Thundering Guards squadron destroyer. Destroyer Thundering. Destroyer - auxiliary warship

Spring of 1945, the last days of the Great Patriotic War. Wounded in naval battles, the Gremyashchiy guards destroyer is located in Molotovsk at plant No. 402. The legendary destroyer has not gone to sea for several months due to too much damage from the bombing of fascist aircraft. The ship was being overhauled...
A veteran of the Great Patriotic War, the famous shipbuilder of Sevmash, Pavel Vasilyevich Lapshinov, came to the "Thundering" even before the start of the war, when the ship, built at the Leningrad Shipbuilding Enterprise. A.A. Zhdanov, only passed factory tests.
Pavel Vasilievich participated in the technically difficult passage of the ship from Leningrad along the Neva, through Ladoga and the Svir River, through Lake Onega and the White Sea-Baltic Canal, across the seas to the base of the Northern Fleet. The veteran remembers June 21, 1941 well.
- The first day of the war. Will you forget him? The opening of the summer season was to take place at the stadium, they were going to play football. But already at night it became clear that the plans would not come true: “Thundering” received an order to move away from the base to the Vaenga area (now Severomorsk). And at ten in the morning, the first fascist "Junkers" began to bomb our ships, - says a veteran from the North Sea.
Pavel Vasilyevich believes that for the sailors of the Northern Fleet, the war, in fact, began not on June 21, but on June 17, 1941, when Nazi aircraft first began to fly over ships. That day it was reconnaissance flights. According to the veteran, on June 20, our pilots forced one of the cars with a swastika on board to land in Murmansk. A captured German pilot said that divisions were concentrated on the border, that a war would soon begin ...
Here is how B. Kiselev, the navigator of the ship during the war years, recalls the first battle of the Thundering in the book Hero Ships: “The Thundering took the first battle in the Kola Bay. A flock of fascist bombers rushed to the ships. Anti-aircraft guns fired deafeningly. Before the "Junkers" there was a wall of gaps. The leading bomber caught fire and fell on the rocks. But the rest went into a dive. One of them rushed at the "Thundering". The dropped bomb with a howl flew over the very masts and exploded thirty meters from the side. A motorboat standing nearby was thrown up like a chip, and, breaking in half, sank before our eyes. The blast wave scattered anti-aircraft crews on the deck. But the stunned anti-aircraft gunners quickly took their places and continued to fire.
For sailors, this was truly a baptism of fire. But how many more battles the Thundering One had to go through.
The combat number of Pavel Lapshinov was in the central post near the artillery firing machine. Accuracy and speed of fire depended on the sailor. As Pavel Vasilyevich recalls, it happened that, repelling the attacks of the Nazis, the sailors did not leave the anti-aircraft guns for two days. In one of the air raids, a 76-millimeter gun shot down two aircraft at once. In another memorable battle for sailors, "Thundering", protecting a caravan of allied ships, for the first time used main battery artillery in the fight against torpedo bombers. The ship then destroyed at least three aircraft.
"Thundering" successfully fought with the ships of the Nazis. At the end of March 1942, together with the destroyer Smasher, he escorted convoy PQ-17. Visibility was close to zero due to heavy snow loads. A strong storm also interfered with the combat mission. But despite all the difficulties, the Severomors showed good training. In that campaign, "Thundering" sank a German submarine. The destroyer was also damaged by artillery fire from a German raider.
In the spring of 1943, by decision of the command, the crew of the Thundering was awarded the rank of guards.
The destroyer crushed enemy coastal targets with gunfire. In October 1944, the Thundering, together with the destroyer Loud, went to perform combat missions near the village of Titovka. There, the ships delivered a powerful artillery strike on the coastal batteries and fortifications of the Nazis. Despite enemy return fire, the destroyers destroyed two batteries, ammunition depots, several pillboxes and bunkers of the Germans. This made it easier for the marines to break through the heavily fortified enemy positions on the Musta-Tunturi ridge.
Soon the "Thundering" as part of a group of ships participated in the operation to bombard the port of Varde. In a heavy battle, the destroyer received another damage to the hull, the central aiming sight failed. But "Thundering" continued the fight. The Germans that day suffered heavy losses in Varda.
By the will of fate, "Thundering" had to somehow perform a rather unusual task. According to the published memoirs of Admiral A. Golovko, commander of the Northern Fleet during the Great Patriotic War, the destroyer, together with the Loud, accompanied the Marina Raskova transport. This Novaya Zemlya convoy was caught in a fierce storm. With the blows of the waves, the destroyers were laid on board at an angle of fifty degrees, the roll was at the limit of the stability of the ships. The convoy's destination was 150 miles away when the Marina Raskova's steering wheel was blown off. The steamer lost control, and, helpless, fell under the power of huge waves and wind. The sailors made a decision: "Thundering" will take the transport in tow.
The maneuver of the destroyer to emergency transport in the conditions of the strongest storm was associated with a serious risk. It took a long time to transfer the towline. Upon completion of this operation, a bunch of destroyer and steamer headed for Belushya Bay. "Gromky", providing cover for the ships, meanwhile shot the enemy mine he discovered, bombed the German submarine several times. Only on the fifth day after the start of rescue operations did the Novaya Zemlya convoy reach its destination. The rescued transport "Marina Raskova" handed over the cargo and soon returned to Arkhangelsk.
Told - only some episodes from the fate of the destroyer "Thundering".
During the war years, "Thundering" repelled 112 massive air attacks, shot down 14 and damaged 25 enemy aircraft, sank one and damaged several German submarines, destroyed at least three thousand Nazis. The destroyer traveled over 70 thousand miles, together with other ships, conducted more than a thousand transports.
As we have already said, "Thundering" met the end of the war in Molotovsk. According to the memoirs of Pavel Vasilievich Lapshinov, a place was determined for the legendary ship at the pier. Nearby, a small house was cut down especially for the responsible deliverer and the delivery team involved in the overhaul of the destroyer. The sailors of the crew began work on the restoration of the "Thundering" together with the shipbuilders.

