River Gunboats
Page 51
Fate:
All converted to supply ships at the end of the Second World War except for Olyokma sunk 5 October 1941, Amgun sunk 10 November 1944.
Lakhta
On 29 September it was the turn of an older gunboat, Lakhta, to clash with MAS boats. Lakhta, a commercial vessel built in 1899, was converted in July 1941 and was active up until March 1944. She displaced 580 tons and was armed with two 100mm guns.
Konstructor
An old torpedo cruiser reclassed as a destroyer, Konstructor was the sole survivor of her class which dated from before the First World War. During an attack by Finnish bombers on 4 November 1941, Konstructor was hit by a bomb which blew off her bows. Salvaged by the Russians, she was rebuilt as a patrol gunboat some 15m (50ft) shorter. Re-commissioned on 13 April 1943, she served in various roles until well after the Second World War.
Konstructor showing her somewhat drastic rebuilding. (Drawing by S Breyer)
Launched:
19 September 1905 as Sibirskiy Strelok by Sandvikens, Helsingfors.
Dimensions:
Displ: 650 tons, 820 tons full load; L: 60.5m/198ft 6in; B: 8.18m/26ft 10in; D: 2.44m/8ft.
Crew:
102.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 7,300ihp/16.5 knots.
Guns/Armour:
3 × 100mm; 1 × 45mm; 2 × 37mm AA; 1 × 20mm Oerlikon; 1 × twin 12.7mm HMG.
Fate:
Converted to steam heating vessel OT-29 in 1956.
LAKE ONEGA
During the Russian Civil War, British interventionist troops under Major General Maynard advanced to and attempted to take control of Lake Onega. The small British flotilla of armed motor boats, supported by seaplanes, was unable to make much progress against a growing Red naval presence, which was steadily reinforced by warships sent from St Petersburg. By early 1919 the backbone of the Red Flotilla comprised four of the 1915 Programme armoured cutters Nos 1 to 9. The units on the Lake were No 1, renamed International, No 2, Communist, No 5, Proletary and No 9, Spartak. For details, see Amur-Darya Flotilla above.
Amuretz on Lake Onega as rearmed with 102mm guns. (From a drawing by S Breyer)
In June 1919 the Bolsheviks transferred to Lake Onega the Gaidamak class destroyers Amuretz, Ussurietz and Vsadnik, plus the Barsuk class gunboats Kunitsa, Laska and Vydra.
Gaidamak Class Destroyers
Launched:
1905 Vsadnik by Germaniawerft, Kiel; Amuretz and Ussurietz by Broberg DY, Helsingfors.
Dimensions:
Displ: 570 tons, 750 tons full load; L: 71.9m/235ft 10¾in; B: 7.4m/24ft 3in; D: 2.3m/7ft 6in, 3.5m/11ft 6in full load.
Crew:
99.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, 6,500ihp/25 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 102mm; 2 × Maxim MG; 3 × 457mm TT; 25 mines.
Fate:
Ussurietz scrapped 1927; Vsadnik scrapped 1929; Amuretz scrapped 1950.
Barsuk class gunboat. (Photo from The Russian Fleet 1914–1917 by René Greger)
Barsuk class gunboat. (Drawing from Simon Stokes: Naval Actions of the Russian Civil War, on Website: ptdockyardat.files)
Barsuk Class Gunboats
Launched:
1915–16 by Finnish SY, Helsinki.
Dimensions:
Displ: 168 tons.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; VTE steam engine/11 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 75mm; 1 × 40mm AA.
By 22 September 1919 the British force had withdrawn, handing over the lake flotilla and seaplanes to the White Russians. It appears that the Whites managed to capture two of the Nos 1–9 gunboats, but on the collapse of the White forces they were recovered by the Reds.
During the Great Patriotic War, Bronekater Nos BK-22 and BK-41 were part of a Soviet naval force which fought an inconclusive battle with three Finnish vessels on the Lake on 4 September 1942.
LAKE PEIPUS
In June 1940 the Russians took over the Estonian gunboats Tartu and Ahti, plus all the civilian vessels on the lake. In February 1941 these were incorporated into a Training Division and carried out anti-partisan operations. In late June – early July 1941 the unit was renamed the Lake Peipus Flotilla, including 39 vessels of various types, formed around four gunboats armed with Russian 76mm and 45mm guns. On 12 August 1941 Soviet gunboat Embach engaged German patrol vessels with no damage reported on either side. By the end of August all Soviet vessels had been scuttled to prevent them falling into German hands.
