Battle of the Dalmatian Channels The Battle of the Dalmatian Channels was a three - day confrontation between three tactical groups of the Yugoslav Navy ships and coastal artillery and a detachment of naval commando s of the Croatian Navy , fought on 14 – 16 November 1991 , during the Croatian War of Independence . On the first day the commandos torpedoed the " Mirna " - class patrol boat PČ - 176 " Mukos " in the Split Channel of the Adriatic Sea , close to the island of Brač prompting a Yugoslav naval bombardment of Brač and Šolta Island the same day . The drifting " Mukos " was salvaged by Croatian civilian boats and beached at Nečujam bay . The next day , a group of Yugoslav Navy vessels deployed to the Split Channel and organised into the Kaštela tactical group ( TG ) bombarded the city of Split in retaliation for the loss of " Mukos " . In return , Croatian coastal artillery engaged the Kaštela TG . In order to draw off some of the artillery fire , the Yugoslav Navy deployed another group of vessels from the island of Vis , organised as the Vis TG , south of Šolta where the TG was engaged by more Croatian artillery . The Kaštela TG retreated east and linked up with the Ploče TG consisting of three minesweepers . On the third day the combined force sailed through the Korčula Channel — a strait separating the islands of Hvar and Korčula — to reach safety at the Yugoslav Navy base at Vis . The warships were then engaged by Croatian coastal artillery deployed on Korčula and Pelješac Peninsula , losing two minesweepers to the artillery fire in the process . The battle marked the last deployment of the Yugoslav Navy into one of the Dalmatian channels , the loosening of the naval blockade of the Croatian coast imposed in September and the largest Croatian Navy operation in the war . The Croatian Navy later towed the grounded " Mukos " to Šibenik , repaired the vessel and put her into service as OB - 62 " Šolta " . During the battle , 22 Yugoslav Navy crewmen , two Croatian gunners , and two civilian sailors in Split were killed . Thirty - three Yugoslav officers were charged in relation to the naval bombardment by Croatian authorities . Background . In 1990 , following the electoral defeat of the government of the Socialist Republic of Croatia , ethnic tensions worsened . The Yugoslav People ' s Army ( " Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija " – JNA ) confiscated Croatia ' s Territorial Defence ( " Teritorijalna obrana " – TO ) weapons to minimize resistance . On 17 August , the tensions escalated into an open revolt by Croatian Serbs , centred on the predominantly Serb - populated areas of the Dalmatian hinterland around Knin , parts of the Lika , Kordun , Banovina and eastern Croatia . This was followed by two unsuccessful attempts by Serbia , supported by Montenegro and Serbia ' s provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo to obtain the Yugoslav Presidency ' s approval for a JNA operation to disarm Croatian security forces in January 1991 . After a bloodless skirmish between Serb insurgents and Croatian special police in March , the JNA itself , supported by Serbia and its allies , asked the Federal Presidency to give it wartime authorities and declare a state of emergency . The request was denied on 15 March , and the JNA came under the control of Serbian President Slobodan Milošević . Milošević , preferring a campaign to expand Serbia rather than to preserve Yugoslavia , publicly threatened to replace the JNA with a Serbian army and declared that he no longer recognized the authority of the Federal Presidency . By the end of the month , the conflict had escalated into the Croatian War of Independence . The JNA stepped in , increasingly supporting the Croatian Serb insurgents , and preventing Croatian police from intervening . In early April , the leaders of the Croatian Serb revolt declared their intention to integrate the area under their control , known as SAO Krajina , with Serbia . The Government of Croatia viewed this declaration as an attempt to secede . In May , the Croatian government responded by forming the Croatian National Guard ( " Zbor narodne garde " – ZNG ) , but its development was hampered by a United Nations ( UN ) arms embargo and the Yugoslav Navy blockade of the Adriatic coast , both introduced in September . Following the Battle of the Barracks , the ZNG acquired a significant stock of weapons and ammunition , including 34 Yugoslav Navy vessels moored in Šibenik . In addition , the Yugoslav Navy base of Lora in Split was rendered inaccessible by Croatian forces using naval mine s deployed in Kaštela Bay . On 8 October , Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia , and a month later the Croatian National Guard was renamed the Croatian Army ( " Hrvatska vojska " – HV ) . Late 1991 saw the fiercest fighting of the war , as the 1991 Yugoslav campaign in Croatia culminated in the Siege of Dubrovnik , and the Battle of Vukovar . During the first days of November , the Yugoslav Navy stopped the Libertas convoy twice for inspection between the islands of Brač and Korčula as it enforced the blockade . The convoy of 40 small boats led by the " Slavija " ferryboat was on its way to resupply Dubrovnik and retrieve some of the refugees from the besieged city . On 11 November , the Maltese - flagged coaster " Euroriver " , manned by a Croatian crew , was sunk by gunfire off the Šolta Island . Order of battle . Despite the capture of the Yugoslav Navy vessels in September , the coastal defences relied on captured coastal artillery on the mainland and the islands . In central Dalmatia , those included three batteries on the mainland between Šibenik and Split : guns on Žirje Island , a battery near Zečevo , and guns on Smokvica Island near Primošten . Four coastal artillery batteries on islands off Split were captured as well : the 88 - millimetre Marinča Rat on the island of Šolta , the Ražanj battery on the island of Brač , and two artillery bases on the island of Korčula — the 88 - millimetre battery Ražnjić and the 85 - millimetre battery Privala . A portion of the guns captured on Žirje and Šolta were removed and used to set up two additional coastal artillery batteries — Kašjuni and Duilovo in Split . Additional batteries were set up in Lovište , at the tip of the Pelješac Peninsula , and in Blace and Črna Luka on Korčula , on the coast north of Smokvica and Vela Luka . The battery deployed to Črna Luka contained M1942 ( ZiS - 3 ) guns . A naval commando detachment from the Croatian Navy was deployed to the western Brač . The coastal artillery was subordinated to the Croatian Navy and command of Admiral Sveto Letica . The Yugoslav Navy deployed three tactical groups ( TGs ) , named Kaštela , Vis and Ploče , off central Dalmatia from its bases in the islands of Vis and Lastovo . The Kaštela TG was deployed to the sea off Split and north of the islands of Šolta and Brač . It consisted of " Koni " - class frigate VPBR - 31 " Split " , " Končar " - class fast attack craft RTOP - 401 " Rade Končar " and RTOP - 403 " Ramiz Sadiku " , " Osa " - class missile boat RČ - 306 " Nikola Martinović " , " Shershen " - class torpedo boats TČ - 220 " Crvena zvezda " and TČ - 224 " Pionir II " , and two " Mirna " - class patrol boats , including PČ - 176 " Mukos " . Kaštela TG may have also included an additional " Osa " - class missile boat . The Ploče TG , deployed to the sea between the mainland and Brač to the east of the Kaštela TG , consisted of three minesweepers : ML - 143 " Iž " , ML - 144 " Olib " and ML - 153 " Blitvenica " . The Vis TG was deployed off the western tip of the island of Hvar . It consisted of a " Kotor " - class frigate VPBR - 34 " Pula " , commanded by Captain Ilija Brčić , one " Končar " - class fast attack craft , two " Osa " - missile boats , and two " Mirna " - class patrol craft . The Yugoslav Navy fleet was under overall command of Rear Admiral Nikola Ercegović . Timeline . 14 November . On 14 November , at 5 : 34 p . m . , the Croatian naval commandos attacked " Mukos " off Brač using a torpedo fired from the island . Her crew reported an explosion in the bow of the ship , and requested assistance from the Kaštela TG because she started to sink . The Kaštela TG dispatched " Pionir II " , which reached " Mukos " shortly afterwards and transferred the crew of the damaged vessel by 6 : 10 p . m . " Mukos " was left to drift towards Šolta with her bow fully submerged . Three dead crew members were left in her bow . The Kaštela TG directed gunfire against the Milna and Stomorska areas of Šolta nearly the entire night in order to draw fire from Croatian coastal artillery . However , the coastal artillery deployed in the targeted areas did not return fire . Additional Yugoslav vessels sortied from Vis , only to return to their base before the morning , without transiting the Split Entrance — the strait between the islands of Brač and Šolta . By that time , the naval gunfire also died down . The Ploče TG remained in their assigned area of patrol . 15 November . On 15 November at 6 : 42 a . m . , the Kaštela TG commenced a naval bombardment of targets in the city of Split , and on the islands of Brač and Šolta . The order was issued aboard VPBR - 31 " Split " and the JNA Maritime Military Sector command and JNA bases in Split were advised of the attack . The JNA based within the city of Split did not join the bombardment though . Letica contacted the JNA Maritime Military Sector commanding officer , Major General Nikola Mladenić , regarding the attack , but Mladenić claimed he could not control the situation because his headquarters as denied a supply of electricity . The European Community Monitor Mission ( ECMM ) was also notified and the ECMM promised to make efforts to stop the bombardment . Shortly thereafter , Letica ordered the coastal artillery to commence fire against the Kaštela TG . Besides several near - misses , the coastal artillery fire scored one direct hit against VPBR - 31 " Split " , that was attributed to the Marinča Rat - based battery on Šolta . Croatian sources indicate that the bombardment was ordered by Mladenić in retribution for the loss of " Mukos " . In response to the difficult position of the Yugoslav Navy vessels north of Šolta and Brač , the Vis TG , led by " Pula " sailed north from the island of Vis in order to draw a portion of the artillery fire away from the Kaštela TG . As the ships approached the Split Entrance , they made a radar contact sailing away from Split towards open sea at a high speed . " Pula " attempted to enforce the blockade imposed in September requesting the vessel , by