Unborn lions: how the war deprived Britain of new battleships

In the spring of 2022, it will be 80 years since the start of one of the largest and at the same time unsuccessful naval programs: at this time in 1939, preparations were underway in Britain for the construction of a large-scale series of the latest Lion-class battleships, which had every chance of becoming the strongest ships in class, built during the Second World War. Read about these ships and why they never came into being in the Izvestia article.

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The state of naval tactical thought in the interwar period

Since the Anglo-Dutch naval battles raged on the seas until the middle of the 20th century, the idea of ​​an ideal ship existed and practically did not change in the minds of the command of fleets around the world. The main tactical technique was formed at the same time, in the 17th century, and it consisted of lining up all forces in a wake column, and then opening fire from all barrels. Whoever sinks the most enemy units wins. The Battle of Jutland in 1916, which took place according to a slightly different scenario, brought some confusion into the minds of naval commanders. Carrying out vigorous maneuvering, the German squadron inflicted significant damage on the British forces, which had quantitative and qualitative superiority, suffering half as many losses and “beating on points” (in sports terminology) the enemy. However, the British also hastened to announce the victorious outcome of the battle, without bothering to analyze their generally unsuccessful actions. But you should have thought about it. Perhaps then the battleships of World War II would have been a more effective weapon in the fight against fascism, or at least there would have been fewer of them, freeing up resources for other, more important defense programs. However, the winners of Jutland, the Germans, did not draw the right conclusions either. They (at least Hitler and his immediate circle) also considered power and size to be a priority factor in defeating the enemy. And other countries that faced heavy battles on the seas and oceans held similar views. They were all wrong.

Ships that survived the Kaiser and the Fuhrer

The battleships Schleswig-Holstein and Schlesien, launched in 1906 and outdated even at the construction stage, ironically not only outlived many of their more advanced contemporaries, but also fired the first and last shots of the Kriegsmarine in World War II.

Five Deutschland-class battleships, laid down in 1902–1905 in Imperial Germany, became the last squadron battleships of the Imperial Navy. When laid down, the ships were assessed as the future strike force of the fleet, but the appearance of dreadnoughts reduced their value as battleships to almost zero. Nevertheless, two battleships of this class became real long-livers, managing to outlive not only the Kaiser, but also Hitler. The fourth battleship of the series, named “Schlesien” (“Silesia”), was commissioned on May 5, 1908, and the fifth, “Schleswig-Holstein” (“Schleswig-Holstein”), was commissioned on July 6, 1908.

Battleship "Schleswig-Holstein", official photo. forum.worldofwarships.com

Due to the fact that a new classification was introduced in the Navy of the German Empire, "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein" were renamed battleships (Linienschiff), but neither in the imperial fleet, nor in the fleet of the Weimar Republic, nor in the Kriegsmarine did they ever were not considered as full-fledged warships for linear naval battles. Throughout their long service, Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein were used primarily as training ships. The armament of battleships was repeatedly changed to meet the new realities of war at sea, and only the twin 280-mm turret installations remained its unchanged element. More detailed data on the tactical and technical characteristics and weapons of ships are given in the tables at the end of the article.

The battleship "Schlesien" as part of the Kaiser's fleet. tsushima.su

In the service of the German Empire

The Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein, which were still outdated on the slipway, were planned to be used as coastal defense battleships, so on the eve of the First World War they practiced operations in the Baltic Sea (the exception was the voyage to the Atlantic, made from July 7 to August 1, 1909).

The battleship "Schleswig-Holstein" as part of the Kaiser's fleet. tsushima.su

After the outbreak of the First World War, "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein", which were part of the 2nd squadron of battleships of the High Sea Fleet, guarded the mouth of the Elbe and the approaches to German naval bases, but from the end of 1914 they began to be involved in operations off the British coast. Thus, on December 15-16, 1914, the battleships covered the 1st reconnaissance squadron during the bombing of Hartlepool, Scarborough and Whitby, on September 11-12 and October 23-24, 1915 - the ships of the 2nd reconnaissance group when laying mines on the Svarte bank, and On 24–25 April 1916 they took part in the bombing of Yarmouth and Lowestoft. However, the role of battleships in these operations should not be overestimated: most often, the Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein were located far from the battlefield, covering the escape routes of the German ships. It is also quite possible that from August 1914 to May 1916, the battleships did not fire a single combat shot from their main caliber guns.

Battleships of the 2nd squadron of battleships. forum.worldofwarships.com

The apotheosis of the combat use of "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein" during the First World War was their participation in the Battle of Jutland on May 31 - June 1, 1916. The battleships of the 2nd squadron were brought into the battle more for the sake of mass numbers than for real help, and did not gain any victorious laurels. Thus, “Schleswig-Holstein” fired only twenty 170-mm shells during the battle to no avail. Nevertheless, both battleships not only received damage, but also suffered losses in personnel: as a result of a shell that exploded inside the armored casemate, the 170-mm gun on the Schleswig-Holstein was disabled, three people were killed and nine were wounded, and on the Schlesien one person was killed and another was wounded.

After the Battle of Jutland, the battleships were withdrawn from the fleet. "Schlesien" served as a blocker in Kiel, and in 1918 became a training ship for naval cadets. "Schleswig-Holstein" was first used as a target for submarines, from 12 to 23 February 1917 she carried out guard duty, then was a blockhouse in Bremerhaven, and from 1918 - a floating barracks in Kiel. After the surrender of Germany, both ships were included in the list of battleships left under the terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty as part of the Reichsmarine - probably the British simply failed to tow them to their Scapa Flow base.

Interwar service

Due to the post-war economic crisis, the Germans were unable to commission battleships for quite a long time: the Schleswig-Holstein underwent repairs and modernization in 1924–1926, and the Schlesien in 1925–1927. Ironclads were the largest combat units of the Reichsmarine, so it is not surprising that the Schleswig-Holstein was the flagship ship of the fleet commander in 1926-1935, and during its modernization in 1930-1931 these functions were performed by the Schlesien.

Battleship "Schleswig-Holstein", 1927. navyworld.narod.ru

The return of the battleship Schleswig-Holstein to service became a kind of symbol of the revival of the German fleet: having barely completed repairs, the ship began displaying the flag. From May 14 to June 17, 1926, he made a trip to Spain, visiting Barcelona, ​​Palma de Mallorca and Vigo, and from March 30 to June 14, 1927, he was in Lisbon. In the 1920s and 1930s, battleships were more often used as combat training ships; in particular, Reichsmarine command officers were tested on them (a mandatory period of holding a certain position).

The battleship "Schleswig-Holstein" under the vice-admiral's flag of the fleet commander, 1932. tsushima.su

Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein were finally converted into artillery training ships in February-April 1934 and January-March 1935, respectively.
Former battleships were actively used by the Germans to train the crews of the “pocket battleships” they were building, including to acquire sailing skills in the Atlantic. In total, in 1936–1939, at least one and a half thousand cadets completed Atlantic training on battleships. Training cruises of the battleships "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein" in 1936–1939

"Schleswig-Holstein": the first shot of World War II

With the outbreak of World War II, "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein" actively participated in the fighting. It was “Schleswig-Holstein”, which arrived in Danzig on a friendly visit on August 25, 1939, and on September 1 at 4:48 fired the first shot of the Second World War, firing two salvos at the Polish garrison of the Westerplatte Peninsula. It is quite possible that the eight 280-mm shells fired by the battleship were the only live firing of main-caliber artillery during its entire service. Despite little direct damage, the bombing of Westerplatte had an impact on the outcome of the operation to capture Danzig, serving as an argument for refusing to transfer Polish reinforcements to the city.