In May 1944 the Soviets revived the Peipus Flotilla, officially known as the 25th Independent Brigade of River Ships, comprising Bronekator and landing ships. On 13 August 1944 Bronekater BKA-213 and BKA-322 attacked a group of German minesweepers. BKA-213 carried out a ramming attack on minesweeper M-08, and sank her. In September 1944 the armoured gunboats covered massive transport operations across the lake, involving more than 100,000 Soviet troops and 1,000 artillery pieces of the Second Shock Army. See Bronekater above.
LAKE SELIGER
Two of the armoured gunboats of the Nos 1-9 series, No 1 and No 9, were stationed on Lake Seliger during the First World War and the Civil War, before their transfer to the Volga Flotilla. For details, see Amu-Darya Flotilla above.
NORTHERN DVINA FLOTILLA
In the autumn of 1918 on the Northern Dvina, the Bolsheviks had to keep at bay the White Russians and British intervention forces, until the river froze over and rendered Allied operations impossible. 28-year-old Pavlin Fedorovich Vinogradov from St Petersburg became the driving force in the creation of the Northern Dvina Flotilla, which at first consisted of just three armed steamers and a river tugboat. Quickly building up the number of his armed vessels, on 11 August 1918 he led his darkened Flotilla to confront the enemy land and river forces at Dvinskiy Bereznik. In this minor but strategically important engagement, the White forces were driven back down the river. The British realised they were facing well-organised opponents, and with the ongoing defections of White forces, decided to withdraw from Northern Russia, leaving the remaining Whites to their fate. Vinogradov’s ships which took part in this engagement are listed in the following table:
The gunboat Sakston of the Northern Dvina Flotilla. A 90-ton paddle steamer, she is armed with two 75mm Canet naval guns and two 7.62mm Maxims. (Photo from Website: http://www.kotlas.org/kotlas/history/history_index.php
Name/Displ/Type Speed Armament
Peacock/410 tons/Paddle steamer 14 knots 3 × 75mm; 1 × 37mm QF; 2 × MG
Vinogradov/410 tons/Paddle steamer 14 knots 3 × 75mm; 1 × 37mm QF; 2 × MG
Bogatyr/410 tons/Paddle steamer 14 knots 3 × 75mm; 2 × MG
Sakston/90 tons/Paddle steamer 14 knots 2 × 75mm; 2 × MG
Phoenix/120 tons/Paddle steamer 14 knots 2 × 75mm; 2 × MG
Vaga/60 tons/Paddle steamer 14 knots 1 × 37mm QF; 2 × MG
6 Despatch Vessels 14 knots 1 × 75mm; 1 × MG
7 Armed Tugs 12 knots 1 × 60mm; 1 × MG
11 Motor Patrol Boats 24 knots 1 × 3-pounder QF; 2 × MG
Armed Barge No 1 Towed 2 × 102mm; 2 × MG
Armed Barge No 2 Towed 2 × 102mm; 2 × MG
By the time the Flotilla was disbanded in May 1920 it had swollen to some ninety vessels of different types, although not all were armed.
PINSK FLOTILLA
See Dnieper/Pinsk Flotilla above.
VISTULA FLOTILLA
Vessels of the Vistula Flotilla seen in 1863. Far left is gunboat Bug. Next to her is Narev. The larger paddle steamer on the right is possibly Visla. (Photo from the Boris Lemchako Collection, via Andreas Mach)
Visla
Launched:
1863.
Dimensions:
Displ: 50 tons; L: 39.62m/130ft; B: 3.73m/12ft 3in; D: 0.41m–0.58m/1ft 4in–1ft 10¾in.
Power/Speed:
Side paddle wheels; steam engine, 50 nominal hp.
Guns/A
rmour:
1 × gun (calibre not recorded).
Fate:
Stricken 4 October 1867.
Bug
Launched:
1863.
Dimensions:
Displ: 52 tons; L: 33.53m/110ft; B: 5.03m/16ft 6in; D: 0.33m–0.41m/1ft 1in–1ft 4in.
