German combat boats of the Second World Albatross type. Torpedo boats from the Great Patriotic War. History of the torpedo ship

Torpedo boats are fast, small-sized and fast vessels, whose main armament is self-propelled combat projectiles - .

The ancestors of boats with torpedoes on board were the Russian mine ships “Chesma” and “Sinop”. Combat experience in military conflicts from 1878 to 1905 revealed a number of shortcomings. The desire to correct the disadvantages of boats led to two directions in the development of ships:

1. Dimensions and displacement have been increased. This was done in order to equip the boats with more powerful torpedoes, strengthen artillery, and increase seaworthiness.
2. The ships were small-sized, their design was lighter, so maneuverability and speed became an advantage and the main characteristics.

The first direction gave birth to such types of ships as. The second direction led to the appearance of the first torpedo boats.

Mine boat “Chamsa”

The first torpedo boats

One of the first torpedo boats was created by the British. They were called the “40-pounder” and “55-pounder” boats. They very successfully and actively participated in the hostilities in 1917.

The first models had a number of characteristics:

• Small displacement of water - from 17 to 300 tons;
• A small number of torpedoes on board - from 2 to 4;
• High speed from 30 to 50 knots;
• Light auxiliary weapon - machine gun from 12 to 40 - mm;
• Unprotected design.

Torpedo boats of World War II

At the beginning of the war, boats of this class were not very popular among the participating countries. But during the war years their number increased 7-10 times. The Soviet Union developed the construction of light ships, and by the beginning of hostilities, the fleet had approximately 270 torpedo-type boats in service.

Small ships were used in conjunction with aircraft and other equipment. In addition to the main task of attacking ships, the boats had the functions of reconnaissance and sentinels, guarded convoys off the coast, laid mines, and attacked submarines in coastal areas. Also used as vehicle for transporting ammunition, discharging troops and played the role of minesweepers for bottom mines.

Here are the main representatives of torpedo boats in the war:

1. England MTV boats, whose speed was 37 knots. Such boats were equipped with two single-tube devices for torpedoes, two machine guns and four deep mines.
2. German boats with a displacement of 115 thousand kilograms, a length of almost 35 meters and a speed of 40 knots. The armament of the German boat consisted of two devices for torpedo shells and two automatic anti-aircraft guns.
3. Italian MAS boats from the Balletto design organization reached speeds of up to 43-45 knots. They were equipped with two 450-mm torpedo launchers, one 13-caliber machine gun and six bombs.
4. The twenty-meter torpedo boat of the G-5 type, created in the USSR, had a number of characteristics: Displacement of water was about 17 thousand kilograms; Developed speed up to 50 knots; It was equipped with two torpedoes and two small-caliber machine guns.
5. Torpedo-class boats, model RT 103, in service with the US Navy, displaced about 50 tons of water, were 24 meters long and had a speed of 45 knots. Their armament consisted of four torpedo launchers, one 12.7 mm machine gun and 40 mm automatic anti-aircraft guns.
6. Japanese fifteen-meter torpedo boats of the Mitsubishi model had a small water displacement of up to fifteen tons. The T-14 type boat was equipped with a gasoline engine that reached a speed of 33 knots. It was armed with one 25-caliber cannon or machine gun, two torpedo shells and bomb throwers.

USSR 1935 – boat G 6

Mine boat MAS 1936

Torpedo-class ships had several advantages over other warships:

• Small dimensions;
• High speed abilities;
• High maneuverability;
• Small crew;
• Little supply requirement;
• The boats could quickly attack the enemy and also escape with lightning speed.

Schnellbots and their characteristics

Schnellbots are German torpedo boats from World War II. Its body was combined of wood and steel. This was dictated by the desire to increase speed, displacement and reduce financial and time resources for repairs. The conning tower was made of light alloy, had a conical shape and was protected by armored steel.

The boat had seven compartments:

1. – there was a cabin for 6 people;
2. – radio station, commander’s cabin and two fuel tanks;
3. – there are diesel engines;
4. – fuel tanks;
5. – dynamos;
6. – steering station, cockpit, ammunition depot;
7. – fuel tanks and steering gear.

By 1944, the power plant was improved to the diesel model MV-518. As a result, the speed increased to 43 knots.

The main weapons were torpedoes. As a rule, steam-gas G7a units were installed. The second effective weapon of the boats were mines. These were bottom shells of the types TMA, TMV, TMS, LMA, 1MV or anchor shells EMC, UMB, EMF, LMF.

The boat was equipped with additional artillery weapons, including:

• One MGC/30 stern gun;
• Two MG 34 portable machine gun mounts;
• At the end of 1942, some boats were equipped with Bofors machine guns.

German boats were equipped with sophisticated technical equipment to detect the enemy. The FuMO-71 radar was a low-power antenna. The system made it possible to detect targets only at close distances: from 2 to 6 km. FuMO-72 radar with a rotating antenna, which was placed on the wheelhouse.

Metox station, which could detect enemy radar radiation. Since 1944, the boats have been equipped with the Naxos system.

Mini schnellbots

Mini boats of the LS type were designed for placement on cruisers and large ships. The boat had the following characteristics. The displacement is only 13 tons, and the length is 12.5 meters. The crew team consisted of seven people. The boat was equipped with two Daimler Benz MB 507 diesel engines, which accelerated the boat to 25-30 knots. The boats were armed with two torpedo launchers and one 2 cm caliber cannon.

The KM type boats were 3 meters longer than the LS. The boat carried 18 tons of water. Two BMW gasoline engines were installed on board. The swimming apparatus had a speed of 30 knots. The boat's weapons included two devices for firing and storing torpedo shells or four mines and one machine gun.

Post-war ships

After the war, many countries abandoned the creation of torpedo boats. And they moved on to creating more modern missile ships. Construction continued to be carried out by Israel, Germany, China, the USSR and others. In the post-war period, boats changed their purpose and began to patrol coastal areas and fight enemy submarines.

The Soviet Union presented a Project 206 torpedo boat with a displacement of 268 tons and a length of 38.6 meters. Its speed was 42 knots. The armament consisted of four 533-mm torpedo tubes and two twin AK-230 launchers.

Some countries have begun producing mixed-type boats, using both missiles and torpedoes:

1. Israel produced the Dabur boat
2. China has developed a combined boat "Hegu"
3. Norway built the Hauk
4. In Germany it was "Albatross"
5. Sweden was armed with the Nordköping
6. Argentina had the Intrepid boat.

USSR torpedo boats

Soviet torpedo-class boats are warships used during the Second World War. These lightweight, maneuverable vehicles were indispensable in combat conditions; they were used to land airborne troops, transport weapons, minesweeping and laying mines.

Torpedo boats model G-5, mass production which was carried out from 1933 to 1944. A total of 321 ships were produced. The displacement ranged from 15 to 20 tons. The length of such a boat was 19 meters. Two GAM-34B engines of 850 each were installed on board Horse power, allowing you to reach speeds of up to 58 knots. Crew – 6 people.

The weapons on board were a 7-62 mm DA machine gun and two 533 mm stern grooved torpedo tubes.

