During the Great Patriotic War, the main combat load fell on the Soviet "mosquito" fleet - torpedo boats, armored boats, patrol boats and small hunters, smoke launchers, minesweeping boats, air defense boats. The most difficult work was the work of small hunters, MO-4, who fought against enemy submarines in the Black Sea and Baltic.
Patrol boat No. 026 in Sevastopol, July 1940. From March to September 1941, this boat was used as an experimental vessel of the NIMTI Navy. The cruiser Krasny Kavkaz is visible in the background.
Small hunters in Soviet style
Submarines became a real threat to surface ships during the First World War: German submariners were the "trendsetters", but their colleagues from other countries did not lag behind. Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, the tonnage of ships sunk by submarines exceeded losses from surface ships. Submarines and warships were "getting out" - the German U-9 sank three British cruisers, and the U-26 sank the Russian armored cruiser Pallada. In these conditions, the fleets of all countries began to feverishly search for ways to combat the underwater threat.
In the Russian Empire, they decided to use small high-speed boats to combat submarines. Several cannons and machine guns were installed on them and used for escort service. These small ships have established themselves as a universal means of fighting at sea and, in addition to escorting, they were attracted to perform other tasks. The most successful were "fighter boats" of the "Greenport" type, built in the United States. They took an active part in hostilities during the First World War and on the fronts of the Civil War. Some of them survived and became part of the Soviet fleet, but by the mid-20s they were all written off.
The boats of the MO-4 type, going at high speed, attracted attention with their dynamism of shape, ease and speed of movement. They had high speed, maneuverability and seaworthiness.
In the interwar period, in all countries, submarines were actively developing and it was necessary to look for effective ways to combat the threat from under water. In the USSR, in 1931, the design of a small submarine hunter of the MO-2 type began. Moreover, it was created as a single type of small warship; in peacetime, he was supposed to carry out tasks to protect the state border, and in wartime, act as part of the fleets. Another condition was the possibility of transporting the hull of the boat by rail. About 30 boats were built, but in the process of testing and operation, their numerous design flaws were revealed. Construction was stopped, and in 1936 work began on a new small hunter of the MO-4 type. It took into account the shortcomings of its predecessor, and the designers managed to create a successful ship, which proved to be the best during operation. The hull of the boat was built of first-class pine and had good survivability. With its small size, it received powerful weapons, could be used for trawling (equipped with a snake trawl or boat paravan-trawl) and mine laying. Six mines of the P-1 type, or four arr. 1908, or two arr. 1926, or four mine defenders were taken on board. To search for submarines, the hunters were equipped with the Poseidon sound direction finder, and since 1940, the Tamir hydroacoustic station. Three gasoline engines GAM-34BS (850 hp) each were simple and reliable in operation. They provided the boat with a high speed, 30 seconds after receiving the order, he could give a low speed, and after 5 minutes full. The small hunter had good maneuverability and sufficient seaworthiness (up to 6 points). Its appearance was distinguished by its dynamic form, lightness and speed of movement. On MO-4, habitability improved: the entire crew received berths, all living quarters had ventilation and heating, a wardroom and a galley were placed on the boat. Tests that took place on the Black Sea in 1936-37 did not reveal any serious flaws in the design of the MO-4, and soon the construction of a large series for the Navy and the NKVD began. Serial construction of boats was launched at the Leningrad NKVD plant No. 5. Before the start of the war, 187 boats were built on it: 75 MOs were added to the fleets and flotillas, 113 became part of the NKVD Maritime Border Guard. Some of the small hunters who became part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (KBF) took part in the Soviet-Finnish "winter" war. Maritime border guards had to master the sea borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which became part of the USSR in 1940. After the start of the war with Germany, serial construction of the MO-4 type was carried out at several factories of the country: No. 5, No. 345, No. 640, the Astrakhan shipyard of the Narkomrybprom and Moscow shipyard Narkomrech-fleet. Despite all the difficulties, 74 boats of the MO-4 type were built during the difficult war years.