Prepared by Arkady PAVLOV.
Photo from the archive of the editorial office of the newspaper "Korabel".

If Restless, Fearless, and Stormy have. still there are some (albeit insignificant) chances to go to sea again, then the last four destroyers of project 956 remaining in the flesh have nothing to hope for. They are excluded from the Navy, their crews have been disbanded (instead of them - bypass watches or "sludge" teams), flags deposited in naval museums, and the names are transferred to other ships or reserved until better times. Now it's- monuments of the last epoch of timelessness in the history of the national navy. Let's hope it islatest , not extreme.

Looking at this photo, it is believed that for the Russian Navy, the worst is already over, because it simply cannot be worse.- 12 year old destroyer "Stoykiy", sunken06.04.1999 at the 1st pier in Fokino due to the plunder of outboard fittings (from A. Pavlov's book)

7. " Combat "

Excluded from the fleet, located in Fokino (1st pier) awaiting disposal. The oldest surviving destroyer, project 956 (28 years old)- transferred to the Navy on 09/28/1986, the flag was raised on 10/11/1986.. In August 1995 he won the prize of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for rocket firing as part of the KUG (with "Fearless"). The following year, "Combat" again took the prize in the same nomination,. despite the fact that some of its boilers are out of order. . In 1997, boilers were repaired at Dalzavod. (Yu. Apalkov), and yet in 1998, at the age of 11-12, the ship was put into reserve (link 3 ).

"Combat" (b / n 720) and "Fearless" in Fokino,02.07.2011 (Photo frominquisitive808 withforums. airbase. en)

According to reports, since then the destroyer has not left its "eternal" parking at the 1st pier in Fokino, but01.12.2010 was expelled from the fleetrussianships. info). "Due to the fact that the ship was used (dismantled) as a source of spare parts for the Pacific Fleet destroyers of the same type," its technical readiness as of March 11, 2013 was estimated at no more than 20% of the "nominal value" (link 3). The fact of the active use of the "Combat" as a spare parts donor is also confirmed by the messages of the participants of the well-known maritime forum (link 4 , link 5 ).

8. " Thundering " (n/n404 )

Removed from the fleet. located in Severomorsk (presumably at the 5th pier). awaiting disposal.. The ship is 26 years old- transferred to the Navy on 12/30/1988, the flag was raised on 01/14/1989, renamed "Thundering" shortly before the transfer to the fleet- 08/18/1988 (according to A. Pavlov- 14.09.1988), . previously called "Leading ". . 23.04-27.10.1994 passed the current repair in the 35th shipyard with replacement of boiler tubes. In the period 03.1995-01.1996 periodically went to sea. In September 1996 according to the state of three boilers(out of 4 full-time) access to the sea was prohibited.

03/28/1997 the destroyer was withdrawn from the permanent readiness forces to the technical reserve of the 2nd category in anticipation of an average repair, 06/15/1998 the crew was reduced.18.12.2006 the ship was expelled from the fleet (russianships. info), although they were going to do it back in June 2005 (link 6 ). 12/09/2007 the name "Thundering" was transferred to the same type "Unrestrained" (link 7 ), and the welded letters were painted over with ball paint. Used as a "donor".. In 2013, the destroyer's hull leaked, for which reason the ship had to be towed to Murmansk (in the 35th SRZ),. where emergency repairs were made to seal (convert) the hull. 09/07/2013 the former "Thundering" was returned to its place (link 8 ).

