German torpedo boat type s 100. Kriegsmarine hounds. Torpedo boat "Vosper"

Of the torpedo boats, the most massive series built were short-range boats of the type G-5. They entered the fleet from 1933 to 1944. With a displacement of about 18 tons, the boat had two 53-cm torpedoes in trough-type devices and could reach a speed of over 50 knots. The first boats of the G-5 type were created by aviation specialists ( chief designer A. N. Tupolev), and this left its mark on their design. They were equipped with aircraft engines, had duralumin profiles, a complex hull shape, including on the surface, and other features.

Torpedo boat "Vosper"

A total of 329 G-5 type boats were built, 76 of them during the war. This boat was replaced, but within its dimensions, by a series of Komsomolets type boats with improved seaworthiness and increased cruising range. The new boats had two 45 cm pipes torpedo tubes, four heavy machine guns and were more technologically advanced for shipyards. Initially, they were equipped with American Packard engines, and after the war they began to install high-speed domestic M-50 diesel engines. The so-called wave control boats (without a crew), controlled by radio from an MBR-2 seaplane, turned out to be poorly protected from enemy aircraft during the war. Therefore, they were used as ordinary torpedo boats, that is, they sailed with personnel.

First USSR torpedo boats— , long-range type D-3 entered the fleets in 1941. They were built in a wooden hull with uneven contours and a developed deadrise. The boats were armed with 53 cm side-drop torpedo tubes open type. The displacement of the D-3 boats was twice that of the alloy G-5, which ensured better seaworthiness and an increased cruising range. Still, by the standards of world shipbuilding, torpedo boats D-3 were more of an intermediate type than long-range boats. But there were only a few such boats in the Soviet fleet at the beginning of the war, and Northern Fleet consisted of only two torpedo boats. Only with the outbreak of hostilities were dozens of boats transferred to this fleet. Domestic torpedo boats accounted for approximately 11% of all torpedoes expended. The coastal zone did not have sufficient attack targets for short-range torpedo boats. At the same time, these boats sailed relatively often, but were often used for other purposes (landing troops, etc.).

If the fleets had more long-range boats, they could be used off the enemy’s coast. The receipt by the Northern Fleet of 47 imported boats of the Vosper and Higins type in 1944 significantly increased combat capabilities torpedo boat brigades. Their combat activity became more effective.

In the book “War at sea in Eastern European waters in 1941-1945.” (Munich, 1958) German historian J. Meister writes: “Russian boats attacked during the day as well as at night. Often they waited for German caravans, hiding behind rocks in small bays. Russian torpedo boats were an ever-growing threat to German convoys."

Since 1943, G-5 type boats have been used with rocket launchers M-8-M. Part Black Sea Fleet such boats would come in. A detachment of boats under the command of I.P. Shengur systematically attacked enemy airfields, ports, fortifications, and in September 1943 participated in the landing of troops in the Anapa area, in the area of ​​Blagoveshchenskaya station and at Lake Solenoe.

On June 24, “U-20” sank the landing boat “DB-26”, which was sailing from Sochi to Sukhumi, with artillery fire and a ramming attack.

On August 20, 1944, during a large raid on Constanta, the U-9 submarine was sunk by aircraft, and the U-18 and U-24 boats were damaged. The Germans took them out of Constanta and scuttled them.

On September 1, at 4:20 a.m., the U-23 submarine approached the port of Constanta and managed to launch two torpedoes between the booms. One of the torpedoes hit the stern of the Oytuz transport (2400 tons), which was under repair. The transport landed with its stern on the ground. And the second torpedo exploded near the wall.

The next day, September 2, the submarine U-19, 32 miles southeast of Constanta, sank the base minesweeper Vzryv with a torpedo. 74 crew and Marines were killed. Along with the "Explosion" were the minesweepers "Iskatel" and "Shield" and two big hunter. Nevertheless, the boat managed to escape.

On September 9, 1944, the submarines U-19, U-20 and U-23 surfaced at sea. Their commanders held a two-hour meeting, after which they sent the boats to Turkish coast, landed the crews on land and blew up the boats.