Small hunters take the fight
By the beginning of World War II, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet consisted of 15 small hunters and 18 patrol boats. The NKVD had 27 boats of the MO-4 type: 12 in Tallinn, 10 in Liba-ve, 5 in Ust-Narva. In the first weeks of the war, it included boats from the NKVD Maritime Guard, and new boats of Leningrad construction continued to arrive. As already noted, in Leningrad at the plant No. 5, the construction of boats of the MO-4 type continued, in total about 50 boats were built. Some of the MO boats were transferred to Lake Ladoga, where a military flotilla was created.
The gun crews are ready to repel the enemy's attack. The boat's armament consisted of two 45-mm 21-K semi-automatic machines, two large-caliber DShK machine guns. Eight large depth charges BB-1 and 24 small BM-1 were placed in the bomb releasers at the stern. And six pieces of neutral smoke MDSh
On the night of June 21-22, 1941, SKA # 141 at Tallinn, SKA # 212 and # 214 at Libava, and # 223 and # 224 at Kronstadt were on duty in front of the naval bases. They were the first to repel raids by German aircraft, which bombed ports and planted mines on the fairways. The mine threat became the main one in the Baltic in 1941, our fleet was not ready to deal with the mine threat and suffered heavy losses. For example, on June 24-27, MO boats took part in escorting the cruiser Maxim Gorkoy from Tallinn to Kronstadt. His nose was blown off by a mine explosion. Our fleet began to set up defensive minefields, and MO-4 boats also provided their placement. They themselves began to lay mine banks in the skerries off the enemy shores. Every day, small hunters had to repel attacks from enemy aircraft, torpedo boats and submarines, carry out patrols at bases and ports, guard transports and convoys, and escort submarines and warships that went out on combat operations.
Patrol boats "PK-239" (type MO-4) and "PK-237" (type MO-2). With the beginning of the war, they were included in the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and they took part in the defense of Hanko. Pay attention - both boats have two more masts. With the outbreak of war, the mainmast was dismantled.
A patrol boat in one of the KBF island bases. Pay attention to the accumulation of floating craft in the background - preparations for the next landing operation are underway at the base
Our troops could not repel the German offensive on the border and soon the Wehrmacht approached Tallinn. Fierce battles unfolded on the approaches to the main base of the Baltic Fleet, the marines and Red Banner Baltic Fleet ships took an active part in them. The fleet ensured the delivery of marching reinforcements and ammunition from the mainland. The wounded and civilians were taken back. The defense of Tallinn lasted 20 days, but by the morning of August 28, the city had to be abandoned. All the troops, their weapons and the most important cargoes were loaded onto numerous ships, transports and auxiliary vessels. These forces of the fleet, included in the four convoys, began to break through the Gulf of Finland to Kronstadt. Among them were 22 boats of the MO-4 type: six in the detachment of the main forces, four in the covering detachment, seven in the rearguard, two MOs each guarded convoys # 1 and # 3, one MO was part of the guard of convoy # 2. They had to cover 194 miles, both shores of the Gulf of Finland were already occupied by the enemy, who set minefields, concentrated aviation and "mosquito" forces, and used coastal batteries. The few minesweepers of the KBF were able to wipe only a small strip, the width of this fairway was only 50 m. Many slow-moving, clumsy vessels came out of it and were immediately blown up. The situation was aggravated by the numerous floating mines that floated in the swept area. They had to literally be pushed away from the sides. The boats immediately went to the place of death and rescued the survivors. The sailors of the boats lifted the frozen crippled people covered with a thick layer of fuel oil onto the deck. They were warmed, dressed and given first aid. One of the rescuers himself was rescued by a boat - a cadet of the V. I. Frunze Vinogradov swam up to the board of "MO-204", but saw a floating mine, took it away from the boat with his hands and only after that grabbed the rescue end. During the transition, 15 warships and 31 transport were killed, 112 ships and 23 transports came to Kronstadt (there are other data on the number of ships). In addition to Tallinn, evacuation was carried out from Moonsund, islands in the Vyborg and the Gulf of Finland. The Wehrmacht soon blocked Leningrad. On August 30, in the area of the Ivanovskiye rapids, repelling the attacks of German troops, "MO-173" and "MO-174" were killed. The fleet was concentrated in Leningrad and Kronstadt, the ships could now operate only within the "Marquis puddle". The boats carried out patrols, escorted convoys, conducted reconnaissance of the place of enemy large-caliber batteries, which fired at the ships and the city. They took part in the Peterhof landing. Fierce battles were fought on Lake Ladoga. German and Finnish troops surrounded the city, aviation attacked the ships of the flotilla, enemy ships began to operate. MO-4 ensured the landing of troops, evacuated troops, supported the troops with fire, fought with enemy aircraft and ships. For example, "MO-206" distinguished itself during the battles for the island of Rakh-mansaari on September 7-10, 1941, and "MO-261" took part in laying a naval armored cable in October 1941.
