NMS Aurora
NMS Aurora was a small minelayer of the Romanian Navy. After initially serving in the Austro-Hungarian Navy during World War I and later in the French Navy, she was transferred to Romania and fought during World War II, being sunk in July 1941.
Construction and career
Initially named Basilisk, the vessel was laid down at the Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard in 1901. She was launched on 28 November 1902, and was completed on 21 February 1903. She served during World War I as one of the four minelayers of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Basilisk displaced 314 tons, measuring 46 meters in length, with a beam of 7.9 meters and a draught of 1.5 meters. One cylindrical boiler and one set triple-expansion engine generated an output of 550 hp, giving her a top speed of 11 knots. Her armament consisted of two 47 mm Škoda L/44 naval guns, two 8 mm machine guns and 145 mines. She had a crew of 40. Following Austria-Hungary's defeat in 1918, the vessel was ceded to France as a war prize in 1920 under the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and renamed Aurore.She was transferred to Romania in 1922 and renamed Aurora. However, she was decommissioned five years later and sold for merchant service to the Romanian Danube Navigation Company, Bucharest. In 1937, she was requisitioned by the Romanian Navy and underwent an extensive refit at the Galați shipyard, until 1939, when she was recommissioned as a minelayer.