MOSCOW, March 18. / TASS /. The Russian submarine fleet turns 110 on March 19. During this period, domestic submarines have gone through several stages of development - from tiny "hidden ships" to the world's largest strategic missile carriers. Since their appearance in the Navy, submarines have been and remain the embodiment of the most progressive scientific and technical ideas and advanced engineering solutions.
For the first time as a real military force, submarines showed themselves in the First World War. The events of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 demonstrated that the recently entered service submarines were poorly adapted to the realities of armed struggle at sea.
The first steps
The first of our compatriots who approached the construction of underwater equipment with a good training as a military engineer was Adjutant General Karl Andreevich Schilder. His underwater vehicle, built in 1834, made a historic three-hour dive into the waters of the Malaya Nevka River in September 1840.
Schilder's boat was armed with missiles, and during the tests, the idea of launching them from under the water found practical confirmation. There was no engine on board, the boat was driven by a muscular drive, for which it was equipped with "fins" arranged according to the principle of duck's feet. Moving under water, the device could approach an enemy ship and hit it with a powder mine with an electric fuse.
The next step in the development of domestic submarine shipbuilding was the 350-ton boat of Ivan Fedorovich Aleksandrovsky. She could not only submerge, but also move under water for quite a long time, using piston pneumatic machines powered by compressed air from 200 cast-iron cylinders.
The first designer of serial submarines is Stepan Karlovich Dzhevetsky. The head manned underwater vehicle of small displacement was built and tested during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878.
The heir to the throne, the future Emperor Alexander III, according to his own diary, was present at the testing of the apparatus. Perhaps his word was decisive, and the treasury funded a series of 50 boats, completed in 1881. They were set in motion by a muscular drive, were armed with two mines and were intended to protect sea fortresses.
Against the background of battleships of that time, such ships looked helpless and served only until 1886. Nevertheless, several of Drzewiecki's boats were equipped with rowing electric motors. Stepan Karlovich also came up with another brilliant idea - an "optical navigation tube".
At the same time, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, there was still neither the theory of diving, nor proper engineering and technical support. In practical activities, the first Russian submariners had to rely mainly on knowledge in the field of fundamental sciences and practical experience gained during the years of service on surface ships.
Submarine model K. A. Schilder
© CDB MT "Rubin"
Torpedo boat number 150
The fateful decision that determined the future of the Russian fleet and shipbuilding was the formation on December 19, 1900 of the Commission for the Design of Submarine Vessels of the Maritime Department. It included the senior assistant to the shipbuilder Ivan Bubnov, the senior mechanical engineer Ivan Goryunov and the lieutenant Mikhail Nikolaevich Beklemishev.
Soon after the formation of the commission, on December 22, 1900, notification letters were sent to Bubnov and other shipbuilders. It is this date that marks the beginning of the history of the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering, the oldest Russian submarine designer.
The commission has prepared drawings of "Torpedo boat No. 113". After the approval of the construction order (Baltic Shipyard), the ship was enlisted in the fleet as "Torpedo boat # 150". Later he was given the name "Dolphin".
In June-October 1903, the ship was tested in Baltic waters, and in winter, construction began on a series of "Russian-type" submarine destroyers of six units. By the own name of one of the ships, they were called "killer whales".
The Russo-Japanese War broke out on January 27, 1904 (hereinafter - according to the old style). The tsarist government was looking for ways to strengthen the naval grouping in the Far East, allocating additional funding for advanced weapons systems.
German electric ship
In Germany, an order was placed for three Karp-class submarines. Out of gratitude, the Krupp company (which by that time had not been able to sell anything of the kind to the Kaiser's fleet) donated the Forelle electric ship to Russia.
Above and under water, the 18-ton boat with two outer tubes for torpedoes showed good handling. There was no internal combustion engine on board - both the underwater and surface passage were provided by an electric motor with a capacity of 50 horsepower, and the battery was charged at the base. The battery capacity was enough to travel 20 miles at a speed of 4 knots.
