Armored sea hunter project 194 (40 photos)

Small hunters MO-4 "midges"

During the Great Patriotic War, the main combat load fell on the Soviet “mosquito” fleet - torpedo boats, armored boats, patrol boats and small hunters, smoke-screen boats, minesweeper boats, air defense boats. The most difficult work was the small hunters, MO-4, who fought enemy submarines in the Black Sea and the Baltic.

Patrol boat No. 026 in Sevastopol, July 1940. This boat was used from March to September 1941 as an experimental vessel of the NIMTI Navy. The cruiser "Red Caucasus" is visible in the background.

Small hunters in Soviet style

Submarines became a real threat to surface ships during the First World War: German submariners were the trendsetters, but their colleagues from other countries were not far behind. Soon after the outbreak of hostilities, the tonnage of ships sunk by submarines exceeded losses from surface ships. Warships also suffered from submarines - the German U-9 sank three British cruisers, and the U-26 sank the Russian armored cruiser Pallada. Under these conditions, the fleets of all countries began to frantically search for ways to combat the underwater threat.

The Russian Empire decided to use small high-speed boats to combat submarines. They were equipped with several cannons and machine guns and used for escort service. These small ships have established themselves as a universal means of combat at sea and, in addition to convoying, they were involved in performing other tasks. The most successful were the “Greenport” type “fighter boats” built in the USA. They took an active part in hostilities during the First World War and on the fronts of the Civil War. Some of them survived and became part of the Soviet fleet, but by the mid-20s they were all written off.

Boats of the MO-4 type, traveling at high speed, attracted attention with their dynamic shape, lightness and speed of movement. They had high speed, maneuverability and seaworthiness

During the interwar period, submarines were actively developing in all countries and it was necessary to look for effective ways to combat the threat from under water. In 1931, the USSR began designing a small submarine hunter of the MO-2 type. Moreover, it was created as a single type of small warship; in peacetime, it was supposed to carry out tasks to protect the state border, and in wartime, it was supposed to act as part of fleets. Another condition was the possibility of transporting the boat hull by rail. About 30 boats were built, but during testing and operation, their numerous design flaws were revealed. Construction was stopped, and in 1936 work began on a new small hunter of the MO-4 type. It took into account the shortcomings of its predecessor, and the designers managed to create a successful ship, which during operation proved itself to be the best. The boat's hull was built from first-class pine and had good survivability. Despite its small size, it received powerful weapons and could be used for trawling (equipped with a snake trawl or a boat paravant trawl) and mine laying. Six mines of the R-1 type, or four model 1908, or two model 1926, or four mine defenders were taken on board. To search for submarines, hunters were equipped with a Poseidon noise direction finder, and since 1940, a Tamir hydroacoustic station. Three GAM-34BS gasoline engines (power 850 hp) each were simple and reliable in operation. They provided the boat with a high speed; 30 seconds after receiving the order, it could give a low speed, and after 5 minutes a full speed. The small hunter had good maneuverability and sufficient seaworthiness (up to 6 points). Its appearance was distinguished by its dynamic shape, lightness and speed of movement. Habitability on the MO-4 was improved: the entire crew received sleeping places, all living quarters had ventilation and heating, and a wardroom and galley were placed on the boat. Tests that took place on the Black Sea in 1936-37 did not reveal any serious flaws in the design of the MO-4, and construction of a large series for the Navy and NKVD soon began. Serial construction of boats was launched at the Leningrad NKVD plant No. 5. Before the start of the war, 187 boats were built on it: 75 MOs joined the fleets and flotillas, 113 became part of the NKVD Marine Border Guard. Some of the small hunters who became part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (KBF) took part in the Soviet-Finnish “winter” war. Maritime border guards had to develop the maritime borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which became part of the USSR in 1940. After the start of the war with Germany, serial construction of the MO-4 type was carried out at several factories in the country: No. 5, No. 345, No. 640, the Astrakhan shipyard of the People's Commissariat for Fishing Industry and Moscow shipyard of the People's Commissariat of River Fleet. Despite all the difficulties, 74 MO-4 type boats were built during the difficult war years.

Small hunters take the fight

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the Red Banner Baltic Fleet included 15 small hunters and 18 patrol boats. The NKVD had 27 boats of the MO-4 type: 12 in Tallinn, 10 in Libava, 5 in Ust-Narva. In the first weeks of the war, it included boats from the NKVD Marine Border Guard, and new boats built in Leningrad continued to arrive. As already noted, in Leningrad at plant No. 5 the construction of boats of the MO-4 type continued, in total about 50 boats were built. Some of the MO boats were transferred to Lake Ladoga, where a military flotilla was created.