radio , to stop for an inspection . Since the vessel failed to respond , " Pula " fired several shots in front of it , before Brčić noticed that it was a hydrofoil carrying an ECMM team , flying the flag of Europe . That led him to abandon the pursuit and proceed to Šolta . The Vis TG came under fire from the coastal artillery when it arrived within of Šolta . In response to the incoming fire , " Pula " fired her bow - mounted gun against targets on Brač and Šolta . Croatian sources claim that approximately 800 rounds were fired indiscriminately striking civilian targets , while Brčić claims the TG under his command acted against artillery located outside residential areas only . " Pula " also fired four salvos of depth charge s using her RBU - 6000 rocket launcher while the land was outside its range to draw greater attention from the artillery gunners . The Kaštela TG started to withdraw east at approximately 8 : 00 a . m . , fearing the shortest available route to Vis might be mined in the area of Split Entrance . It reached the eastern tip of Brač by 8 : 30 a . m . At 9 : 28 a . m . three Yugoslav Air Force J - 21 Jastreb s flew low over Brač and Šolta , and minutes later two were reportedly shot down by anti - aircraft artillery . Overall , six Yugoslav jets were sortied against targets on Brač and Šolta . Following the naval action of the morning , Croatian civilian boats from Šolta took partially submerged " Mukos " under tow to the Nečujam Bay and ran it aground there . In the afternoon , the Kaštela TG and the Ploče TG linked up east of the island of Hvar . 16 November . On 16 November , at 11 : 00 a . m . , the combined force of the Kaštela and Ploče TGs started to form up at the eastern end of the Korčula Channel — the sea separating the islands of Hvar and Korčula , just to the north of the Cape Lovište at the westernmost tip of the Pelješac Peninsula . Relatively slow minesweepers of the Ploče TG , " Iž " and " Olib " , took hits in the bow and the engine room respectively , from the guns located at Lovište . In order to assist the minesweepers , " Split " turned around to engage the artillery at Cape Lovište while the minesweepers sailed north closer to the Hvar shore in increasingly thick fog . At 3 : 30 p . m . , the Kaštela TG turned around once more to attack Cape Lovište again , only to be engaged by nearby coastal artillery located on the island of Korčula . " Blitvenica " was damaged in the shooting , and the entire naval force moved northwest towards the Šćedro Island . " Iž " ran aground in the Torac Bay of the island of Hvar after sustaining heavy damage and was abandoned , while " Olib " sank between Pelješac and Hvar . Her crew was rescued by the remaining vessels in the group . At 7 : 00 p . m . , the fleet sailed south from Šćedro towards the western part of Korčula , seeking shelter as the Sirocco picked up . As they approached Korčula , coastal artillery at Črna Luka and Cape Privala fired on the ships , forcing them west towards Vis . The Vis TG did not engage Croatian positions on 16 November . Aftermath . The Yugoslav Navy was defeated , and its ships never sailed north of the Split Entrance again . The battle turned out to be the largest engagement of the Croatian Navy throughout the war . Two Croatian anti - aircraft gunners were killed in action on the island of Brač . According to Mladenić , the Yugoslav Navy lost 22 seamen , including three aboard " Mukos " , two minesweepers and a patrol craft . The Yugoslav Air Force lost two aircraft , but the pilots were rescued by a helicopter that sortied from the island of Vis to pick them up from the sea . Croatian Navy divers later raised " Mukos " and she was towed to Šibenik by a Brodospas - owned tug . She was repaired and turned over to the Croatian Navy as OB - 62 " Šolta " . Two civilians were killed and nine were wounded in the naval bombardment of Split . The bombardment damaged the Archaeological Museum , Split Municipality Building , Arena Gripe , Public Sanitation Institute , the Technical School , and the ferries " Bartol Kašić " and " Vladimir Nazor " moored in the Port of Split . The two civilian fatalities were crew members of " Vladimir Nazor " . Croatian authorities charged 33 JNA officers for the bombardment of Split , Šolta and Brač , including Brčić who was tried " in absentia " and convicted to 15 years in prison . Brčić , who later became a high - ranking officer of the Montenegrin Navy , was arrested in Naples in late 2007 when he travelled to a NATO function . Nonetheless , he was not extradited to Croatia . Like Brčić , most of the charged officers were tried " in absentia " . , fifteen officers , including Brčić , were convicted , one was acquitted while seventeen cases were ordered to be tried again by the Supreme Court of Croatia because of irregularities during previous trials . In Croatia , the events of 14 – 15 November are referred to as the Battle of Split ( " Bitka za Split " ) or the Battle of the Split Channel ( " Boj u Splitskom kanalu " ) , while the events of 16 November are referred to as the Battle of the Korčula Channel ( " Bitka u Korčulanskom kanalu " ) . The events spanning all three days of the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels are also referred to as the Battle of the Adriatic ( " Bitka za Jadran " ) .