Power/Speed:
Side paddle wheels; steam engine, 30 nominal hp.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 24-pounder.
Fate:
Scrapped 1922.
Narev
Launched:
1863.
Dimensions:
Displ: 48 tons; L: 30.48m/100ft; B: 5.03m/16ft 6in; D: 0.38m–0.61m/1ft 3in–2ft.
Power/Speed:
Side paddle wheels; steam engine, 16 nominal hp.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 24-pounder.
Profile of Narev. (Illustration from 1000 Years of Russian Riverine Flotillas by I I Chernikov)
Visla (II)
Launched:
November 1887.
Dimensions:
Displ: 50 tons; L: 39.62m/130ft; B: 3.73m/12ft 5in; D: 0.41m–0.58m/1ft 4in–1ft 10¾in.
Power/Speed:
Stern-wheeler; steam engine, 50ihp/9 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 3-pounder QF?; MG?
Illustration from The Engineer dated 1891, showing the second Visla, a sectional river gunboat of Yarrow’s standard design, produced for the Russian government. Note how without armament she is riding high in the water.
Profile of Visla, showing the additional cabins added in Russia. No armament is shown but she could be defensively armed with one or more 3-pounder QF, in line with her British and other near sisters. (Illustration from 1000 Years of Russian Riverine Flotillas by I I Chernikov)
Ivangorod
Launched:
?
Dimensions:
L: 37.19m/122ft; B: 4.72m/15ft 6in; D: 0.61m/2ft.
Power/Speed:
Side paddle wheels; steam engine, 34 nominal hp.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 37mm QF.
Ivangorod. (Illustration from 1000 Years of Russian Riverine Flotillas by I I Chernikov)
Venera
Another steamer with dimensions which would suggest she was built in a British yard.
Launched:
?
Dimensions:
L: 38.1m/125ft; B: 4.27m/14ft; D: 0.76m/2ft 6in.
Power/Speed:
Side paddle wheels; steam engine.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 3-pounder QF; 1 × MG.
Venera. (Illustration from 1000 Years of Russian Riverine Flotillas by I I Chernikov)
VOLGA FLOTILLA
An initial Astrakhan Red flotilla operated in the Volga Delta and later in the Caspian, to defend Baku. They used small destroyers and torpedo boats, plus armed merchant ships and floating gun batteries, to defend the mouth of the Volga against the motley collection of mostly worn-out ships, armed by the British (and later passed on to the Whites) on the Caspian Sea. While British accounts of the various encounters emphasise the Reds’ desire to avoid combat in spite of their superior gunpower and speed, the Red flotilla had different priorities. Their primary role was to combat White forces on the Volga in support of the Red Army. Their second function was to distract the Intervention Forces from discovering and interdicting the transfer of petroleum products from the Baku region which was so vital to the Bolshevik war effort. One Soviet source quotes the figure, during the summer of 1919 alone, of some 20,000 tons of fuel oil and 2,000 tons of higher-grade lubricating oil, mostly smuggled in sailing schooners.
A second Volga Flotilla was formed to combat the Czech Legion and the White forces. Their armed vessels included: Andrey Lyakhov, Bratstvo, Delo Sovetov (driven aground and abandoned by her crew on 22 July 1918), Dobryy, Dolphin (sunk by field artillery near Kazan on 5 September 1918), Kazakkaa, Lev, Mikhail Krutov, Milyutin, Moskva, Olenya, Olga, Revolyutsiya, Saratov (armed icebreaker), Svoboda, Tashkent and Vanya (later in the Kama Flotilla).
In early August 1918 the counter-revolutionary armies captured the city of Kazan, so on 7 August Leon Trotsky in person departed Moscow and brought a reinforcement of three old torpedo boats, Prytkiy, Prochnyy and Retivyy. On 27 August they went into action for the first time, bombarding Kazan.
Prytkiy
As Sokol, Prytkiy had been Russia’s first torpedo boat, and formed the basis for twenty-six following torpedo boats. As with the other two TBs brought by Trotsky, they did not load torpedoes for riverine combat, due to the shallow water and the short ranges involved. Also, torpedoes would have posed a serious risk in the event of a duel with land-based artillery.