The gun crews are ready to repel the enemy attack. The boat's armament consisted of two 45-mm 21-K semi-automatic assault rifles and two DShK heavy machine guns. The bomb releasers at the stern carried eight large BB-1 depth charges and 24 small BM-1s. And six bombs of neutral smoke MDS

On the night of June 21-22, 1941, SKA No. 141 was on duty in front of naval bases near Tallinn, SKA No. 212 and No. 214 near Libau, and SKA No. 223 and No. 224 near Kronstadt. They were the first to repel attacks by German aircraft, which bombed ports and laid mines on fairways. The mine danger became the main one in the Baltic in 1941; our fleet was not ready to deal with the mine danger and suffered heavy losses. For example, on June 24-27, MO boats took part in escorting the cruiser Maxim Gorkoy from Tallinn to Kronstadt. His nose was torn off by a mine explosion. Our fleet began to lay out defensive minefields, and MO-4 boats also provided their placement. They themselves began to lay mine banks in skerries off the enemy coast. Every day, small hunters had to repel attacks by enemy aircraft, torpedo boats and submarines, carry out patrols at bases and ports, guard transports and convoys, escort submarines and warships going out on combat operations.

Patrol boats "PK-239" (type MO-4) and "PK-237" (type MO-2). With the beginning of the war, they were included in the Red Banner Baltic Fleet and took part in the defense of Hanko. Please note - both boats have two more masts. At the beginning of the war, the mainmast was dismantled

A patrol boat in one of the island bases of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet. Pay attention to the accumulation of watercraft in the background - preparations are underway at the base for the next landing operation

Our troops were unable to repel the German offensive on the border and soon the Wehrmacht approached Tallinn. Fierce battles broke out on the approaches to the main base of the Baltic Fleet, with the marines and ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet taking an active part in them. The fleet ensured the delivery of marching reinforcements and ammunition from the mainland. The wounded and civilians were taken back. The defense of Tallinn lasted 20 days, but by the morning of August 28 the city had to be abandoned. All troops, their weapons and essential cargo were loaded onto numerous ships, transports and auxiliary vessels. These fleet forces, part of four convoys, began to break through the Gulf of Finland to Kronstadt. Among them were 22 boats of the MO-4 type: six in the main forces detachment, four in the covering detachment, seven in the rearguard, two MOs each guarded convoys No. 1 and No. 3, one MO was part of the guard of convoy No. 2. They had to travel 194 miles; both shores of the Gulf of Finland were already occupied by the enemy, who had laid minefields, concentrated aviation and “mosquito” forces, and used coastal batteries. The few minesweepers of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet were able to mine only a small strip; the width of this fairway was only 50 m. Many slow-moving, clumsy ships came out of it and were immediately blown up. The situation was aggravated by numerous floating mines that floated in the trawled area. They had to literally be pushed off the sides. The boats immediately headed to the place of death and rescued the survivors. The sailors of the boats lifted frozen, crippled people covered with a thick layer of fuel oil onto the deck. They were warmed, clothed and given first aid. One of the rescued people saved the boat himself - a cadet of the VVMU named after. Frunze Vinogradov swam to the side of the MO-204, but saw a floating mine, moved it away from the boat with his hands, and only after that grabbed the lifeline. During the transition, 15 warships and 31 transports were lost; 112 ships and 23 transports arrived in Kronstadt (there are other data on the number of ships). In addition to Tallinn, evacuations were carried out from Moonsund, islands in the Vyborg and Gulf of Finland. The Wehrmacht soon blockaded Leningrad. On August 30, in the area of ​​the Ivanovo rapids, while repelling attacks by German troops, “MO-173” and “MO-174” were killed. The fleet was concentrated in Leningrad and Kronstadt, the ships could now operate only within the Marquis Puddle. The boats carried out patrols, escorted convoys, and carried out reconnaissance of the location of enemy large-caliber batteries, which fired at the ships and the city. They took part in the Peterhof landing. Fierce fighting also took place on Lake Ladoga. German and Finnish troops surrounded the city, aircraft attacked the ships of the flotilla, and enemy ships began to operate. MO-4s ensured landings, evacuated troops, supported troops with fire, and fought with enemy aircraft and ships. For example, “MO-206” distinguished itself during the battles for the island of Rah-Mansaari on September 7-10, 1941, and “MO-261” took part in laying a sea armored cable in October 1941.

After the loss of Tallinn and the Moonsund Islands, the westernmost points of our defense were the islands of Gogland, Lavensaari and the Hanko naval base. The light forces of the fleet were concentrated here. The defense of the Hanko naval base lasted 164 days - from June 22 to December 2. After this, a phased evacuation was carried out. The surviving boats of the MO-4 type became part of the Fighter Detachment of the Kronstadt Water District Security. The winter in 1941 was early and severe: ice covered the Neva, and navigation in the Gulf of Finland was also ending. Already in mid-November, the boats were lifted onto the wall and installed on cages, the engines and mechanisms were unloaded and mothballed on the shore. The crews were housed in barracks; in addition to repairing hulls and mechanisms, they were engaged in combat training and patrolled the city and the Neva. The first military navigation is over.