The battleship Schleswig-Holstein shells Westerplatte. History of the Second World War 1939–1945", Vol. 3, 1973

Since mid-September, "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein" fired at Polish positions on the Hel Spit. However, the shelling turned out to be ineffective, and on September 27, during an artillery duel with a coastal battery, the Schleswig-Holstein received minor damage from a 152-mm shell. After the end of the Polish campaign, battleships returned to the role of combat training ships. In addition, in the winter of 1939–1940, Schlesien was used several times as an icebreaker to guide German submarines.

Unsuccessful participation in the capture of Denmark

The next time the heroes of this article were used as warships during the Danish-Norwegian operation. Schleswig-Holstein participated in it as the flagship of the 7th Battle Group, whose task was to capture the Danish cities of Nyborg, Corsør, Copenhagen and Gedser. Despite the fact that the landing took place without the slightest opposition from the Danes, the group suffered losses in personnel and equipment. On April 9, 1940, at 2:17, while trying to miss the Danish patrol ship Schleswig-Holstein, it ran aground off Vengianse. Judging by the descriptions, the cause of the incident was excessive “politeness”: the German battleship moved too far to the side, trying to get around the patrol ship that was giving way to it. The refloating of the battleship lasted twelve hours and resulted in the death of a German tug as a result of a “collision with an unidentified ship.”

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It is interesting that most of the tugboat’s crew was saved by a Danish patrol ship, who took an active part in refloating the German battleship. It is likely that the "unidentified ship"
was the Schlesien; Thus, his participation in the operation was reduced to helping to refloat his sistership.

From being in reserve to training fleet ships

After the end of the French campaign, the battleships were put into reserve (in German documents their crews appear as security teams), and the Schleswig-Holstein was even planned to be converted into a radio-controlled target.

Before Germany's attack on the Soviet Union, the Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein were returned to the fleet's operational ranks, joining a group of battleships based in Copenhagen (its main task was to protect the Baltic Straits). At the end of September 1941, both battleships were used to guard minefields in the Baltic in case of an attempt by Soviet ships to break through to English ports. When it became clear that there would be no breakthrough attempts, they were transferred to the Training Fleet, where they were used quite intensively. Thus, the Schleswig-Holstein, which became the flagship of the Training Fleet, covered about 6,000 miles in 1941–1944.

Battleship "Schlesien" in a Norwegian fjord. tsushima.su

Death of veterans

It is possible that the veteran battleships would have survived the Second World War, but in 1944 they were remembered and converted into floating air defense batteries, installing enhanced anti-aircraft weapons and FuMO-21 radar stations. On December 18, 1944, in Gotenhafen, the Schleswig-Holstein was seriously damaged by three hits from British bombs (28 crew members were killed and 53 were wounded). What finished him off was a fire that broke out for unknown reasons two days later and was extinguished with great difficulty. They decided not to restore the battleship and officially removed it from the fleet on January 25, 1945 and sank on March 21.

The sunken battleship "Schleswig-Holstein". navyworld.narod.ru

The battleship Schlesien briefly survived the sister ship, becoming a victim of Soviet aviation. The reason for the hunt for the ship was the shelling of the advancing Red Army troops, which it had been conducting since March 15, 1945 in the area of ​​Danzig Bay. "Schlesien" carried out its last combat mission on May 2, 1945, shelling the bridge over the Pene River in the Wolgast area. Returning to Swinemünde, on May 3 at 2:30 the battleship was blown up, presumably by an English aircraft bottom magnetic mine (two people were killed). The lost Schlesien was towed to Swinemünde and, according to the German version of events, ran aground. However, a Soviet photograph of a battleship with superstructures sticking out above the water, attached to case No. 26380 (TsVMA, fund 122), casts doubt on the version that it ran aground.

The Schlesien could survive the war, but the existence of a large German ship fighting after the fall of Berlin was clearly not part of the plans of the Baltic Fleet command.
Even now there is no single version of the death of the battleship on May 4, 1945 (there are at least five different descriptions of the development of events). Soviet historians are unanimous that the ship was lost as a result of three successive air raids, but cannot determine the author of the victorious strike. According to one version, the Schlesien was sunk by the deputy squadron commander of the 51st mine-torpedo aviation regiment, Mikhail Vladimirovich Borisov. In his 2006 interview, Borisov claimed that he torpedoed the battleship and received a bonus of 10,000 rubles for its sinking. However, the commander of the 51st regiment I.F. Orlenko had a different point of view. In his memoirs, he argued that the decisive factor for the Schlesien was the explosion of a 1000-kg bomb on its side during the second air attack, excluding Borisov’s involvement in the victorious strike. Air attacks by Soviet aircraft on the battleship Schlesien on May 4, 1945*

* - given from the book by I.F. Orlenko "Winged torpedo bombers"

It is interesting that in the interview Borisov very sparingly described such a major event as the sinking of the Schlesien: “Then the battleship was torpedoed. They only gave me 10 thousand rubles for sinking the battleship. They didn’t give any rewards.”

The fact of torpedoing seems doubtful for the following reason: having a draft of 8 m, the Schlesien was standing in shallow water (depth up to 12 m), and aircraft torpedoes (most likely the 45-36-AN model with an AN-42 stabilizer were used) when they hit the water made the initial “dive”, plunging to a depth of at least 15 m, and, therefore, had to bury themselves in the ground.

Official Soviet historiography, represented by the authors of the book “Navy Aviation in the Great Patriotic War,” does not agree with both participants in the events and claims that the decisive factor for the sinking of the battleship was the hit of a 1000-kg bomb during the third air raid. It would probably be fairest to attribute the sinking of the Schlesien to the collective account of the pilots of the 51st Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment. Moreover, even the Special Commission of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, which examined the hull of the battleship in June 1945, could not come to a consensus and concluded that the hole in the bow “could have been a consequence of the explosion of a two-thousand-pound British bomb or a Soviet torpedo in shallow water near the side of the ship.”

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Training battleship "Schlesien" after an air strike on May 4, 1945 in Swinemünde. The photograph is attached to case No. 26380 (CVMA, fund 122). bellabs.ru

The German version that the Germans themselves planned to sink the Schlesien, and half an hour before the first raid, its commander, Captain zur See Hans-Eberhard Busch, with twenty wounded sailors, leaving anti-aircraft gun crews on board the battleship, went aboard the destroyer, also causes a lot of discussion T-36. The ship allegedly did not receive any damage during the raid and sank after the Kingstons opened between the second and third Soviet air raids. The version seems at least controversial due to a number of points left without comment. First, if the Germans planned to scuttle the ship, then why, contrary to tradition, was Captain Bush not the last to leave the ship? Secondly, how was it possible to sink a grounded ship by opening the seams? The version according to which the battleship was finished off by torpedoes from the German destroyer T-36 also seems dubious. Firstly, it turns out that the T-36 was finishing off a grounded battleship with a torpedo. Secondly, the T-36 died on May 4 (according to Soviet data, as a result of a direct hit from an air bomb during the third raid), which means it torpedoed the Schlesien earlier. In this case, he would torpedo the battleship before its crew abandoned it (according to Soviet data, German anti-aircraft gunners fired at enemy aircraft during the third attack).