Two former "Thunderers" (404 and 406) at the same pier, Severomorsk,10.07.2014 (fragment of photoKai-8 from fotki.yandex.ru,3250 pix.)

9. " Thundering " (n/n406 )

Excluded from the fleet, located in Severomorsk (near the same pier as b / n 404) awaiting disposal. The ship is 23 years old- transferred to the Navy 06/25/1991 under the name "Rampant ", flag raised 07/12/1991, renamed 12/09/2007. 04/14/1997 went to sea for a comprehensive check of combat readiness (possibly for the last time). In May 1998, it was withdrawn to the technical reserve of the 2nd category due to the need for docking, replacement of diesel generators and pipes on all boilers.

According to available data,01.12.2012 the destroyer was excluded from the fleet (link 3), the flag was lowered (with subsequent transfer to storage in the museum of the Atlantic squadron) took place01.05.2013 ( link 9 ). The dates given do not agree very well with the fact that01.02.2012 corvette "Thundering" pr. 20385 was laid down at Severnaya Verf (link 10 , link 11 ), unless we assume that from the moment the name was transferred to the decommissioning, the destroyer was listed in the Navy under the previous name- "Rampant" (at least officially- according to the order of the commander-in-chief).

This happened, of course, not out of malice, but with the name "Thundering" the confusion turned out to be thorough. They tell a joke about how "in one department, people who are far from the Navy fell into a stupor when they were brought documents for the disposal of two "Thunderers" at once (link 12 ). In the meantime, on the "404" and "406", which continue to decorate the harbor of Severomorsk, on holidays they still raise the coloring flags (link 13 ), and in some reports from the press service of the Ministry of Defense, the guards destroyer "Gremyashchiy" is still listed as part of the 43rd DRC SF (link 14 ).

10. " agile "

Removed from the fleet. located in the military harbor of Kronstadt. awaiting disposal.. The ship is 25 years old- transferred to the Navy on 12/30/1989, the flag was raised on 03/23/1990. The last exit to the sea took place, more likely, 20.08.1996 when, of all the tasks of combat training, only artillery firing was performed, because due to poor technical condition of boilers I had to return to the base (in the future, access to the sea is prohibited). On December 31, 1997, the ammunition was unloaded into the technical reserve of the 2nd category; on January 18, 1998, the ammunition was unloaded.

"Quick" during towing from the Northern Shipyard to Kronstadt,16.09.2014 (photo by Alexey Akentievversus kuleshovoleg , 2560 pix.). One of the rare shots of the destroyer pr. 956 with a hangar (helicopter shelter) in the working (extended) position

ATearly November 2000 , having made (in tow?) an inter-naval transition, the ship arrived at the Northern Shipyard (St. Petersburg) for mid-term repairs. Repair work began in two or three months and lasted for six months, after which they were curtailed due to the termination of funding. Non-resident officers "by hook or by crook tried to escape from the plant back to the North ... The crew did minimal work on their own" (link 6 ). Due to lack of funds, repairs were frozen for a long time.14 years old (counting from the day of arrival).

According to one source, the destroyer was decommissioned08.08.2012 ( russianships. info), according to others- documents submitted for writing off as of May 29, 2013 have not been signed for a long time (link 15 ). It must be assumed that the presence of an "outside" object in the water area of ​​​​the enterprise and the lack of money for its repair every year irritated the management of the Northern Shipyard more and more, which caused a lawsuit between the SV and the Ministry of Defense (link 16 ). In the end, the problem with "Quick" was solved- 16.09.2014 . the ship was towed to the military harbor of Kronstadt.. There is not quite reliable information that on 12/20/2014 the aft tower was already dismantled from it (link 17 ).

Among other things, information fromEnglishShips . info ( link 18 ), from A. Pavlov's book "First Rank Destroyers" (Yakutsk, 2000). and reference books by Yu. Apalkov "Ships of the Navy of the USSR", VolumeII, PartI(St. Petersburg, 2003) and "Shock Ships" (M., 2010).

Other photos:

During the Great Patriotic War, every piece of equipment - an aircraft, a ship, and even a simple soldier, contributed to the defense of the Motherland and led it to the approach of Victory Day. It would seem that what can depend on a simple sailor or one ship? How can they bring the country and the whole world to the end of the war? Contemporaries and historical chronicles described the courage, courage and valor not only of individual soldiers and sailors, but also of entire units and naval formations, tanks and aircraft. The inner quality of people was, as it were, transferred to the equipment they controlled.

So the destroyer Thundering, together with the crew, its deeds and deeds, earned its name formidable to enemies. What is this destroyer with the name?