Prytkiy, ex-Sokol, prototype for the next ten similar torpedo boats. (Photo from The Russian Fleet 1914–1917 by René Greger)
Plans of Prytkiy. Trotsky’s other two accompanying torpedo boats were very similar.
Launched:
1895 (as Sokol) by Yarrow, Poplar.
Dimensions:
Displ: 240 tons; L: 57.9m/190ft; B: 5.6m/18ft 4½; D: 2.3m/7ft 6in.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 3,800ihp/27 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 75mm; 2 × MG; 10 mines.
Fate:
Scrapped 1922.
Pylkiy Class
Launched:
Prochnyy (as Yastreb) 1898 by Izhora SY, St Petersburg.
Dimensions:
Displ: 312 tons; L: 56.5m/185ft 4in; B: 5.9m/19ft 4in; D: 3m/9ft 10in.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 5,200ihp/26.5 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 75mm; 2 × MG; 10 mines.
Fate:
Scrapped 1922.
Rezvyy Class
Launched:
Retivyy (as Filin) 1900 by Nevskiy SY, St Petersburg.
Dimensions:
Displ: 240 tons; L: 57.9m/190ft; B: 5.6m/18ft 4½; D: 2.3m/7ft 6in.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 3,800ihp/26.5 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 75mm; 2 × MG; 10 mines.
Fate:
Scrapped 1922.
The Red flotilla had several exchanges of fire with Czech and White vessels, between 30 August and 28 September, but on 7 October the Czechs and the White forces abandoned their gunboats at Samara, having first removed their armament. The Red flotilla than continued its campaign in the Kama River.
White Volga Flotilla
The Whites armed many gunboats, including the following: Chechenets, Gorets, Groznyy, Moguchiy, Sofiya and Vandal. For the Czech Legion gunboats, see CZECHOSLOVAKIA.
THE BATTLE FOR STALINGRAD
Armoured River Gunboats Nos 1–9
Of this class of armoured cutter dating from the Tsarist era, five survived into 1942: Nos 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8. It appears from the following photo that all five took part in the battle for Stalingrad. For drawings and details, see the Amur Flotilla above.
The Volga Military Flotilla was formed in October 1941, and by the time of the German attack on Stalingrad it comprised fifty-six vessels, including seven gunboats and fourteen Bronekater. Between 1 August and 3 November 1942, In the course of the fierce fighting against Luftwaffe bombers in the teeth of Wehrmacht tank and artillery fire, the Flotilla lost five Bronekater. But the Flotilla had helped secure the passage of 135,000 men, 275 tanks, 479 trucks and 14,000 tons of supplies, and ferried wounded back across the Volga for treatment. In return they claimed the destruction of nine aircraft, twenty-one Panzers and seventy German bunkers, plus some 1,000 German troops put out of action. In the words of Vasiliy Chiukov, commander of the Sixty-Second Army: ‘About the role of the sailors of the fleet and their exploits, I would say briefly that had it not been for them the 62nd Army might have perished without ammunition and rations, and could not have carried out its task.’
An interesting photo showing a group of
gunboats on the Volga during the battle for Stalingrad. Five of the gunboats are of the ubiquitous Nos 1-9 Type of 1915–17, as shown by the angled sides at the stern and the high armoured wheelhouses. The nearest gunboat is armed with a 3-pounder QF, and a BK-2 type MG turret at the stern. The boat alongside is armed with a 76.2mm gun. (Photo from defunct Website: http://wio.ru/fleet/ww2kanon.htm)
PART II
MODERN RIVER AND LAKE GUNBOATS OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
Project 1204 ‘Shmel’ Class
The modern equivalent of the Great Patriotic War Bronekater, the ‘Shmel’ class have served on the Amu-Darya and the Amur. Eighteen units were exported, and at least one is earmarked for preservation as a memorial, in Astrakhan.
A ‘Shmel’ class gunboat on the Caspian. (One of the shots from the extensive file on Website: http://onepamop.livejournal.com/875950.html)
An uncommon view of a ‘Shmel’ class gunboat photographed from above. She is passing under a bridge in Vienna during a visit by a Soviet squadron in April 1985. (Photo courtesy of Erwin Sieche)
The ‘Shmel’ variant armed with a twin 25mm AA gun mounting.
Launched:
118 units launched 1967–72.
Dimensions: