Commemorating the Third Battle of the Strait of Otranto

On September 14, 2007 several NGOs and the MoD Military History Institute and Museum unveiled a memorial plaque to the third Battle of the Strait of Otranto on the wall of Fort Punta d’Ostro which is located near the former theatre of operations at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor (Cattaro) at the tip of Prevlaka Peninsula. The Bay of Cattaro served as the southern naval base for the fleet of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, from where the SMS warships set sail to go into battle. The battle took place on May 15, 1917 between the Imperial and Royal Navy and the fleet of the Allies. This was the largest surface action of World War I on the Mediterranean, and the greatest victory of the Imperial and Royal Navy. The force consisting of just three light cruisers and two destroyers was able to deal an operationally significant blow on the enemy. By crushing the Allied naval blockade (Otranto Barrage) in the straits, this naval force allowed free access for Austro-Hungarian and German submarines and ships to the Mediterranean Sea. A special feature of this force was that all but one of its Austro-Hungarian vessels had been made in Hungary.

Headed by Brig.-Gen. Péter Ernő Siposs, the Chief of Staff/Senior National Representative at the EUFOR HQ Sarajevo, the delegation represented the Hungarian Defence Forces at the commemorative ceremony. Also in attendance were the members of the organizer Rotary Club Győr, the Hungarian Seamen’s Association and the Shipmasters’ Association of Montenegro, the Croatian director of Prevlaka Park and a number of visitors from Hungary and the surrounding region.

Brig.-Gen. Péter Ernő Siposs thanked the Rotary Club Győr for organizing the commemorative event and keeping the memory of the battle alive. He praised the courage of those who had gone into battle despite being significantly outnumbered, the seamen’s taking risks and the personal example set by the commander. He said that posterity should pay tribute to the heroes and fallen troops because we can respect their feats by commemorating them deservedly.

Photos by the author