In the specific situation of 1904, "Trout" had another important advantage. A submarine of small dimensions and weight could be transported relatively easily by rail. After a short stay in the Baltic, on August 11, the boat, together with a crew of six, set off on rails for the Far East. For almost half a year, the Trout remained the only formally operating submarine in Vladivostok.
Submarine "Sturgeon", completion in St. Petersburg
© wikipedia.org
Order from America
Russia purchased one finished boat from the Lake Submarine Company and the Electric Boat Company. They were brought to the Baltic in the summer of 1904.
The first - Protector built in 1902 by designer Simon Lake (Simon Lake), was named "Sturgeon".
The second - Fulton, designed by John P. Holland, built in 1901, was renamed "Catfish". The ship underwent sea trials in September-October 1904 with the participation of an American commissioning team, which also trained the Russian naval crew in managing the ship and maintaining its mechanisms. The boat was well controlled, had tolerable seaworthiness and a relatively high accuracy of torpedo fire.
"Dolphin", "Som" and "Sturgeon" were notable for their small size: the length of the hull did not even reach 20 meters, the displacement of the first two was less than 150 tons, the third - up to 175. The surface speed did not exceed ten knots, the underwater speed was even less …
The Sturgeon served the Russian fleet for only nine years (it was decommissioned in the summer of 1913), the Som died in May 1916, and the Dolphin remained in service until August 1917.
First experience of action
To participate in the Russo-Japanese War, five submarines of Bubnov's design (Kasatka, Skat, Nalim, Field Marshal Count Sheremetev, Dolphin) and one American (Som) were sent to Vladivostok during November 1904.). History has not yet known such transportation of submarines for a distance of about 9 thousand kilometers.
Port Arthur fell on December 20, 1904. By that time, seven submarines had been delivered from the Baltic to the Far East and a "Separate Detachment of Vladivostok Port Destroyers" had been created. The detachment was headed by the commander of the "Kasatka" Alexander Plotto. He can be considered the world's first theater tactical submarine commander.
The submariners completed their first joint trip on February 16-19. At the same time, only the Dolphin was armed: the 1898 model torpedoes suitable for the Dzhevetsky torpedoes were found in the stocks of the Vladivostok port.
Submarine S. K. Drzewiecki in the Central Naval Museum
© CDB MT "Rubin"
Found faults
Gasoline internal combustion engines (ICE) of that time could not withstand prolonged loads. For example, "Kasatki" were equipped with two Panar motors. This gave the crews the opportunity to use them alternately, changing every couple of hours. The practical cruising range under the most favorable circumstances was 1.5 thousand miles.
However, due to the unreliability of the engines and the low seaworthiness of the submarines, the commanders tried not to leave the port at a distance of more than 100-120 miles. At the same time, they tried to keep the reserve capacity of the battery for eight hours of the smallest underwater movement.
The boats of the "Killer Whale" type have an electric motor with a capacity of 100 liters when surfaced. with. powered by two dynamos (electric generators) driven by the internal combustion engine. During the service, it turns out that when sailing in a positional position in fresh weather, seawater enters the hull. The hatches had to be battened down, and observation was carried out through windows with limited viewing angles.
Diving from cruising position under the periscope took at least five to six minutes, and in some cases it took up to ten or more. Russian boats could have become easy prey for Japanese surface ships, especially high-speed cruisers and destroyers. During one of the trips on the Kasatka, the island was mistaken for an enemy ship and an urgent dive took seven minutes. The maneuvering was deemed unsatisfactory: during this time, the destroyer could well have sunk the boat with a ramming strike.
Even if it was possible to dive in time, it would be difficult to take a comfortable position for a torpedo attack on a moving target. On the underwater course, the Killer Whales were poorly controlled. And "Dolphin" had heavy steering, which made increased demands on the skill of the crew.
After Tsushima
The battle of the battleships off the island of Tsushima on May 14-15, 1905 ended with the destruction of the Second Pacific Squadron. Russia retained only the cruisers of the commander of the Vladivostok detachment, Rear Admiral Jessen, and "a separate detachment of destroyers" in a combat-ready state in the theater of operations.