In December 1941, the Kriegsmarine command decided to send the 1st torpedo boat flotilla to the Black Sea under the command of Corvetten-Captain Heimuth Birnbacher. The flotilla consisted of 6 boats ("S-26", "S-27", "S-28", "S-40", "S-102"), built in 1940-1941, and "S-72 ", which entered service on February 3, 1942.

German torpedo boat "S-100"

The boats were stripped of their weapons and diesel engines and towed up the Elbe to Dresden. There the boats were loaded onto heavy-duty four-axle platforms. Each platform was towed by three powerful tractors. The resulting train weighed 210 tons and could travel at a speed of no more than 5-8 km/h. The train had to cover the 450-kilometer route to Ingolstadt in 5 days.

In Ingolstadt, the boats were launched and towed along the Danube to Linz. There, at a local shipyard, with the help of specialists from the Lursen company, some of the equipment was installed. And at the shipyard in Galati, motors were mounted on the boats. Then the boats went under their own power to Constanta, where weapons and instruments were installed on them.

The transfer of boats took place without incident, and by June 1, 1942, there were already two fully combat-ready boats in Constanta - “S-26” and “S-28”.

In the Black Sea, the Germans used exclusively torpedo boats of the S-26 type. These boats began to be built in 1938 by the Lyursen company. The standard displacement of boats is 93 tons, total displacement is 112-117 tons; length 35 m, width 5.28 m, draft 1.67 m. Three Daimler-Benz diesel engines with a total power of 6000 to 7500 hp. allowed to reach a speed of 39-40 knots. Cruising range 700 miles at 35 knots. Armament: torpedo - two tubular 53-cm torpedo tubes; artillery - two 2-cm anti-aircraft guns with 6,000 rounds of ammunition, and from the S-100 boat they began to install one 4-cm Bofors gun (4 cm Flak.28) with 2,000 rounds of ammunition and one 2-cm gun (3000 shots). The crew of the boat is from 24 to 31 people.

Torpedo boat "S-100" with an armored deckhouse

The boats had a high forecastle, which provided them with good seaworthiness. The design of the body was mixed - metal and wood. Starting with the S-100 boat, the wheelhouse and steering post received armor 10-12 mm thick. The German boats operating on the Black Sea did not have radar.

At the end of 1942 - beginning of 1943, German torpedo boats "S-42", "S-45", "S-46", "S-47", "S-49", " S-51" and "S-52", which were completed in March - August 1941.

In the spring of 1942, the Germans acquired the Romania ship Romagnia, which was commissioned on December 6, 1942 as a mother ship for German torpedo boats.

The first task of the German torpedo boats was the blockade of Sevastopol from the sea. For this purpose, a temporary base was equipped in Ak-Mechet (now the urban-type settlement of Chernomorskoye). The first combat cruise of the boats took place on the night of June 19, 1942. At 1 hour 48 minutes, the boats “S-27”, “S-102” and “S-72” noticed a Soviet convoy consisting of the transport “Bialystok” (2468 GRT) in guarding the base minesweeper "Anchor" and five patrol boats. The boat commander later reported that three destroyers and three patrol boats were on guard. The Germans fired 6 torpedoes, but only one, from the S-102 boat, hit the Bialystok. The transport sank. According to the Chronicle..., in addition to the crew, there were 350 wounded and 25 evacuees on board. 375 people died. According to other sources, there were more people on the ship, and about 600 people died.

After the fall of Sevastopol, German torpedo boats began operating off the coast of the Caucasus, based at a new forward base in the village of Kiik-Atlama in Dvuyakornaya Bay near Feodosia. For some reason the Germans called her Ivan Baba.

On August 10, 1942, the torpedo boat “S-102” sank the transport “Sevastopol” with a capacity of 1339 GRT, which was sailing from Tuapse to Poti, guarded by the patrol boat “SKA-018”. There were wounded and evacuees on the transport. 924 people died, 130 people were saved. At the same time, neither the Sevastopol nor the SKA-018 noticed a German torpedo boat and the attack was attributed to a submarine, which was recorded in top secret post-war publications.

On the night of October 23, 1942, four German torpedo boats launched a daring attack on the port of Tuapse. The Germans apparently knew in advance that the cruiser "Red Caucasus", the leader "Kharkov" and the destroyer "Besposhchadny", on board of which the 9th Guards was transported, would arrive there from Poti. rifle brigade(3180 people). At 23:33, when our ships began mooring, the Germans fired 8 torpedoes. However, their commander was too cautious and shot from too great a distance. As a result, 5 torpedoes exploded in the area of ​​the breakwater at the entrance to the port, and three on the shore near Cape Kodosh. Our ships were not damaged.