Destroyer - auxiliary warship

Whatever you call a ship, so it will sail

The destroyer "Thundering" during the war really deserved its name. He completed more than 90 combat missions assigned to him by the high command, traveled about 60,000 nautical miles. The destroyer repelled 112 attacks by enemy aircraft, shot down 14 and seriously damaged more than 20 aircraft, successfully escorted about 40 allied and 24 our convoys, sank one and damaged two German submarines, shelled enemy ports and positions dozens of times. And this is only according to official, documented data.

In the summer of 1945, the commander of the ship A. I. Gurin received the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

After victory

In 1956, the destroyer was de-armed and became a training ship. And a couple of years later he was expelled from the Navy. The destroyer "Gremyashchiy" of 1941-1945 went on vacation, and it was replaced by a new modern anti-submarine ship of the same name, which continued the glorious fighting tradition of the famous destroyer of the Soviet Northern Fleet.

Technical parameters of the destroyer "Thundering"

The destroyer "Thundering", the photo of which we see above, had a capacity of 48 thousand horsepower and a displacement of 2380 tons, a length of 113 and a width of 10 meters. vessels - 32 knots, cruising range in economy mode - more than 1600 miles. The destroyer was armed with four 130-mm guns, two 76.2-mm and four 37-mm guns, as well as four coaxial machine guns, two bombers and two torpedo tubes. In addition, 56 mines, about 55 depth projectiles of various sizes, were placed on board the ship. The crew of the ship consisted of 245 people.

Summary of the review

According to the records of German officers and soldiers of the Second World War, the Soviet fleet always impressed them not so much with the technical characteristics of the guns as with the courage of sailors and captains who could fight in any synoptic conditions under a variety of circumstances.

So the “Thundering” earned its formidable name for many years of military service to guard and protect our country from enemy invasion. In the modern Russian fleet, the Navy, of course, has more advanced ships than the ships of 1941-1945. However, the spirit of martial traditions remains the same.

First, a few words about the participants in those events. We will consider the combat path of the ships only until the autumn of 1943 - the time of the events described.

Transport "Marina Raskova": She was built in 1919 as Salisbury for Shawmut Steamship Co.. She was commissioned in April 1919 and accepted by the US Shipping Board (USSB) under the name Mystic. In the same year, she was returned to the original owner and was in service with him until 1924, when she was sold to the shipowning company United Ship & Commerce. Since 1930, under the name "Munmystic" it belonged to the ship-owning company "Munson Steamship Line Incorporated" (Munson Steamship Lines Inc.), since 1937 as "Ibreville" (Iberville) - "Waterman Steamship Company" (Waterman Steamship Co. ). In 1941, she was accepted from her by the US War Shipping Administration (WSA) and renamed Ironclad (Ironclad).

The ship participated and survived in the infamous convoy PQ-17. Lieutenant Gredwell, commander of the paramilitary British transport Ayrshire, rescued three transports - the Troubadour, Silver Sword and Ironclyde, taking them into the ice fields. There they were repainted white and continued to Novaya Zemlya, along the coast of which they reached their destination. If we talk about luck as an important element of the ship's viability, then fortune was far from favorable to this steamer. In the autumn of 1942, going back to England twice with export cargo, the ship ran aground in various parts of the White Sea - first on the Molotov roadstead, and then near the mouth of the river. Ponoy. The rescue service of the Northern Fleet removed him from the stones and brought him to Molotovsk. There, the ship stood for some time in a semi-submerged state, drainage facilities worked around the clock, only the chief mech and the first mate remained from the American team. It took over six months to renovate. The steamboat was drained, cleaned, and the rudder and sternframe were made at factory No. 402 in Molotovsk.

At the end of March 1943, the ship was provided by the Americans as part of a lend-lease to the Soviet side, after which it was transferred to the Northern State Shipping Company (SGMP) under a new name - Marina Raskova.

Project 7 destroyer "Thundering":"Thundering" was laid down on July 23, 1936 at plant number 190 in Leningrad under serial number S-515. In 1939 he was enrolled in the Baltic Fleet. Shortly after the entry into service, the Thundering, paired with the Smashing ship, made the transition along the White Sea-Baltic Canal from Kronstadt to Polyarnoye. During the Soviet-Finnish war, the Thundering was used as a patrol ship, carried out reconnaissance operations, and participated in the escort of transport ships. From November 1940 to May 1941, the ship underwent a warranty repair and by the time of the attack by Nazi Germany was in good technical condition.
On March 2, 1943, the destroyer Thundering was awarded the Guards rank "for courage shown in battles for the fatherland against the German invaders, for steadfastness and courage, for high military discipline and organization, for the unparalleled heroism of the personnel."