Over time, the detachment has become quite numerous. The first submarine designed by Lack arrived on rails in the Far East in April. Gradually, the number of the detachment increased to 13 submarines. Half of the boats were under repair, which was carried out, as a rule, by the crew.
"Boats are one of the most powerful means of coastal defense. If you know how to use them, submarines can cause terrible harm to the enemy in his own ports and by their appearance there cause moral fear and commotion," noted the commander of the Soma, Rear Admiral Vladimir Trubetskoy.
The war ended on 23 August 1905 with the signing of a peace treaty.
Submarine "Som"
© RPO "St. Petersburg Club of Submariners and Navy Veterans"
Making sense of experience
Four of the 13 submarines of the "separate detachment" reached Vladivostok after the end of the war. Due to the late delivery, the Sturgeon-class submarines did not have time to take part in the hostilities.
A common drawback of all submarines of those years was the unreliable operation of internal combustion engines. The excitement of the sea, a strong swell rocked the boats on the surface so that electrolyte was splashed out. Internal explosions took place several times during the war. The death of the sailor led to an incident on the Dolphin, which was caused by the ignition of gasoline vapors.
Poor living conditions created constant discomfort, reducing the efficiency of the crew. Since the boats were structurally cut-off, and the ventilation system was ineffective, a mixture of gasoline vapors, oil fumes and exhaust was constantly kept inside the ship. Add to this the increased humidity and the inability of the crew to dry their clothes after the shift. There was no overalls for work inside the boat. Only the Soma team was lucky: it was equipped with waterproof clothes with squirrel fur.
The boats built according to the designs of the American engineers Holland and Lack, and the boats developed by Bubnov turned out to be comparable in terms of the general technical level, seaworthiness and combat qualities.
Domestic submarines differed from "foreigners" in high speed and cruising range. They also had more powerful weapons. True, Drzewiecki's torpedo tubes did not work in the cold, which limited the combat value of the killer whales in winter. In addition, the torpedoes in Drzewiecki's apparatus were in the water all the time of the campaign, and in order to maintain readiness for firing, they often had to be lubricated.
Training attacks
On the afternoon of September 22, 1906, the submarine Kefal conditionally sank the cruiser Zhemchug at anchor in Novik Bay. Being in the Amur Bay, "Kefal" took an advantageous position for the attack and imitated a shot from a bow vehicle from a distance of 3-3.5 cables (about 600 meters). The observers on the cruiser did not notice the periscope of the attacking submarine.
Continuing the training attack, the boat reduced the distance by another 400-500 meters, surfaced under the periscope and simulated a shot from the second bow vehicle. Then, having performed a maneuver in depth and heading, it turned around and "fired" at the cruiser from the stern apparatus. The submariners made an exit from the bay, maintaining a diving depth of seven to eight meters. Since the periscope was found on the cruiser only before the "second torpedo shot", the attack was considered successful.
Submariners and actions in case of a night attack have worked out. Entering the bay unnoticed and continuing to move at a low speed on the surface, the Mullet approached the cruiser Zhemchug at an extremely short torpedo firing distance. And in the submerged position, the observers of the cruiser could not distinguish the submarine even close, when it was at low speed under the periscope.
Confession
Discussing the future of a new type of naval weapon, the commanders of the Pacific submarines considered it expedient to build large submarines with a displacement of over 500-600 tons (that is, 4-5 times larger than those that formed the basis of the "separate detachment").
Recognition of the growing role of submariners can be considered the decree "On the classification of warships of the Russian Imperial Navy" dated March 6, 1906 (according to the new style - March 19).
Emperor Nicholas II "deigned to command the highest order" to include "messenger ships" and "submarines" in the classification. The text of the decree lists 20 names of submarines built by that time, including the German "Trout" and several under construction.
The submarines of the Russo-Japanese War did not become a formidable combat force, but served the cause of training submariners and the beginning of systematic work to develop tactics for a new type of naval weapon. The fighting gave a strong impetus to the development of underwater technology in Russia.