On February 18, 1943, at 4:15 a.m., the transport “Lvov” near Cape Idokopas was attacked by five German torpedo boats, which fired 10 cable torpedoes at it from a distance of 10-15 cables. But all the torpedoes missed, and the Lvov arrived safely in Gelendzhik.

On February 27, at 23:20, German torpedo boats attacked the ships of the Black Sea Fleet in the Myskhako area. The minesweeper "Gruz" was unloading ammunition and, having been hit by a torpedo, sank. The gunboat "Red Georgia" was hit in the stern by a torpedo and sat on the ground. Subsequently, the gunboat was subjected to periodic attacks by enemy aircraft and artillery and received new damage, which completely put it out of action. On “Red Georgia” 4 people were killed and 12 were wounded.

The next day, February 28, at 6:15 a.m., the tugboat “Mius,” sailing from Gelendzhik to Myskhako, was also sunk by German torpedo boats in the Sudzhuk Spit area.

On March 13, at 0:50 a.m., in the area of ​​the village of Lazarevskoye, the tanker “Moskva” (6086 GRT), sailing from Batumi to Tuapse, was illuminated by a luminous bomb dropped from an airplane, and then by torpedo boats “S-26” and “S-47” fired 4 torpedoes at it. At 2:57 a.m. the tanker was hit by a torpedo on the port bow. A large fire broke out on the ship. Tugboats were sent to help the tanker and guided the Moskva to the outer roadstead of Tuapse. The tanker was put into operation only after the war.

The Che-2 aircraft searched for enemy torpedo boats attacking the Moscow. At 7:48 a.m. he discovered 4 German torpedo boats in the Elchankaya area and opened fire on them. The pilot and navigator were wounded by return fire from the boats, but they landed the plane safely at their airfield.

On the night of May 19-20, 1943, the boats “S-49” and “S-72” made a lot of noise in the Sochi area, although without much effect. To begin with, at 23:25 at the entrance to the port of Sochi, they sank the sea tug "Pervansh" with two torpedoes, which was driving two barges guarding one patrol boat. According to the report “SKA-018”, one of the German torpedo boats was sunk, but this is only a “hunting story”. And less than an hour later, these boats burst into the Sochi roadstead and fired a torpedo salvo. Two torpedoes exploded on the shore near the sanatorium. Fabricius. Coastal battery No. 626 and a separate anti-aircraft artillery division opened frantic but ineffective fire on the boats.

Small warships and boats were one of the most numerous and diverse components of the military fleets of the countries participating in the war. It included ships, as strictly intended purpose, and multifunctional, both small in size and reaching 100 m in length. Some ships and boats operated in coastal waters or rivers, others in the seas with a cruising range of more than 1,000 miles. Some boats were delivered to the scene of action by automobile and by rail, and others on the decks of large ships. A number of ships were built according to special military projects, while others were adapted from civilian design developments. The prevailing number of ships and boats had wooden hulls, but many were equipped with steel and even duralumin. Reservations for the deck, sides, deckhouse and turrets were also used. There were also various power plants vessels - from automobile to aircraft engines, which also provided different speeds - from 7-10 to 45-50 knots per hour. The armament of ships and boats depended entirely on their functional purpose.

The main types of vessels in this category include: torpedo and patrol boats, minesweepers, armored boats, anti-submarine and artillery boats. Their totality was defined by the concept of “mosquito fleet”, which emerged from the First World War and was intended for combat operations simultaneously in large groups. Operations involving the “mosquito fleet”, in particular amphibious operations, were used by Great Britain, Germany, Italy and the USSR. Short description types of small warships and boats is as follows.