In total, from the beginning of the war until June 1, 1943, the Thundering passed 27,043 miles in 1,921 running hours. During this time, he conducted 9 firing at coastal targets (4 times in bearing and distance and 5 times with correction from the coast), firing 1425 130-mm shells. The ship repulsed 66 air attacks, while using up 1115 76-mm, 3633 37-mm and several hundred 45-mm shells. During the two years of the war, he used anti-submarine weapons 6 times, dropping a total of 31 small and 30 large depth charges.

Project 7 destroyer "Gromky" Gromkiy was laid down on April 29, 1936 in Leningrad at Plant No. 190 (serial No. 503), launched on December 6, 1937, commissioned on December 31, 1938, and became part of the Baltic Fleet.
On May 19, 1939, he went to the North through the White Sea-Baltic Canal and on June 26, 1939 he arrived in Polyarny and became part of the Northern Fleet. He also underwent combat training there, from November 1940 to June 8, 1941 he was under repair in Murmansk. In total, before the start of the war, he traveled 14,302 miles.
From the beginning of the war, the Eminets was engaged in setting up defensive minefields, and fired at enemy land positions on the coast. From March 1942, it was used mainly for escorting allied and internal convoys.

In total, from the beginning of the Great Patriotic War until January 1, 1943, the Loud made 33 trips, covering 9,700 miles in 719 running hours. During the two years of the war (until July 1, 1943), he carried out 18 shelling of enemy coastal positions (2,755 130-mm shells were fired), and the main caliber was used 7 more times to repel air attacks (38 130-mm shells). During the same period, 680 76-mm, 520 45-mm, 1084 37-mm shells and 1531 12.7-mm cartridges were used (excluding training firing). At the same time, Gromky accounted for eight downed aircraft: five Yu-88s and three Yu-87s.

Let's go directly to the events of October 1943.
In October, the Barents Sea is rarely calm. The north and northeast winds now and then break out into the expanses of the ocean, raising a huge wave. The day is getting dark. The crests of waves torn off by the wind freeze on the fly and cut the face with ice spikes.

Blizzards often hit. Usually they go in stripes, which is why they got the name of snow charges. It is difficult for a navigator in such weather. Visibility is reduced to zero, besides, the polar night begins to come into its own. The days become short, dull and more like evening twilight.
Under such conditions, in the fall of 1943, the destroyers Thundering and Loud were given the task of escorting the Marina Raskova transport to Novaya Zemlya. The transport is large - twelve thousand tons with a displacement, but was valuable not only for its size. He carried cargo to the northern island bases and wintering polar explorers: food, ammunition, warm clothes, fuel, as well as tractors, aircraft and other equipment. In addition, a hundred and a half passengers followed on the ship - new winterers and their families.

Navigation is closed. If the "Marina Raskova" fails to reach its destination, the polar explorers will be left for the winter without the most necessary things.

On the "Thundering" was his former commander, and now the division commander and senior convoy Captain 2nd Rank Gurin Anton Iosifovich.
On the way from the exit from the White Sea to Belushya Bay, the convoy was lured not only by floating mines and not only by six enemy submarines, marked by radio reconnaissance of the fleet, but also by the danger that the weather forecast given by meteorologists hid - a powerful cyclone was approaching.

At first the wind was weak. But three hours later the weather forecast began to justify itself. Black clouds hung low over the sea. Mist hung over the waves. There was total darkness. Even the most vigilant signalmen could hardly distinguish the traffic going nearby.

Gurin decided to go to Iokangu to put additional fastenings and carry out additional ballasting to increase the survivability and stability of the ships. Cast-iron ingots were loaded into free ballast tanks and cemented there. This provided more reliable stability of the ships on the wave.

These works took about a day, after which the convoy left for its destination, despite the storm.

The fears of the convoy commander were quite understandable - it was in the same 11-point storm on November 20, 1942 in the Barents Sea that the destroyer Crushing, a partner of Thundering and Loud in many operations, was lost. His body could not stand it and broke in half on the wave. After an unsuccessful rescue operation, the destroyer sank.

It is worth noting that the "Thundering" and especially the "Loud" had a sad experience of sailing in severe storm conditions.

After the convoy left the Svyatonossky Bay for the open sea, the storm broke out with renewed vigor. Huge waves lashed across the decks of the ships. Soon the wind turned into a hurricane. With the impact of the waves, the destroyers were put on board along the inclinometer up to 53 degrees, that is, the roll was at the limit of the ships' stability. Tightly lashed objects inside the premises were torn off. The roar of the storm and the blows of the waves could not drown out the incessant creaking of the hulls. The hulls of the destroyers buckled in the wake, the tops of the masts now converged, then diverged, threatening to break off the antennas. The ships lost their course and ceased to obey the helm. Until midnight, the convoy went to the north-east at low speed.

