Cantiere Navale Triestino

Cantiere Navale Triestino

Company type	Private
Industry	Shipbuilding, Aerospace
Founded	1908 (1908)
Founder	Cosulich family
Defunct	1929 (1929)
Fate	Merged to form Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico (CRDA)
Headquarters	Monfalcone , Austria-Hungary (at founding), later Italy
Area served	Italy, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Products	Commercial ships, military ships, submarines, aircraft (from 1923)
Owner	Cosulich family (originally)

Cantiere Navale Triestino (commonly known as CNT, or in English as the Trieste Naval Shipyard) was a privately owned shipbuilding enterprise situated in Monfalcone that operated during the early 1900s. The shipyard remains operational today, albeit under a different designation.

History

File:CantiereNavaleTriestino.jpg

A historical view of the shipyard circa 1914

Established in 1908 by the Cosulich family, Cantiere Navale Triestino was predominantly an Italian company despite its location within the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time. Before the onset of the First World War, CNT had constructed various vessels including commercial ships like Belvedere and military ships such as the cruiser Saida commissioned by the Austro-Hungarian Navy (KuK). When hostilities commenced between Italy and Austria in 1915, the primarily Italian workforce deserted the shipyard, which was situated too close to active combat zones to maintain operations. The Italian Army seized control of the facility on 8 June 1915, after which it endured artillery attacks from Austrian forces between July and September during the Battle of the Isonzo. Despite these challenges, CNT continued production by utilizing facilities provided by DDSG in Budapest and the Naval Arsenal located at Pola. Throughout the war, CNT manufactured submarines for the KuK navy, including several vessels from the U-27 class U-Boats.

Following the conclusion of World War I, when the Trieste area was transferred to Italian sovereignty, CNT shifted its focus to constructing naval and commercial ships for Italy. In 1923, the company expanded into aerospace manufacturing, which led to the creation of the CANT aircraft company. By 1929, CNT merged with another Italian shipbuilder, Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino, resulting in the formation of Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico (CRDA). Operating as CRDA Monfalcone, this entity specialized in submarine production, delivering 47 units out of Italy's total pre-war fleet of 100 submarines.

The shipyards at Monfalcone under CRDA continued their operations well beyond World War II and were eventually incorporated into the Fincantieri group in 1984.

References

• Sieche's analysis of Austro-Hungarian submarines

External links

1. REDIRECT Template:20th Century Press Archives