After the war, "Schleswig-Holstein" was raised by Soviet rescue services, and then she was taken to Kronstadt. After a short study in Tallinn, the battleship was grounded on June 25, 1947 near the island of Osmussar in the Gulf of Finland and was used as a target during Baltic Fleet exercises. According to other sources, the Schleswig-Holstein was originally a self-propelled target and was grounded only in 1956. The ship served as a target until at least 1966, after which it was dismantled for metal. The post-war fate of the battleship Schlesien was simpler: it was not raised and was gradually dismantled for metal in 1947–1970.

The battleships "Schleswig-Holstein" and "Schlesien", outdated even at the construction stage and after the First World War left by the Allies as part of the German fleet on the principle of "lesser evil", ironically, not only outlived many more advanced contemporaries, but also made the first and The last shots fired by the Kriegsmarine in World War II.

At the same time, the importance of "Schleswig-Holstein" and "Schlesien" as training ships cannot be overestimated.
Suffice it to say that in 1932–1933 the commander of the battleship Schlesien was the future head of the Abwehr, Wilhelm Canaris. In addition to him, the future Admiral General Alfred Saalwachter and Admiral Werner Tillessen served on the Schlesien in different years, and Admirals General Karl Ernst Witzel and Wilhelm Marshall came from the Schleswig-Holstein. Former battleship officers also made their contribution to the creation of the navy of post-war Germany. Thus, one of the creators of the submarine forces of the Bundesmarine was Egon-Reiner von Schlippenbach, who served on the Schleswig-Holstein in 1937–1939. In this regard, it is not surprising that the new destroyer Schleswig-Holstein was laid down for the revived German Navy on August 20, 1959. Main tactical and technical characteristics of the battleships "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein"

* – during the modernization of the 20s, 8 out of 12 boilers were converted to oil

** - after conversion into training ships, "Schlesien" received 29 officers, 559 sailors and 214 cadets, and "Schleswig-Holstein" - 31 officers, 565 sailors and 175 cadets.
The composition of the armament of the battleships "Schlesien" and "Schleswig-Holstein" in different periods

Literature:

1. K. Zalessky. Armed forces of the Third Reich. Complete encyclopedia, Moscow, Eksmo, 2008
2. S. Patyanin, M. Morozov, V. Nagirnyak. Kriegsmarine. Navy of the Third Reich, Moscow, “Collection”, “Yauza”, “Eksmo”, 2009
3. Walter Hubitsch. Capture of Denmark and Norway. Operation "Exercise on the Weser". 1940–41, Moscow, Tsentrpoligraf, 2006
4. N. Pechukonis. Kaiser Dreadnoughts, Moscow, “Military Book”, 2005
5. A. Dashyan, S. Patyanin, M. Tokarev. All battleships of World War II, Moscow, “Yauza”, “Eksmo”, 2011
6. I. F. Orlenko. Winged torpedo bombers, Manuscript, 1992
7. I. F. Orlenko. We are Tallinn, Tallinn, “Eesti raamat”, 1981
8. Lavrentiev H.M., Demidov R.S., Kucherenko L.A., Khramov Yu.V. Navy Aviation in the Great Patriotic War, Moscow, Voenizdat, 1983
9. wehrmacht-history.com
10. forum.axishistory.com
11. forum.worldofwarships.com
12. https://iremember.ru/memoirs/letchiki-bombardirov/gss-borisov-mikhail-vladimirovich-torpedonosets/

What is a battleship?

The question is not superfluous, and to answer it we should return to history, to those times when ships (then still sailing, and later steam) of opponents lined up in wake formations (that is, one after another), and the guarantee of victory was the advantage of artillery weapons. The formation was a straight line, this was dictated by the main principle of battle, otherwise there would be interference in the line of fire, and the power of the guns could not be fully used. The ships that had the largest number of guns lined up on their decks were defined as “linear.” In the Russian fleet, the abbreviation “battleship” has taken root, consisting of the roots of two words “linear” and “ship”.

Sails gave way to steam engines and turbines, but the principle and purpose of a large floating artillery battery, armored and fast, remained unchanged. It was possible to combine all the required fighting qualities only if it was large in size. For this reason, the battleships of World War II had a monstrous displacement.

Battleships and the economy

Shipbuilders of the thirties, fulfilling orders from fleets and governments, tried to provide them with the most powerful and destructive weapons in the history of mankind. Not every country could afford to have at least one ship of this class; in addition to its defense function, it also played the role of a prestigious fetish. By owning battleships, the state asserted its own power and demonstrated it to its neighbors. Today, owners of nuclear weapons or aircraft carriers constitute a kind of special club, access to which is allowed only to certain countries with the economic potential of the corresponding level. In the thirties, battleships served as a symbol of military power. Such an acquisition, not only was very expensive, but also required additional funds for constant maintenance, maintenance and training of crews and infrastructure. The fleets included units that survived the previous global conflict, but new ones were also launched. The battleships of the Second World War, that is, those built between 1936 and 1945, were the focus of all the latest achievements of technical thought of their time. Their presence served as a kind of guarantee of a new worldwide massacre. It was possible to create such a powerful and expensive weapon only if it had to be used, and in the very near future. Otherwise there is no point in it.

Destroyers are more needed

In the spring of 1939, no one doubted the proximity of war, but no one dared to predict the approximate timing of its possible start, and when it actually began in September 1939, it came as a surprise to all participants in the process, in whose plans for the development of the armed forces the need to immediately fight was obvious didn't fit in. Battleships became one of the first victims: work on the Lion and Temeraire was suspended for a year already in October. In November 1939, they were resumed with the wording “if possible,” which automatically moved the battleships to the bottom of the list: the existing ships of the British and French fleets were considered sufficient for superiority over the enemy, but destroyers and other escort combat units were clearly not enough to protect the British shipping in the face of a growing underwater threat.

Battleship_2

British Lion-class battleship project

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

The British felt a serious shortage of battleships in the summer of 1940, when, after the surrender of France, they were faced with the need to single-handedly ensure dominance in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea against Germany and Italy and contain Japan in the Far East.

Fleet of two oceans

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There was no way to solve this equation on our own, and one of the theaters of military operations inevitably fell out - as we know, it turned out to be the Far Eastern theater of operations.

As a result, in the summer of 1940, the British decided to build another battleship, which received the name Vanguard, taking into account the developments under the Lion project. Its construction was noticeably cheaper due to the use of existing artillery installations with 381-mm Mk IA guns from the First World War. Considered the best guns of that war, these guns were already outdated by World War II, but they would have been quite sufficient against the Germans. However, the underwater threat, which increasingly captured the minds, slowed down the implementation of this noticeably simplified project - the Vanguard eventually entered service only in 1946, turning out to be the last British battleship in an era when no one needed it.

Battleship_1

British battleship Vanguard

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Were destroyers and escort ships in general as necessary as it seemed then? We now know that the capabilities of the German submarine in the first period of the war lagged noticeably behind the picture that Allied naval intelligence painted for itself, and it is quite possible that Britain could build at least the first two Lions, which, in combination with the new ones actually built aircraft carriers would have given the Allies significantly greater offensive capabilities in the Mediterranean and the Far East in 1943, but by and large, given the rapid growth of US naval power during this period, this change would not have had any radical impact on the course of the war at sea.

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How many were there in total?