Only 150 miles remained to the convoy's destination when disaster struck. Around midnight, the signalman of the Loud reported that the transport had changed course and was heading for the destroyer. As soon as the ship evaded the meeting, Nikolai Fokeev, the foreman of the Thundering signalers, reported from the other side that the ship had changed course again and was already heading towards the Loud.

Gurin requested a transport captain. The answer came alarming. The ship's steering is out of order, there is no way to fix it: the rudder is beaten off by the wave. Attempts to control vehicles with the help of cars in such a storm did not lead to anything. The helpless steamer became a huge metal box driven by the will of the wind and waves.
Often the waves reached such a height that the transport completely disappeared in the gaps between them. From time to time fog crept in and snow charges ran up, separating the guard ships and the damaged steamer. All this could be fraught with irreparable consequences that threatened to disrupt the supply of Novaya Zemlya.

The situation was reported by radiogram to the commander of the fleet. It was the only radiogram for the entire campaign (the work of the walkie-talkie could attract submarines). Received the answer: "Continue the operation."

Gurin decided to take the transport in tow, knowing full well the difficulty of towing a helpless steamer. For safety, we decided to resort to a method not provided for in the textbooks of maritime practice. The “thundering” nose will approach the stern of the transport, hand over the tugboat. After that, "Marina Raskova" will set in motion, and the destroyer will bring the stern of the transport to the right, then to the left in order to keep it on course.

But until the morning there was nothing to think about rescue work, it was important not to lose sight of the transport.

A cloudy day came, the morning light barely breaking through the black ragged clouds rushing over the sea. Gurin announced his decision: the crew of the Thundering to prepare for the towing of the Marina Raskova, the Loud to provide cover in order to prevent a torpedo attack by enemy submarines and a collision of the convoy with floating mines.
The hurricane continued to batter the ships. The strength of the wind reached eleven - twelve points. The tops of the waves, cut by the wind, turned into solid foam. Shafts of such a height rose in front of the ships that the Thundering One did not have time to climb to the top of them, and they fell on him.
The hull and upper deck disappeared into the churning currents. Waves continuously rolled over the ship, flooding the ventilation devices. The roar of the storm drowned out all the sounds of movement, even the frantic idle rotation of the propellers, which now and then hung in the air, as soon as the ship burrowed its stem into the sea.

It was impossible to talk on the bridge. In the noise of the hurricane, people did not hear each other, they had to shout directly into the ear. Continuous nervous tension exhausted people. The helmsmen were changed every hour. But no matter how hard it was for the top watch, it was even more difficult in the engine and boiler rooms. Here, heat was added to the pitching, since all the premises were tightly closed, as it should be according to the combat schedule. The machinists had already worked for several shifts without a shift, and it was not possible to change them: it was impossible to walk along the upper deck in such a wave without the risk of being washed overboard.

At the signal of the emergency, the sailors of the "Thundering" went to the upper deck. On the forecastle, boatswain Rechkin's subordinates, bow gunners and other sailors were preparing a heavy steel cable. Waves crashed down on people, threatening to wash them away. But the sailors worked hard, supporting each other. The work was supervised by assistant commander Vasiliev and ship gunner Gavrilov.

It was not possible to immediately approach the transport. The ship was rapidly thrown into transport. They maneuvered for a long time before they managed to throw the throwing end.

Finally the towline was filed and secured. The transport took off. "Thundering" helped him to lie down on a given course. We walked in this way for about forty miles. They cost a lot of effort. The transport did not want to obey, and the destroyer could barely manage on waves as high as mountains. The ship constantly veered off course.

The coming dawn did not bring anything good. The hurricane raged. Progress was slowing down. Gurin decided to take a chance and change the type of towing.

Once again, the sailors climbed onto the upper deck. Now they work on the poop, on the stern of it. Here it is even more difficult for them. The forecastle, where yesterday the sailors suffered with cables, is raised high above the water. Not every wave came here. Utah is a different matter. Here the deck is low and the waves roll freely over it. People get overwhelmed at times. Lieutenant Commander A. M. Vasiliev, chief boatswain P. V. Rechkin, sailors N. Afonin, M. Tsurikov, A. Kavunev are pulling apart and winding steel and hemp cables onto bollards. Sailors from all combat units of the ship arrived in time to join them. Water still floods the deck, knocking people off their feet, its streams dragging them to the stern cut, into the surf from the propellers.

(An eloquent description of the poor seaworthiness of the destroyers-"sevens":
when burrowing into the wave, the ship was completely covered by a cloud of spray.)

Sailors have to tie themselves with ropes so as not to inadvertently find themselves overboard. And when the waves subside, the sailors rise to their feet, shake off the water, getting to work. And things are moving slowly. The wave scatters, confuses the cables. Choking, stiff from the cold in wet clothes, the sailors again and again unravel the steel ropes, lay them on the deck.