Combat damage to midges. The hull made of three-layer premium pine increased the survivability of the boat and allowed it to “survive” even with such holes

At the beginning of the war, there were 74 boats on the Black Sea: 28 as part of the Black Sea Fleet, 46 as part of the NKVD Marine Border Guard. On the morning of June 22, “MO-011”, “MO-021” and “MO-031” went out to sea and trawled the outer roadstead of Sevastopol, but were unable to destroy a single magnetic mine. From the first days of the war, sailors began to track the places where German mines fell near Sevastopol, they were entered on the map and then “processed” with depth charges. For example, on September 1, “MO-011” destroyed three German mines in a similar way. "Moshki", as in the Baltic, carried out patrols, escorted transports, covered mine laying, shot floating mines and conducted anti-submarine defense. They had to repel massive air attacks. For example, on September 22, in the Tendra area, “MO-022” was attacked by ten Yu-87s, the commander of the boat was killed, many crew members were killed and wounded, the boat received many holes, and had to be grounded. The boats took part in providing transportation for the defenders of Odessa, who defended the city for 73 days. They have successfully escorted hundreds of ships and convoys: the transports made 911 voyages, of which 595 ships were escorted by small hunters, 86 heavy-ship ships and 41 destroyers. On October 16-17, 34 patrol boats escorted the ships of the caravan on which the evacuation of Odessa was carried out. Only one transport was lost, which was traveling in ballast. This is the most successful evacuation carried out by the Soviet fleet.

A small hunter of the Black Sea Fleet leaves Streletskaya Bay of Sevastopol. The Vladimir Cathedral on Chersonesos is clearly visible in the background.

Patrol boat No. 1012 “Sea Soul”. It was built during the war years at the expense of the marine painter L.A. Soboleva. He received the Stalin Prize for the book “Sea Soul” and spent it entirely on its construction

On October 30, the defense of the main base of the Black Sea Fleet begins. OVR ships and boats, which were based in Karantinnaya and Streletskaya bays, took an active part in it. Wehrmacht units broke into Crimea, and large ships of the Black Sea Fleet moved to the Caucasus. The evacuation of the base began, the property of factories and arsenals was removed. This evacuation was covered by boats and, unfortunately, they were not always able to repel all air attacks. For example, two MO-4s (according to other sources, “SKA-041”) accompanied the ambulance transport “Armenia”, which evacuated the personnel of the naval hospital from Sevastopol. On November 7, they were unable to repel the attack of a single He-111. The transport was hit by a torpedo, and a few minutes later it sank. More than 5,000 people died. The security boats managed to save only eight people. And “MO-011” on November 8 successfully repelled enemy air raids for five hours. He managed to deliver the floating dock to Novorossiysk without loss, which was towed by the Toros icebreaker. Part of the MO-4 also moved to the Caucasus; only the T-27 minesweeper, floating battery No. 3, ten MO-type boats, nine KM-type boats, seventeen minesweeper boats and twelve TKAs remained in Sevastopol. They trawled the Sevastopol fairways, met and escorted ships entering the port, covered them with smoke curtains, and conducted anti-submarine patrol. After the start of the winter assault, the situation near Sevastopol worsened: German batteries could now fire at our entire territory, and enemy aircraft began to operate more actively. To improve the situation, the Soviet command conducted a series of landings: in Kamysh-Burun, Feodosia, Sudak and Yevpatoria. MO-4 took the most active part in them. We will tell you in more detail about the preparation and conduct of the Evpatoria landing.

On the night of December 6, SKA No. 041 and No. 0141, which left Sevastopol, landed reconnaissance and sabotage groups in the Evpatoria port. They successfully neutralized the sentries and took over the police headquarters. Having collected information and freed the prisoners, the scouts left the building. Another group carried out sabotage at the airfield. Panic began in the city; the Germans opened indiscriminate fire. Our scouts returned to the boats without losses. The information they collected made it possible to prepare the landing force. On the evening of January 4, the Vzryvatel BTSH, the SP-14 tugboat and seven MO-4 type boats (SKA No. 024, No. 041, No. 042, No. 062, No. 081, No. 0102, No. 0125) left Sevastopol. They were equipped with 740 paratroopers, two T-37 tanks and three 45-mm guns. They were able to quietly enter the Evpatoria port and capture it. They managed to capture the city center, but then the Marines met stubborn resistance. The covering ships retreated to the roadstead and began supporting the paratroopers with fire. The Germans brought up reserves, called in aircraft and tanks. The paratroopers did not receive reinforcements or ammunition and were forced to go on the defensive. The minesweeper was damaged by aircraft, lost speed and was thrown ashore. The boats were damaged and were forced to leave for Sevastopol. They were replaced by ships with replenishment, but due to a storm they were unable to enter the port. The surviving paratroopers joined the partisans.

The winter assault was repelled and the situation near Sevastopol stabilized. The Germans continued to bomb and shell the city, but did not take active action. The boats continued to serve. On March 25, 1942, in Streletskaya Bay of Sevastopol, senior Red Navy man Ivan Karpovich Golubets accomplished his feat. The engine room on SKA No. 0121 caught fire from artillery fire, and the fire was approaching the racks with depth charges. Their explosion would have destroyed not only the boat, but also the neighboring boats. I.G. came running from patrol boat No. 0183 with a fire extinguisher. The cabbage roll and began to put out the fire. But this was not possible due to spilled fuel. Then he began dropping depth charges overboard. He managed to throw most of it away, but at that moment an explosion occurred. The sailor saved the rest of the boats at the cost of his life. For this feat he was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

Heavily damaged patrol boat No. 0141 returns to base under its own power after the Novorossiysk landing operation, September 1943.