The most numerous ships among small warships were torpedo boats- high-speed small warships, the main weapon of which is a torpedo. By the beginning of the war, the idea of ​​large artillery ships as the basis of the fleet still prevailed. Torpedo boats were poorly represented in the main fleets of sea powers. Despite the very high speed (about 50 knots) and the comparative cheapness of manufacture, the standard boats that prevailed in the pre-war period had very low seaworthiness and could not operate in seas of more than 3-4 points. Placing torpedoes in the stern trenches did not provide sufficient accuracy for their guidance. In fact, the boat could hit a fairly large surface ship with a torpedo from a distance of no more than half a mile. Therefore, torpedo boats were considered a weapon of weak states, intended only to protect coastal waters and closed waters. For example, by the beginning of the war, the British fleet had 54 torpedo boats, while the German fleet had 20 ships. With the outbreak of the war, the construction of boats increased sharply.

Approximate number of main types of torpedo boats of own construction used in the war by country (excluding captured and transferred/received)

Some countries that do not have shipbuilding capacity or technology ordered boats for their fleets at large shipyards Great Britain (British Power Boats, Vosper, Thornycroft), Germany (F.Lurssen), Italy (SVAN), USA (Elco, Higgins). So Great Britain sold 2 boats to Greece, 6 to Ireland, 1 to Poland, 3 to Romania, 17 to Thailand, 5 to the Philippines, 4 to Finland and Sweden, 2 to Yugoslavia. Germany sold 6 boats to Spain, 1 to China, 1 to Yugoslavia – 8. Italy sold Turkey – 3 boats, Sweden – 4, Finland – 11. USA – sold to the Netherlands – 13 boats.

In addition, Great Britain and the United States transferred ships to their allies under Lend-Lease agreements. Similar transfers of ships were carried out by Italy and Germany. Thus, Great Britain transferred 4 boats to Canada, 11 to the Netherlands, 28 to Norway, 7 to Poland, 8 to France. The USA transferred 104 boats to Great Britain, 198 to the USSR, 8 to Yugoslavia. Germany transferred 4 to Bulgaria, 4 to Spain, and 4 to Romania. 6. Italy transferred 7 boats to Germany, 3 to Spain, and 4 to Finland.

The warring parties successfully used captured ships: those that surrendered; captured, both in full working order, and subsequently restored; unfinished; raised by crews after the flooding. So Great Britain used 2 boats, Germany - 47, Italy - 6, USSR - 16, Finland - 4, Japan - 39.

Features in the structure and equipment of torpedo boats from the leading building countries can be characterized as follows.

In Germany, the main attention was paid to the seaworthiness, range and effectiveness of the torpedo boats' weapons. They were built relatively large sizes and high range, with the possibility of long-range night raids and torpedo attacks from long distances. The boats received the designation "Schnellboote" ( S— type) and were produced in 10 series, including a prototype and experimental samples. The first boat of the new type "S-1" was built in 1930, and mass production began in 1940 and continued until the end of the war (the last boat was the S-709). Each subsequent series, as a rule, was more advanced than the previous one. The large radius of action with good seaworthiness allowed the boats to be used practically as destroyers. Their functions included attacks on large ships, infiltration of harbors and bases and attacks on the forces there, attacks on merchant ships traveling along sea routes, and raids on installations along the coast. Along with these tasks, torpedo boats could be used to conduct defensive operations - attacking submarines and escorting coastal convoys, conducting reconnaissance and operations to clear enemy minefields. During the war, they sank 109 enemy transports with a total capacity of 233 thousand gross tons, as well as 11 destroyers, a Norwegian destroyer, a submarine, 5 minesweepers, 22 armed trawlers, 12 landing ships, 12 auxiliary ships and 35 various boats. Strength These boats, ensuring high seaworthiness, also turned out to be one of the reasons for their death. The keel shape of the hull and significant draft did not allow passage of minefields, which did not pose a danger to small or small boats.

British wartime torpedo boats had increased tonnage and strong hull plating, but due to the lack of the necessary engines, their speed remained low. In addition, the boats had unreliable steering devices and propellers with blades that were too thin. The effectiveness of torpedo attacks was 24%. Moreover, during the entire war, each boat on average took part in 2 combat operations.

Italy tried to build its boats based on the German “Schnellboote” models of the first series. However, the boats turned out to be slow and poorly armed. Re-equipping them with depth charges turned them into hunters who only appearance resembled German ones. In addition to full-fledged torpedo boats, in Italy the Baglietto company built about 200 auxiliary, small boats, which did not show tangible results from their use.