After the loss of Tallinn and the Moonsund Islands, the extreme western points of our defense were the islands of Gogland, Lavensaari and the Hanko naval base. The light forces of the fleet were concentrated here. The defense of the Hanko naval base lasted 164 days - from June 22 to December 2. After that, a phased evacuation was carried out. The surviving boats of the MO-4 type became part of the Fighter Detachment of the Protection of the Kronstadt water region. Winter in 1941 was early and harsh: ice bound the Neva, navigation was also coming to an end in the Gulf of Finland. Already in mid-November, the boats were raised on the wall and installed on the cages, the motors and mechanisms were unloaded and mothballed on the shore. The crews were settled in the barracks, in addition to repairing the hulls and mechanisms, they were engaged in combat training, patrolled the city and the Neva. The first military navigation is over.
Combat damage to "midges". The hull made of three-layer first-class pine increased the survivability of the boat and made it possible to “survive” even with such holes
At the beginning of the war, there were 74 boats on the Black Sea: 28 in the Black Sea Fleet, 46 in the NKVD Maritime Guard. On the morning of June 22, "MO-011", "MO-021" and "MO-031" went out to sea, trawling the outer raid of Sevastopol, but could not destroy a single magnetic mine. From the first days of the war, the sailors began to track the places where German mines fell near Sevastopol, they were put on a map and then "processed" with depth charges. For example, on September 1, "MO-011" similarly destroyed three German mines. "Moshki", as in the Baltic, carried patrols, escorted transports, covered mine-laying, shot floating mines and waged anti-submarine defense. They had to repel massive air attacks. For example, on September 22, in the area of Tendra, "MO-022" attacked ten Ju-87s, the boat commander was killed, many crew members were killed and wounded, the boat received many holes and had to be run aground. The boats took part in providing transportation for the defenders of Odessa, who defended the city for 73 days. They have successfully escorted hundreds of ships and convoys: transports made 911 voyages, of which 595 steamers were escorted by small hunters, 86 battleships and 41 destroyers. On October 16-17, 34 patrol boats escorted the ships of the caravan, on which the evacuation of Odessa was carried out. Only one transport was lost, which was in ballast. This is the most successful evacuation carried out by the Soviet fleet.
A small hunter of the Black Sea Fleet leaves the Streletskaya Bay of Sevastopol. The Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonesos is clearly visible in the background.
