Soviet submarine S-13
![]() S-13 portrayed on a Russian stamp, issued in 1996
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History | |
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Name | S-13 |
Laid down | 19 October 1938 |
Launched | 25 April 1939 |
Commissioned | 31 July 1941 |
Decommissioned | 7 September 1954 |
Stricken | 17 December 1956 |
Homeport | Kronstadt |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Soviet S-class submarine |
Displacement |
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Length | 77.8 m (255 ft 3 in) |
Beam | 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) |
Draught | 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Test depth | 100 m (330 ft) |
Complement | 50 officers and men |
Armament |
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S-13 was an
Service history
In the first half of September 1942, under Malanchenko's command, S-13 sank two Finnish ships, Hera and Jussi H., and a German ship Anna W, totaling 4,042 tons. When S-13 sank the freighter Hera, she fired on the ship's lifeboat but failed to hit it.[3]
On 15 October 1942, caught on the surface while charging her batteries, S-13 was attacked by the Finnish submarine chasers VMV-13 and VMV-15. During her crash dive, the submarine hit the bottom, severely damaging her rudder and destroying her steering gear. The following depth charge attack worsened the damage, but S-13 escaped and made it back to Kronstadt.
During the next three years, Malanchenko was relieved by Alexander Marinesko and S-13 was repaired and returned to sea.
Under the command of Marinesko, then 32, on 30 January 1945, at
On 10 February 1945, S-13 sank another German military transport ship General von Steuben.[7] 3,300 civilians and military personnel from the ship died, and 300 survived.[8]
Marinesko was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1990.
S-13 was decommissioned on 7 September 1954 and stricken on 17 December 1956.
Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage | Notes |
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11 September 1942 | Hera | ![]() |
1,379 GRT
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freighter (torpedo) |
12 September 1942 | Jussi H. | ![]() |
2,325 GRT
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freighter (torpedo) |
18 September 1942 | Anna W. | ![]() |
290 GRT
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freighter (gunfire) |
30 January 1945 | Wilhelm Gustloff | ![]() |
25,484 GRT
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transport ship (torpedo) |
10 February 1945 | General Steuben | ![]() |
14,660 GRT
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transport ship (torpedo) |
Total: | 44,138 GRT |
S-13 also shelled and damaged the German fishing vessel, Siegfried (563 GRT), which was damaged but escaped.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "S-13 of the Soviet Navy – Soviet Submarine of the S (Stalinec) class – Allied Warships of WWII – uboat.net". Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Chirva, Evgeniy; Metelev, Dmitriy (eds.). "Люди". Великая Отечественная под водой: О подлодках и подводниках 1941 – 1945 гг. (in Russian). Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Hera (1942) – höyrylaiva – Haverit.net".
- ^ "Greatest Wartime Sea Tragedy Becomes Major Film" Archived 2008-04-14 at the Wayback Machine, a Sea Classics magazine September 2007 article
- ^ Irwin J. Kappes (2003). "Wilhelm Gustloff – The Greatest Marine Disaster in History". MilitaryHistoryOnline.com. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ "Wilhelm Gustloff: World's Deadliest Sea Disasters". Unsolved History, The Discovery Channel. Season 1, Episode 14. (Original air date: March 26, 2003)
- ^ Data sheet on the Dampfschiff General von Steuben
- ^ "Грани.Ру: Потопленный миф".