Over the entire period called pre-war (in fact, the war was already underway, in Spain and the Far East, for example), and all the years of the “hot phase” of the world conflict, the most developed countries, seeking to establish or restore their regional (or world) dominance, built twenty seven units of ships belonging to the class of battleships.

The Americans launched the most, as many as ten. This testifies to the very serious intentions of the United States to maintain the level of its influence in remote areas of the World Ocean, however, without large-scale direct participation of ground forces, which at that time were quite modest.

Britain takes second place with its five units. Good too.

Germany, having just rejected the terms of Versailles, launched four.

Italy, which during the reign of Duce Mussolini claimed the role of a regional Mediterranean leader, was able to master three large-tonnage units. France managed to produce the same number of dreadnoughts.

Japanese battleships of the Second World War are represented by two units of the Yamato series. Relatively compared to other members of the “club,” the imperial fleet was going to compensate for the small number with the cyclopean size of the ships.

The figures given are actual. The plans were much more extensive.

Savings per ton

The second half of the 1930s was marked by the resumption of the naval race. In anticipation of an imminent war, the leading naval powers of the world, one after another, adopted increasingly ambitious fleet construction programs. Britain did not stand aside either, even if the battleships of the King George V class, ordered in 1936 and laid down at shipyards in 1937, were still quite carefully kept within the limits of the London Agreement of 1936, which narrowed the main caliber of battleships approved by the Washington Treaty of 1922 years 406 mm to 356 mm and retained the Washington displacement limit of 35,000 long (35,560 metric) tons, then the next series has already gone beyond these limits.

The exit was predetermined: already in the spring of 1937, Japan and Italy refused to sign the second London Treaty, which put Great Britain in a rather stupid position: ships pre-designed to these standards had already been ordered, the first two were even laid down, and intensive preparations for work were underway for the remaining three . Negotiating partners - both potential allies and potential adversaries - at the same time were already either building or designing noticeably stronger ships. As a result, after some deliberation, the British, French and Americans signed a protocol on changes to the treaty in the summer of 1938, allowing themselves to build battleships with a displacement of 45,000 long (45,720 metric) tons and with a main caliber of 406 mm.

Battleship_5

British battleship King George V

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Return of armor and guns: will the world see new battleships

What could the heavy artillery ship of the future look like?

To understand the meaning of all these restrictions, it is necessary to bear in mind that in 1936, when the United Kingdom's GDP was estimated at approximately £5 billion at those prices, military expenditure was less than 3% of this figure, not reaching £150 million. .

The order for five battleships of the King George V type required spending about £30 million over the next four years on the construction of these ships alone, not counting other rearmament programs: the British military machine, due to economic problems that were increasingly affecting the defense capability of the empire, was seriously lagging behind in the development of new types of weapons and military equipment of all classes, and in the conditions of the impending war, representatives of all types of weapons demanded their share in finances.

The rise in prices in these conditions was unacceptable, and reworking the project would have taken time, and the Georgies were laid down in the form in which they were designed. Nevertheless, almost immediately the British began work on a new project: the pre-war period contributed to the growth of budgets.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Members of the crew of the British battleship King George V are photographed against the backdrop of the bow four-gun turret of the main caliber

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It would take a long time to describe the painful design process, which struggled through the grip of the still remaining financial limits, infrastructural limitations and the desires of the fleet, based on the expected performance characteristics (tactical and technical characteristics. - Izvestia). The British developed a fairly balanced ship, with a standard displacement of 40,550 and a gross displacement of 46,400 long tons. The main battery was to include nine 16-inch (406 mm) Mk II guns, a significant improvement over the rather mediocre original Mk I guns that had been armed with the previous 16-inch battleships Nelson and Rodney.

The technical appearance of the project of the British battleship of the 1938 model is considered good form to criticize for deficiencies in protection and the “virtuality” of weapons, given that new guns had not been developed by the time the new ships were laid down, however, if you look closely at the characteristics of rivals, it will be obvious that the integral level of armor protection of the Lions was second only to the supergiants of the Yamato type, while the thickness of the armor of the Japanese ship was largely dictated by the insufficient quality of Japanese armor steel. When compared with American ships designed in the second half of the 30s, which had a similar technical level, the English project is distinguished by significantly better side protection (up to 381 mm versus 310 mm on battleships of the South Dakota class) and similar deck armor.

Battleship_3

Japanese battleship Yamato

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Regarding weapons, we can only say that the British experience available at that time in developing new artillery systems, taking into account the accumulated experience in operating the Nelson and Rodney guns, most likely guaranteed the creation of a Mk II gun with the required performance characteristics by the time the time came for the ships install artillery.

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After the fact, claims can be made against the 1938 project regarding insufficient anti-torpedo protection, but at that time everyone had a weak understanding of the level of torpedo threat in the impending war, and this protection could be significantly increased only by increasing the width of the hull, which threatened to entail the need to reconstruct the docks of the main fleet bases - under the same financial restrictions. The authors of the project also understood this problem: the chief builder of the fleet, Stanley Vernon Goodall, at that time proposed to “strongly recommend” that the fleet remove the restrictions on hull width that hinder shipbuilders.

The ship, however, was already rather large: 239.3 m long, 32 m wide, 9.15 m draft. A four-shaft boiler-turbine unit with a capacity of 130 thousand horsepower was supposed to provide a speed of 30 knots.

If we compare the 1938 project with its peers, the new British ship was clearly superior to all European battleships - be it the German Bismarck, the Italian Littorio, the French Richelieu - and looked more advantageous than the German H-39 project and American ships of the type "North Caroline" and "South Dakota", and could seriously compete with the noticeably larger "Iowa", countering the latter's greater speed with its better security, and with the already mentioned "Yamato", the only advantage of which was the firepower of the 460-mm artillery of the main caliber, but in terms of the quality of the armor and the level of modern equipment, the Japanese clearly lost.

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Italian battleship Littorio

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

The Royal Navy decided not to waste time on trifles and planned the construction of six new ships. Two ships were ordered in 1938. At the end of February 1939, a formal contract was signed and work at the shipyard began in March. The lead ship of the series was named "Lyon", the official ceremony of its laying took place on July 4, 1939, and under this name we now know the entire project. Interestingly, the second ship in the series, the Temeraire, was officially laid down a month earlier, at the beginning of June.

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Both ships were supposed to be commissioned at the end of 1942 - beginning of 1943, around the same time the first battleships of the new H-39 project were expected to appear in the German fleet. By 1944, the second pair was expected to be commissioned under the names “Conqueror” and “Tanderer”, the laying of which was planned for the autumn of 1939, and in 1940 the last two battleships, which never received names, were to be laid down.

Three Soviet battleships

Soviet battleships of World War II were laid down in Tsarist Russia. Before the World War, the domestic fleet was developing rapidly; the modernization program launched then became the basis for growth for many years, after the revolution.

There were three battleships: “Paris Commune” (Sevastopol), “Marat” (Petropavlovsk) and “October Revolution” (Gangut), all of the same design. They survived the hard times, albeit with damage, and served for some time after 1945. Thirty years of age is not considered old for a warship, and in 1941 they turned that age. Thus, at the time of entry into the war, after the German attack, the USSR possessed three fairly modern units of battle-class ships, “inherited” from the tsarist regime. But this does not mean that the leadership of the USSR had no plans to strengthen the Navy. They were, and not only plans, but also very specific actions. Stalin was preparing the most ambitious project in the entire history of domestic shipbuilding.

USSR plans

According to the government shipbuilding program adopted in 1936, over the next seven years, Soviet shipyards were supposed to launch no less than 533 naval units. Of these, there are 24 battleships. Maybe they were going to be built in accordance with capabilities, smaller and more modest, so to speak, in the “economy version”? No, the planned displacement is 58.5 thousand tons. Reservation - from 375 mm (belt) to 420 (base of gun turrets). Project “A” (No. 23) was calculated with the help of American engineers invited to the USSR in 1936 with appropriate remuneration. The Italian specialists with whom they tried to cooperate at the beginning were rejected, and not because the Nazis (this circumstance did not prevent the purchase of the “blue cruiser”), they simply “couldn’t cope” with the scale of the plan. The guns were ordered (Stalingrad). Nine giant main caliber 406 mm cannons were supposed to fire 11 quintal shells each. Three armored decks. Only the newest battleships of Japan during the Second World War could compete with such power, but no one knew about them then, they were deeply classified, and became an unpleasant surprise for the American Navy in December 1941.

Warships from World War II

Cruisers

The development of the class of heavy cruisers began with the Washington Naval Agreement of 1922, which limited the construction of super-large warships - mainly battleships and aircraft carriers. As for the cruisers, the clauses of the Agreement only spurred the arms race. Realizing that England is unlikely to scrap its newest cruisers, the Haukiis, experts decided to limit the armament and displacement of all future cruisers to the characteristics of ships of this type. No one thought that countries that had not previously intended to acquire heavy cruisers would immediately begin building them, adjusting them to the “Washington restrictions” - 10,000 tons of displacement, maximum gun caliber - 203 mm.

After 1922, heavy cruisers began to be built in all countries that signed the Agreement - in the USA, France, Japan and Italy. Perhaps one of the best “Washington-type” cruisers was the French ship “Alger”. The perfect contours of its 186-meter hull made it possible to “squeeze” the maximum possible speed — 31 knots — out of the relatively low-power turbine installation. Similar, but slightly better armored cruisers were built in the States.

However, after a few years, interest in Alger-class cruisers began to disappear. The fact is that powerful but heavy guns were completely unnecessary when performing cruising missions. In addition, weakened armor made these ships very vulnerable during a squadron battle. In the early 1930s. everyone again turned their attention to light cruisers of smaller displacement with small caliber guns, but very fast. For example, the artillery caliber on the 5886-ton French cruiser Emile Bertin, built in 1933, was 152 mm, but the maximum speed exceeded 39 knots.

Considering the French to be its main enemy in the upcoming war, Italy began building light cruisers of the condottieri type, which, in its opinion, were capable of defeating high-speed French destroyers and leaders. With a displacement of 5200-7000 tons, the condottieri developed a speed of 37-42 knots, carrying on board eight 152 mm guns, fourteen 37-100 mm guns and eight anti-aircraft guns. The price to pay for speed was “shell” armor no thicker than 25 mm. As a result, all the “condottieri” were destroyed in the first year of the war.

The further evolution of light cruisers followed the path of increasing armor at the expense of some loss of speed. In 1934, the Germans built the light cruiser Nuremberg, which was intended for operations on long-distance ocean communications. The ship had a displacement of 6980 tons and an average speed of 32 knots. The cruiser could cover 5,700 miles in one voyage. Less than a year after the launch of the Nuremberg, Germany threw off all the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and began building heavy cruisers at the very moment when all the maritime powers decided to send them to the scrapheap. The Germans carefully hid everything related to their heavy cruisers, so for England the appearance in 1939 of the cruiser Admiral Hipper, armed with eight 203-mm guns, was an unpleasant surprise. Following him, Germany launched the heavy Blucher and Prinz Eugene. Three heavy cruisers, coupled with six light ones - that’s the entire fascist cruising fleet with which they started World War II.

On the first day of the Great Patriotic War, the naval artillery of the cruiser Kirov, stationed on the Ust-Dvina roadstead, opened fire on German bombers attacking Riga. Kirov was not the only Soviet cruiser to meet the enemy fully armed. In the pre-war years, the small cruising squadron of the Soviets, consisting of only 4 ships, was replenished with ships of the same type as the Kirov - the light cruisers Maxim Gorky, Voroshilov and Slava.

Armored cruiser "Admiral Nakhimov"

The last two cruisers became part of the Black Sea Fleet. More than once they had to break through to Sevastopol, delivering troops and ammunition to the besieged port. By the way, “Slava” (displacement 9700 tons, length 191.2 m, speed 36.6 knots) was the first Soviet ship to be equipped with a radar station. In 1942, the explosion of an enemy torpedo that overtook the cruiser near Feodosia tore off the stern of the cruiser. But the sailors did not want to part with their seemingly mortally wounded ship. The repairmen managed to do the impossible: they cut off the stern of the unfinished cruiser Frunze and securely “sewed” it to the damaged Slava. The cruiser continued to fight, went through the entire war with honor and remained in service right up until 1973.

But nine German cruisers faced an inglorious fate. Many of them shamefully capitulated. The cruisers Nuremberg and Prinz Eugene surrendered in Copenhagen. “Priits Eugene” was especially unlucky: it fell into the hands of the Americans and was included in the experimental squadron on which nuclear bomb explosions were tested at Bikini Atoll.

Light cruiser Cleveland

The Americans have always regarded the small displacement of a ship as an obstacle to fulfilling the main task of the American fleet - to wage war away from its native shores. However, in the 1930s. and they were captured by the fashion for light cruisers. Having churned out 27 Cleveland-class light cruisers at once, the Americans realized that they needed to return to familiar and reliable heavy cruisers. They increased the length of the Cleveland by 20 m, installed nine 203 mm guns and numerous anti-aircraft guns on it. After that it was renamed "Baltimore". It became the prototype for a huge number of new series of American cruisers - both heavy and light. The descendants of the Baltimore are considered to be the three best heavy American cruisers that left the stocks after the war - Newport News, Salem and Des Moines. Due to the heavy armor and heavy 203 mm guns, their displacement was increased to 17,000 tons.

Since 1952, large attack aircraft carriers have begun to be laid down at American shipyards. These giants, filled with ammunition and aviation fuel, turned out to be so vulnerable to aerial bombs and submarine torpedoes that they needed the protection of much more powerful ships than heavy cruisers. Thus ended the era of conventional, or artillery, cruisers, which opened the way for a new type of ship - URO (guided missile) cruisers.

Why didn't the plans come true?

The battleship "Soviet Union" of project "A" was laid down in Leningrad by plant No. 15 in the summer of 1938, two units ("Soviet Belarus", "Soviet Russia") began to be built in Molotovsk (today this city is called Severodvinsk), another one - in Nikolaev (“Soviet Ukraine”). So it is impossible to blame I.V. Stalin for projectism and manilovism; the plans set by the party were carried out steadily. Another question is that there were objective difficulties, for which, quite possibly, some comrades who failed to complete the task were subjectively responsible before the law. At the time of the German attack, the ships under construction were in varying degrees of readiness, but no more than a fifth of the total volume of work. The most modern battleships of the USSR of the Second World War never entered combat service, serving as donors for other important defense programs. Their guns and armor plates were used, but they themselves never went to sea. There was not enough time and experience; developing the technology took too long.

What if we had time?

JV Stalin was often reproached (and continues to do so) for not preparing the country to repel the German invasion. To some extent, these claims can be considered justified. However, taking into account the situation that developed in the first months of Hitler’s aggression, today we can conclude that even the most modern and large Soviet battleships of World War II could not influence the course of hostilities that took place primarily on the land front. Already in the summer of 1941, the operational area of ​​the Baltic Sea, due to its geographical features (closedness), was closed with minefields and blocked by Kriegsmarine submarine forces. USSR battleships from the Second World War that were in service were used as stationary batteries, similar to coastal ones. With their heavy main caliber guns they inflicted damage on the advancing enemy, but aviation and long-range artillery were more successful in this. In addition, putting such a huge ship to sea is associated with enormous risk. He, like a magnet, attracts to himself all the forces of the enemy, who calms down only by letting him sink. A sad example is the many battleships of the Second World War, which became a steel grave for their crews.

Heroic ships of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War

HEROIC SHIPS OF THE USSR

in the Great Patriotic War

The Soviet Navy made a worthy contribution to the common cause of victory over Nazi Germany. More than 400 thousand military sailors fought on all combat fronts, defended Kyiv and Odessa, Leningrad and Moscow, Sevastopol and Stalingrad, and fought near the walls of Novorossiysk and Kerch.

The fighting died down. As a result of the scientific and technological revolution, the Soviet Navy became a nuclear missile and ocean-going one. The ships that took part in past battles and battles have gone into the distant past. But their glory lives on, like the holy of holies, their revolutionary and military traditions are preserved by the sailors of the present generation. And as symbols of the immortality and inviolability of these traditions, on the sides of modern ships the glorious names burn in gold: “Kirov” and “Baku”, “Steregushchiy” and “Tashkent”, “Kerch” and “Red Caucasus”, “Red Crimea” and “Thundering” , “October Revolution” and many dozens of others, forever included in the history of our great power.

From the very beginning, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet found itself in difficult conditions. Already in the first days, the Baltic people, together with the soldiers of the Red Army, fought stubborn battles for Liepaja, defended Riga and the Gulf of Riga, and in August 1941 they fought to the death on the outskirts of the main fleet base of Tallinn. The Baltic sailors covered themselves with unfading glory in the unprecedented 900-day heroic defense of Leningrad.

Red Banner cruiser "Kirov"

During the Great Patriotic War, the cruiser under the command of captains 1st rank M. G. Sukhorukov and S. D. Soloukhin actively participated in the defense of Tallinn and Leningrad

At the end of June 1941, the ship, with the assistance of other forces of the fleet, made a difficult navigational transition from Riga to Tallinn, where it remained until our troops abandoned the city. Reflecting attacks by Nazi troops on the main base of the fleet, Kirov conducted 36 artillery fires at concentrations of enemy troops and military equipment during August 23-28, 1941. The cruiser's accurate fire helped the city's defenders delay the enemy for several days. In an effort to deal with the Kirov, the Nazis sent dozens of bombers every day to destroy it and fired at it with direct fire from field batteries. During five days of fighting on the Tallinn roadstead, more than 500 large-caliber artillery shells were fired at the ship and 326 air bombs were dropped.

Participating in the defense of Tallinn and Leningrad, the Kirov covered 618.5 miles in the first year of the war alone. Its artillery fired 763 180-mm shells at enemy positions. During the same time, the cruiser's anti-aircraft gunners successfully repelled over seventy attacks by Nazi aircraft, shooting down six aircraft. More than two hundred Red Navy men and cruiser commanders went ashore to fight in the Marine Corps units.

Acting in the interests of the troops of the Leningrad Front, which went on the offensive, the cruiser conducted four artillery fires at the enemy’s defensive structures, inflicting heavy losses in manpower and equipment.
In June 1944, while supporting the offensive of Red Army units on the Karelian Isthmus, the ship carried out three more firings and destroyed two large resistance centers that were part of the fortifications of the Mannerheim Line.

The homeland highly appreciated the heroism of the crew. By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated February 27, 1943, for the exemplary performance of combat missions of the command in the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and bravery of its personnel, the cruiser Kirov was the first of the surface ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner

Battleship "Marat"

The entire life and combat activity of this ship was inextricably linked with Leningrad. Here he was born, here he spent his “youth” and “mature” years. It was during the defense of this city that the battleship's military glory thundered.

The ship was laid down on the stocks of the Baltic Shipyard on June 3, 1909 and in December 1914 left the wall of its native shipyard.
When the Peter and Paul sailors in Helsingfors learned about the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, they were among the first to go over to the side of the revolution. At the request of the crew, on March 31, 1921, Petropavlovsk was named Marat.

During the Finnish War, the main caliber of the Marat began to speak at full capacity. Providing fire assistance to the Red Army troops, the battleship successfully crushed enemy fortifications.

At 4 o'clock on June 22, 1941, the sound of loud bells woke up the ship's crew. Unidentified planes were approaching Kronstadt from the sea. This is how the war against German fascism began for Marat. And the very next night, the battleship was the first in the Baltic to open a combat account, shooting down two aircraft.

On the morning of September 23, more than seventy fascist bombers simultaneously attacked Kronstadt. Their main target was the Marat, which was standing at the pier. Bomb explosions followed one after another. Cascades of fragments and rubble continually rained down on the ship. With a piercing clang and roar, the entire bow superstructure separated and collapsed into the water, the multi-ton first turret flew overboard, the bow end of the battleship broke off and disappeared into the waves. But “Marat” did not die. The surviving sailors managed to keep the battleship afloat. Thanks to their dedicated work, “Marat” was able to open fire on the enemy again on October 31, 1941.

Seriously wounded, but not laying down his arms, “Marat” continued to defend Leningrad. In the last two months of 1941 alone, he conducted about a hundred artillery firings with the main caliber. Accurate fire destroyed up to 18 thousand Nazi soldiers and officers, destroyed 18 and suppressed 87 large-caliber artillery batteries, shot down six and damaged eight enemy aircraft.

The battleship, to which its former name “Petropavlovsk” was restored on May 31, 1943, courageously defended the hero city on the Neva throughout the nine hundred days of the siege.
And when the long-awaited hour came for units of the 2nd Shock Army of the Leningrad Front to launch a decisive offensive from the Oranienbaum patch, he again rained down hundreds of shells on enemy positions.
On January 17, 1944 alone, Petropavlovsk fired 17 tons of ammunition at the retreating enemy. All the battleship's salvos accurately covered the target. Guards cruiser "Red Crimea"

The new cruiser "Svetlana" was launched on November 8, 1915. In October 1917, it was towed to Petrograd. On February 5, 1925, the ship was given a new name - “Profintern”, and on July 1, 1928 it was transferred to the Naval Forces of the Baltic Sea. At the beginning of 1930, the ship moved to Sevastopol. On November 5, 1939, it was renamed “Red Crimea”.

On August 21, 1941, having received fuel and ammunition, the Red Crimea, guarded by the destroyers Frunze and Dzerzhinsky, headed for the front line in Odessa. 462 shells of the ship's main caliber were fired at the enemy. The command of the Separate Primorsky Army highly appreciated the live firing of the "Red Crimea", expressing gratitude to the entire crew of the cruiser. There, near Odessa, the ship took part in the landing of the first landing force on the Black Sea.

In the fierce battles for Sevastopol, "Red Crimea" in November-December 1941 carried out 18 artillery firings.
The cruiser carried out 52 artillery fires on the positions and fortifications of the Nazi troops, destroying 4 artillery and mortar batteries, 3 ammunition depots and up to an infantry regiment, transported more than 20 thousand personnel, wounded and evacuated citizens of Sevastopol, and landed them on the shore occupied by the enemy , about 10 thousand soldiers and commanders in the landing force, repelled over two hundred attacks by Nazi aircraft.
For courageous and decisive actions during the landing of troops in Grigoryevka, Feodosia, Sudak and Alushta, for the courage and heroism of the personnel shown in the fight against the Nazi invaders, the cruiser "Red Crimea" by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy. No. 137 dated 18 June 1942 awarded the Guards title.

Guards cruiser "Red Caucasus"

The history of this ship began on the eve of the First World War.
During the Great Patriotic War, the cruiser successfully crushed hordes of Nazi troops near Odessa and Sevastopol, in Feodosia and Novorossiysk. For the first time, the main battery of the ship spoke loudly on September 11, 1941, when the cruiser rained fire on the positions of enemy troops located in the village of Ilyinka near Odessa.
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The ship completed 30 command combat missions, including 9 in fire support of ground forces, and twice participated in mine-laying operations. Having traveled about 14 thousand miles, the “Red Caucasus” transported more than 25 thousand soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, wounded soldiers and evacuated citizens of Odessa and Sevastopol, delivered up to 200 wagons of ammunition to the front line, and escorted 6 transports with troops and military equipment. The cruiser's main and universal caliber artillery carried out 32 fire raids on fascist positions, destroyed and suppressed 16 enemy artillery and mortar batteries, scattered and destroyed up to 5 infantry battalions. The ship's anti-aircraft gunners repelled 67 Nazi air raids and shot down 3 aircraft. By the end of the summer of 1942, after repairs, the cruiser was able to go to sea again.

On April 3, 1942, for the courage shown in battles against the Nazi invaders, for steadfastness, courage, discipline and organization, for the heroism of the personnel, by order of the People's Commissar of the Navy, the crew of the "Red Caucasus" was awarded the title of Guards

Red Banner leader of the destroyers "Baku"

From July 15 to October 14, 1942, the Baku was one of the first Soviet warships to cross the Northern Sea Route from east to west and, having sailed as part of a special-purpose expedition from Vladivostok to Polyarnoye, became part of the 1st division of destroyers of the Northern Fleet.

During the period of participation in hostilities, the leader traveled over 42 thousand miles and conducted 29 domestic and allied convoys without losses. He went out into enemy waters four times to search for and destroy enemy vehicles, and twice fired at the enemy naval base of Varde. The ship participated in fire support for ground forces and joint searches for Nazi submarines, and in repelling enemy air attacks.

By the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated March 6, 1945, the leader of “Baku” was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for the exemplary execution of combat missions of the command in the fight against the Nazi invaders and the courage and heroism of the crew shown.

Leader of the destroyers "Tashkent"

During the Great Patriotic War, “Tashkent” took an active part in the heroic defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. The leader carried out military transportation, evacuated the wounded and civilians of Soviet coastal cities, convoyed transports with troops and cargo for the front, and repeatedly supported the actions of the ground forces with artillery fire. He was part of the combat escort of other ships.

During the year of participation in hostilities, "Tashkent" covered over 27 thousand miles, carried out about a hundred artillery fire on positions and concentrations of Nazi troops near Odessa and Sevastopol, near Sudak, Feodosia and Yevpatoria, destroyed six coastal batteries and a large amount of military equipment and enemy manpower.
The ship escorted 17 transports without loss, transported 19,300 people and 2,538 tons of military cargo, repelled hundreds of attacks by Nazi aircraft, shot down nine, damaged four aircraft and sank an enemy torpedo boat .
The leader took part in his first battle near Odessa on August 22, 1941.
On that day, he destroyed six vehicles with infantry and scattered several mechanized columns of enemy troops. The name of “Tashkent” is forever included in the chronicle of the heroic 250-day defense of Sevastopol.
During the second Nazi offensive on Sevastopol, the leader’s crew made regular trips there, delivering reinforcements from the Caucasus to the fighting troops and escorting transport ships.
While at the main base, the ship almost continuously supported the city's defenders with artillery fire. At 2 o'clock on June 27, having taken on board 2,300 wounded, as well as evacuating Soviet citizens and loading artistic canvases of the famous Sevastopol panorama, the leader was the last of the fleet's surface ships to leave his hometown. Eighty-six Nazi planes pursued the ship for more than four hours, dropping 336 bombs on it.
For the massive heroism shown in this campaign, the entire leader’s personnel were awarded high government awards.

Torpedo boat "TKA-12"

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, there were no torpedo boats in the Northern Fleet, and only on August 1, 1941, five ships received from industry were delivered from Leningrad to Murmansk on railway platforms. On September 11, 1941, “TKA-12”, going out to intercept a detected enemy convoy, breaking through a curtain of artillery and machine-gun fire, sent a convoy ship converted from a fishing trawler to the bottom with a well-aimed torpedo strike. This was the first victory of the North Sea sailors during the war.

Three weeks later, having sunk a large-capacity enemy transport in the Varanger Fjord, on board which more than two thousand Nazi soldiers and officers were heading to the front line. The torpedo boat had to perform many different tasks during the war years. The boat landed and removed reconnaissance and sabotage groups on the enemy’s coast, went far out to sea to provide assistance to the crews of aircraft that had crashed and were shot down in battle, escorted transports, and provided combat training for ships of other fleet formations.

Taking into account the great military merits of the legendary boat, by the decision of the Chief of the Main Naval Staff on June 14, 1945, the TKA-12 was transferred to the Northern Fleet Museum.

Guards minesweeper "T-205" (Gaffel)

During the Great Patriotic War, the ship repeatedly escorted submarines and transport ships to combat positions, went out to lay minefields, participated in combat trawling of fairways and raids of naval bases, evacuated the garrisons of the Hanko Peninsula and Osmussar Island, and carried out patrol duty on the approaches to raids. and ship anchorages.

In the first six months of the war alone, the ship traveled more than 11,670 miles, 4,584 of them with trawls, and completed 70 combat missions.
The minesweeper hooked and destroyed 30 anchor mines, placed 140 mines and mine defenders in enemy waters. During this time, 2,815 soldiers and commanders of the Red Army were transported on board the T-205 from remote island garrisons, of which 1,040 people were removed from ships and vessels perishing at sea. The minesweeper had to endure the most severe tests at the end of 1941, when, as part of detachments of ships, it made three voyages to the Hanko Peninsula to evacuate its courageous garrison.

Today, under the flag of the Great Power
, the ships stand beautifully on the roadstead, They stand at the parade not for fun, Steel guardians of the Russian land, Covered in the glory of battles and victories - In the ceremonial formation on the day of the Navy, We know many stories of victory About the fleet that can fight like a lion. And if suddenly a hard time strikes - The adversary will come to our land again - Let neither bullet nor mine take you, Be able, dear ones, to defend the country! Let the glory of the Russian fleet not fade, Let it be more of itself throughout the centuries, There is no peace in the world more reliable than a stronghold, Let the enemy know that he will be broken into dust!

The Germans and their battleships

Not only Stalin suffered from gigantomania, but also his main opponent, the Chancellor of Germany. He had great hopes for the German battleships of World War II; their construction was too expensive, but they were the ones who were supposed to crush the naval power of arrogant Britain. This, however, did not happen. After the loss of the Bismarck in 1941, shot by a superior enemy, the Fuhrer treated the Tirpitz as an expensive and thoroughbred fighting dog, which it would be a pity to let into an ordinary dog ​​dump, but you still have to feed it, and it is used as a means of intimidation. For a long time, the second battleship annoyed the British until they dealt with it, bombing the beauty and pride of the Kriegsmarine in an unknown Norwegian fjord.