Patrol boat No. 1012 "Sea Soul". It was built during the war years at the expense of the writer-marine painter L. A. Sobolev. He received the Stalin Prize for the book "Sea Soul" and spent all of it on its construction
On October 30, the defense of the main base of the Black Sea Fleet begins. OVR ships and boats, which were based in Karantinnaya and Streletskaya bays, took an active part in it. Parts of the Wehrmacht broke into the Crimea, and the large ships of the Black Sea Fleet moved to the Caucasus. The evacuation of the base began, the property of factories and arsenals was removed. This evacuation was covered by boats and, unfortunately, they did not always manage to repel all air attacks. For example, two MO-4s (according to other sources, "SKA-041") accompanied the ambulance transport "Armenia", which evacuated the personnel of the maritime hospital from Sevastopol. On November 7, they were unable to repel an attack by a single He-111. The transport was hit by a torpedo, and a few minutes later it sank. More than 5,000 people died. The escort boats managed to save only eight people. And "MO-011" on November 8 for five hours successfully repelled enemy air raids. He managed to deliver the floating dock, which was towed by the icebreaker Toros, to Novorossiysk without loss. Part of MO-4 also moved to the Caucasus, only the T-27 minesweeper, floating battery No. 3, ten MO-type boats, nine KM-type boats, seventeen minesweeper boats and twelve TKA remained in Sevastopol. They trawled the Sevastopol fairways, met and saw off the ships entering the port, covered them with smoke screens, and conducted anti-submarine patrols. After the start of the winter assault, the situation near Sevastopol worsened: German batteries could now fire on our entire territory, and enemy aircraft began to operate more actively. To improve the situation, the Soviet command conducted a number of landings: to Kamysh-Burun, Feodosia, Sudak and Evpatoria. MO-4 took the most active part in them. We will tell you more about the preparation and conduct of the Yevpatoria landing.
On the night of December 6, SKA # 041 and # 0141, which left Sevastopol, landed reconnaissance and sabotage groups in the Yevpatoria port. They successfully defused the sentries and took over the police headquarters. After collecting information and freeing the prisoners, the scouts left the building. Another group carried out sabotage at the airfield. Panic broke out in the city, and the Germans opened fire indiscriminately. Our scouts returned to the boats without loss. The information they collected made it possible to prepare the landing. On the evening of January 4, the Vzryvatel BTShch, the SP-14 tugboat and seven boats of the MO-4 type (SKA No. 024, No. 041, No. 042, No. 062, No. 081, No. 0102, No. 0125) left Sevastopol. 740 paratroopers, two T-37 tanks and three 45-mm guns were placed on them. They were able to quietly enter the Yevpatoria port and seize it. They managed to capture the city center, but then the Marines met stubborn resistance. Cover ships withdrew to the raid and began to support the paratroopers with fire. The Germans pulled up reserves, called in aircraft and tanks. The paratroopers did not receive reinforcements and ammunition and were forced to go on the defensive. The minesweeper was damaged by aircraft, lost its course and was thrown ashore. The boats were damaged and were forced to leave for Sevastopol. They were replaced by ships with replenishment, but because of the storm they could not enter the port. The surviving paratroopers went to the partisans.
The winter assault was repelled and the situation near Sevastopol stabilized. The Germans continued to bomb and shell the city, but did not take active action. The boats continued to serve. On March 25, 1942, senior Red Navy sailor Ivan Karpovich Golubets performed his feat in the Streletskaya Bay of Sevastopol. From artillery fire on SKA # 0121, the engine room caught fire, the fire crept up to the racks with depth charges. Their explosion would have destroyed not only the boat, but also the neighboring boats. I. G. came running from patrol boat No. 0183 with a fire extinguisher. Stuffed cabbage and began to extinguish the fire. But due to the spilled fuel, this could not be done. Then he began to throw depth charges overboard. He managed to throw out most of it, but at that moment an explosion occurred. The sailor saved the rest of the boats at the cost of his life. For this feat, he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
The heavily damaged patrol boat No. 0141 is returning to the base on its own after the Novorossiysk landing operation, September 1943.
Having destroyed the Soviet troops on the Kerch Peninsula, the enemy began preparations for a new assault. Sevastopol was blocked from the sea and from the air. Torpedo and anti-submarine boats, mini-submarines, fighters, bombers and torpedo bombers took part in the blockade. German aviation dominated the air. Each ship was now breaking through into the besieged fortress with battle. After many days of massive artillery preparation and constant bombing on June 7, the Wehrmacht went on the offensive. The forces and resources of the defenders of Sevastopol were melting every day. On June 19, the Germans reached the Northern Bay. The agony of Sevastopol soon began. The surviving defenders gathered in the area of the 35th battery at Cape Chersonesos. There were many wounded here and the army commanders were assembled, awaiting evacuation. They did not have ammunition, and there was a catastrophic shortage of water, food and medicine. But only a few submarines and basic minesweepers reached Sevastopol, not a single large ship came to Sevastopol.
