In the 1930s, by order of the Yugoslav Navy, French specialists designed a large destroyer based on Le Fantasque. The boiler-and-turbine plant and gun fire-control system were purchased in the U.K. and France, respectively. Split, a ship named after the city where she was built, was laid down in 1939 and was to be armed with five Czechoslovak-produced 140 mm guns. In 1941, the city of Split was captured by the Italians, who decided to complete the construction of the ship. In 1943, the destroyer was renamed Spalato and launched. After the capitulation of Italy, the ship was grounded in the port. In 1948, Yugoslavia resumed work on the ship, but receiving weapons from Czechoslovakia was no longer possible, and Split was eventually completed with British-American weapons instead. The ship entered service in 1958, immediately becoming the navy's flagship.