The Royal Navy (Serbo-Croatian Latin: Kraljevska mornarica; Serbo-Croatian
Cyrillic: Краљевска морнарица; КМ), commonly the Royal Yugoslav Navy, was
the naval warfare service branch of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (originally called the
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes). It was brought into existence in 1921, and
initially consisted of a few former Austro-Hungarian Navy vessels surrendered at the
conclusion of World War I and transferred to the new nation state under the terms of
the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The only modern sea-going warships transferred
to the new state were twelve steam-powered torpedo boats, although it did receive four
capable river monitors for use on the Danube and other large rivers. Significant new
acquisitions began in 1926 with a former German light cruiser, followed by the
commissioning of two motor torpedo boats (MTBs) and a small submarine flotilla over
the next few years. When the name of the state was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929, the
name of its navy was changed to reflect this. In the late 1920s, several of the original
vessels were discarded.
Throughout the interwar period, elements of the fleet conducted visits to ports
throughout the Mediterranean, but few fleet exercises occurred due to budget
pressures. In 1930, the Maritime Air Force was divorced from Royal Yugoslav
Army control, and the naval air arm began to develop significantly, including the
establishment of bases along the Adriatic coast. The following year, a British-
made flotilla leader was commissioned with the idea that the KM might be able to
operate in the Mediterranean alongside the British and French navies. In the same year,
five locally-built minelayers were added to the fleet. A hiatus of several years followed,
and it was not until 1936 that any further major acquisitions were made, with the
purchase of eight German-built MTBs. Over the next two years, the fleet was
significantly strengthened by the acquisition of three French-designed destroyers,
marking the high point of Yugoslav naval strength. On the eve of World War II, the navy
consisted of 611 officers and 8,562 men, operating 41 combatant ships and 19
auxiliaries.
