Croatian patrol boat Šolta (OB-02)

Šolta (pennant number OB-02) is a Mirna-class patrol boat in service with the Croatian Navy. Completed during the 1980s as PČ-176 Mukos, it was the sixth ship of a class that was being built for the Yugoslav Navy in the Kraljevica Shipyard.

During the Croatian War of Independence, Mukos was part of a tactical group tasked with enforcing a naval blockade of the city of Split. On 14 November, Croatian Navy commandos disabled it with an improvised torpedo, leaving the vessel drifting and abandoned by its crew. The crippled ship was then tugged away by Croatian locals to the nearby island of Šolta. It was subsequently repaired and entered service with the Croatian Navy as Šolta. As of 2014, it remains in service with the Croatian Coast Guard, an integral part of the Navy.

Design and construction
Šolta was laid down as Mukos (PČ-176) in the Kraljevica Shipyard as the sixth ship in a class of patrol boats that were being built for the Yugoslav Navy (JRM). It was launched on 18 November 1982. It measures 32 m in length, has a draught of 2.7 m, a 6.75 m beam and a standard displacement of 125 t or 142 t when full.

Powered by two SEMT Pielstick 12PA4 200VGDS diesel engines that spin two propellers, Šolta has a maximum speed of 29.5 - 30 kn and a continuous speed of 28 kn. It has a range of 600 nmi at 15 kn and an autonomy of four to five days that can be extended to eight days during wartime.

The ship's original armament consisted of a single Bofors 40 mm D70 gun mounted on the ship's bow, a quadruple Strela 2 launcher behind the bridge and a quad 20 mm M-75 gun on the stern. Eight MDB-MT3 depth charges could be carried for anti-submarine warfare duties. Located on the sides were two double-barrel 128 mm illumination launchers. Sensors included a Racal Decca RM 1216 A surface search radar and a Simrad SQ 3D/SF sonar.

Service
During its service in the Yugoslav Navy, Mukos was part of the border patrol detachment. In November 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence, Mukos was part of the "Kaštela" tactical group that was tasked with enforcing a naval blockade of Split and the surrounding islands. On 14 November, at around 17:30, while on patrol in the Split strait between the islands of Brač and Šolta, Mukos was hit with an improvised torpedo launched by special forces of the Croatian Navy (HRM), effectively starting the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels. The explosion ripped a hole in the forward section of the hull, causing the bow to sink and killing three crew members. The remaining crew was rescued by a Shershen-class torpedo boat Pionir II (TČ-224) while Mukos itself was left adrift. During the evening of 15 November the ship was tugged away by a Croatian fishing ship to the nearby Nečujam cove, where it was beached to prevent it from sinking. In the early hours of the same day, the remaining JRM ships opened fire in retaliation for damaging Mukos. As Yugoslav forces left the area, the ship was towed to an overhauling shipyard in Šibenik on the night of 17/18 November, after being salvaged by HRM divers with the help of Brodospas. The ship was repaired and renamed Šolta, entering service with the HRM on 15 May 1992 with Mile Tomas in command.

The Croatian Coast Guard was formed in October 2007, and Šolta was assigned to the 1st Division, based in Split. During the same year the ship underwent a modernisation that included the installation of a new Sperry Marine surface search radar, gyrocompass and GPS. A second refit that occurred sometime between 2007 and 2013 included the deletion of the Strela launcher and the stern 20 mm M-75 gun to create space needed for a RHIB and a hydraulic crane used to lower it into the sea. The pennant number was changed from OB-62 to OB-02.