Editing Romanian Naval Forces (section)

===Romanian Navy during World War I===
{{See also|Romanian Navy during World War I|Romanian Black Sea Fleet during World War I}}

[[File:Romanian cruiser Elisabeth.jpg|thumb|right|The protected cruiser ''Elisabeta'' (Elizabeth), built in 1888 by [[Armstrong Whitworth|Armstrong]]]]

After the [[Romanian War of Independence|War of Independence]], two naval rearmament programs were proposed for the Black Sea flotilla. The 1899 program called for six coastal [[Coastal defence ship|battleships]], four [[destroyer]]s and twelve [[torpedo boat]]s.<ref name="Gardiner84421" /> None of these ships were ever built,<ref name="Halpern276">Halpern, p. 276</ref> while the battleship ''Potemkin'' was returned 1 day after being acquired. The 1912 naval program envisioned six 3,500-ton light cruisers, twelve 1,500-ton destroyers and a submarine.<ref name="Gardiner84421" /><ref name="Halpern276" /> Four [[Vifor-class destroyer|destroyers]] (and allegedly a submarine<ref name="Axworthy327" /><ref name="Gardiner84421" />) were actually ordered from Italy but were not delivered, as the [[Italian Navy]] requisitioned them in 1914.<ref name="Axworthy327" /><ref name="Gardiner84421" /><ref name="Halpern276" /> Three 340-ton coastal submarines were ordered from France in early 1917, but these were also requisitioned at the end of the year and completed for the [[French Navy]] as the ''[[French submarine O'Byrne|O'Byrne]]'' class. The largest Romanian Black Sea ship was the old cruiser {{NMS|Elisabeta||2}}, laid down in 1888.<ref>Gardiner (1997), p. 419</ref> The protected cruiser had guarded the mouths of the river [[Danube]] during the [[Second Balkan War]], but she was disarmed when [[World War I]] began. Her armament was emplaced on the bank of the Danube River to protect against possible attacks by [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungaria]]n river monitors, and she remained in [[Sulina]] for the duration of the war.<ref name="Gardiner84421" /> The Romanian Black Sea squadron also had four old gunboats from the 1880s, which were of limited value, and three old ''Năluca''-class torpedo boats, built in France.<ref name="Halpern276" /> The Romanian Navy had to rely on the armed merchant ships of the state merchant marine, known as SMR (''Serviciul Maritim Român'').<ref name="Axworthy327" /><ref name="Gardiner84421" /> The steam liners ''Regele Carol I'', ''România'', ''Împăratul Traian'' and ''Dacia'' were converted into [[Armed merchantman|auxiliary cruisers]].<ref name="Halpern276" /><ref>Gardiner (1984), p. 423</ref>

The Danube Flotilla was more modern,<ref name="Gardiner84421" /><ref name="Halpern277">Halpern, p. 277</ref> and consisted of four [[river monitor]]s (''Lascăr Catargiu'', {{NMS|Mihail Kogălniceanu||2}}, ''Ion C. Brătianu'' and ''Alexandru Lahovari'') and eight British-built torpedo boats.<ref name="Axworthy327" /> The four river monitors were built in 1907 at [[Galați]]. They were armed with three 12-cm cannons each. In 1918, ''Mihail Kogălniceanu'' was converted to a sea-going monitor. The British torpedo boats of the ''Căpitan Nicolae Lascăr Bogdan'' class were built during 1906–1907 and weighed 50 tons each. There were also approximately six older gunboats used for border patrol and as minelayers, and other auxiliary ships used for transport or supply.<ref name="Halpern277" /> The Romanian Navy had a secondary role during World War I and only had light losses.<ref name="Axworthy327" /> The river monitors participated in the defense of [[Tutrakan|Turtucaia]] and later secured the flank of the Romanian and Russian defenders in [[Dobruja]].<ref>Halpern, p. 278</ref> The main success of the war was the mining of an Austro-Hungarian river monitor.<ref name="Axworthy327" />