The main burden of evacuation fell on MO boats. On the evening of July 1, SKA # 052 was the first to approach the berth at Cape Khersones. A crowd of people rushed at him, and he hastily walked away from the pier. When returning to the Caucasus, he was attacked by a torpedo boat and enemy aircraft, but their attacks were repulsed. On the same night, the defenders of the city were taken aboard "MO-021" and "MO-0101". During the breakthrough to the Caucasus, "MO-021" was heavily damaged by aircraft. The approaching boats removed the survivors from it, and the boat sank. SKA №046, №071 and №088 took people from Chersonesos and left for the Caucasus. SKA # 029 left for the Cossack Bay, took on board the party activists of Sevastopol and went to the mainland. On the crossing, he was attacked by aircraft, inflicted heavy damage, but he was met by our boats and brought to Novorossiysk. SKA # 028, # 0112 and # 0124 took people from the pier at the 35th battery and went to the Caucasus. On the crossing, they were intercepted by four enemy torpedo boats and a fierce battle began. One of the TKA was damaged, SKA # 0124 sank, and SKA # 028 managed to break through. SKA # 0112 received significant damage during the battle and lost its course. German boats approached him and everyone on board was captured by the enemy. The Germans sank the boat, and the prisoners were taken to Yalta. 31 people were captured, including General Novikov. On the morning of July 2, five boats left Novorossiysk. By the morning of July 3, they approached Sevastopol and, despite enemy fire, took on board the defenders of Sevastopol: 79 people SKA No. 019, 55 people were on SKA No. 038, 108 people were on SKA No. 082 and 90 people were taken out by SKA No. 0108 (data according to SKA # 039 are absent). On the morning of July 6, the last detachment of six boats allocated for the evacuation went to Sevastopol. At Cape Chersonesos, they were fired upon by enemy artillery, they could not approach the shore and returned to Novorossiysk without being rescued. The remaining defenders of the fortress surrendered. Thus ended the 250-day defense of Sevastopol.
To eliminate damage, repair and modernize boats of the MO-4 type, as a rule, they were lifted by a crane onto the wall. The pictures show the boat of the Black Sea Fleet, in the background the cruiser "Krasny Kavkaz"
Campaigns of 1942 and 1943 in the Baltic
In the spring of 1942, all work on the boats that were part of the KBF was completed, and at the end of April they were launched. Soon they resumed duty on the fairways, lead and guard trawling, escort convoys and repel attacks by boats and enemy aircraft. The Germans tried to cut off Soviet communications and concentrated significant "mosquito" forces in the Gulf of Finland. The battles took place almost daily, both sides suffered losses. For example, on the evening of June 30, 1942, one of the SKA was attacked by 12 Me-109 fighters. Their attack lasted only three minutes, but the boat received significant damage. However, the skill of the Soviet boatmen grew, they carefully studied combat experience, paid for at a high price. The most important task for boats in 1942 was the escort of our submarines, which broke through to the Baltic. In addition, the boats were involved in reconnaissance and disembarkation of sabotage groups.
