Battle of Antivari

Battle of Antivari
Part of the Mediterranean Theater of World War I
Painting showing SMS Zenta and SMS Ulan in the Battle of Antivari
Date 16 August 1914 Location Off Antivari, Adriatic Sea 42°6′N 19°3′E / 42.100°N 19.050°E / 42.100; 19.050 Result Anglo-French victory
Belligerents
France  United Kingdom	Austria-Hungary
Commanders and leaders
Augustin Lapeyrère	Paul Pachner
Strength
2 dreadnoughts 10 pre-dreadnoughts 6 armoured cruisers 1 protected cruiser 20+ destroyers	1 protected cruiser 1 destroyer
Casualties and losses
2 pre-dreadnoughts damaged 2 destroyers damaged	173 killed 50+ wounded 1 destroyer damaged 1 protected cruiser sunk

The Battle of Antivari or Action off Antivari was a naval engagement between a large fleet of French and British warships and two ships of the Austro-Hungarian navy at the start of the First World War. The old Austrian protected cruiser SMS Zenta and the destroyer SMS Ulan were blockading the Montenegrin port of Antivari, when on 16 August 1914, they were surprised and cut off by a large Anglo-French force that had sortied into the Adriatic. Zenta fought and was destroyed, to give Ulan a chance to escape, which she did. The ships of the Austrian fleet at Cattaro, unaware of events, did not come out of port to meet the Allied fleet. After blockading the Adriatic for a short while the French were forced to withdraw due to a lack of supplies.