Vridni

43°31′16″N 16°26′44″E

Quick Facts History, General characteristics ...

Vridni in Split, Croatia, as seen on April 10, 2013 (The wooden superstructure missing)
History
Name	1894-1922: Légy 1922-1944: Doket 1946-1962: Omladinac 1962-onwards: Vridni
Owner	1894-1902: Howaldt & Co., Rijeka (Fiume) 1902-1922: Impressa Triestina di Tomasso Cossovich & Ci., Trieste 1922-1944: Pomorsko tehničko industrijsko poduzeće d.d. "Marjan" Split 1946-onwards: Brodosplit-Shipyard Ltd.
Builder	Howaldtswerke's subsidiary Howaldt & Co. Rijeka (Fiume)
Yard number	(Should be) 1
Launched	1894
Completed	1894
Status	Memorial ship
General characteristics
Class and type	Harbor tug[1]
Tonnage	10.7 DWT[2]
Length	Loa 12.80 m (42 ft 0 in)[1] Lpp 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)[1]
Beam	2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)[1]
Height	1.50 m (4 ft 11 in)[1]
Draught	1.20 m (3 ft 11 in)[1]
Installed power	33 kW[1]
Propulsion	Steam engine Scotch marine boiler Four bladed propeller
Speed	6 kn

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Vridni is a steel screw steamer tug, built in Rijeka, Croatia (at that time Fiume, Austria-Hungary),^[3] in 1894, as Légy,^[a] by Howaldtswerke's subsidiary Howaldt & Co, as the first newbuild^[4] of the then new shipyard in Brgudi, Rijeka (nowadays 3. Maj Shipyard), and one of the two tugs built for the shipyard's own use.^[5] The reciprocating steam engine was made in Kiel, Germany.

In 1902 Howaldt & Co. ceased to exist, and Légy was sold to Impressa Triestina di Tomasso Cossovich & Ci. of Trieste.^[4] In 1922 the vessel arrived in Split, Croatia, where, under the name Doket, she served as a harbor tug until 1932. Then the ship was used for tugging some lesser tows in Split Shipyard (now Brodosplit Shipyard Ltd.). In World War II, the ship is, since the autumn of 1943, included into the Yugoslav Partisan Navy, hiding from dangers of German aviation at coves and bays of the island of Hvar. In that same year the ship participated in the rescuing of the steamer Gruž in waters surrounding the island of Brač.^[6] During the bombing of Split, on August 30, 1944, the vessel suffered damage, and was later repaired in Vis.^[7] Afterwards, the ship served as one of the auxiliary cargo ships of the Partisan Navy, until the end of the war.^[6]

After World War II, the ship was firstly renamed Omladinac (not known exactly when), then Vridni in 1962; serving in Brodosplit Shipyard until 1969.^[8]

Today, Vridni is, being in a relatively poor condition, and devoid of engine,^[b] exposed at a parking lot of Brodosplit Shipyard, apparently awaiting a restoration to a museum ship.

A metal plate nowadays found at the superstructure says: "HOWALDTSWERKE, KIEL, 1894, No 452" but this is, by all odds, not the original plate,^[1] since the yardnumber 452 was, reportedly, a pontoon "A" built in 1906,^[4]

The Nautical Almanac of the Ministry of Transport of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia for the year 1930^[3] states that Doket is a steam tug with propeller, made of steel, speed 8 knots, draught 1.5 m, length 12.5 m, beam 2.8 m, height 1.5 m. grt 11, nrt 5, nhp 10, ihp 50. Place of built Rijeka (Fiume) 1894. Minimum crew 2. Maps 24. Owner: Maritime Technical Industrial Company d.d. "Marjan" Split.^[c][7]

The ship is included in the list of cultural properties of Republic of Croatia, under the registry number Z-437.^[12]

• The ship's name Vridni is a Croatian dialectal word^[d] meaning "diligent".
• The ship's original name Légy is Hungarian word staying for "fly" (the insect).
• The Brodosplit Shipyard Gazette^[13] was named, after the ship, "Vridni".
• The vessel is among the oldest completely preserved ships in the world.