The armament consisted of:

• Two twin machine guns
• Two tube torpedo devices
• Six M-1 bombs

Boats of the D3 model 1 and 2 series were planing vessels. The dimensions and mass of displaced water were practically the same. The length is 21.6 m for each series, the displacement is 31 and 32 tons, respectively.

The 1st series boat had three Gam-34BC gasoline engines and reached a speed of 32 knots. The crew included 9 people.

The Series 2 boat had a more powerful power plant. It consisted of three Packard gasoline engines with a capacity of 3,600 horsepower. The crew consisted of 11 people.

The armament was practically the same:

• Two twelve-millimeter DShK machine guns;
• Two devices for launching 533-mm torpedoes, model BS-7;
• Eight BM-1 depth charges.

The D3 2 series was additionally equipped with an Oerlikon cannon.

The Komsomolets boat is an improved torpedo boat in all respects. Its body was made of duralumin. The boat consisted of five compartments. The length was 18.7 meters. The boat was equipped with two Packard gasoline engines. The ship reached a speed of up to 48 knots.

The night of May 24, 1940 had just begun when two powerful explosions tore through the side of the French leader Jaguar, which was covering the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk. The ship, engulfed in flames, splashed onto the Malo-les-Bains beach, where it was abandoned by the crew, and at sunrise it was finished off by Luftwaffe bombers. The death of the Jaguar notified the Allies that they had a new one in the waters of the English Channel. dangerous enemy- German torpedo boats. The defeat of France allowed this weapon of the German fleet to “come out of the shadows” and brilliantly justify its concept, which after nine months of the “strange war” had already begun to be questioned.

Birth of the Schnellbot

Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the Allies reliably preserved the Germans' lag in destroyer forces, allowing them to have in their fleet only 12 destroyers with a displacement of 800 tons and 12 destroyers of 200 tons each. This meant that the German fleet was obliged to be left with hopelessly outdated ships, similar to those with which it entered the First World War. world war- similar ships of other fleets were at least twice as large.

German torpedo boats at the Friedrich Lürssen shipyard, Bremen, 1937

Like the rest of the German military, the sailors did not accept this state of affairs and, as soon as the country recovered from the post-war political crisis, they began to study ways to increase the combat capabilities of the fleet. There was a loophole: the victors did not strictly regulate the presence and development of small combat weapons that were first widely used during the war - torpedo and patrol boats, as well as motor minesweepers.

In 1924, in Travemünde, under the leadership of Captain Zur See Walter Lohmann and Oberleutnant Friedrich Ruge, the TRAYAG (Travemünder Yachthaven A.G.) testing center was created under the guise of a yacht club, as well as several other sports and shipping societies . These events were financed from the secret funds of the fleet.

The fleet already had useful experience in using small torpedo boats of the LM type in the last war, so the main characteristics of the promising boat, taking into account combat experience were identified quite quickly. It was required to have a speed of at least 40 knots and a cruising range of at least 300 miles at full speed. The main armament was to consist of two tube torpedo tubes, protected from sea water, with an ammunition supply of four torpedoes (two in tubes, two in reserve). The engines were supposed to be diesel, since gasoline engines caused the death of several boats in the last war.

All that remained was to decide on the type of case. In most countries, since the war, the development of glider boats with ledges in the underwater part of the hull has continued. The use of redan caused the bow of the boat to rise above the water, which reduced water resistance and sharply increased speed characteristics. However, during rough seas, such hulls experienced serious shock loads and were often destroyed.

The command of the German fleet categorically did not want a “weapon for calm waters,” which could only defend the German Bight. By that time, the confrontation with Great Britain had been forgotten, and the German doctrine was built on the fight against the Franco-Polish alliance. Boats were required that could reach from the Baltic ports of Germany to Danzig, and from the West Frisian Islands to the French coast.

The extravagant and impetuous “Oheka II” is the progenitor of the Kriegsmarine schnellbots. Her strange name is just a combination of the initial letters of the first and last names of the owner, millionaire Otto-Herman Kahn

The task turned out to be difficult. The wooden hull did not have the required safety margin and did not allow the placement of powerful advanced engines and weapons, the steel hull did not provide the required speed, and redan was also undesirable. In addition, the sailors wanted to get the lowest possible silhouette of the boat, providing better stealth. The solution came from the private shipbuilding company Friedrich Lürssen, which had specialized in small racing boats since the end of the 19th century and was already building boats for the Kaiser's fleet.

The attention of Reichsmarine officers was attracted by the yacht Oheka II, built by Lürssen for the American millionaire of German origin Otto Hermann Kahn, capable of crossing the North Sea at a speed of 34 knots. This was achieved by using a displacement hull, a classic three-shaft propulsion system and a mixed hull set, the power set of which was made of light alloy, and the lining was wooden.

Impressive seaworthiness, a mixed design that reduces the weight of the vessel, a good speed reserve - all these advantages of the Oheka II were obvious, and the sailors decided: the Lurssen received an order for the first combat boat. It received the name UZ(S)-16 (U-Boot Zerstörer - “anti-submarine, high-speed”), then W-1 (Wachtboot - “patrol boat”) and the final S-1 (Schnellboot - “fast boat”). The letter designation “S” and the name “schnellbot” were then finally assigned to German torpedo boats. In 1930, the first four production boats were ordered, which formed the 1st Schnellbot semi-flotilla.

Serial firstborn of "Lurssen" at the shipyard: the long-suffering UZ(S)-16, aka W-1, aka S-1

The leapfrog with names was caused by the desire of the new Commander-in-Chief Erich Raeder to hide the appearance of torpedo boats in the Reichsmarine from the Allied Commission. On February 10, 1932, he issued a special order, which directly stated: it was necessary to avoid any mention of schnellbots as carriers of torpedoes, which could be regarded by the Allies as an attempt to circumvent restrictions on destroyers. The Lurssen shipyard was ordered to deliver boats without torpedo tubes, the cutouts for which were covered with easily removable shields. The devices were to be stored in the fleet's arsenal and installed only during exercises. The final installation was supposed to be carried out “as soon as the political situation allows”. In 1946, at the Nuremberg Tribunal, prosecutors would recall this order to Raeder as a violation of the Treaty of Versailles.

After the first series of boats with gasoline engines, the Germans began to build small series with high-speed diesel engines from MAN and Daimler-Benz. Lürssen also consistently worked on the hull lines to improve speed and seaworthiness. Many failures awaited the Germans along this path, but thanks to the patience and foresight of the fleet command, the development of schnellbots proceeded in accordance with the doctrine of the fleet and the concept of their use. Export contracts with Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and China made it possible to test all technological solutions, and comparative tests revealed the reliability advantages of V-shaped Daimler-Benzes over lighter, but capricious in-line MAN products.