There were two divisions of small hunters on Ladoga, and they turned out to be simply irreplaceable - they drove caravans of barges with cargo for Leningrad, accompanied convoys with evacuees, carried out patrol service, landed scouts and saboteurs behind enemy lines. They took part in battles with ships of the enemy flotilla. On August 25, 1942, MO-206, MO-213 and MO-215 seized a Finnish boat off the island of Verkkosari. On the night of October 9, 1942, "MO-175" and "MO-214" took an unequal battle against 16 enemy BDB and 7 SKA, which were planning to shell Sukho Island. Actively using smoke screens, they managed to thwart the enemy's plans. Unfortunately, in this battle, "MO-175" was killed with almost the entire crew. Three sailors were captured. "MO-171" distinguished itself on October 22, 1942 during the defense of Sukho Island from the landing. Two Soviet ships and a three-gun battery on the island were opposed by 23 enemy ships, but their attacks were repulsed, and the landing force was dropped into the water of Ladoga. After this, the activity of the actions of the enemy flotilla sharply decreased. Our flotilla continued to increase the rate of transportation. This made it possible to accumulate reserves and break the blockade in January 1943.
Winter 1942-43. KBF boats were held in Kronstadt. The situation was not as difficult as in the first blockade winter. This made it possible not only to "patch up" the hulls, to repair all mechanisms and engines, but also to carry out a small modernization of a number of boats. They tried to strengthen their weapons - local craftsmen placed a second pair of DShK machine guns in front of the wheelhouse, increased ammunition, some boats received impromptu constructive protection (in the form of iron sheets 5-8 mm thick). New hydroacoustics were installed on some of the boats.
The ice drift has not yet ended, but the boats have already been launched and began to carry out patrol service. The Germans securely blocked our fleet in the "Marquis puddle" - in 1943, not a single Soviet submarine managed to break through to the Baltic. The main burden of protecting our communications fell on the crews of torpedo boats, armored boats, minesweepers and small hunters. The battles took place every day and were fought with great ferocity: the enemy tried to attack our convoys with large forces, actively used aircraft and led mine laying on our fairways. For example, on May 23, 1943, MO-207 and MO-303 repelled an attack by thirteen Finnish boats. This battle was even described in the report of the Sovinformburo. A fierce battle took place on June 2 between five Finnish boats and six MO boats. On July 21, four Finnish TKA attacked two Defense Forces, but the enemy failed to sink any of them. The Finns were forced to retreat. The German historian J. Meister noted: “Thanks to the sufficient number and increased vigilance of Soviet escort ships, only a relatively small number of attacks were possible. For the same reason, it was necessary to abandon the mining on a large scale of the Russian supply routes to Lavensaari and Seskar."
At the Black Sea
After the fall of Sevastopol, the situation on the Black Sea worsened: the Wehrmacht was rushing to the Caucasus, our fleet lost most of its bases and was locked in several small ports, it did not take active action. The main brunt of the hostilities was on submarines and the "mosquito" fleet, which provided military transport, landed saboteurs and reconnaissance groups, hunted enemy submarines, deployed mine banks and carried out trawling. In these operations, boats of the MO type were simply irreplaceable. Their crews tried by all means
to increase the combat capabilities of their ships: they strengthened additional weapons, permanent and removable armor with a thickness of 5-8 mm (on the navigating bridge, on the tank and on the sides in the area of gas tanks). On several boats of the Ministry of Defense, four- and six-barreled rocket launchers RS-82TB, eight-barreled 8-M-8 were placed. They were actively used in the Black Sea both in battles with enemy boats and against targets on the coast during landing operations. For example, at the end of 1942 SKA # 044 and # 084 in the area of the Iron Horn cape fired at a German battery at the PC. After three eight-round volleys, it was suppressed.
This made it possible to land a reconnaissance group ashore. In total in 1942-43. on the Black Sea, boats used 2514 PCs.
"MO-215" in the open exposition of the "Road of Life" museum. Pictures of the late 80s.