Having destroyed Soviet troops on the Kerch Peninsula, the enemy began preparing for a new assault. Sevastopol was blocked from the sea and from the air. Torpedo and anti-submarine boats, mini-submarines, fighters, bombers and torpedo bombers took part in the blockade. German aviation dominated the air. Each ship now broke through into the besieged fortress in battle. After many days of massive artillery bombardment and constant bombing, on June 7, the Wehrmacht went on the offensive. The strength and resources of the defenders of Sevastopol were melting every day. On June 19, the Germans reached the Northern Bay. Soon the agony of Sevastopol began. The surviving defenders gathered in the area of ​​the 35th battery on Cape Chersonesus. There were many wounded here and the army command staff was assembled, awaiting evacuation. They had no ammunition, and there was a catastrophic lack of water, food and medicine. But only a few submarines and basic minesweepers reached Sevastopol, not a single large ship came to Sevastopol.

The main burden of evacuation fell on the MO boats. On the evening of July 1, SKA No. 052 was the first to approach the pier at Cape Khersones. A crowd of people rushed towards him, and he quickly moved away from the pier. When returning to the Caucasus, he was attacked by a torpedo boat and enemy aircraft, but their attacks were repulsed. That same night, the defenders of the city were taken on board MO-021 and MO-0101. During the breakthrough to the Caucasus, MO-021 was seriously damaged by aircraft. Approaching boats removed the survivors from it, and the boat sank. SKA No. 046, No. 071 and No. 088 received people from Chersonesus and left for the Caucasus. SKA No. 029 went to Cossack Bay, took on board the Sevastopol party activist and left for the mainland. During the transition he was attacked by aircraft, causing heavy damage, but he was met by our boats and brought to Novorossiysk. SKA No. 028, No. 0112 and No. 0124 received people from the pier at the 35th battery and left for the Caucasus. While crossing, they were intercepted by four enemy torpedo boats and a fierce battle began. One of the TKAs was damaged, SKA No. 0124 sank, and SKA No. 028 managed to break through. SKA No. 0112 received significant damage during the battle and lost speed. German boats approached it and everyone on board was captured by the enemy. The Germans sank the boat, and the prisoners were taken to Yalta. 31 people were captured, including General Novikov. On the morning of July 2, five boats left Novorossiysk. By the morning of July 3, they approached Sevastopol and, despite enemy fire, took on board the defenders of Sevastopol: 79 people were carried by SKA No. 019, 55 people were on SKA No. 038, 108 people were carried by SKA No. 082, and 90 people were carried by SKA No. 0108 (data according to SKA No. 039 are absent). On the morning of July 6, the last detachment of six boats allocated for evacuation headed to Sevastopol. At Cape Khersones they were fired upon by enemy artillery, were unable to approach the shore and returned to Novorossiysk without any survivors. The remaining defenders of the fortress surrendered. Thus ended the 250-day defense of Sevastopol.

To eliminate damage, carry out repairs and modernize boats of the MO-4 type, as a rule, they were lifted by crane onto the wall. In the photographs there is a boat of the Black Sea Fleet, in the background the cruiser "Red Caucasus"

1942 and 1943 Baltic campaigns

In the spring of 1942, all work on the boats that were part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet was completed, and at the end of April they were launched. Soon they again began to be on duty on the fairways, conduct and guard trawling, accompany convoys and repel attacks by enemy boats and aircraft. The Germans tried to cut off Soviet communications and concentrated significant “mosquito” forces in the Gulf of Finland. Fighting took place almost daily, and both sides suffered losses. For example, on the evening of June 30, 1942, one of the SKA was attacked by 12 Me-109 fighters. Their attack lasted only three minutes, but the boat received significant damage. However, the skill of the Soviet boatmen grew, they carefully studied combat experience, paid at a high price. The most important task for the boats in 1942 was to escort our submarines that were breaking into the Baltic. In addition, the boats were used for reconnaissance and landing of sabotage groups.

On Ladoga there were two divisions of small hunters and they turned out to be simply irreplaceable - they drove caravans of barges with cargo for Leningrad, accompanied convoys with evacuees, carried out patrol duty, and landed scouts and saboteurs behind enemy lines. They took part in battles with ships of the enemy flotilla. On August 25, 1942, MO-206, MO-213 and MO-215 captured a Finnish boat off the island of Verkkosari. On the night of October 9, 1942, “MO-175” and “MO-214” took on an unequal battle against the enemy’s 16 BDB and 7 SKA, which planned to shell Suho Island. Actively using smoke screens, they managed to thwart the enemy's plans. Unfortunately, in this battle, “MO-175” was lost with almost its entire crew. Three sailors were captured. "MO-171" distinguished itself on October 22, 1942 during the defense of Suho Island from landing forces. Two Soviet ships and a three-gun battery on the island were opposed by 23 enemy ships, but their attacks were repulsed and the landing force was dropped into the waters of Ladoga. After this, the activity of the enemy flotilla sharply decreased. Our flotilla continued to increase the pace of transportation. This made it possible to accumulate reserves and break the blockade in January 1943.

