16.09.2009.
The launch of Kozara battle ship marked
In the presence of a large number of guests from the Ministry of Defense, the SAF GS, the Police Force, of Belgrade University, port offices and the harbours of Belgrade, Smederevo, Titel and Novi Pazar, the representatives of commercial and social organizations, 70 years of the launch of Kozara battle ship on 15 September 1939 in the German town of Linz were marked yesterday.At the start of the ceremony, the guests were greeted by Riverine Deputy Commander Lt. Col. Milos Jakovljevic and boat commander Frigate Lieutenant (Sub Lieutenant) Darko Stricic.A 20-minute documentary was shown about the history of Kozara battle ship and the life and work of the crew during the sailing and while the ship is in the port. Kozara, a special purpose boat in the possession of the Riverine, has been in the possession of our army for five years now.
Frigate Lieutenant Darko Stricevic stressed that Kozara, besides its main tasks to train soldiers, NCOs and naval officers, is also a base for all riverine establishments, a command boat, a training boat and a protocol obligations boat. It has served as a floating classroom for the past decade for the attendees of the School of the National Defense, while in the past few years a large number of home and foreign delegations, state officials and representatives had sailed on this boat.The boat was constructed for the needs of the German Danube Flotilla, in the shipyard in Regensburg and was named after the legendary Nibelung princess “Krimchild”. It bore the name of “Oregon” from May 1945 to July 1946, serving as a boat for recuperation of American soldiers in Regensburg, while getting its current name in late May 1961 a few months after our army hade acquired the Bavarian Loyd.
The ship has undergone overhaul on several occasions, with certain reconstructions being made, however, the external appearance has never been changed. This is why this ship is a sort of a Riverine floating memorial, and a cultural heritage of great importance to science and technical field in Serbia.
