NMS Basarabia, originally named SMS Inn, was an Enns-class river monitor built by Ganz-Danubius in Budapest between 1913 and 1915.

Propulsion consisted of two triple-expansion steam engines supplied by two Yarrow boilers which produced 1,560 ihp (1,160 kW).

[3][4] After the ship was assigned to the Austro-Hungarian Danube Flotilla, her first deployment was at Belgrade on 7 October 1915 when, together with Temes and Enns, she replaced the monitors Sava, Körös, and Leitha.

[7] Continuing the campaign, Inn and Sava, along with the patrol boat Fogas and the armed steamers Helene and Vág secured the Danube crossing at Svishtov.

On 22 September 1917, while returning from Cernavodă, Inn broke off from the monitor formation to investigate a distress signal from a barge and struck a Romanian mine 14 km (8.7 mi) from Brăila.

The explosion killed Korvettenkapitän Max von Förster, the Chief of Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Flotilla.

Through a decision of the Allied Commission on 8 December, she was to be confiscated and enter service with the newly created British Danube Flotilla.

On 15 April 1920, Inn was transferred to Romania after the final decision for the distribution of the Austro-Hungarian river monitors was taken by the Naval Allied Commission for Disposal of Enemy Vessels (NACDEV).

[1][10] After reentering active service, Basarabia was assigned to the Vâlcov Tactical Detachment which maintained control over the Black Sea access point to the Chilia arm of the Danube.

Under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Eustațiu Nicolau, Basarabia led the group of monitors comprising Ardeal, Bucovina, and Lahovary [ro].

[1][10][11] Continuing to Cernavodă, the two monitors captured a medical convoy of one tugboat and three barges, one of which was transporting the wounded.

Basarabia, having reached the Borcea branch, turned back to aid Bucovina together with the tugboat Basarab.

Moving to Izmail on 5 September, Basarabia was confiscated by the Soviets and pressed into service with the name Kerch on 30 October.

The two ships participated in the battles near the mouth of the Drava River and aided in the liberation of Vukovar and Osijek.

The ships continued fighting as far as Budapest, and Kerch also took part in the Vienna offensive between April and March 1945.