

However, on August 27, 1916, after Romania became involved in the combat, Regele Carol I was lent to the Imperial Russian Navy to assist with the war effort.

After being handed to the Imperial Russian Navy, Regele Carol I was converted into an auxiliary cruiser.

While serving as an auxiliary cruiser, Regele Carol I operated as a minelayer ship and as a seaplane tender vessel.

During many missions, the ship transported one aircraft, along with dozens of mines to be dropped at several different locations.

In October or November of 1916, the ship was equipped with onboard deck guns to defend herself against potential submarine attacks.

On November 29, 1916, Regele Carol I was renamed Korol Karl.

In early March of 1918, during the Russian Civil War, Korol Karl was seized by Communist forces.

Korol Karl was detained and renamed Ion Roate.

However, in late March of 1918, Ion Roate was released and returned to her Romanian owners.

On April 1, 1918, after arriving in Romania, Ion Roate was renamed back to Regele Carol I.

After the end of the First World War in 1918, Regele Carol I continued to operate as a civilian passenger ship.

The ship would serve this role uneventfully for the next two decades.

In October of 1941, Regele Carol I, Amiral Murgescu, Dacia and several escort ships, participated in a large-scale minelaying operation off the coast of Varna, Bulgaria.

The mission was codenamed Operation Varna.

Hundreds of mines were deployed during this time to prevent enemy ships from approaching the coast.

On October 10, 1941, Regele Carol I, with approximately 150 mines onboard to be deployed, reached uncharted seas.

Unbeknownst to Regele Carol I, the ship had been spotted by a Soviet submarine.

The identity of the submarine has never been confirmed.

However, the Soviet submarine was believed to have been either L-4 or SC-211.

Suddenly, on October 10, 1941, at 11:50 AM, two torpedoes were seen heading towards Regele Carol I.

Although one torpedo missed, the other struck on the ship’s starboard bow.

Immediately afterwards, Regele Carol I began sinking by the bow.

During the sinking, photographs of Regele Carol I were captured by crew members onboard the other ships of the convoy.

As the sinking progressed, the ship's stern continued rising higher out of the water, while the bow slipped beneath the surface.

Eventually, while the stern was still sticking out of the water, the bow struck the seabed.

Finally, on October 10, 1941, at 12:03 PM, the stern settled back and disappeared beneath the waves.

In the end, 21 crew members were lost while another 4 souls were critically wounded during the initial torpedo detonation.

Despite the tragic sinking of Regele Carol I, her loss was not in vain.

Today, Regele Carol I is remembered for her wartime courage, strategic maritime leadership and enduring legacy in sinking enemy ships even after her own loss.

RIP to all those who lost their lives during the sinking of Regele Carol I on October 10, 1941.

May They Never Be Forgotten.

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I would like to give a shoutout to Alexpotato1912 for having provided me with historical information about Regele Carol I and for allowing me to use his real time sinking animation of the ship in this documentary.

This video would not have been possible without his help and guidance.

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Music used in this video:
"Too Late Now" - YouTube Audio Library
"Deep Haze" - Kevin MacLeod
"Sad Cinematic Background Music" - Rights Free Sound
"Dark Times" - Kevin MacLeod
"Moonlight Heartbreak Bass Choir" - YouTube Audio Library

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