“Lürssen effect”: model of the “schnellboat”, view from the stern. Three propellers, the main one and two additional rudders are clearly visible, distributing the flow of water from the outer propellers

Gradually, the classic appearance of the schnellboat was formed - a durable seaworthy ship with a characteristic low silhouette (hull height is only 3 m), 34 meters long, about 5 meters wide, with a fairly shallow draft (1.6 meters). The cruising range was 700 miles at 35 knots. The maximum speed of 40 knots was achieved with great difficulty only thanks to the so-called Lurssen effect - additional rudders regulated the flow of water from the left and right propellers. The Schnellbot was armed with two 533 mm caliber tube torpedo tubes with an ammunition load of four steam-gas torpedoes G7A (two in devices, two spare). The artillery armament consisted of a 20-mm machine gun in the stern (at the beginning of the war, a second 20-mm machine gun began to be placed in the bow) and two detachable MG 34 machine guns on pin mounts. In addition, the boat could take six sea ​​mines or the same number of depth charges, for which two bomb releasers were installed.

The boat was equipped with a fire extinguishing system and smoke exhaust equipment. The crew consisted of an average of 20 people, who had at their disposal a separate commander's cabin, a radio room, a galley, a latrine, crew quarters, and sleeping places for one watch. Scrupulous in matters of combat support and basing, the Germans were the first in the world to create a specially built floating base, Tsingtau, for their torpedo boats, which could fully meet the needs of the Schnellbot flotilla, including headquarters and maintenance personnel.

“Mother Hen with Chicks” - the mother ship of the Qingdao torpedo boats and her charges from the 1st Schnellbot Flotilla

Opinions in the fleet leadership were divided regarding the required number of boats, and a compromise was adopted: by 1947, 64 boats were to enter service, with another 8 in reserve. However, Hitler had his own plans, and he did not intend to wait for the Kriegsmarine to gain the desired power.

“Did not live up to expectations in every way”

By the beginning of the war, the Reich torpedo boats found themselves in the position of real stepchildren of both the fleet and the industry of the Reich. The Nazis' rise to power and Great Britain's consent to strengthen the German navy gave a powerful impetus to the construction of all previously prohibited classes of ships, from submarines to battleships. Schnellbots, designed to neutralize the weakness of the “Versailles” destroyer forces, found themselves on the margins of the fleet rearmament program.

When England and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, the German fleet had only 18 boats. Four of them were considered training, and only six were equipped with reliable Daimler-Benz diesel engines. This company, which fulfilled huge orders for the Luftwaffe, could not enter into mass production of boat diesel engines, so commissioning new units and replacing engines on boats in service presented a serious problem.

A 533 mm torpedo leaves the Schnellbot's torpedo tube

At the beginning of the war, all boats were combined into two flotillas - the 1st and 2nd, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Kurt Sturm and Lieutenant Commander Rudolf Petersen. Organizationally, the schnellbots were subordinate to the Fuhrer of the destroyers (Führer der Torpedoboote), Rear Admiral Günther Lütjens, and the operational management of the flotillas in the theater of operations was carried out by the commands of the naval groups “West” (North Sea) and “Ost” (Baltic). Under the leadership of Lutyens, the 1st Flotilla took part in the campaign against Poland, blockading the Bay of Danzig for three days, and on September 3 opened a combat account - the S-23 boat of Oberleutnant Christiansen (Georg Christiansen) sank a Polish pilot vessel with 20-mm machine gun fire .

After the defeat of Poland, a paradoxical situation arose - the fleet command did not see adequate use of the torpedo boats at its disposal. On the Western Front, the Wehrmacht had no coastal flank; the enemy made no attempts to penetrate the German Bight. In order to operate off the coast of France and England themselves, the schnellboats did not reach operational and technical readiness, and not all autumn storms were up to them.

As a result, the schnellbots were assigned tasks unusual for them - anti-submarine search and patrol, escort of combat and transport ships, messenger service, and even “high-speed delivery” of depth charges to destroyers who had spent their ammunition in the hunt for Allied submarines. But as a submarine hunter, the schnellboat was downright bad: its viewing height was lower than that of the submarine itself, low-noise “sneaking” capabilities and sonar equipment were absent. In the case of performing escort functions, the boats had to adapt to the speed of the wards and run on one central engine, which led to heavy loads and the rapid depletion of its resource.

Torpedo boat S-14 in light pre-war paint, 1937

The fact that the original concept of the boats was forgotten, and they began to be perceived as some kind of multi-purpose ships, is well characterized by the report of the operational department of the West group dated November 3, 1939, in which specifications and the combat qualities of torpedo boats were subjected to derogatory criticism - it was noted that they “did not live up to expectations in every way" The highest operational body of the Kriegsmarine SKL (Stabes der Seekriegsleitung - Naval War Command Headquarters) agreed and wrote in its journal that “These conclusions are very regrettable and most disappointing in the light of the hopes that were obtained in the course of recent calculations...” At the same time, the command itself confused the lower headquarters, indicating in the instructions that “anti-submarine activity is secondary for torpedo boats” and there it declared that “torpedo boats cannot provide anti-submarine protection for fleet formations”.

Early Kriegsmarine Schnellbots

All this had a negative impact on the reputation of the schnellbots, but the crews believed in their ships, improved them on their own, and accumulated combat experience in every routine task. The new “destroyer Führer,” Captain zur See Hans Bütow, who was appointed to this post on November 30, 1939, also believed in them. A most experienced destroyer, he categorically insisted on curtailing the participation of schnellboats in escort missions that destroyed the motor resources of boats, and tried in every possible way to push for their participation in the “siege of Britain” - as the Kriegsmarine pathetically called the strategic plan of military operations against the British, implying attacks and minelaying aimed at disruption of trade.

The first two planned exits to the shores of Britain fell through due to weather (North Sea storms had already damaged several boats), and the command did not allow combat-ready units to linger at the bases. Operation Weserübung against Norway and Denmark was the next stage in the development of German boats and led them to their first long-awaited success.

The day that changed everything

Almost all combat-ready ships of the German fleet were involved in the landing in Norway, and in this regard, the good cruising range of the Schnellboats turned out to be in demand. Both flotillas were supposed to land at two most important points - Kristiansand and Bergen. The Schnellbots coped with the task brilliantly, passing at speed under enemy fire, which delayed the heavier ships, and quickly landed the advanced landing groups.

After the occupation of the main part of Norway, the command left both flotillas to defend the captured coast and the already familiar escort of convoys and warships. Byutov warned that if this use of schnellboats continued, then by mid-July 1940 the boats’ engines would exhaust their resources.

Commander of Group West, Admiral Alfred Saalwechter, in his office

Everything changed literally in one day. On 24 April 1940, SKL dispatched the 2nd Flotilla for mine-laying and convoy operations in the North Sea as Allied light forces suddenly began conducting raids in the Skagerrak area. On May 9, the Dornier Do 18 flying boat discovered an English detachment from the light cruiser HMS Birmingham and seven destroyers, which was heading towards the German mine-laying area. The scout noticed only one detachment (a total of 13 British destroyers and a cruiser took part in the operation), however, the commander of Group West, Admiral Alfred Saalwächter, did not hesitate to order four serviceable schnellboats of the 2nd Flotilla (S-30 , S-31, S-33 and S-34) intercept and attack the enemy.