Winter 1942-43 Red Banner Baltic Fleet boats were held in Kronstadt. The situation was not as difficult as during the first winter of the siege. This made it possible not only to “patch up” the hulls, repair all mechanisms and engines, but also to carry out minor modernization of a number of boats. They tried to strengthen their armament - local craftsmen placed a second pair of DShK machine guns in front of the wheelhouse, the ammunition capacity increased, and some boats received improvised structural protection (in the form of iron sheets 5-8 mm thick). New hydroacoustics were installed on some of the boats.

The ice drift had not yet ended, but the boats had already been launched and began patrol duty. The Germans reliably blocked our fleet in the Marquis Puddle - in 1943, not a single Soviet submarine managed to break through to the Baltic. The main burden of protecting our communications fell on the crews of torpedo boats, armored boats, minesweepers and small hunters. The battles took place every day and were fought with great ferocity: the enemy tried to attack our convoys with large forces, actively used aviation and laid mines on our fairways. For example, on May 23, 1943, MO-207 and MO-303 repelled an attack by thirteen Finnish boats. This battle was even described in the Sovinformburo report. A fierce battle took place on June 2 between five Finnish boats and six MoD boats. On July 21, four Finnish TKAs attacked two MOs, but the enemy failed to sink any of them. The Finns were forced to retreat. German historian J. Meister Fr.

At the Black Sea

After the fall of Sevastopol, the situation on the Black Sea worsened: the Wehrmacht was rushing to the Caucasus, our fleet lost most of its bases and was locked in several small ports, it did not take active actions. The brunt of the fighting fell on the submarines and the “mosquito” fleet, which provided military transportation, landed saboteurs and reconnaissance groups, hunted enemy submarines, laid mine banks and carried out trawling. In these operations, MO type boats were simply irreplaceable. Their crews tried their best to

efforts to increase the combat capabilities of their ships: they strengthened additional weapons, permanent and removable armor with a thickness of 5-8 mm (on the navigation bridge, on the tank and on the sides in the area of ​​gas tanks). Several MO boats were equipped with four- and six-barrel RS-82TB rocket launchers and eight-barrel 8-M-8 rocket launchers. They were actively used in the Black Sea both in battles with enemy boats and against targets on the shore during landing operations. For example, at the end of 1942, SKA No. 044 and No. 084 in the area of ​​​​Cape Zhelezny Rog fired at a German PC battery. After three eight-round salvoes it was suppressed.

This made it possible to land a reconnaissance group ashore. In total in 1942-43. on the Black Sea, 2514 PCs were consumed by boats.

"MO-215" in the open exhibition of the "Road of Life" museum. Photos from the late 80s.

The Black Sea Defense Ministry took the most active part in multiple landing operations - in South Ozereyka, Malaya Zemlya, the Taman Peninsula, and the Kerch-Eltigen landing operation. The boats made the greatest contribution to the success of the Novorossiysk landing operation. Large ships were not involved in it, and everything had to be done by the boatmen of the “mosquito” fleet. Each of the 12 MO-4 boats was supposed to take 50-60 paratroopers on board and tow two or three motorboats or longboats with paratroopers to the landing site. In one flight, one such “hitch” delivered up to 160 paratroopers with weapons and ammunition. At 02.44 on September 10, 1943, boats, batteries and aircraft attacked the port with torpedoes, bombs, PCs and artillery fire. The port was well fortified, and the Germans opened hurricane aimed artillery and mortar fire on the boats, but the landing of three landing troops began. SKA No. 081 was damaged during the breakthrough into the port, but landed 53 paratroopers on the Elevatornaya pier. SKA No. 0141 was rammed into the port side of SKA No. 0108, which lost control, but landed 67 Marines on the Old Passenger Pier. SKA No. 0111 broke into Novorossiysk without losses and landed 68 paratroopers at pier No. 2. SKA No. 031, under enemy fire, broke through to pier No. 2 and landed 64 marines. SKA No. 0101 landed 64 paratroopers at pier No. 5, and on the way back, towed out the damaged SKA No. 0108 from under fire. SKA No. 0812 “Sea Soul” failed to break into the port, was damaged by enemy artillery fire, a fire started on board, and the boat was forced to return to Gelendzhik. After the landing of the paratroopers, the surviving boats began delivering ammunition and reinforcements to the bridgehead and protecting communications. Fleet historian BC Biryuk wrote about this landing: “The Novorossiysk operation became an example of courage and determination, courage and courage of sailors from small hunters, who fought selflessly and valiantly and showed extraordinary military skill.” It is no coincidence that the commander of the Black Sea Fleet issued an order to welcome small hunters returning to Poti after the completion of the Novorossiysk landing operation by forming the crews of all ships of the squadron.

In the history of our fleet there are many feats accomplished by crews of small hunters. Let's talk about one of them. On March 25, 1943, SKA No. 065 accompanied the Achilleon transport, which was heading to Tuapse. There was a strong storm at sea, the waves reached 7 points. The transport was attacked by German aircraft, but the boat managed to repel all their attacks and prevented them from attacking the target. Then the German aces decided to eliminate the obstacle and switched to the boat. They launched “star” attacks, but the boat commander, Senior Lieutenant P.P. Sivenko managed to evade all the bombs and did not receive any direct hits. The boat received about 200 holes from shrapnel and shells, the stem was broken, the wheelhouse shifted, tanks and pipelines were broken, the engines stalled, the trim on the bow reached 15 degrees. Losses amounted to 12 sailors. The planes used up their ammunition and flew away, but on the boat they started up their engines and caught up with the transport. For this battle, the entire crew was awarded orders and medals, and the boat was converted into a Guards boat. This is the only boat of the USSR Navy to receive such an honor.