In the United States, by the beginning of the war, torpedo boat construction was at the level of experimental development. Based on the 70-foot boat of the English company "British Power Boats", the company "ELCO", carrying out their constant refinement, produced ships in three series in total number 385 units. Later, Higgins Industries and Huckins joined their production. The boats were distinguished by maneuverability, autonomy and could withstand force 6 storms. At the same time, the yoke design of the torpedo tubes was unsuitable for use in the Arctic, and the propellers quickly wore out. For Great Britain and the USSR, 72-foot boats were built in the USA according to the design of the English company Vosper, but their characteristics were significantly inferior to the prototype.

The basis of the USSR torpedo boats were two types of pre-war development: “G-5” for coastal action and “D-3” for medium distances. The G-5 planing boat, usually built with a duralumin hull, had high speed and maneuverability. However, poor seaworthiness and survivability, short range of action neutralized it best qualities Thus, the boat could fire a torpedo salvo in seas up to 2 points, and stay at sea up to 3 points. At speeds above 30 knots, machine gun fire was useless, and torpedoes were launched at a speed of at least 17 knots. Corrosion “ate” the duralumin literally before our eyes, so the boats had to be lifted onto the wall immediately upon returning from the mission. Despite this, the boats were built until the middle of 1944. Unlike the G-5, the new D-3 boat had a durable wooden hull design. It was armed with onboard torpedo tubes, which made it possible to fire a torpedo salvo even if the boat lost speed. A platoon of paratroopers could be spotted on the deck. The boats had sufficient survivability, maneuverability and could withstand storms of up to force 6. At the end of the war, in development of the G-5 boat, the construction of Komsomolets type boats with improved seaworthiness began. It could withstand force 4 storms, had something of a keel, an armored conning tower and tubular torpedo tubes. At the same time, the survivability of the boat left much to be desired.

B-type torpedo boats were the backbone of Japan's mosquito fleet. They had low speed and weak weapons. By technical specifications American boats were more than twice as large as them. As a result, the effectiveness of their actions in the war was extremely low. For example, in the battles for the Philippines, Japanese boats managed to sink a single small transport ship.

The combat operations of the “mosquito fleet” showed high efficiency universal, multi-purpose boats. However, their special construction was carried out only by Great Britain and Germany. The rest of the countries were constantly modernizing and re-equipping their existing vessels (minesweepers, torpedo and patrol boats), bringing them closer to universality. Multipurpose boats had a wooden hull and were used, depending on the task and situation, as artillery, torpedo, rescue ships, minelayers, hunters or minesweepers.

Great Britain built 587 boats on special projects, of which 79 died. Another 170 boats were built under licenses by other countries. Germany produced 610 boats based on the technical documentation of the fishing seiner, of which 199 died. The boat received the designation “KFK” (Kriegsfischkutter - “military fishing boat”) and compared favorably with other vessels in terms of “cost/efficiency” criterion. It was built both by various enterprises in Germany and in other countries, incl. in neutral Sweden.

Gunboats were intended to combat enemy boats and support landing forces. Varieties of artillery boats were armored boats and boats armed with rocket launchers (mortars).

The appearance of special artillery boats in Great Britain was associated with the need to fight the German “mosquito” fleet. A total of 289 ships were built during the war years. Other countries used patrol boats or patrol ships for these purposes.

Armored boats used in the war by Hungary, the USSR and Romania. By the beginning of the war, Hungary had 11 river armored boats, 10 of which were built during the First World War. The USSR used 279 river armored boats, the basis of which were boats of projects 1124 and 1125. They were armed with turrets from the T-34 tank with standard 76-mm guns. The USSR also built naval armored boats with powerful artillery weapons and medium range progress. Despite the low speed, insufficient elevation angle of tank guns, and the lack of fire control devices, they had increased survivability and provided reliable protection crew.

Romania was armed with 5 river armored boats, two of which from the First World War were used as minesweepers, two were rebuilt from Czechoslovak minelayers, one was captured Soviet project 1124.

In the second half of the war in Germany, Great Britain, the USSR and the USA, jets were installed on boats. launchers as additional weapons. In addition, 43 special mortar boats were built in the USSR. These boats were most used in the war with Japan during the landings.