The Black Sea Defense Ministry took the most active part in multi-manned landing operations - in South Ozereyka, on Malaya Zemlya, on the Taman Peninsula, the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. The boats made the greatest contribution to the success of the Novorossiysk landing operation. Large ships were not involved in it, and everything had to be done by the boatmen of the "mosquito" fleet. Each of the 12 MO-4 boats was to take 50-60 paratroopers aboard and bring two or three motorboats or longboats with paratroopers to the landing site in tow. In one flight, one such "coupler" delivered up to 160 paratroopers with weapons and ammunition. At 02.44 on September 10, 1943, boats, batteries and aircraft attacked the port with torpedoes, bombs, PCs and artillery fire. The port was well fortified, and the Germans opened hurricane targeted artillery and mortar fire on the boats, but the landing of three airborne detachments began. SKA # 081 was damaged during a breakthrough into the port, but it landed 53 paratroopers at the Elevator pier. SKA # 0141 was rammed into the left side of SKA # 0108, which lost control, but landed 67 Marines at the Staropassazhirskaya pier. SKA # 0111 burst into Novorossiysk without loss and dropped 68 paratroopers to the pier # 2. SKA # 031, under enemy fire, broke through to pier # 2 and landed 64 marines. SKA # 0101 landed 64 paratroopers on the pier # 5, and on the way back towed out the damaged SKA # 0108 from under fire. SKA # 0812 "Sea Soul" failed to break into the port, was damaged by enemy artillery fire, a fire broke out on board, and the boat was forced to return to Gelendzhik. After the landing of the paratroopers, the surviving boats began delivering ammunition and reinforcements to the bridgehead, protecting communications. Fleet historian B. C. Biryuk wrote about this landing: "The Novorossiysk operation became an example of courage and determination, courage and courage of sailors from small hunters who fought selflessly and valiantly and showed outstanding military skill." It is no coincidence that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet issued an order - to welcome the small hunters returning to Poti after the completion of the Novorossiysk landing operation by forming the crews of all ships of the squadron.
In the history of our fleet, there are many feats accomplished by the crews of small hunters. Let's talk about one of them. On March 25, 1943, SKA # 065 accompanied the Achilleion transport going to Tuapse. There was a strong storm at sea, the sea level reached 7 points. The transport was attacked by German aircraft, but the boat was able to repel all their attacks and did not allow the target to be attacked. Then the German aces decided to eliminate the obstacle and switched to the boat. They launched "star" attacks, but the boat commander, senior lieutenant P. P. Sivenko managed to dodge all the bombs and not get direct hits. The boat received about 200 holes from shrapnel and shells, the stem was broken, the wheelhouse was displaced, tanks and pipelines were punctured, the engines stalled, the trim on the bow reached 15 degrees. The losses were 12 sailors. The planes used up their ammunition and flew away, and the motors on the boat were put into action and caught up with the transport. For this battle, the entire crew was awarded orders and medals, and the boat was transformed into a Guards boat. This is the only boat of the Soviet Navy to receive such an honor.
In September 1944, the war on the Black Sea ended, but the MO-4 boats were to carry out two more honorary missions. In November 1944 the squadron returned to Sevastopol. On the transition to the main base of the fleet, she was accompanied by numerous MO-4 boats. In February 1945, boats of the MO-4 type were involved in the protection from the sea of the Livadia Palace, where the Yalta Allied Conference was held. For their contribution to the defeat of Germany, the 1st and 4th Novorossiysk, 5th and 6th Kerch divisions of small hunters were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Ten Heroes of the Soviet Union fought in the Black Sea Defense Ministry.
Final battles in the Baltic
In 1944-45 the situation in the Baltic Sea changed: our troops unblocked Leningrad, launched an offensive on all fronts, and there were battles for the liberation of the Baltic. Finland withdrew from the war, and the Red Banner Baltic Fleet ships began to actively use its bases. But the large ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet remained in Leningrad and Kronstadt, and only submarines and the "mosquito" fleet fought. The communications of the Baltic Fleet were stretched, the number of transported goods increased, the load on the MO boats increased. They were still entrusted with guarding convoys, escorting submarines, landing troops, providing trawling and fighting Finnish and German submarines. The Germans began to actively use submarines for operations on our communications. On July 30, 1944, MO-105 was sunk by a German submarine in the Bjorkezund Strait. To search for it from Koivisto came "MO-YuZ" under the command of senior lieutenant A. P. Kolenko. Arriving at the scene, he rescued 7 sailors from the crew of the sunken boat and began to search for the submarine. The area was shallow, but the boat could not be found. It was only in the evening that the smoke launcher KM-910 reported that the boat had surfaced. "MO-YuZ" attacked her and dropped several series of depth charges (8 large and 5 small) on the dive site. A strong explosion occurred under the water, various objects began to float, the surface of the water was covered with a layer of fuel. And soon six submariners surfaced. They were captured and taken to the base. During interrogation, the commander of the submarine "11-250" said that the submarine was armed with the latest T-5 homing torpedoes. She was raised to the surface, transferred to Kronstadt, docked, and the torpedoes were removed. Their design was studied, and Soviet designers came up with means to neutralize them. On January 9, 1945, near Tallinn, MOI24 sank the U-679 submarine.