In September 1944, the war on the Black Sea ended, but the MO-4 boats had to carry out two more honorable missions. In November 1944, the squadron returned to Sevastopol. During the transition to the main fleet base, she was accompanied by numerous MO-4 boats. In February 1945, MO-4 type boats were involved in sea protection of the Livadia Palace, where the Yalta Allied Conference took place. For their contribution to the defeat of Germany, the Order of the Red Banner was awarded to the 1st and 4th Novorossiysk, 5th and 6th Kerch divisions of small hunters. Ten Heroes of the Soviet Union fought in the Black Sea Defense Forces.

Final battles in the Baltic

In 1944-45, the situation on the Baltic Sea changed: our troops liberated Leningrad, launched an offensive on all fronts, and there were battles for the liberation of the Baltic states. Finland emerged from the war, and Red Banner Baltic Fleet ships began to actively use its bases. But the large ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet remained in Leningrad and Kronstadt, and only submarines and the “mosquito” fleet fought. The communications of the Baltic Fleet were stretched, the amount of cargo transported grew, and the load on the Ministry of Defense boats increased. They were still entrusted with guarding convoys, escorting submarines, landing troops, providing minesweeping and fighting Finnish and German submarines. The Germans began to actively use submarines to operate on our communications. On July 30, 1944, MO-105 was sunk by a German submarine in the Bjorkesund Strait. “MO-YUZ” under the command of Senior Lieutenant A.P. set out from Koivisto to search for her. Kolenko. Arriving at the scene, he rescued 7 sailors from the crew of the sunken boat and began searching for the submarine. The area was shallow, but the boat was not located. Only in the evening did the smoke-screening boat KM-910 report that the boat had surfaced. "MO-YuZ" attacked it and dropped several series of depth charges (8 large and 5 small) onto the dive site. A strong explosion occurred under the water, various objects began to float, and the surface of the water was covered with a layer of fuel. And soon six submariners surfaced. They were captured and taken to the base. During interrogation, the commander of the submarine “11-250” said that the boat was armed with the latest T-5 homing torpedoes. She was raised to the surface, transferred to Kronstadt, docked and torpedoes removed. Their design was studied, and Soviet designers came up with means to neutralize them. On January 9, 1945, near Tallinn, MOI24 sank the submarine U-679.

For their contribution to the defeat of Germany, the 1st division of the Ministry of Defense boats became the Guards, and the 5th and 6th divisions were awarded the Order of the Red Banner. Three Heroes of the Soviet Union fought on the Baltic boats of the Ministry of Defense.

Memory

After the end of the war, the surviving MO-4 boats were transferred to the border guard. They continued to serve as part of it until the end of the 50s. Then they were all written off and dismantled. In memory of them, only the color feature film “Sea Hunter” remained, released in 1954. A real “midge” was filmed in it. But the glorious deeds of the midge crews during the Great Patriotic War were not forgotten. This is a great merit of the veterans who collected letters, memories, photographs and other relics of the war years. On a voluntary basis, they created rooms of military glory, small museums, and published articles about the glorious deeds of the boatmen.

It is especially worth noting the activities of Igor Petrovich Chernyshev, who spent the entire war riding “midges” in the Baltic. At first he was a senior mate, then he commanded a boat and a formation

boats. He took part in many battles and was wounded several times. After the war, he collected materials about the participation of Red Banner Baltic Fleet boats in the war. His articles were published in the newspapers “Red Star”, “Soviet Fleet” and “Red Banner Baltic Fleet”, the magazines “Soviet Sailor”, “Soviet Warrior” and “Model Designer”. In 1961, his memoirs “On the Sea Hunter” were published, in 1981 “About Friends and Comrades.”

Vladimir Sergeevich Biryuk devoted his entire life to studying the combat activities of small hunters of the Black Sea Fleet. During the war, he served on "MO-022" and took part in the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol, battles for the Caucasus, naval

landings. He published articles in the magazine “Boats and Yachts” and the collection “Gangut”. In 2005, his fundamental research “Always Ahead” was published. Small hunters in the war on the Black Sea. 1941-1944.” He noted that historians paid undeservedly little attention to the actions of the Defense Ministry and tried to fill this gap.

With the help of veteran boat pilots, the USSR managed to preserve two small hunters of the MO-4 type. The Guards "MO-065" of the Black Sea Fleet was installed on "Malaya Zemlya" in Novorossiysk. At the Road of Life Museum in the village of Osinovets, Leningrad Region, they installed the MO-125 of the Ladoga Flotilla. Unfortunately, time is merciless, and now there is a real threat of losing these unique relics of the Great Patriotic War. We must not allow this to happen; our descendants will not forgive us for this.