Patrol boats occupy a prominent place among small warships. They were small warships, usually equipped with artillery weapons, and were designed to perform sentinel (patrol) service in the coastal zone and fight enemy boats. Patrol boats were built by many countries that had access to the seas or had large rivers. At the same time, some countries (Germany, Italy, USA) used other types of vessels for these purposes.

Approximate number of main types of self-built patrol boats used in the war by country (excluding captured and transferred/received)

Countries that occupy leading positions in the field of shipbuilding actively sold patrol boats to customers. Thus, during the war, Great Britain supplied France 42 boats, Greece - 23, Turkey - 16, Colombia - 4. Italy sold Albania - 4 boats, and Canada - Cuba - 3. The USA, under Lend-Lease agreements, transferred 3 boats to Venezuela, Dominican Republic– 10, Colombia – 2, Cuba – 7, Paraguay – 6. The USSR used 15 captured patrol boats, Finland – 1.

Characterizing the structural features of the most massive production of boats in the context of manufacturing countries, the following should be noted. The British HDML type boat was built at many shipyards and, depending on the intended duty station, received appropriate equipment. It had reliable engines, good seaworthiness and maneuverability. The mass construction of Soviet boats was based on adapting the developments of crew and service boats. They were equipped with low-power, mainly automobile engines and, accordingly, had low speed and, unlike British boats, did not have artillery weapons. Japanese boats were built on the basis of torpedo boats, had powerful engines, at least - small-caliber guns, bomb throwers. By the end of the war, many were equipped with torpedo tubes and were often reclassified as torpedo boats.

Anti-submarine boats built by Great Britain and Italy. Great Britain built 40 boats, of which 17 were lost, Italy - 138, 94 died. Both countries built boats in the hulls of torpedo boats, with powerful engines and a sufficient supply of depth charges. In addition, Italian boats were additionally equipped with torpedo tubes. In the USSR, anti-submarine boats were classified as small hunters, in the USA, France and Japan - as hunters.

Minesweepers(boat minesweepers) were widely used in all major fleets and were intended to search and destroy mines and guide ships through mine-prone areas in harbors, roadsteads, rivers and lakes. The minesweepers were equipped with various types of trawls (contact, acoustic, electromagnetic, etc.), had a shallow draft and a wooden hull for low magnetic resistance, and were equipped with defensive weapons. The displacement of the boat, as a rule, did not exceed 150 tons, and the length - 50 m.

Approximate number of main types of boat minesweepers of own construction used in the war by country (excluding captured and transferred/received)

Most countries did not build boat minesweepers, but, if necessary, equipped existing auxiliary vessels or combat boats, also bought minesweeper boats.

A torpedo boat is a small combat ship designed to destroy enemy warships and transport vessels with torpedoes. Widely used during World War II. By the beginning of the war, torpedo boats were poorly represented in the main fleets of Western naval powers, but with the beginning of the war, the construction of boats increased sharply. By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the USSR had 269 torpedo boats. Over the course of the war, more than 30 torpedo boats were built, and 166 were received from the Allies.

The project of the first planing Soviet torpedo boat was developed in 1927 by a team of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) under the leadership of A.N. Tupolev, later an outstanding aircraft designer. The first experimental boat "ANT-3" ("Firstborn"), built in Moscow, was tested in Sevastopol. The boat had a displacement of 8.91 tons, the power of two gasoline engines was 1200 hp. s., speed 54 knots. Maximum length: 17.33 m, width 3.33 m, draft 0.9 m, Armament: 450 mm torpedo, 2 machine guns, 2 mines.

Comparing the Firstborn with one of the captured SMVs, we found out that the English boat was inferior to ours in both speed and maneuverability. On July 16, 1927, the experimental boat was included in the naval forces at the Black Sea. “Taking into account that this glider is an experimental design,” the acceptance certificate stated, “the commission believes that TsAGI completed the task assigned to it in full and the glider, regardless of some shortcomings of a naval nature, is subject to acceptance into the composition Naval Forces Red Army..." Work on improving torpedo boats at TsAGI continued, and in September 1928 the serial boat "ANT-4" ("Tupolev") was launched. Until 1932, our fleet received dozens of such boats, called "Sh- 4". In the Baltic, Black Sea and Far East Soon the first formations of torpedo boats appeared.

