Soviet submarine S-1
![]() S-1 during sea trials in 1936
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History | |
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Name | S-1, previously N-1 |
Builder | Leningrad |
Yard number | 266 |
Laid down | 25 December 1934 |
Launched | 8 August 1935 |
Commissioned | 11 September 1936 |
Fate | Scuttled in Liepāja on 23 June 1941, raised by Germans and used for tests before being sunk on 7 August 1943. |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | S-class submarine (Series IX) |
Displacement |
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Length | 77.8 m (255 ft 3 in) |
Beam | 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) |
Draft | 4 m (13 ft 1 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | 9,500 nmi (17,600 km) |
Test depth | 80 m (260 ft) |
Complement | 46 |
Armament |
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Service record [1] | |
Part of: | Baltic Fleet 1st Submarine Brigade |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | 1 merchant ship sunk (3,324 GRT) |
S-1 (Russian: С-1) was the lead ship of the S-class submarines of the Soviet Navy. It participated in the Winter War and the Soviet annexation of the Baltic states in 1940 before undergoing repairs and being scuttled by its crew in a shipyard at the start of Operation Barbarossa.
S-1 was among the first three S-class submarines that were built on the basis of the German-designed submarine E-1, the blueprints of which was sold to the Soviets in 1933. Soviet engineers, working together with the German designers, examined E-1 and made modifications to its design based on their requirements. S-1 was built in Leningrad and included German components.
The submarine carried out two patrols during the Winter War against Finland and was credited with sinking one transport, for a total of 3,324 gross register tons (GRT), and possibly shot down one Finnish aircraft. On its way back from its second patrol, S-1 was attacked by aircraft and also sustained damage to its hull while having to maneuver through ice in the Baltic Sea. For their actions, the entire crew was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the captain of S-1 at the time, Alexander Tripolsky, became a Hero of the Soviet Union. It later took part in the naval blockade of Riga when the Soviet Union occupied the Baltic states.
S-1 was undergoing repairs at a shipyard in
Design
The Srednyaya or S-class submarine (
S-1 was one of three Series IX boats, along with S-2 and S-3. The original design was made by German engineers at NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw, the Dutch subsidiary of AG Weser, and later boats were modified by the Soviets to take into account the manufacturing capabilities available in the Soviet Union. After examining the German prototype submarine E-1 in 1932 and 1933, Soviet engineers decided to purchase its design for the Soviet Navy with some changes, increasing its size, range, and armament. E-1 became the basis for the first three S-class submarines, the Series IX boats, which were built in Leningrad using some German components.[2][3]
Commissioning
S-1 was originally called N-1 (yard number 266) and was laid down on 25 December 1934 in
Service history
Winter War
When the
S-1 left on its second patrol on 22 December 1939 to a position north of the
World War II
In the next few months S-1 was involved in training exercises, before participating in the blockade of Riga in June 1940 when the Soviet Union annexed Latvia and the Baltic states. Afterwards it underwent repairs in Libava (Liepāja), and it was reassigned to the 1st Submarine Squadron of the Baltic Fleet. S-1 was in the shipyard being repaired when Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June 1941, and on the 23rd the submarine was scuttled by its crew to prevent its capture by the Germans. The crew then left the city on another submarine, S-3. The Soviet Navy struck S-1 from the naval list on 27 July 1941.[1][5]
But S-1 was still mostly intact despite being scuttled. It was raised by the Germans and taken to Kiel to be used for weapons testing by the Kriegsmarine, though sources indicate that it was never commissioned into their fleet. S-1 was sunk during one of these tests on 7 August 1943.[1][5]
Summary
Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage | Notes |
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10 December 1939 | Bolheim | ![]() |
3,324 GRT
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Deck gun |
Total: | 3,324 GRT |
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Nikolayev, Andrei. "С-1" [S-1]. Deepstorm.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "S (Stalinec) class". Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ a b Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, p. 337.
- ^ Yakubov & Worth 2008, pp. 136–137.
- ^ a b c d e f Chirva, Evgeny. ""С-1"" ["S-1"]. Sovboat.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 18 May 2024.
Works
- Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Yakubov, Vladimir; Worth, Richard (2008). Raising the Red Banner: A Pictorial History of Stalin's Fleet 1920–1945. Chalford, Stroud: Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-450-1.