In such a terrible state is the last surviving small hunter “MO-215” of the MO-4 type in the “Road of Life” museum, the village of Osinovets, Leningrad region, November 2011. By now, all the weapons have been removed from the boat, part of the deck has collapsed, the wheelhouse is destroyed. Of particular concern are hull deflections in the wheelhouse area. This may lead to the loss of a unique relic from the Great Patriotic War

Part III American hunters for submarines of the RS and SC types

Part III American hunters for submarines of the RS and SC types

Large hunter of American construction type SC as part of the USSR Navy. Pacific Fleet, Sovetskaya Gavan. 1951

In 1937, the US Navy announced a competition for the best design of large and small submarine hunters, in which design teams from both the Bureau of Construction and Repair and private shipbuilding firms took part.

The project of the representative of the Shipbuilding Department, Captain A.L., was recognized as the best. Swossey. His hunter “SC-453” (SC - Submarine Chaser) was adopted as a model for the construction of one of the largest series of warships during the Second World War. The new ship was superior to its prototype, the “110-foot hunter” of the First World War, in width and had a significantly greater displacement - 136 tons, at full load instead of 85 tons. The main power plant of two aviation (airship) diesel engines of the “pancake” type with a power of 1200 hp each each provided speeds of up to 22 knots instead of 18 for the old hunters. However, difficulties with the mass supply of these diesel engines led to the fact that more than half of all SCs built (231 out of 438 units) had to be equipped with two 500 hp diesel engines. s, which allowed it to reach speeds of up to 16 knots, which was less than the surface speed of most submarines of that period.

The new hunter was also made in a wooden body, which was reinforced in the middle part with steel elements to ensure the installation of diesel engines. Flatter contours of the stern end made it possible to reduce water resistance at high speeds.

The ship's gun armament initially included one light but versatile gun mount with a 76mm gun measuring just 23 calibers in length, although World War II submarines were armed with guns with much higher ballistic qualities. In this regard, already in 1943, a different composition of artillery weapons was adopted: one 76-mm universal deck artillery mount with a 50-caliber gun and three 20-mm Oerlikon machine guns. However, the very next year the 76-mm artillery mount was replaced by a 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft machine gun, which had a much higher fire performance.

At the same time as the artillery, the hunters' anti-submarine weapons were also strengthened. In 1942, in the USA, based on the image of the English rod bomb launcher "Hedgehog" ("Hedgehog"), they developed a lightweight jet bomb launcher "Mousetrap" ("Mousetrap") especially for small anti-submarine ships and boats. This bomb launcher was extremely simple in its design - four jet depth charges weighing 39 kg each were placed on a stationary folding steel frame of the launcher and fired in a salvo at a distance of up to 300 m. The dispersion of bombs in a salvo reached 75 m. The explosion occurred when the impact contact fuse of one from bombs only if it hits the submarine hull directly.

Bibliography[edit]

• Gardiner, Robert, Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906–1921,
  Conway Maritime Press, 1985. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Gardiner, Robert and Chenault, Roger,
  Conway's
  All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946
  , Conway Maritime Press, 1980. ISBN 0-83170-303-2.
• Watts, Anthony J., "Japanese Warships of the Second World War", Doubleday, 1966. ISBN 0-385-09189-3.
• Wright, C. C. (2005). "Question 9/03: USN Subscriber Sales After World War I." Warship International
  .
  XLII
  (1): 17–20. ISSN 0043-0374.

torpedo boat

The main characters of the game, there are a great many of them in “Sea Hunter”. The boats do not carry large-caliber guns (their size does not allow them), so they fight each other at short distances. The outcome of the fight depends primarily on the displacement and armament of the boat. A flimsy TKA with its machine gun will last against a snailboat (three machine guns and one anti-aircraft gun) for a maximum of twenty seconds. To destroy large ships, boats have at least two torpedoes. The most dangerous opponents are cruisers. Firstly, they have power on their side. Secondly, they are fast and maneuverable enough to evade torpedoes.

Destroyer

Destroyers are almost always part of a transport convoy, because hunting for transport is a favorite pastime of torpedo boats, and it is against them that destroyers perform best. Thanks to the presence of artillery pieces, they can support the main fleet in major battles. For accurate shooting, it is not necessary to see the enemy - it is enough that reconnaissance indicates his coordinates. A battle between two destroyers is like a game of roulette: it is almost impossible to predict who will win. But a cruiser can cope with a destroyer without much difficulty.

Don't drop anchor

The missions are surprisingly varied: guarding transport convoys or attacks on them, reconnaissance and rescue operations, large-scale naval battles and daring forays against superior enemy forces. You will even have to play the role of a floating target, maneuvering between enemy cruisers on a dark night and pointing out targets for bombers with a searchlight. This activity becomes especially extreme at the highest level of difficulty. Depending on the type of mission, the methods for completing them vary. Reconnaissance or jewelry maneuvering is impossible in the strategic mode, just as commanding a squadron is impossible in the simulator mode. The peculiarity of the game is that to complete almost any task you will have to use both.

However, there was one unfortunate mistake: the allied troops, left unattended, behaved too passively. If you get carried away with shooting the enemy yourself, you risk finding yourself in splendid isolation among your enemies. Every boat needs an eye and an eye: their captains do not know how to make even the most basic decisions, except to shoot at the enemy if he is in the affected area. They cannot direct the crew's forces to repair the hull or engine, nor can they maneuver during enemy fire. You have to poke your finger in everyone’s forehead, explaining where to sail, what to repair and who to attack.

