Dragutin Prica (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгутин Прица; 5 November 1867 – 14 June 1960) was a Croatian-born[1][2] Austro-Hungarian and later Yugoslav admiral.[3]

Dragutin Prica
Admiral Prica in 1925
Native name
Драгутин Прица
Born(1867-11-05)5 November 1867
Sveti Juraj, Kingdom of Croatia, Austria-Hungary
Died14 June 1960(1960-06-14) (aged 92)
Opatija, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia
Allegiance Austria-Hungary
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Service/branchAustro-Hungarian Navy
Royal Yugoslav Navy
Years of service1885–1918
1919–1929
RankAdmiral
Battles/warsWorld War I

Biography edit

Dragutin Prica was born on 5 November 1867 in Sveti Juraj, near Senj, Kingdom of Croatia, to Croatian Serb parents Maksim Prica and Ksenija Budisavljević.[4]

He graduated from the Undersea Military Academy in Rijeka (1881-1885). After graduating from the academy, he served in the Austro-Hungarian Navy until 1918, when he retired at his own request. He made himself available to the National Council of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. On 31 October 1918, he was appointed commissioner of the Minister of the Navy. After the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, he was reactivated and accepted into the newly formed Royal Yugoslav Navy. From 25 July 1922 to 29 July 1923, he was the commander of the Bay of Kotor Command. He was appointed marshal of the court on 31 August 1923, but this decree was not acted upon and he remained available. He became the commander of the navy on 21 October 1923, and he remained in that position until his retirement. During that period, he became the adjutant of King Alexander I, and on 12 October 1927, he was appointed honorary adjutant of the king. He retired at his own request on 18 October 1929. He was the president of the Rotary Club Belgrade from 1931 to 1932.[5]

He died on 14 June 1960 in Opatija.[6] His cousin was Jovanka Broz.[7]

Promotions and awards edit

He was promoted to the rank of: Rear Admiral on 1 October 1918; vice admiral on 21 October 1923; and Admiral on 6 September 1925.

He was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, the Order of Saint Sava, the Order of Karađorđe's Star with Swords, the Iron Cross, the Order of the Iron Crown, the Order of Saint Anna and many others.

References edit

  1. ^ Jane Hathaway (ur.): Repression, Reinvention: Mutiny in Comparative Perspective, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001., str. 205-206
    ...the former Austro-Hungarian rear admiral Dragutin Prica, a Croat, ...
  2. ^ Horthy. ...his Adjutant-General, Admiral Prica, a Croat of the orthodox faith, with whom I had been friendly ever since my naval apprenticeship... Miklos Horthy
  3. ^ Bjelajac 2004, p. 254.
  4. ^ "Драгутин Прица". Дигитални репозиторијум Историјског архива Београда. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  5. ^ "Monografija Rotari Kluba Beograd". Issuu. p. 53. Archived from the original on 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  6. ^ "Срби, Генерали, Адмирали И Маршали У СлужБи Ћесара – ДрагуТин Прица". SNP Zbor. 3 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2020-09-18. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Domaćica u statusu ljubavnice". NOVOSTI (in Serbian). Retrieved 2021-06-12.

Literature edit

Bjelajac, Mile S. (2004). Generali i admirali Kraljevine Jugoslavije 1918—1941. Belgrade: Institut za noviju istoriju Srbije. ISBN 978-86-7005-039-6.