Velimir Škorpik
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Velimir Škorpik (2 April 1919 – 7 November 1943) was a Croatian and Yugoslav Partisan naval officer and commander of several early Partisan naval units. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1940, Škorpik began his naval career as an officer in the Royal Yugoslav Navy (Serbo-Croatian: Kraljevska mornarica – KM). Following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941 which saw the rapid collapse of the KM, Škorpik joined the Armed Forces of the Independent State of Croatia, serving as a harbour officer in Makarska. After coming into contact with local communist operatives, he eventually defected to the Partisans in late 1942.
Velimir Škorpik | |
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Born | 2 April 1919 Brodarica near Zadar, Kingdom of Italy |
Died | 7 November 1943(1943-11-07) (aged 24) Zagorje near Posušje, Independent State of Croatia |
Allegiance | Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1940–1941) Independent State of Croatia (1941) Yugoslav Partisans (1941–1943) |
Service/ | Navy (1940–43) Ground forces (1943) |
Years of service | 1940–1943 |
Rank | poručnik korvete (Corvette Lieutenant) in 1941[lower-alpha 1] |
Battles/wars | World War II in Yugoslavia † |
Awards | Order of the People's Hero (posthumous) |
Škorpik soon met with Josip Broz Tito and would be given the command of the Sekcija za ratnu mornaricu (English: Naval Section), an early Partisans naval formation tasked with organizing attacks on Axis forces in the coastal areas. He would go on to command Partisan detachments operating in the Dalmatian Hinterland followed by a brief stint as the commander of a fleet of Partisan armed ships in September/October 1943. His last posting was that of the Chief of Staff of the 3rd Dalmatian Brigade. He was killed by the Ustaše in November 1943 near Posušje.
He was posthumously awarded the title of People's Hero of Yugoslavia. The Naval Repair Yard in Šibenik also bore his name from 1953 until 1992 as well as a Yugoslav Navy Osa-class missile boat acquired from the USSR during the 1960s.