Ivo Matkovic

[LColombo]

Hello everyone,
I am looking for information about a Yugoslav steamer, Ivo Matkovic, that was lost in World War II.
This was a 2,527 GRT steam freighter, built in 1920 by Ateliers et Chantiers de Bretagne, Nantes, as La Rochefoucauld. I presume for French owners, but I can't find who. In 1934 she was bought by Eugen Matkovic, Bakar, and renamed Ivo Matkovic. In 1941, following the invasion of Jugoslavia, she was seized by Italy (though I have found "at Italy's disposal since July 1941", which seems strange) and was renamed Diocleziano. In September 1943, while evacuating Italian troops from Kotor following the Armistice of Cassibile, she was badly damaged by German air attacks (at least 300 killed) and run aground on Bisevo. No information about her subsequent fate.

Does anyone know more? Who were her owners before Eugen Matkovic, what happened to her after 1943 (scrapped, or maybe repaired?), and are there any pictures of this ship?

[korisnik9089]

Where did you find this information? Because i can't find any record of that ship anywhere.

[LColombo]

Where did you find this information? Because i can't find any record of that ship anywhere.

Hello, the information on the bombing comes from the books "Navi mercantili perdute" and "La Marina dall'8 settembre 1943 alla fine del conflitto" of the Historical Office of the Italian Navy, as well as from the now defunct website "Giornale Nautico Parte Prima".

It is indeed true that there is very little information on this ship, but she is mentioned in the following Lloyd's Registers:

https://wrecksite.eu/docBrowser.aspx?XTwyjCfp6EmcpgUE9Ie2WA==

https://books.google.it/books?id=d1CZEAAAQBAJ&pg=RA3-PA100&lpg=RA3-PA100&dq=%22rochefoucauld%22+%22ivo+matkovic%22&source=bl&ots=zGTW6REiOd&sig=ACfU3U3xJLwEx6p0wnr0pvw6tDf7SZvrLg&hl=it&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiGib-U65eFAxXfhP0HHVloA6QQ6AF6BAgaEAM#v=onepage&q=%22rochefoucauld%22%20%22ivo%20matkovic%22&f=false

https://books.google.it/books?id=zGBjEAAAQBAJ&pg=RA93-PA18&lpg=RA93-PA18&dq=%22rochefoucauld%22+%22ivo+matkovic%22&source=bl&ots=SQBLkXdtrI&sig=ACfU3U1xIKcLwDxsM7fLzIGZu34FTwzKwQ&hl=it&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiGib-U65eFAxXfhP0HHVloA6QQ6AF6BAgZEAM#v=onepage&q=%22rochefoucauld%22%20%22ivo%20matkovic%22&f=false

[korisnik9089]

Hello,
Im sorry for replying so late,
I did find something interesting.
Eugen Matić was the biggest "shipowner" in Yugoslavia before WWII, i didn't find any pictures of ivo, but i found a few pictures of his ships and they all seem to look similar. So i am guessing that Ivo would look the same. Here you can see a picture of one of them. About the fate of the ship i only found this:

Ivo Matković, sunk by fire from an aircraft near the island of Biševo on May 9, 1943.

i think the ship was just left there and over the years rotted and dissapeared (kind of like SS America).

[ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]

[Gazda]

Hello,
Im sorry for replying so late,
I did find something interesting.
Eugen Matić was the biggest "shipowner" in Yugoslavia before WWII, i didn't find any pictures of ivo, but i found a few pictures of his ships and they all seem to look similar. So i am guessing that Ivo would look the same. Here you can see a picture of one of them. About the fate of the ship i only found this:

Ivo Matković, sunk by fire from an aircraft near the island of Biševo on May 9, 1943.

i think the ship was just left there and over the years rotted and dissapeared (kind of like SS America). [ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Hello gents, nice to see you opening discussion on this one. Just to assist you with some local knowledge, waters around Biševo are pretty deep, and no visible shipwrecks around, so probably ship is still somewhere in deep waters.

[LColombo]

Hello,
Im sorry for replying so late,
I did find something interesting.
Eugen Matić was the biggest "shipowner" in Yugoslavia before WWII, i didn't find any pictures of ivo, but i found a few pictures of his ships and they all seem to look similar. So i am guessing that Ivo would look the same. Here you can see a picture of one of them. About the fate of the ship i only found this:

Ivo Matković, sunk by fire from an aircraft near the island of Biševo on May 9, 1943.

i think the ship was just left there and over the years rotted and dissapeared (kind of like SS America). [ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Hello,
I now believe that La Rochefoucauld/Ivo Matkovic/Diocleziano was sister ship of Ante Matkovic, former Mossi - both built by the same shipyard in the same year (although not for the same shipowner), same principal dimensions (but slight difference, less than 200 GRT, in gross registered tonnage), both bought by Eugen Matkovic in 1934.

[ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ]
9 May 1943 is certainly a mistake, it happened on 24 September 1943.

I will keep looking for a picture of Ivo Matkovic.