The most difficult thing in such a situation is to apply a towing cable to the transport. Gurin ordered the commander of the "Thundering", captain 3rd rank Nikolaev, to maneuver the ship so that its stern was next to the stem of the ship. The risk was great. A transport that had lost control under the impact of the waves could fall on board the ship, which was also thrown to the sides.

Caution "Thundering" is approaching the stern to the bow of the transport. Let the commander make the slightest miscalculation when maneuvering, and the "Thundering" will throw it on the transport, break the stern, break the propellers and the rudder. The destroyer works with machines back and forth. Thousands of changes of course were required to be made by the machinists in order to keep the ship at a given distance.

Hours, not minutes, passed before the maneuver succeeded. It took a long eight hours to transfer the tow rope to the transport. But here the "Thundering" in reverse slowly moved towards the transport for a short distance. The cable was attached to the bollard. The destroyer gave a small move forward. The ship slowly, as if reluctantly, turned on a given course. But at that moment, another ninth shaft attacked the destroyer, rolled it aside. On the quarterdeck, the sailors did not have time to give up slack, zigzags of blue fire ran crackling along the cable, and it burst like a thin thread.

The maneuver was repeated. And again, failure: the cable burst, like the first, with the only difference being that a piece of it fell on the screws of the "Thundering". I had to stop moving.
All this time, while the sailors of the “Thundering” were doing their hard work, “Gromky” was on guard and also did his job: he shot a floating mine discovered by signalmen in the foamy sea, and drove the enemy submarine away from the convoy. "Gromky" walked around the convoy in an increasing spiral and threw depth charges, driving the boat into the depths.

It was necessary to start all over again. On the "Thundering" there were no more suitable cables. They asked for a transport captain. He replied that there were cables on the ship, but they were in the hold. The captain was offered to mobilize not only crew members for emergency work, but all passengers, regardless of gender. The negotiations dragged on like a semaphore. To act with flags in such pitching, the signalman needs to have the art of a tightrope walker. While one of the signalers “wrote” with flags, the other supported him so that his comrade would not fall off the bridge. In order to get the cable, the team of "Marina Raskova" in the conditions of a 11-12 point storm had to manually, with the help of passengers, move the tractor standing on the hatch of the hold.

Finally, a tug was brought in - a six-inch steel cable. Now, for a greater guarantee of its safety, they used an anchor chain and an anchor of a transport. They were pitted overboard along with a towing cable, so that, having sagged, they softened the jerks with their weight. On the "Thundering" the end of the cable was reinforced with its own, looped around the pedestal of the fourth gun, since the nearest bollards had already been twisted out of their places.

The towing has begun. With great difficulty, it was possible to deploy the transport on the desired course. He stubbornly did not want to go straight, scoured first in one direction, then in the other, and pulled the stern of the destroyer, which seemed very small in comparison with him.

Then someone expressed the idea: what if the "Loud" will contact the stern of the transport in a tug and thus serve as a rudder for it? I liked the offer. Loud was called in with a signal searchlight, which was still rushing around the caravan, dropping depth charges. It was already much easier for the Loud to approach the stern of the transport, since the ship now had forward movement and was less tossed on the wave.

As a result of the friendly efforts of the destroyer and transport teams, the stern tug was launched. The movement speed increased after that. Having such a "rudder" as a ship, the transport lay down on a given course. Now something else was worrying: ships and transport, connected in one "chain", had lost their freedom of maneuver and became an excellent target for submarines.
(The sequence of options for towing the Marina Raskova by the destroyers Thundering and Loud:
1. First, the tugboat was moved from the bow of the destroyer Thundering to the stern of the transport. "Marina Raskova" went on its own, and the destroyer brought the stern of the transport to the right, then to the left, keeping it on course. We walked in this way for about forty miles.
2. However, the transport did not want to obey the new "steering wheel" and constantly strayed off course. Gurin decided to change the type of towing. The tug was transferred from the stern of the destroyer "Thundering" to the bow of the "Marina Raskova". With great difficulty, we managed to turn the transport on the desired course and start towing.
3. But even with this option, the transport stubbornly did not want to go straight, scoured it in one direction or the other and pulled the destroyer's stern behind it. Then the "Loud" tug contacted the stern of the transport and thus served as a rudder for him. The movement speed increased after that. Having such a "rudder" as a ship, the transport lay down on a given course.)

But there was nothing to be done. This was the only way to confidently tow transport on a huge wave. The machines of the "Thundering" now had to ensure the movement of three ships. According to the revolutions of the propellers, the destroyer would be supposed to move at a speed of 12 knots, but in fact, he barely “squeezed out” two or three knots.