But "Sh-4" was still far from ideal. And in 1928, the fleet ordered another torpedo boat from TsAGI, named G-5 at the institute. It was a new ship at that time - in its stern there were trenches for powerful 533-mm torpedoes, and during sea trials it reached an unprecedented speed - 58 knots with full ammunition and 65.3 knots without load. Naval sailors considered it the best of the existing torpedo boats both in terms of armament and technical properties.

Torpedo boat "G-5" type

The lead boat of the new type "GANT-5" or "G5" (planing No. 5) was tested in December 1933. This boat with a metal hull was the best in the world, both in terms of armament and technical properties. He was recommended to serial production and by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War it became the main type of torpedo boats of the Soviet Navy. The serial "G-5", produced in 1935, had a displacement of 14.5 tons, the power of two gasoline engines was 1700 hp. s., speed 50 knots. Maximum length 19.1 m, width 3.4 m, draft 1.2 m. Armament: two 533 mm torpedoes, 2 machine guns, 4 mines. Produced for 10 years until 1944 various modifications. In total, more than 200 units were built.

"G-5" underwent baptism of fire in Spain and in the Great Patriotic War. In all seas, they not only launched dashing torpedo attacks, but also laid minefields, hunted for enemy submarines, landed troops, guarded ships and convoys, trawled fairways, bombarding German bottom proximity mines with depth charges. Particularly difficult and sometimes unusual tasks were carried out by Black Sea boats during the Great Patriotic War. They had to escort... trains running along the Caucasian coast. They fired torpedoes at... the coastal fortifications of Novorossiysk. And finally, they fired missiles at fascist ships and... airfields.

However, the low seaworthiness of boats, especially the Sh-4 type, was no secret to anyone. With the slightest disturbance, they were filled with water, which easily splashed into the very low pilothouse, open at the top. The release of torpedoes was guaranteed in seas of no more than 1 point, and boats could simply remain at sea in seas of no more than 3 points. Due to their low seaworthiness, the Sh-4 and G-5 only in very rare cases achieved their designed range, which depended not so much on the fuel supply as on the weather.

This and a number of other shortcomings were largely due to the “aviation” origin of the boats. The designer based the project on a seaplane float. Instead of an upper deck, "Sh-4" and "G-5" had a steeply curved convex surface. While ensuring the strength of the body, it at the same time created a lot of inconvenience in maintenance. It was difficult to stay on it even when the boat was motionless. If it was in full swing, absolutely everything that fell on it was dumped.

This turned out to be a very big disadvantage during combat operations: the paratroopers had to be placed in the chutes of torpedo tubes - there was nowhere else to place them. Due to the lack of a flat deck, "Sh-4" and "G-5", despite relatively large reserves of buoyancy, were practically unable to transport serious cargo. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, torpedo boats "D-3" and "SM-3" were developed - long-range torpedo boats. "D-3" had a wooden hull; according to its design, the torpedo boat "SM-3" with a steel hull was produced.

Torpedo boat "D-3"

Boats of the "D-3" type were produced in the USSR at two factories: in Leningrad and Sosnovka, Kirov region. By the beginning of the war, the Northern Fleet had only two boats of this type. In August 1941, five more boats were received from the plant in Leningrad. All of them were brought together into a separate detachment, which operated until 1943, until other D-3s began to enter the fleet, as well as Allied boats under Lend-Lease. The D-3 boats compared favorably with their predecessors, the G-5 torpedo boats, although in terms of combat capabilities they successfully complemented each other.

"D-3" had improved seaworthiness and could operate at a greater distance from the base than the boats of the "G-5" project. Torpedo boats of this type had a total displacement of 32.1 tons, a maximum length of 21.6 m (length between perpendiculars - 21.0 m), a maximum width of 3.9 on deck and 3.7 m along the bilge. The structural draft was 0. 8 m. The D-3 body was made of wood. The speed depended on the power of the engines used. GAM-34 750 l. With. allowed the boats to develop a speed of up to 32 knots, GAM-34VS 850 hp. With. or GAM-34F 1050 l. With. - up to 37 knots, Packards with a power of 1200 hp. With. - 48 knots. The cruising range at full speed reached 320-350 miles, and at eight knots - 550 miles.