Thus the battleships of Germany rested at the bottom. In World War II, they played the role of huge beasts, hunted by a pack of smaller, but more agile predators. A similar fate awaited many other ships of this class. Their loss entailed enormous casualties; they often died along with their entire crews.

Top 10 Largest Battleships of World War II

World War II was the golden age of battleships. The powers that claimed dominance at sea, in the pre-war years and the first few war years, laid down several dozen giant armored ships with powerful main-caliber guns on the slipways. As the practice of combat use of “steel monsters” has shown, battleships acted very effectively against formations of enemy warships, even being in the numerical minority, capable of terrifying convoys of cargo ships, but they can practically do nothing against aircraft, which with a few hits of torpedoes and bombs can even multi-ton giants to the bottom. During World War II, the Germans and Japanese preferred not to risk battleships, keeping them away from the main naval battles, throwing them into battle only at critical moments, using them very ineffectively. In turn, the Americans mainly used battleships to cover aircraft carrier groups and landing troops in the Pacific Ocean. Meet the ten largest battleships of World War II.

Richelieu, France

The battleship "Richelieu" of the same class, has a weight of 47,500 tons and a length of 247 meters, eight main caliber guns with a caliber of 380 millimeters located in two towers. Ships of this class were created by the French to counter the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was launched in 1939 and was adopted by the French Navy a year later. "Richelieu" actually did not take part in the Second World War, except for a collision with a British aircraft carrier group in 1941, during the American operation against Vichy forces in Africa. In the post-war period, the battleship was involved in the war in Indochina, covering naval convoys and supporting French troops with fire during landing operations. The battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and decommissioned in 1967.

Jean Bart, France

The French Richelieu-class battleship Jean Bart was launched in 1940, but was never commissioned into the fleet by the beginning of World War II. At the time of the German attack on France, the ship was 75% ready (only one turret of main caliber guns was installed); the battleship was able to travel under its own power from Europe to the Moroccan port of Casablanca. Despite the absence of some weapons, "Jean Bar" managed to take part in hostilities on the side of the Axis countries, repelling attacks by American-British forces during the Allied landing in Morocco. After several hits from the main caliber guns of American battleships and aircraft bombs, the ship sank to the bottom on November 10, 1942. In 1944, the Jean Bart was raised and sent to the shipyard for repairs and additional equipment. The ship became part of the French Navy only in 1949 and never took part in any military operation. In 1961, the battleship was withdrawn from the fleet and scrapped.

Tirpitz, Germany

The German Bismarck-class battleship Tirpitz, launched in 1939 and put into service in 1940, had a displacement of 40,153 tons and a length of 251 meters. Eight main guns with a caliber of 380 millimeters were placed in four turrets. Vessels of this class were intended for raider operations against enemy merchant fleets. During the Second World War, after the loss of the battleship Bismarck, the German command preferred not to use heavy ships in the naval theater of operations, in order to avoid their loss. The Tirpitz stood in the fortified Norwegian fjords for almost the entire war, taking part in only three operations to intercept convoys and support landings on the islands. The battleship sank on November 14, 1944, during a raid by British bombers, after being hit by three aerial bombs.

Bismarck, Germany

The battleship Bismarck, commissioned in 1940, is the only ship on this list that took part in a truly epic naval battle. For three days, the Bismarck, in the North Sea and the Atlantic, confronted almost the entire British fleet alone. The battleship was able to sink the pride of the British fleet, the cruiser Hood, in battle, and seriously damaged several ships. After numerous hits from shells and torpedoes, the battleship sank on May 27, 1941.

Wisconsin, USA

The American battleship "Wisconsin", Iowa class, with a displacement of 55,710 tons, has a length of 270 meters, on board which are three towers with nine 406 mm main caliber guns. The ship was launched in 1943 and entered service in 1944. The ship was retired from the fleet in 1991, but remained in the US Navy Reserve until 2006, becoming the last battleship in the US Navy Reserve. During World War II, the ship was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, support landing operations and bombard Japanese army coastal fortifications. In the post-war period, he participated in the Gulf War.

New Jersey, USA

The Iowa-class battleship New Jersey was launched in 1942 and entered service in 1943. The ship underwent several major upgrades and was eventually decommissioned from the fleet in 1991. During the Second World War, she was used to escort aircraft carrier groups, but did not really participate in any serious naval battles. Over the next 46 years, she served in the Korean, Vietnamese and Libyan wars as a support ship.

Missouri, USA

The Iowa-class battleship Missouri was launched in 1944, and in the same year became part of the Pacific Fleet. The ship was withdrawn from the fleet in 1992 and turned into a floating museum ship, which is now available for anyone to visit. During World War II, the battleship was used to escort carrier groups and support landings, and did not participate in any serious naval battles. It was on board the Missouri that the Japanese surrender pact was signed, ending World War II. In the post-war period, the battleship participated in only one major military operation, namely the Gulf War, during which the Missouri provided naval gunfire support to a multinational force.

Iowa, USA

The battleship Iowa, a class of the same name, was launched in 1942 and entered service a year later, fighting on all ocean fronts of World War II. Initially, he patrolled the northern latitudes of the Atlantic coast of the United States, after which he was transferred to the Pacific Ocean, where he covered aircraft carrier groups, supported landing forces, attacked enemy coastal fortifications, and participated in several naval operations to intercept strike groups of the Japanese fleet. During the Korean War, it provided artillery fire support for ground forces from the sea. In 1990, the Iowa was decommissioned and turned into a museum ship.

Yamato, Japan

The pride of the Japanese Imperial Navy, the battleship Yamato was 247 meters long, weighed 47,500 tons, and had on board three turrets with 9 main caliber 460 mm guns. The ship was launched in 1939, but was ready to go to sea on a combat mission only in 1942. During the entire war, the battleship took part in only three real battles, of which only in one was it able to fire at enemy ships from its main caliber guns. Yamato was sunk on April 7, 1945 by enemy aircraft, after being hit by 13 torpedoes and 13 bombs. Today, the Yamato class ships are considered the largest battleships in the world.

Musashi, Japan

"Musashi" is the younger brother of the battleship "Yamato", has similar technical characteristics and weapons. The ship was launched in 1940, was put into service in 1942, but was ready for combat only in 1943. The battleship participated in only one serious naval battle, trying to prevent the Allies from landing troops in the Philippines. On October 24, 1944, after a 16-hour battle, the Musashi sank in the Sibuyan Sea after being hit by several torpedoes and aircraft bombs. Musashi, together with her brother Yamato, is considered the largest battleship in the world.

Japan

Who built the largest and most modern battleships of World War II? Japan. "Yamato" and the second ship of the series, which became the last, "Musashi", had a titanic displacement (full) exceeding 70 thousand tons. These giants were and were armed with the most powerful main caliber guns of 460 mm. The armor also had no equal - from 400 to 650 mm. To destroy such a monster, dozens of direct hits from torpedoes, aerial bombs or artillery shells were required. The Americans found all these lethal weapons in sufficient quantities, and the circumstances were such that they were able to use them. They were angry at the Japanese for Pearl Harbor and had no pity.