People are exhausted. For two days the crews had not received hot food: it was impossible to cook it in conditions of terrible pitching. By some miracle, they managed to change the watch in the engine and boiler rooms, giving the completely exhausted machinists the opportunity to rest.

But the caravan was waiting for new tests. There was still a good hundred miles to the base, and the fuel on the Thundering was coming to an end. Oil pumps, instead of fuel oil, increasingly captured air, and then the nozzles in the boilers went out. To avoid this, all the fuel was collected in two tanks, and the rest was filled with outboard water, hoping to reduce the ship's rolling.

Suddenly, the destroyer "Gromky" gave up the towing lines and swiftly, as far as the wave allowed, went to the side, often hiding behind the crests of the waves. Explosions of depth charges thundered over the sea. It turns out that the crew again discovered in such a whirlwind the periscope of a fascist submarine that was attacking transport.

"Gromky" bombed the detection area with depth charges and not only did not give the enemy the opportunity to launch torpedoes, but also forced him to abandon the pursuit of the convoy. Having bombed, the destroyer again took its place in the march order. True, several more times he broke away from the convoy and hunted for other Nazi submarines.
It was the same “wolf pack” that the fleet commander warned about before going to sea. This means that the enemy knew about the convoy and was waiting for it.

(On the bridge of the destroyer Thundering. Commander Nikolaev (at the direction finder), signalman Krivoshchekov and signalman.)

On the fourth day, the caravan nevertheless advanced so much that the low shores of Novaya Zemlya became visible with a simple eye. The wind gradually subsided. The waves also became smaller under the protection of the shore and no longer rolled over the ship.

On the fifth day of the campaign (instead of 50 - 60 hours under normal conditions), the destroyers and the transport they saved were drawn into the narrow gates of Belushya Bay. The path is over!

The command task was completed. The ships stood in the roadstead, and it seemed that they were resting after hard work. The destroyers withstood such a load, which, perhaps, even their creators did not think about. There was a feast on the ships. For the first time in four days, hot food was cooked. The commanders ordered that vodka be issued according to the norms. The officers dined with the sailors. They recalled the difficulties of the campaign, admired the heroism of those who worked on the upper deck during the storm, winding up the towing lines.

The next morning the ships set out on their return journey. They had to hurry: a new combat mission awaited them in the base.
A day and a half later, the destroyers Thundering and Gromky arrived in Arkhangelsk. In Solombala, the fleet commander, Admiral Golovko, was the first to meet the ships. He congratulated the teams on their success and thanked them for the exemplary performance of the most difficult task.

And on November 9, a message was received at the headquarters of the Northern Fleet that the steamer Marina Raskova, having handed over the cargo to the destination in Belushya Bay, returned safely to Arkhangelsk.

Thundering is a Soviet tier 5 destroyer that quickly won the love and recognition of beta test participants.

Its excellent speed of 38 knots allows it to "sting" enemies with torpedo strikes, and then quickly escape from the fire, responding to fire with volleys of powerful 130-mm artillery guns.

Fast and deadly, the Thundering is ideally equipped for sabotage behind enemy lines.

Thundering is available in the Premium Store of the game as part of the Elusive Avenger pack. Upon purchase, you will receive an invitation to the World of Warships closed beta test as a gift. After the end of pre-orders, Thundering will not be available for purchase for at least a year.

Peculiarities

• The Thundering carries on board some of the most powerful main battery guns by the standards of a destroyer. The fire of these 130 mm cannons can sometimes cause a lot of problems even for enemy battleships, not to mention destroyers and cruisers.
• The main caliber of the "Thundering" is distinguished not only by its enormous power, but also by its long range of fire. In terms of range, it leaves many destroyers of higher tiers behind.
• The rotation speed of the Thundering gun turrets is relatively low. Having entered into an artillery battle, try to keep the enemy at a medium or long distance and actively use the smoke screen.

• A fairly high range of torpedoes of 8 km (with a ship detection distance of 7 km) will please fans of covert tactics of the game. But remember: the speed of torpedoes is not too high, and therefore each attack should be calculated several steps ahead.
• Thanks to its good torpedo armament, the Thundering can also perform well in covert ambush attacks, which are so fond of admirers of American destroyers. Hiding behind islands or hiding in clouds of smoke, the ship can remain unnoticed until the very last moment, and then send the enemy to the bottom with a single devastating torpedo strike.

findings

"Thundering" is the golden mean between American and Japanese destroyers. It combines many of their advantages at once: high speed, good torpedo armament and, of course, the most powerful artillery for destroyers.

Considering its characteristics, the Thundering will perform best in medium-range engagements with sharp breakthroughs for torpedo attacks and a swift retreat in puffs of smoke.