Cobra-class torpedo boat facts for kids
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SM Tb 16 (ex-Cobra) before 1920
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Quick facts for kids Class overview |
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| Builders: | Yarrow, Poplar, London |
| Operators: | Austro-Hungarian Navy |
| Succeeded by: | Kaiman class |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Scrapped: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Torpedo boat |
| Displacement | 135 t (133 long tons) full load |
| Length | 45.9 m (150 ft 7 in) wl |
| Beam | 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power | 1,800 ihp (1,300 kW) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) |
| Complement | 21 |
| Armament |
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Imagine a small, fast warship designed to attack bigger ships with torpedoes! That's what the Cobra class was. These were a group of four special torpedo boats. They were also known as the Python class. They were built by a British company called Yarrow for the Austro-Hungarian Navy in the late 1890s. All four of these ships played a role in World War I. They were later taken apart for scrap metal in 1919.
Contents
Building These Fast Ships
In 1895, the Austro-Hungarian Navy wanted new torpedo boats. They bought one from a British company, Yarrow. They also bought one from a German company, Schichau-Werke. Both companies were known for building torpedo vessels.
The navy tested both ships. They wanted to see which design was better. The German ship, Natter, vibrated a lot at high speeds. But the Yarrow ship, Viper, ran smoothly. Because of this, the Yarrow design was chosen. The navy ordered four more torpedo boats from Yarrow.
What They Looked Like
These new torpedo boats were about 46.6 m (152 ft 11 in) (about 153 feet) long. That's about the length of four school buses! They were 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in) (about 15 feet) wide. Their deepest part under the water was 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) (about 7.5 feet).
How They Moved
The ships used two special water-tube boilers that burned coal. These boilers made steam. The steam powered a single engine called a triple expansion steam engine. This engine turned a single propeller.
The engine could produce 1,800 indicated horsepower (1,300 kW) of power. This allowed the ships to travel at 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) (about 27.6 miles per hour). During tests, one ship, Python, even reached 24.34 knots (45.08 km/h; 28.01 mph)!
Their Weapons
The Cobra class ships had two 47-millimetre (1.9 in) Skoda guns. These were small cannons. They also had three 450 mm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes. Torpedoes are underwater missiles.
Two torpedo tubes were on the sides of the ship near the front. They could fire almost straight ahead. One torpedo tube was at the back, in the middle of the ship. One ship, Kigyo, only had two torpedo tubes. Each ship had a crew of 21 sailors.
Service During World War I
The four ships were built at Yarrow's shipyard in Poplar, London. They were built between 1897 and 1900. In 1910, all Austro-Hungarian torpedo boats were given numbers instead of names. The Cobra class ships became Tb 13 through Tb 16.
When World War I started, three of the ships were based at Cattaro. These were Tb 13, Tb 15, and Tb 16. They helped defend the area. They worked as escorts, protecting other ships. They also cleared mines from the water throughout the war.
The ship Tb 14 had a different job. It was used to help rescue things at the naval air station in Pola. Pola is now Pula in Croatia. Later, Tb 14 moved to Šibenik.
All four ships survived the war. In 1919, after the war ended, they were given to other countries. This was part of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Tb 13, Tb 15, and Tb 16 went to France. Tb 14 went to Britain. All of them were taken apart for scrap metal in 1920.
The Ships of the Class
Here are the names and details of the four ships in the Cobra class:
- SMS Cobra – This ship was started in 1897. It was launched in 1898 and finished in 1899. It was renamed Tb 16 in 1910.
- SMS Boa – This ship was started in 1897. It was launched in September 1898 and finished in 1898. It was renamed Tb 15 in 1910.
- SMS Kigyo – This ship was started in 1898. It was launched on April 11, 1899. It was finished on January 31, 1900. It was renamed Tb 14 in 1910.
- SMS Python – This ship was started in 1898. It was launched on April 11, 1899. It was finished on October 12, 1899. It was renamed Tb 13 in 1910.