For its contribution to the defeat of Germany, the 1st division of boats of the Ministry of Defense became Guards, and the 5th and 6th divisions were awarded the Orders of the Red Banner. Three Heroes of the Soviet Union fought on the Baltic boats of the Ministry of Defense.
Memory
After the end of the war, the surviving boats of the MO-4 type were transferred to the border guard. In its composition, they continued to serve until the end of the 50s. Then they were all written off and dismantled. In memory of them, only the color feature film "Sea Hunter", released in 1954, was left in it. A real "midge" was filmed in it. But the glorious deeds of the crews of "midges" during the Great Patriotic War were not forgotten. This is a great merit of the veterans who collected letters, memories, photographs and other relics of the war years. They volunteered to create rooms of military glory, small museums, and published articles about the glorious deeds of the boatmen.
It is especially worth noting the activities of Igor Petrovich Chernyshev, who spent the entire war on "midges" in the Baltic. At first he was a senior mate, then he commanded a boat and a formation
boats. He took part in many battles and was repeatedly wounded. After the war, he collected materials about the participation of KBF boats in the war. His articles were published in the newspapers Krasnaya Zvezda, Sovetsky Flot and Red Banner Baltic Fleet, in the magazines Sovetsky Sailor, Sovetsky Warrior and Modelist-Constructor. In 1961, his memoirs On the Sea Hunter were published, and in 1981, On Friends and Comrades.
Vladimir Sergeevich Biryuk devoted his whole life to studying the combat activities of small hunters of the Black Sea Fleet. During the war years, he served on "MO-022" and took part in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol, battles for the Caucasus, naval
landings. He published articles in the magazine "Boats and Yachts", the collection "Gangut". In 2005 he published his fundamental research “Always ahead. Small hunters in the war on the Black Sea. 1941-1944 ". He noted that historians paid undeservedly little attention to the actions of the Ministry of Defense and tried to fill this gap.
With the help of veteran boatmen in the USSR, it was possible to save two small hunters of the MO-4 type. On the "Malaya Zemlya" in Novorossiysk, the Guards MO-065 of the Black Sea Fleet was installed. In the Museum "Road of Life" in the village of Osinovets, Leningrad Region, they put the "MO-125" of the Ladoga Flotilla. Unfortunately, time is ruthless, and now there is a real threat of losing these unique relics of the Great Patriotic War. We must not allow this, our descendants will not forgive us for this.
The last surviving small hunter “MO-215” of the MO-4 type is in such a terrible state in the “Road of Life” museum, Osinovets village, Leningrad Region, November 2011. By now, all weapons have been dismantled from the boat, part of the deck has failed, the wheelhouse has been destroyed. Of particular concern are hull deflections in the cockpit area. This can lead to the loss of a unique relic of the Great Patriotic War.
The performance characteristics of a small hunter type MO-4 |
|
| Displacement, t: | 56, 5 |
| Dimensions, m: | 26, 9x3, 9x1, 3 |
| Power plant power, hp: | 2550 |
| Maximum speed, knots: | 26 |
| Cruising range, miles: | 800 |
| Armament: | 2x45 mm, 2x12, 7 mm, 8 large and 24 small depth charges |
| Crew, pers.: | 24 |