An English detachment of the destroyers HMS Kelly, HMS Kandahar and HMS Bulldog was moving to connect with Birmingham at a speed of 28 knots of the slowest-moving Bulldog. At 20:52 GMT, the British fired on a Do 18 hovering above them, but it had already brought the Schnellbots to an ideal ambush position. At 22:44, the signalmen of the flagship Kelly noticed some shadows about 600 meters ahead on the port side, but it was too late. The S-31 salvo from Oberleutnant Hermann Opdenhoff was accurate: the torpedo hit the Kelly in the boiler room. The explosion tore out 15 square meters plating, and the ship’s position immediately became critical.

The half-submerged destroyer Kelly hobbles towards the base. The ship will be destined to perish in a year - on May 23, during the evacuation of Crete, it will be sunk by Luftwaffe bombers

The Germans disappeared into the night, and the English commander, Lord Mountbatten, did not even immediately understand what it was and ordered the Bulldog to carry out a counterattack with depth charges. The operation failed. The Bulldog took in tow the flagship, which was barely floating on the surface, after which the detachment headed for its native waters. By nightfall, fog fell on the sea, but the noise of diesel engines told the British that the enemy was still circling nearby. After midnight, a boat that suddenly jumped out of the darkness rammed the Bulldog with a glancing blow, after which it itself fell under the ram of the half-submerged Kelly.

It was an S-33 whose engines stalled, the starboard side and forecastle were destroyed for nine meters, and the commander, Oberleutnant Schultze-Jena, was wounded. It seemed that the fate of the boat was decided, and they were preparing to scuttle it, but visibility was such that the British had already lost the enemy 60 meters away and were shooting at random. Both Kelly and S-33 were able to safely reach their bases - the strength of the ships and the training of their crews affected them. But victory was for the Germans - four boats disrupted a major enemy operation. The Germans considered the Kelly sunk, and SKL noted with satisfaction in his combat log “the first glorious success of our schnellbots”. Opdenhoff received the Iron Cross 1st class on May 11, and on May 16 he became the tenth in the Kriegsmarine and the first among the boatmen to receive the Knight's Cross.

The destroyer "Kelly" undergoing repairs at the dock - the damage to the hull is impressive

When the victors celebrated their success in Wilhelmshaven, they did not yet know that at the same hours on the Western Front German units reach their starting positions for attack. Operation Gelb began, which would open the way for German torpedo boats to their true purpose - to torment the enemy’s coastal communications.

"A brilliant proof of ability and skill"

The Kriegsmarine command did not carry out any large-scale preparatory measures in anticipation of the attack on France and took the most minimal part in its planning. The fleet was licking its wounds after a difficult battle for Norway, and fighting was still ongoing in the Narvik area. Entirely absorbed in the tasks of continuously supplying new communications and strengthening captured bases, the fleet command allocated for operations off the coast of Belgium and Holland only a few small submarines and seaplanes of the 9th Air Division, which laid mines on the coastal fairways at night.

Heavier schnellboats with troops on board are heading to Kristiansand, Norway

However, the fate of Holland was decided already within two days of the offensive, and the command of the West group immediately saw an excellent opportunity for small operations attack ships to support the coastal flank of the army from Dutch bases. SKL was in a quandary: the rapidly expanding theater of operations required the involvement of ever larger forces that did not exist. The commanding admiral in Norway urgently requested that one flotilla of schnellbots be left, “indispensable in matters of security of communications, delivery of supplies and pilotage of ships”, in his permanent operational subordination.

But common sense eventually prevailed: on May 13, an entry appeared in the SKL combat log in which “ green light» offensive use of torpedo boats in the southern North Sea:

« Now that the Dutch coast is in our hands, the command believes that a favorable operational situation has developed for the operations of torpedo boats off the Belgian, French coasts and in the English Channel, in addition, there is good experience similar actions in the last war, and the area of ​​​​operations itself is very convenient for such operations.”

The day before, the 1st Flotilla was relieved of escort functions, and on May 14, the 2nd Flotilla was removed from the command of the admiral in Norway - this ended the participation of the Schnellbots in Operation Weserubung, along with their role as patrol boats.

Schnellboats of the 2nd Flotilla moored in captured Norwegian Stavanger

On May 19, nine boats from both flotillas, together with the mother ship Carl Peters Peters) made the transition to the island of Borkum, from which on the night of May 20 they set out on the first reconnaissance searches to Ostend, Newport and Dunkirk. Initially, the Schnellbots were planned to be used to cover troops landing on the islands at the mouth of the Scheldt, but the Wehrmacht managed it on its own. Therefore, while the Dutch bases and fairways were hastily cleared of mines, the boatmen decided to “probe” the new combat area.

The first exit brought victory, but a somewhat unusual one. A flight of Ansons from the 48th Squadron of the Royal Air Force noticed the boats in the IJmuiden area at dusk and dropped bombs, the closest of which exploded 20 meters from the S-30. The lead aircraft was set on fire by return fire, and all four pilots, led by Flight Lieutenant Stephen Dodds, were killed.

On the night of May 21, the boats carried out several attacks on transports and warships in the area of ​​Newport and Dunkirk. Despite the colorful reports of victories, these successes were not confirmed, but the Schnellbot crews quickly regained their qualifications as torpedo hunters. The first exits showed that the enemy did not expect attacks from surface ships in its internal waters - with the noise of the engines, the beams of searchlights rested in the sky to highlight the attacking Luftwaffe aircraft. SKL noted with satisfaction: “The fact that the boats were able to attack enemy destroyers near their bases justifies the expectation of successful continuous operations from Dutch bases.”.

A bright flash against the background of the night sky - the explosion of the French leader "Jaguar"

The next exit brought the Schnellbots the already mentioned first victory in the waters of the English Channel. A pair of boats of the 1st Flotilla - S-21 of Oberleutnant von Mirbach (Götz Freiherr von Mirbach) and S-23 of Oberleutnant Christiansen - lay in wait for the French leader "Jaguar" near Dunkirk. Full moon and the light from the burning tanker did not favor the attack, but at the same time illuminated the “Frenchman”. Two torpedoes hit the target and left the ship no chance. Von Mirbach subsequently recalled in a newspaper interview:

“Through my binoculars I saw the destroyer capsizing, and in the next few moments only a small strip of the side was visible above the surface, hidden by smoke and steam from the exploding boilers. Our thoughts at that moment were about the brave sailors who died at our hands - but such is war.”.

On May 23, all combat-ready boats were relocated to the well-equipped Dutch base of Den Helder. “Destroyer Fuhrer” Hans Bütow also moved his headquarters there, who now not nominally, but completely took charge of the activities of the boats and their support in the Western theater under the auspices of the “West” group. Based on Den Helder, the boats shortened their journey to the canal by 90 miles - this made it possible to more efficiently use the increasingly short spring nights and save engine life.

On May 27, 1940, Operation Dynamo began - the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk. The Wehrmacht High Command asked the Kriegsmarine what they could do against the evacuation. The fleet command stated with regret that there was practically nothing except the actions of torpedo boats. Only four boats could operate against the entire huge Allied armada in the English Channel - S-21, S-32, S-33 and S-34. The remaining schnellbots were left for repairs. However, the subsequent successful attacks finally convinced the fleet command that torpedo boats were ready to play their special role in the “siege of Britain.”

On the night of May 28, the S-34 of Oberleutnant Albrecht Obermaier discovered the transport Abukir (694 GRT), which had already repelled several Luftwaffe raids with the help of a single Lewis, near North Foreland, and attacked it with a two-torpedo salvo. There were approximately 200 British Army personnel on board the Abukir, including a military mission to liaise with high command Belgian army, 15 German prisoners of war, six Belgian priests and about 50 women - nuns and British schoolgirls.

The captain of the ship, Rowland Morris-Woolfenden, who repelled several air attacks, noticed the torpedo trail and began to zigzag, believing that he was being attacked by a submarine. Obermayer reloaded the devices and again struck, from which the slow-moving steamer at a speed of 8 knots could no longer evade. Morris-Wolfenden noticed the boat, and even tried to ram it, mistaking it for the wheelhouse of an attacking submarine! The hit under the midship frame led to the death of the Abukir within just a minute. The ship's bridge was lined with concrete slabs against Luftwaffe attacks, but the enemy came from where they were not expecting him.

Schnellbots at sea

British destroyers that came to the rescue saved only five crew members and 25 passengers. Survivor Morris-Wolfenden claimed that the German boat illuminated the crash site with a searchlight and machine-gunned the survivors, which was widely reported in the British press describing "Hun atrocities." This completely contradicts the log entries of S-34, which retreated at full speed and was even buried under the wreckage of the exploding ship. The Abukir became the first merchant ship to be sunk by schnellboats.

The next night, the Schnellbots struck again, finally dispelling doubts about their effectiveness. The destroyer HMS Wakeful, under the command of Commander Ralph L. Fisher, carrying 640 soldiers, was warned of the danger of attacks by surface ships and kept a double watch, but this did not save him. Fischer, whose ship led the column of destroyers, walked in a zigzag. Seeing the light of the lightship Quint, he ordered an increase in speed to 20 knots, but at that moment he noticed the tracks of two torpedoes just 150 meters from the destroyer.

“Shatter me, will it really happen?”- The only thing Fisher managed to whisper before the torpedo tore the Wakeful in half. The commander escaped, but half of his crew and all the evacuees died. The S-30 commander, Oberleutnant Wilhelm Zimmermann, who ambushed and scored a hit, not only successfully left the scene of the massacre - his attack attracted the attention of the submarine U 62, which sank the destroyer HMS Grafton, which rushed to the aid of its fellow ship. .

The French leader "Sirocco" is one of the victims of the Schnellbots during the Dunkirk epic

The next day, May 30, 1940, SKL handed over all operationally suitable boats to the commander of Group West, Admiral Saalwechter. This was a welcome recognition of usefulness, but only after the night of May 31, when the French leaders Sirocco and Cyclone were torpedoed by S-23, S-24 and S-26, did SKL triumphantly exonerate the schnellboats for their unpleasantness reviews of the beginning of the war: “In Hoefden (as the Germans called the southernmost region of the North Sea - author’s note) five enemy destroyers were sunk without losses to the torpedo boats, which means brilliant proof of the capabilities of the torpedo boats and the training of their commanders...” The successes of the boatmen forced both their own command and the Royal Navy to take them seriously.

The British quickly recognized the new threat and sent the 206th and 220th Hudson squadrons of the RAF coastal command to “clean up” their waters from the Schnellboats, and even attracted the 826th naval squadron on the Albacores. It was then, apparently, that the designation E-boats (Enemy boats - enemy boats) arose, which first served to facilitate radio communication, and then became commonly used in relation to schnellboats for the British Navy and Air Force.

After the capture of the northern coast of France, an unprecedented prospect opened up before the German fleet - the flank of the enemy’s most important coastal communications became completely open not only to full-scale mining and attacks by the Luftwaffe, but also to attacks by Schnellbots. New boats were already entering service - large, well-armed, seaworthy - and were hastily assembled into new flotillas. The experience of the attacks was compiled and analyzed, and this meant that difficult times were coming for the command of the British forces in the English Channel.

Just a year later, in the spring of 1941, the experienced Schnellboat crews would prove that they could defeat not only individual vessels and ships, but also entire convoys. The English Channel ceased to be the “home waters” of the British fleet, which now had to defend itself from a new enemy, creating not only new system security and convoy, but also new ships capable of resisting the deadly creation of the Lurssen company.

Literature:

1. Lawrence Patterson. Snellboote. A complete operational history – Seafort Publishing, 2015
2. Hans Frank. German S-boat in action in the Second World War – Seafort Publishing, 2007
3. Geirr H. Haar. The Catering storm. The naval War in Northern Europe September 1939 – April 1940 – Seafort Publishing, 2013
4. M. Morozov, S. Patyanin, M. Barabanov. The Schnellbots are attacking. German torpedo boats of the Second World War - M.: “Yauza-Eksmo”, 2007
5. https://archive.org
6. http://www.s-boot.net
7. Freedoms Battle. Vol.1. The War at Sea 1939–1945. An Anthology of Personal Experience. Edited by Jonh Winton – Vintage books, London, 2007

Let's take a short detour from our reviews on aviation and move on to water. I decided to start like this, not from above, where all sorts of battleships blow bubbles, battlecruisers and aircraft carriers, and from below. Where passions were no less comical, albeit in shallow waters.

Speaking about torpedo boats, it is worth noting that before the start of the war, the participating countries, including even the “Mistress of the Seas” Britain, did not burden themselves with the presence of torpedo boats. Yes, there were small ships, but more likely for training purposes.

For example, the Royal Navy had only 18 TCs in 1939, the Germans owned 17 boats, but the Soviet Union had 269 boats. Shallow seas had their effect, in the waters of which problems had to be solved.

That’s why we’ll start, perhaps, with a participant flying the flag of the USSR Navy.

1. Torpedo boat G-5. USSR, 1933

Perhaps experts will say that it would be worth putting the D-3 or Komsomolets boats here, but it’s just that more G-5s were produced than D-3s and Komsomolets combined. Accordingly, these boats definitely took on such a part of the war that is hardly comparable to the others.

The G-5 was a coastal zone boat, unlike the D-3, which could easily operate at a distance from the shore. It was a small boat, which, nevertheless, worked on enemy communications throughout the Great Patriotic War.

During the war, it underwent several modifications, the GAM-34 engines (yes, the Mikulin AM-34s became planing) were replaced with imported Isotta-Fraschini, and then with GAM-34F with a power of 1000 hp, which accelerated the boat to a crazy 55 units with combat load. Empty, the boat could accelerate to 65 knots.

The weapons also changed. The frankly weak DA machine guns were replaced first with ShKAS (an interesting solution, to be honest), and then with two DShKs.

By the way, the enormous speed and non-magnetic wooden-duralumin hull allowed the boats to mine acoustic and magnetic mines.

Advantages: speed, good weapons, low cost design.

Disadvantages: very low seaworthiness.

2. Torpedo boat "Vosper". Great Britain, 1938

The boat is notable for the fact that the British Admiralty did not order it, and the Vosper company developed the boat on its own initiative in 1936. However, the sailors liked the boat so much that it was put into service and went into production.

The torpedo boat had very decent seaworthiness (at that time British ships were the standard) and cruising range. It also went down in history because it was the Vospers that were the first in the fleet to install Oerlikon automatic cannons, which greatly increased the firepower of the ship.

Since the British TKAs were weak competitors to the German Schnellbots, which will be discussed below, the gun came in handy.

Initially, the boats were equipped with the same engines as the Soviet G-5, that is, the Italian Isotta-Fraschini. The outbreak of the war left both Great Britain and the USSR without these engines, so we have another example of import substitution. The USSR very quickly adapted the Mikulin aircraft engine, and the British transferred the technology to the Americans, and they began to build boats with their own Packard engines.

The Americans further strengthened the boat’s armament, predictably replacing the Vickers with 12.7 mm Brownings.

Where did the Vospers fight? Yes everywhere. They took part in the evacuation of the Dunkirk disgrace, caught German “schnellboats” in the north of Britain, and attacked Italian ships in the Mediterranean Sea. We also checked in. 81 American-built boats were transferred to our fleet as part of Lend-Lease. 58 boats took part in the battles, two were lost.

Advantages: seaworthiness, armament, cruising range.

Disadvantages: speed, large crew for a small ship.

3. Torpedo boat MAS type 526. Italy, 1939

The Italians also knew how to build ships. Beautiful and fast. This cannot be taken away. The standard for an Italian ship is a narrower hull than its contemporaries, which means it has a slightly higher speed.

Why did I choose the 526th series in our review? Probably because they even showed up among us and fought in our waters, although not where most thought.

Italians are cunning. To two regular Isotta-Fraschini engines (yes, all the same!) with 1000 horsepower each, they added a pair of Alfa Romeo engines with 70 hp each. for economical running. And under such engines, boats could sneak at a speed of 6 knots (11 km/h) over absolutely fantastic distances of 1,100 miles. Or 2,000 km.

But if it was necessary to catch up with someone, or quickly get away from someone, this was also in order.

Plus, the boat turned out to be not only good in terms of seaworthiness, it turned out to be very versatile. And in addition to the usual torpedo attacks, it could easily hit a submarine with depth charges. But this is more psychological, since, of course, no hydroacoustic equipment was installed on the torpedo boat.

Torpedo boats of this type participated primarily in the Mediterranean Sea. However, in June 1942, four boats (MAS No. 526-529), together with Italian crews, were transferred to Lake Ladoga, where they took part in the attack on Suho Island with the aim of cutting the Road of Life. In 1943, the Finns took them over, after which the boats served as part of the Finnish naval forces.

Italians in Russia. On Lake Ladoga.

Advantages: seaworthiness, speed.

Disadvantages: multifunctionality in Italian design. The boat had weapons, but there were problems with their use. One machine gun, albeit a large-caliber one, is clearly not enough.

4. Patrol torpedo boat RT-103. USA, 1942

Of course, in the USA they couldn’t make something small and fidgety. Even taking into account the technology received from the British, they came up with a rather massive torpedo boat, which was generally explained by the number that the Americans were able to accommodate on it.

The idea itself was not to create a purely torpedo boat, but a patrol boat. This is clear even from the name, because RT stands for Patrol Torpedo boat. That is, a patrol boat with torpedoes.

Naturally, there were torpedoes. Two twin large-caliber Brownings are a useful thing in all respects, but we are generally silent about the 20-mm automatic cannon from Oerlikon.

Why does the American Navy need so many boats? It's simple. The interests of protecting the Pacific bases required just such ships, capable of primarily carrying out patrol duty and, in case of emergency, quickly escaping if enemy ships were suddenly discovered.

The most significant contribution of the RT series boats was the fight against the “Tokyo Night Express,” that is, the supply system for Japanese garrisons on the islands.

The boats turned out to be especially useful in the shallow waters of archipelagos and atolls, where destroyers were careful not to enter. And torpedo boats intercepted self-propelled barges and small coastal vessels carrying military contingents, weapons and equipment.

Advantages: powerful weapons, good speed

Disadvantages: perhaps none.

5. Torpedo boat T-14. Japan, 1944

In general, the Japanese somehow didn’t bother with torpedo boats, not considering them a weapon worthy of a samurai. However, over time, opinion changed, since the successful tactics of the Americans using patrol boats greatly worried the Japanese naval command.

But the problem lay elsewhere: there were no free engines. It’s a fact, but indeed, the Japanese fleet did not receive a decent torpedo boat precisely because there was no engine for it.

The only acceptable option in the second half of the war was the Mitsubishi project, which was called the T-14.

It was the smallest torpedo boat; even the coastal Soviet G-5 turned out to be larger. However, thanks to their space savings, the Japanese managed to squeeze in so many weapons (torpedoes, depth charges and an automatic cannon) that the ship turned out to be quite toothy.

Alas, the blatant lack of power of the 920-horsepower engine, despite all its advantages, did not make the T-14 any kind of competitor to the American RT-103.

Advantages: small size, weapons

Disadvantages: speed, range.

6. Torpedo boat D-3. USSR, 1943

It makes sense to add this particular boat, since the G-5 was a coastal zone boat, and the D-3 had more decent seaworthiness and could operate at a distance from the coastline.

The first series of D-3 was built with GAM-34BC engines, the second was built with American Lend-Lease Packards.

The sailors believed that the D-3 with Packards was much better than the American Higgins boats that came to us under Lend-Lease.

The Higgins was a good boat, but the low speed (up to 36 knots) and rope torpedo tubes, which completely froze in Arctic conditions, somehow did not suit the yard. The D-3 with the same engines was faster, and since it also turned out to be smaller in displacement, it was also more maneuverable.

The low silhouette, shallow draft and reliable muffler system made our D-3s indispensable for operations off the enemy’s coast.

So the D-3 not only carried out torpedo attacks on convoys, it was gladly used for landing troops, transporting ammunition to bridgeheads, and staging minefields, hunting for enemy submarines, guarding ships and convoys, trawling fairways (bombing German bottom proximity mines with depth charges).

Plus, it was the most seaworthy of the Soviet boats, withstanding waves of up to 6 points.

Advantages: set of weapons, speed, seaworthiness

Disadvantages: I think there are none.

7. S-Boat torpedo boat. Germany, 1941

At the end we have "Schnellbots". They were indeed quite “schnell”, that is, fast. In general, the concept of the German fleet included a huge number of ships carrying torpedoes. And more than 20 different modifications of the same “schnellbots” were built.

These were ships of a slightly higher class than all those listed before. But what if the German shipbuilders tried to stand out in every possible way? And their battleships were not exactly battleships, and a destroyer could puzzle another cruiser, and the same thing happened with the boats.

These were versatile ships, capable of doing everything, much like our D-3s, but had very impressive weapons and seaworthiness. Especially with weapons.

Actually, like the Soviet boats, the Germans charged their TKAs with the same tasks of protecting small convoys and individual ships (especially those coming from Sweden with ore), in which, by the way, they succeeded.

Ore carriers from Sweden calmly arrived at the ports because large ships Baltic Fleet They stood in Leningrad throughout the war, without interfering with the enemy. But for torpedo boats and armored boats, especially submarines, the Schnellboat, stuffed with automatic weapons, was too tough.

So I consider control over the delivery of ore from Sweden to be the main combat mission that the Schnellbots performed. Although 12 destroyers that were sunk by boats during the war is not a small number.

Advantages: seaworthiness and weapons

Disadvantages: size, therefore, not great maneuverability.

These ships and their crews had a difficult life. Not battleships after all... Not battleships at all.

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The series of multi-purpose boats of the "Kriegsfischkutter" (KFK) type consisted of 610 units ("KFK-1" - "KFK-561", "KFK-612" - "KFK-641", "KFK-655" - "KFK-659" , "KFK-662" - "KFK-668", "KFK-672" - "KFK-674", "KFK-743", "KFK-746", "KFK-749", "KFK-751") and was adopted in 1942-1945. The boats were built in seven European countries on the basis of a fishing seiner with a wooden hull and served as minesweepers, submarine hunters and patrol boats. During the war, 199 boats were lost, 147 were transferred as reparations to the USSR, 156 to the USA, 52 to Great Britain. Performance characteristics of the boat: total displacement – ​​110 tons; length – 20 m: width – 6.4 m; draft – 2.8 m; power plant - diesel engine, power - 175 - 220 hp; maximum speed – 9 – 12 knots; fuel reserve - 6 - 7 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 1.2 thousand miles; crew – 15 – 18 people. Basic weapons: 1x1 – 37 mm gun; 1-6x1 – 20 mm anti-aircraft gun. The hunter's armament is 12 depth charges.

The torpedo boats "S-7", "S-8" and "S-9" were built at the Lürssen shipyard and commissioned in 1934-1935. In 1940-1941 the boats were re-equipped. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​76 tons, full displacement – ​​86 tons; length – 32.4 m: width – 5.1 m; draft – 1.4 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 3.9 thousand hp; maximum speed – 36.5 knots; fuel reserve - 10.5 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 760 miles; crew - 18 - 23 people. Armament: 1x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 6 mines or depth charges.

The torpedo boats “S-10”, “S-11”, “S-12” and “S-13” were built at the Lürssen shipyard and commissioned in 1935. In 1941. the boats were re-equipped. One reparations boat was transferred to the USSR. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​76 tons, full displacement – ​​92 tons; length – 32.4 m: width – 5.1 m; draft – 1.4 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 3.9 thousand hp; maximum speed – 35 knots; fuel reserve - 10.5 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 758 miles; crew - 18 - 23 people. Armament: 2x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 6 mines or depth charges.

Torpedo boat "S-16"

The torpedo boats "S-14", "S-15", "S-16" and "S-17" were built at the Lürssen shipyard and commissioned in 1936-1937. In 1941 the boats were re-equipped. During the war, 2 boats were lost and one boat each was transferred to the USSR and the USA for reparations. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​92.5 tons, full displacement – ​​105 tons; length – 34.6 m: width – 5.3 m; draft – 1.7 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 6.2 thousand hp; maximum speed – 37.7 knots; fuel reserve - 13.3 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 500 miles; crew - 18 - 23 people. Armament: 2x1 or 1x2 - 20-mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes.

The series of torpedo boats consisted of 8 units (“S-18” - “S-25”) and were built at the Lürssen shipyard in 1938-1939. During the war, 2 boats were lost, 2 were transferred to Great Britain for reparations, 1 to the USSR. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​92.5 tons, full displacement – ​​105 tons; length – 34.6 m: width – 5.3 m; draft – 1.7 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 6 thousand hp; maximum speed - 39.8 knots; fuel reserve - 13.3 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 700 miles; crew - 20 - 23 people. Armament: 2x1 or 1x4 - 20-mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes.

The torpedo boats “S-26”, “S-27”, “S-28” and “S-29” were built at the Lürssen shipyard in 1940. During the war, all boats were lost. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​92.5 tons, full displacement – ​​112 tons; length – 34.9 m: width – 5.3 m; draft – 1.7 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 6 thousand hp; maximum speed – 39 knots; fuel reserve - 13.5 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 700 miles; crew - 24 - 31 people. Armament: 1x1 and 1x2 or 1x4 and 1x1 - 20-mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 4-6 torpedoes.

The series of torpedo boats consisted of 16 units (“S-30” - “S-37”, “S-54” - “S-61”) and were built at the Lürssen shipyard in 1939-1941. During the war, all the boats were lost. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 79 - 81 tons, full displacement - 100 - 102 tons; length – 32.8 m: width – 5.1 m; draft – 1.5 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 3.9 thousand hp; maximum speed – 36 knots; fuel reserve - 13.3 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 800 miles; crew - 24 - 30 people. Armament: 2x1 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm or 1x1 - 40 mm or 1x4 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes; 2 bomb releasers; 4-6 min.

The series of torpedo boats consisted of 93 units (“S-38” - “S-53”, “S-62” - “S-138”) and were built at the Lürssen and Schlichting shipyards in 1940-1944. During the war, 48 boats were lost, 6 boats were transferred to Spain in 1943, 13 boats were transferred to the USSR and the USA for reparations, 12 to Great Britain. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 92 - 96 tons, full displacement - 112 - 115 tons; length – 34.9 m: width – 5.3 m; draft – 1.7 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 6 - 7.5 thousand hp; maximum speed – 39 – 41 knots; fuel reserve - 13.5 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 700 miles; crew - 24 - 31 people. Armament: 2x1 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 40 mm or 1x4 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes; 2 bomb releasers; 6 min.

The series of torpedo boats consisted of 72 units (“S-139” - “S-150”, “S-167” - “S-227”) and were built at the Lürssen and Schlichting shipyards in 1943-1945. During the war, 46 boats were lost, 8 boats were transferred for reparations to the USA, 11 to Great Britain, 7 to the USSR. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 92 - 96 tons, full displacement - 113 - 122 tons; length – 34.9 m: width – 5.3 m; draft – 1.7 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 7.5 thousand hp; maximum speed – 41 knots; fuel reserve - 13.5 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 700 miles; crew - 24 - 31 people. Armament: 1x1 - 40 mm or 1x1 - 37 mm and 1x4 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1 - 533 mm torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes; 2 bomb releasers; 6 min.

The series of torpedo boats consisted of 7 units (“S-170”, “S-228”, “S-301” - “S-305”) and were built at the Lürssen shipyards in 1944-1945. During the war, 1 boat was lost, 2 boats were transferred for reparations to the USA, 3 to Great Britain, 1 to the USSR. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 99 tons, full displacement - 121 - 124 tons; length – 34.9 m: width – 5.3 m; draft – 1.7 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 9 thousand hp; maximum speed - 43.6 knots; fuel reserve - 15.7 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 780 miles; crew - 24 - 31 people. Armament: 2x1 or 3x2 – 30 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-533 mm torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes; 6 min.

