Morzh-class submarine
 | This article includes a improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2013) ) |
 Russian submarine Morzh
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Morzh class |
| Builders | Nikolayev Dockyard |
| Operators |  Imperial Russian Navy |
| Succeeded by | Bars class |
| In commission | 1914–1931 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Lost | 1 |
| Scrapped | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 67 m (219 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) |
| Draft | 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 2,500 nmi (4,600 km) |
| Complement | 47 |
| Armament |
|
The Morzh-class submarines were built for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy shortly before World War I.
Background
The class was originally conceived as part of an ambitious programme of naval construction devised by the Naval General Staff in 1909. This envisaged, among other things, the construction of six submarines for the Black Sea Fleet. The procurement was heavily cut back and delayed; in 1910, the Russian State Duma agreed to a portion of the naval plan to reinforce the Black Sea Fleet, including the construction of the six submarines. Three Narval-class submarines were ordered along with three of the new Morzh-class boats. The Narval class was a design developed by the Holland company for Russia.
Design
The design of the Morzh class was based on
The Morzh submarines were well-armed for the time, having a
Ships in class
| Ship | Laid down | Launched | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morzh (Морж) | 25 June 1911 | 28 September 1913 | Sunk by mines in the Black Sea, May 1917 |
| Nerpa (Нерпа) | 25 June 1911 | 28 September 1913 | Recommissioned by the Decommissioned in 1930 and scrapped in 1931.
|
| Tyulen (Тюлень) | 25 June 1911 | 1 November 1913 | Captured by the Germans in 1918, transferred to the White Russians in 1919. Fled to Bizerte in 1920 with Wrangel's fleet and was interned there. Sold in 1924 and scrapped in 1930. |
History
The ships were
The three submarines had an eventful war in the Black Sea, sinking 16 merchant ships between them. Morzh narrowly missed the Turkish flagship battlecruiser Yavuz in November 1915 but suffered damage in a Turkish air attack in May 1916. She was sunk with all hands in May 1917 on her 24th patrol as a result of striking a mine, confirmed when wreck discovered in 2002. After 24 patrols Nerpa went into refit in 1917 in Nikolayev but had to be laid up due to a shortage of essential parts and did not rejoin the war effort. The most successful of the three submarines was Tyulen, which made a large number of successful attacks against enemy forces, including the capture of the armed merchantman Rodosto in October 1916.
Tyulen and Nerpa survived the war but had very different fates. Tyulen was captured by German troops at Sevastopol in May 1918 and transferred to
Nerpa remained in the shipyard at Nikolayev until 3 June 1922, when it was recommissioned by the Soviet Navy under the new name Politruk ("political instructor") and in 1923 it was given the designation of No. 11. The vessel was decommissioned on 3 December 1930 and was sold for scrap in February 1931.
Citations
- ^ a b Friedman & Noot 1991, pp. 28–29.
- ^ a b Budzbon 1986, pp. 314–315.
Sources
- Budzbon, Prezemyslav (1986). "Russia". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 295–321. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Friedman, Norman & Noot, Jurrien (1991). Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies, 1718–1990. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-570-1.
External links
- "Soviet Naval Battles-Russian Republic (Dual power) in 1917". Soviet-Empire.com. Retrieved 31 August 2018.