Of course, willful AI in a game where the choice of tactics means victory or death is also useless. But why not let the player customize the rules of battle? Many problems with micromanagement could be solved with the help of a series of instructions to captains: how to behave in a given situation. All this is still easy to do in the next patch.

But no patch can correct the lack of entertainment and unpredictability. In peacetime, “Sea Hunter” looks charming: “Akella” has always been able to make beautiful sea games. There is also no need to worry about the appearance of the ships; they are as similar as possible to real prototypes. Even the number of crew members corresponds to historical realities. Ships literally cut through the water, generate new waves, boats rock beautifully on these waves - in a word, everything looks as realistic as possible.

However, when the battle begins and attention is occupied by flashes of gunfire and explosions, it turns out that here “Hunter” is outright losing even to Silent Hunter 4

. Yes, ships break in two when hit by a torpedo, roll beautifully to one side, and panicked sailors jump into the water.

But when you’ve been frowning over a map for ten minutes, you want the result of your planned actions to be amazing. I want a naval extravaganza, fire and gnashing, thunder and lightning! And so that the roar of a 200-mm cannon hitting a target would cause everyone within a kilometer radius to have their ears blocked. Nothing like that happens. Due to the fact that the game’s appearance, to put it mildly, is not fascinating, you begin to turn your head around, very inappropriately for its authors. And then it turns out that some missions are clearly drawn out and too monotonous. Having a vehicle at 10 knots (that's about 20 km/h) trudge across half the map to a safe zone is almost guaranteed to get boring - it's just not impressive enough. You can, of course, enable time compression, but even if you speed up the game four times, you sometimes have to sit in front of the monitor for several minutes doing nothing.

Links[edit]

1. 2 engine, dailymail
2. dailymail
3. Vincent, James (8 April 2016). “The US Navy's new autonomous warship is called Sea Hunter. Edge. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
4. ^ ab News, Elliot (7 April 2016). "Oregon Military-Built Drone Ship Heads to California". Oregonian
   . Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
5. ↑ ab DARPA Autonomous Sub-Tracker Archived May 8, 2016 on the Wayback Machine - Copybook.com. Military, April 11, 2016
6. ^ abc Navy Anti-Submarine Drone Ship Tests Mine Hunting - Defensesystems.com, May 4, 2022
7. Pellerin, Cheryl (8 April 2016). “The Work: Robotic Warship Demonstrates Advances in Autonomy, Human-Machine Interaction” (press release). US Department of Defense. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
8. ACTUV is on its way to becoming a Navy success story. Archived December 31, 2016, on the Wayback Machine - C4ISRnet.com, December 21, 2016.
9. ^ abc Christopher P. Kawas (April 7, 2016). "Unmanned submarine hunter to begin test program". Defense News
   . Gannett. Retrieved April 8, 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
10. ^ ab Stewart, Phil (April 8, 2016). "US military dubs unmanned warship 'Sea Hunter'". Reuters. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
11. Trials ACTUV sea Set for early 2016 archived 2015-11-14 in the Wayback Machine - Science.DoDlive.mil, November 9, 2015
12. Rhianna
    Westcott, Lucy (April 8, 2016).
    "Meet 'Sea Hunter,' the US Navy's robotic, self-driving warship". Newsweek
    . Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
13. ACTUV.
14. Leidos completes initial performance testing of an autonomous unmanned surface vessel. Archived August 7, 2016, on the Wayback Machine - Navyrecognition.com, July 27, 2016.
15. Sutton, H. I. "New Evidence of a Chinese Replica USV Sea Hunter USV". www.hisutton.com
    . Hello Sutton. Retrieved October 16, 2022. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

Transport

In wartime, they risk walking without protection only near their native shores. As practice shows, it is in vain: nimble boats are capable of unnoticedly penetrating enemy waters and sinking transport ships with impunity. The transport has no chance of escaping a torpedo: its scanty speed and zero maneuverability guarantee an almost 100% hit. Some cargo ships are prudently equipped with a couple of heavy machine guns. It’s better not to get closer than a kilometer to such ones - they can scratch the casing.

Cruiser

The cruiser is too slow and clumsy to pose a serious threat to torpedo boats. For the same reason, it becomes a good target for torpedoes. The cruiser has a chance to escape from the underwater “gift” only if the patrols notice it in advance. Otherwise, a hole is guaranteed. However, if for a destroyer one torpedo means certain death, then a cruiser, thanks to its huge displacement, can withstand two or even three hits. In battles, he supports other ships, preferring to sit in the rear and hit targets from a distance with his huge cannons.

Aircraft

There are two types in the game: fighters and bombers. The former are good for intercepting and destroying torpedo boats, while the latter are excellent at dealing with large ships. Airplanes are fragile, but they are very difficult to hit. And if fighters need to descend to a low altitude to attack, where it is much easier to shoot them down, then bombers pose a serious problem for almost all ships. Only destroyers can somehow protect themselves - they are maneuverable and usually have anti-aircraft guns. But planes don’t like bad weather, and they only have enough fuel for sorties off the coast.