The series of torpedo boats consisted of 9 units (“S-701” - “S-709”) and were built at the Danziger Waggonfabrik shipyards in 1944-1945. During the war, 3 boats were lost, 4 were transferred to the USSR as reparations, one each to Great Britain and the USA. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 99 tons, full displacement - 121 - 124 tons; length – 34.9 m: width – 5.3 m; draft – 1.7 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 9 thousand hp; maximum speed - 43.6 knots; fuel reserve - 15.7 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 780 miles; crew - 24 - 31 people. Armament: 3x2 – 30 mm anti-aircraft gun; 4x1 - 533 mm torpedo tubes; 4 torpedoes; 2 bomb releasers; 6 min.

Light torpedo boats of the “LS” type consisted of 10 units (“LS-2” - “LS-11”), built at the Naglo Werft and Dornier Werft shipyards and commissioned in 1940-1944. They were intended for use on auxiliary cruisers (raiders). During the war, all the boats were lost. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​11.5 tons, full displacement – ​​12.7 tons; length – 12.5 m.: width – 3.5 m.; draft – 1 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 1.4 - 1.7 thousand hp; maximum speed – 37 – 41 knots; fuel reserve - 1.3 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 170 miles; crew – 7 people. Armament: 1x1 – 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-450 mm torpedo tubes or 3 - 4 mines.

A series of 60-ton minesweeper boats of the "R" type consisted of 14 units ("R-2" - "R-7", "R-9" - "R-16"), built at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyards, "Schlichting-Werft" and commissioned in 1932-1934. During the war, 13 boats were lost. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 44 - 53 tons, full displacement - 60 tons; length – 25-28 m.: width – 4 m.; draft – 1.5 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 700 - 770 hp; maximum speed – 17 – 20 knots; fuel reserve - 4.4 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 800 miles; crew – 18 people. Armament: 1-4x1 - 20 mm anti-aircraft gun; 10 min.

A series of 120-ton minesweeper boats of the "R" type consisted of 8 units ("R-17" - "R-24"), built at the shipyards "Abeking & Rasmussen", "Schlichting-Werft" and put into operation in 1935- 1938 In 1940-1944. 3 boats were lost, one boat was transferred to Great Britain, the USSR and the USA for reparations, the rest were written off in 1947-1949. Performance characteristics of the boat: total displacement - 120 tons; length – 37 m: width – 5.4 m; draft – 1.4 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 1.8 thousand hp; maximum speed – 21 knots; fuel reserve – 11 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 900 miles; crew – 20 – 27 people. Armament: 2x1 and 2x2 - 20-mm anti-aircraft gun; 12 min.

A series of 126-ton minesweeper boats of the "R" type consisted of 16 units ("R-25" - "R-40"), built at the shipyards "Abeking & Rasmussen", "Schlichting-Werft" and commissioned in 1938- 1939 During the war, 10 boats were lost, 2 reparation boats were transferred to the USSR and 1 to Great Britain, the rest were decommissioned in 1945-1946. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 110 tons, full displacement - 126 tons; length – 35.4 m: width – 5.6 m; draft – 1.4 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 1.8 thousand hp; maximum speed – 23.5 knots; fuel reserve - 10 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 1.1 thousand miles; crew – 20 people. Armament: 2x1 and 2x2 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft gun; 10 min.

A series of 135-ton minesweeper boats of the "R" type consisted of 89 units ("R-41" - "R-129"), built at the shipyards "Abeking & Rasmussen", "Schlichting-Werft" and put into operation in 1940- 1943 During the war, 48 boats were lost, 19 boats were transferred for reparations to the USA, 12 to the USSR and 6 to Great Britain. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 125 tons, full displacement - 135 tons; length – 36.8 – 37.8 m: width – 5.8 m; draft – 1.4 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 1.8 thousand hp; maximum speed – 20 knots; fuel reserve – 11 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 900 miles; crew – 30 – 38 people. Armament: 1-3x1 and 1-2x2 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft gun; 10 min.

A series of 155-ton minesweeper boats of the "R" type consisted of 21 units ("R-130" - "R-150"), built at the shipyards "Abeking & Rasmussen", "Schlichting-Werft" and commissioned in 1943- 1945 During the war, 4 boats were lost, 14 boats were transferred to the USA for reparations, 1 to the USSR and 2 to Great Britain. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 150 tons, full displacement - 155 tons; length – 36.8 – 41 m: width – 5.8 m; draft – 1.6 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 1.8 thousand hp; maximum speed – 19 knots; fuel reserve – 11 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 900 miles; crew – 41 people. Armament: 2x1 and 2x2 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft gun; 1x1 – 86-mm rocket launcher.

A series of 126-ton minesweeper boats of the "R" type consisted of 67 units ("R-151" - "R-217"), built at the shipyards "Abeking & Rasmussen", "Schlichting-Werft" and put into operation in 1940- 1943 49 boats were lost, the rest were transferred as reparations to Denmark. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement - 110 tons, full displacement - 126 - 128 tons; length – 34.4 – 36.2 m: width – 5.6 m; draft – 1.5 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 1.8 thousand hp; maximum speed – 23.5 knots; fuel reserve - 10 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 1.1 thousand miles; crew - 29 - 31 people. Armament: 2x1 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft gun; 10 min.

A series of 148-ton R-type minesweeper boats consisted of 73 units (“R-218” - “R-290”), built at the Burmester shipyard and put into operation in 1943-1945. 20 boats were lost, 12 were transferred to the USSR for reparations, 9 to Denmark, 8 to the Netherlands, 6 to the USA. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​140 tons, full displacement – ​​148 tons; length – 39.2 m: width – 5.7 m; draft – 1.5 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 2.5 thousand hp; maximum speed – 21 knots; fuel reserve - 15 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 1 thousand miles; crew - 29 - 40 people. Armament: 3x2 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft gun; 12 min.

A series of 184-ton "R" type minesweeper boats consisted of 12 units ("R-301" - "R-312"), built at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard and commissioned in 1943-1944. During the war, 4 boats were lost, 8 boats were transferred to the USSR for reparations. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​175 tons, full displacement – ​​184 tons; length – 41 m.: width – 6 m.; draft – 1.8 m; power plant - 3 diesel engines, power - 3.8 thousand hp; maximum speed – 25 knots; fuel reserve - 15.8 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 716 miles; crew - 38 - 42 people. Armament: 3x2 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft gun; 1x1- 86-mm rocket launcher; 2x1 – 533 mm torpedo tubes; 16 min.

A series of 150-ton "R" type minesweeper boats consisted of 24 units ("R-401" - "R-424"), built at the Abeking & Rasmussen shipyard and commissioned in 1944-1945. During the war, 1 boat was lost, 7 boats were transferred for reparations to the USA, 15 to the USSR, 1 to the Netherlands. Performance characteristics of the boat: standard displacement – ​​140 tons, full displacement – ​​150 tons; length – 39.4 m: width – 5.7 m; draft – 1.5 m; power plant - 2 diesel engines, power - 2.8 thousand hp; maximum speed – 25 knots; fuel reserve - 15 tons of diesel fuel; cruising range - 1 thousand miles; crew - 33 - 37 people. Armament: 3x2 - 20 mm and 1x1 - 37 mm anti-aircraft gun; 2x1-86-mm rocket mortars; 12 min.