The history of the use of submarines in the Black Sea begins in 1907, with order No. 273 of the Marine Department on the formation of a submarine unit. The detachment consisted of the floating base "Penderaklia" and the submarines "Sudak" and "Losos".
In the spring of 1908, the detachment was replenished with German-built submarines "Karas", "Kambala" and "Karp".
In the same year, the development of joint actions began both as part of the unit and with ships based in the city of Sevastopol. Russia began laying down its new submarines, and in 1911 the Nikolaevsky plant began work on the Nerpa, Morzh and Seal submarines. Until 1915, these submarines became part of the Black Sea Fleet.
The main characteristics of this class of submarines;
- displacement 630-760 tons;
- the average length is about 70 meters;
- travel speed 10-12 knots;
- diving to a depth of 50 meters;
- Range of action 2000-2500 miles under water;
Armament: up to 12 torpedo tubes, several small and medium-caliber guns;
In 1913, the construction of the submarines Kit, Kashalot and Narwhal began, and by the end of 1916 the submarines became operational for the Russian fleet.
In 1915, the production of submarines "Duck", "Gagara" and "Petrel" began. In 1917, the submarines were launched.
In 1919, small submarines "Shchuka" and "Som" were delivered from Vladivostok on railway platforms to Sevastopol, their purpose was to defend the basing point and approaches to Sevastopol.
The first combat exit of the submarine took place at the beginning of 1915. The submarine "Nerpa" went out to combat outposts near the island of Kefken-Bosphorus, taking part in a combat operation of surface ships. A few days later, the submarines "Seal" and "Nerpa" make the cruise "Sevastopol - Kefken-Bosphorus - Sarych-Yalta - Sevastopol". A month and a half later, the submarine "Nerpa" goes on alert in the area of hostilities near Kefken-Bosphorus, during the watch, 6 enemy feluccas and one schooner were destroyed. At the end of the summer of 1915, the "Seal" went on alert in the area of hostilities, where it destroyed one of the steamers guarded by two cruisers and three destroyers - the ship "Zungundak" with a displacement of 1550 tons.
The insignificant successes of the submarine fleet during this period are explained by the elementary absence of enemy surface ships in the combat area. The main communications of Turkish ships are the transportation of coal from Zonguldak to the Bosphorus. A short distance of 200 kilometers, coal steamers passed through shallow water, near the coast, and it is practically beyond the power of slow submarines to destroy enemy warships, having a speed of about 25 knots.
In 1918, the combined fleet of the Entente enters Sevastopol. Anglo-French troops carried out the confiscation and destruction of military equipment and fortifications. The defensive fortifications of the fortresses of Sevastopol and Kerch were destroyed. The battleship "Alexander III" and two destroyers were transferred to Turkish Izmir, the engine and engine compartments were destroyed by explosions on obsolete battleships and ships. Especially brutally, the Entente troops approached the destruction of the submarine fleet - they not only blew up the engine compartments, but also flooded them in the open sea near the Sevastopol Bay.
The government of the RSFSR in 1921, because of the threat of the outbreak of hostilities, concludes an extremely unprofitable agreement with Turkey - 200 kilograms of gold, about 40,000 rifles, 330 machine guns and more than 50 guns, and, which is really bad, gives the Ardahan and Kara regions.
The submarine fleet of the Black Sea began to grow rapidly in the 30s, and by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the fleet consisted of 44 combat submarines - six large boats, 19 submarines of medium displacement and the same number of babies. At the beginning of 1941, 25 submarines were in service, the rest required repair.
During the period of hostilities, by the end of 1944, the Soviet submarines of the Black Sea Fleet had 152 combat exits and enemy attacks. The result was the destroyed and sunk six landing surface barges, 3 ordinary barges, 19 auxiliary ships, two tugs, 12 enemy transport workers. During this time, the Black Sea Fleet lost 27 submarines.
In the middle of the last century, the submarine fleet based in the Black Sea was replenished with new submarines. From 1950 to 1960, 9 boats of the "M" project and several boats of the "644" project with the "P-5" CD were put into operation. The missiles posed a real threat to Turkish territory - fired from an area in neutral waters, the missile could hit any object in Turkey. Even a missile launched from a base in Sevastopol could hit the Turkish capital.
Submarine detachments from the 80s were constantly present in the Mediterranean and were part of the fifth squadron. Submarines constantly conducted exercises and training in the Atlantic, making the NATO military bloc nervous, and by 1990 there were about 35 submarines in the Black Sea Fleet.
The collapse of the Soviet Union was a real disaster for the entire Black Sea Fleet. Not only did part of the fleet go to the new state, in addition to this, about 17 submarines were written off, the rest were in a deplorable state.
Black Sea Fleet today
Since 1996, there were only two submarines in the fleet - B-871 and B-380.
The B-380 first went into operation in 1982, and since 1991 it has been at the pier and required repairs. In 2000, the boat was finally put in the PD-16 dock for repairs. However, today the boat is still there - rusty and unrepaired.
B-871 has been in service since 1989. Since 1992, the boat has been docked without batteries, until they were installed in 1996. The boat even managed to go out to sea a couple of times, but in 1998 it was repaired.
The Alrosa company took the boat under its tutelage, and after repairs in 2001 the boat was renamed Alrosa.
The uniqueness of the Alrosa is not only that it is actually the only submarine in the Russian Black Sea Fleet, but also an experimental one. Instead of a propeller, Alrosa has a water jet nozzle. Subsequently, developments in this direction were used to create an ultra-modern missile carrier of the Borey type.
In 2009, the boat breaks down and is repaired in Novorossiysk. In the middle of this year, the submarine is participating in the Bold Monarch 2011 exercise off the Spanish coast. After the exercises, accompanied by a support ship, he goes to the Baltic coast for overhaul. The expected time to exit from the repair is 2012, but today it is already known that the repair will not be completed on time.
