History of the Russian Submarine Service - Part Three

Parts 1 & 2 Published 07.04.12

Those Attacking from under the Dark Deep

Let us leave the past on the conscience of our politicians and admit the fact that in the process of the per-war submarines and other ships construction our country collaborated with Germany. Diesel engines for submarines of Decabrist type were bought in Germany. German engineers provided technical assistance to us in terms of design and construction of “S”-type submarines (“Srednyaya”/Medium-size) which had been built since 1936 and throughout the war. 

Two series of those submarines (IX and IX-bis) numbered 34 units. B.F. Kritsky, naval engineer and Rear Admiral, took an active part in “S” submarines construction. These submarines displacement totaled 837/1073 tons with major dimensions of 77,7 õ 6,4 õ 4,0 m,; power installation capacity – 4000/1100 h.p.; they were able to develop a speed of 19.5/9.0 knots with endurance of 8200/135 miles. Their armament included four torpedo-tubes forward and two torpedo-tubes aft together with one 100-mm gun.

It is worth paying special attention to our famous submarine of “K” type (“cruising”). Her project was worked out in detail in 1935. Her chief designer and constructor was M.A. Rudnitsky, the head of the underwater navigation department with the Scientific-Research Institute of Naval Shipbuilding.

In terms of her tactical-technical characteristics, the submarine designed by Rudnitsky became a prototype of our ocean-going submarines built after the war. A lot of technical innovations were introduced on this submarine, namely automatic surfacing and submerging remote control system; reliable powerful radio station that secured sustainable connection, if surfaced, from the remote ocean areas. In the 1939 acceptance act of the lead submarine K-1, the State Commission registered the following: “The submarine meets the highest technical standards and in terms of her tactical elements and major characteristics excels all the existing foreign analogues, especially in terms of armament and speed parameters”.

Indeed, her armament included ten torpedo-tubes (six torpedo-tubes forward and four torpedo-tubes aft), two 100-mm and two 45-mm guns as well as two machine-guns. She was capable of taking on board up to 20 mines. Her speed, both surfaced and submerged, was remarkably high – 21.1/10.3 knots while endurance was very well matched for underwater cruisers – 14040/176 miles. With displacement of 1487/2102 tons, the K-1’s major dimensions were 97,7 õ 7,4 õ 4,1 m; her complement numbered 62 men. She was commissioned on 16 December 1939, and she joined the Northern Fleet on 6 August 1940.

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Navy could boast of 212 submarines. Their impressive technical parameters, professionally-trained, highly-skilled and staunch crew members made our submarines a formidable force during the war days.

During the GPW, our submarines, forcing their way through artificial obstacles, would fire gunshots thus informing how many enemy ships they had sunk. Meanwhile those waiting for them on the shore were preparing a festive dinner with the corresponding number of roast sucking-pigs. That way, new fleet traditions were created. A momentous event in the history of our underwater forces was the order ¹ 170 of 12 July 1942, issued by the People’s USSR Navy Commissar Admiral Nickolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, which declared the introduction of the “Breastplate for submarine captain”. Thus the tradition of wearing this special breastplate for Navy submarine officers, which had been introduced for the first time by the Naval Order of 1909, was re-established. The new version of the breastplate – a delicate silver submarine with a ruby star under the deckhouse fixed on the right pocket of the tunic of those captains distinguished themselves in the battles against fascists – has become a unique decoration and a symbol of professionalism and unsurpassed naval skill of those captains who were committed to take command of soviet submarines.

On 15 August 1987, the USSR Defence Minister’s order ¹ 233 declared “the captain’s submarine to be called a breastplate “Captain of the ship””. In accordance with this regulation, only submarine captains on taking command of the ship following the recommendation for this award were to be decorated with this distinctive decoration. The decoration ceremony is conducted with all due military honours as it was established during those difficult years of the Great Patriotic War. The same order of the People’s Navy Commissar introduced another “Decoration for enemy ships sinking”.

Our submariners have always piously revered another old naval tradition which goes as follows: “One for all and all for one!” For no other type of ships is this tradition so relevant and true to life as for submarines where the life and success of the entire crew depends on the actions of every single sailor, sergeant major, officer or warrant officer. Nowhere else can there be the same extent of equality of fates and responsibility of the staff as on submarines where there are only two possibilities during operational voyages: either they all win together or die together. A bright example of this simple truth is the operational voyage of the Black Sea Fleet submarine M-32.

In June 1942, this submarine under the command of Lieutenant-Captain N.A. Koltypin would deliver ammunition and petrol to besieged Sebastopol. One day they failed to get unloaded before dawn and had to submerge in the harbour and stay there for 16 hours waiting for the night to come. To their horror, the driving ballast tank leaked petrol fumes into the inner compartments. The crew members started fainting. Of all the crew only the head of the motor-mechanic brigade senior sergeant N.K. Pustovoytenko was able to stand on his feet. When the clock showed that it was already dark on surface, he tried to bring the captain and mechanic into conscience but his efforts were in vain – they badly needed catch a breath of fresh air. Then Pustovoytenko, with great difficulty, managed to surface the submarine on his own and open the deck-house hatch after which the strong wing and current started carrying the M-32 right on the coastal rocks. Pustovoytenko took the captain to the captain’s bridge, left him there in the open air and went down to the central station. He on his own did the work of the entire crew: prepared the compartment for ventilation, started up ventilators, made the main motor control station ready for action. Meanwhile, the captain, mechanic and some other crew members came to their senses. All together they were able to start up the engine, take the submarine off the rocks and put out to sea.

This example proves that good knowledge of all the submarine mechanisms and devices and the way they operate along with competent actions of one member of the crew helped to save the lives of the seamen and keep the ship intact.

The final period of the war was marked by very impressive and effective actions of the Baltic Sea Fleet submariners. On 30 January 1945, off the Danzig Bay, the S-13 under the command of Captain Third Rank A.I. Marinesko attacked and sank the fascist liner Wilhelm Gustloff of 24 484 tons displacement. Ten days later, the S-13 torpedoed another German transport the General von Steuben of 14 680 tons displacement. Both vessels carried some 10000 German soldiers and officers on their boards including 1300 officers and seamen of the fascist submarines as well as a huge number of military machinery, equipment and other valuable property. Unfortunately, Marinesko’s heroic exploit was appreciated at its rue value very late – it was not until 1990 that he was posthumously decorated with the Hero of the Soviet Union. A tremendous, fantastic success accompanied the crew of the K-52 under Captain Third Rank I.V. Travkin during the last months of the war. Four months before the long-awaited Victory, this submarine destroyed six enemy transports and one guard-ship.

The Soviet submariners acted so bravely and selflessly against the enemy transports loaded with troops and military machinery that they successfully fulfilled all the tasks which had been given our seaside army flanks by the Headquarters. Over the final period of the GPW, our submarines sank 26 transports of total displacement of 107 288 tons and one warship.

In addition to enemy ships and transports destruction, our submarines would also lay mine fields in the enemy territorial waters, conduct reconnaissance operations, transport people cargoes and fuel. While fulfilling various kinds of tasks, even those which did not fall under their direct duty, the submarines crews always displayed their adherence to the military oaths and high professionalism.

Our Motherland highly appreciated the heroic deeds performed by our submariners during the Great Patriotic War. Twenty three submarines were awarded with the Order of the Red Banner; twelve subs were named the Guards submarines and four Northern Fleet submarines (D-3, S-56, Sch-402 and M-172) were awarded with the Guards’ banner and the Order of the Red Banner. Thousands of submariners were decorated with the highest government awards while 20 most courageous of them became the Heroes of the Soviet Union.