On experimental boats and serial "D-3" for the first time, side-drop torpedo tubes were installed. Their advantage was that they made it possible to fire a salvo from a stop, while boats of the G-5 type had to reach a speed of at least 18 knots - otherwise they would not have time to turn away from the fired torpedo.

The torpedoes were fired from the boat's bridge by igniting a galvanic ignition cartridge. The salvo was duplicated by the torpedoist using two ignition cartridges installed in the torpedo tube. "D-3" were armed with two 533-mm torpedoes of the 1939 model; the mass of each was 1800 kg (TNT charge - 320 kg), the range at a speed of 51 knots was 21 cables (about 4 thousand m). Small arms"D-3" consisted of two DShK machine guns caliber 12.7 mm. True, during the war, the boats were equipped with a 20-mm Oerlikon automatic cannon, a coaxial 12.7 mm Colt-Browning machine gun, and some other types of machine guns. The boat's hull was 40 mm thick. In this case, the bottom was three-layer, and the side and deck were two-layer. On outer layer there was larch, and on the inside there was pine. The sheathing was fastened copper nails at the rate of five pieces per square decimeter.

The D-3 hull was divided into five waterproof compartments by four bulkheads. In the first compartment there are 10-3 sp. there was a forepeak, in the second (3-7 ships) there was a four-seater cockpit. The galley and boiler enclosure are between the 7th and 9th frames, the radio cabin is between the 9th and 11th. Boats of the "D-3" type were equipped with improved navigation equipment compared to what was on the "G-5". The D-3 deck made it possible to take on board a landing group, and it was also possible to move on it during a campaign, which was impossible on the G-5. The living conditions of the crew, consisting of 8-10 people, made it possible for the boat to operate for a long time away from its main base. Heating of the vital compartments of the D-3 was also provided.

Komsomolets-class torpedo boat

"D-3" and "SM-3" were not the only torpedo boats developed in our country on the eve of the war. In those same years, a group of designers designed a small torpedo boat of the Komsomolets type, which, almost no different from the G-5 in displacement, had more advanced tube torpedo tubes and carried more powerful anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons. These boats were built using voluntary contributions. Soviet people, and therefore some of them, in addition to numbers, received names: “Tyumen Worker”, “Tyumen Komsomolets”, “Tyumen Pioneer”.

The Komsomolets type torpedo boat, manufactured in 1944, had a duralumin hull. The hull is divided by waterproof bulkheads into five compartments (space 20-25 cm). A hollow keel beam is laid along the entire length of the hull, performing the function of a keel. To reduce pitching, side keels are installed on the underwater part of the hull. Two aircraft engines are installed in the hull one after the other, while the length of the left propeller shaft was 12.2 m, and the right one - 10 m. The torpedo tubes, unlike previous types of boats, are tubular, not trough. The maximum seaworthiness of the torpedo bomber was 4 points. The total displacement is 23 tons, the total power of two gasoline engines is 2400 hp. s., speed 48 knots. Maximum length 18.7 m, width 3.4 m, average recess 1 m. Reservation: 7 mm bulletproof armor on the wheelhouse. Armament: two tube torpedo tubes, four 12.7 mm machine guns, six large depth charges, smoke equipment. Unlike other domestically built boats, the Komsomolets had an armored (7 mm thick sheet) deckhouse. The crew consisted of 7 people.

These torpedo bombers demonstrated their high combat qualities to the greatest extent in the spring of 1945, when units of the Red Army were already completing the defeat of Hitler’s troops, advancing towards Berlin with heavy fighting. Soviet from the sea ground troops covered the ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, and the entire burden of hostilities in the waters of the southern Baltic fell on the shoulders of the crews of submarines, naval aviation and torpedo boats. Trying to somehow delay their inevitable end and preserve ports for the evacuation of retreating troops as long as possible, the Nazis made feverish attempts to sharply increase the number of search, strike and patrol groups of boats. These urgent measures to some extent aggravated the situation in the Baltic, and then four Komsomolets, which became part of the 3rd division of torpedo boats, were transferred to help the existing forces of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet.

These were last days The Great Patriotic War, the last victorious attacks of torpedo boats. The war will end, and the Komsomol members, covered in military glory, will forever be frozen on pedestals as a symbol of courage - as an example for descendants, as an edification for enemies.