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Fugas-class minesweeper

Summary

The Fugas class (named for Fougasse) were a group of minesweepers built for the Soviet Navy in the 1930s and 1940s. The Soviet designations were Project 3, Project 53, Project 53-U and Project 58.

Project 53-U vessel T-206 Verp
Class overview
NameFugas class (Project 3)
Operators
Succeeded byT43-class minesweeper
Built1933–1946
In commission1936–1961
Completed44
Lost19
Retired25
General characteristics
Displacement490–535 tons
Length62 meters
Beam7.41 meters
Draft2.5 meters
Installed power2x1,400 hp (1,000 kW)
Propulsiondiesel engines driving dual screws
Speed17.5 knots (32 km/h)
Range7,200 nmi (13,300 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Complement52–61
Armament
  • Main guns:
    • 1 x 100 mm naval cannon B-24 M1936
  • Anti-aircraft artillery
  • Machine guns
    • 2 x 12.7mm DK machine gun
    • 2–4 x DShK machine gun (1942 upgrade in Baltic and Pacific fleets)
    • 2 x M2 Browning machine gun (1942 upgrade in Pacific Fleet)
  • Anti-submarine equipment:
  • Mine warfare equipment:
    • 21–31 tethered naval mines M1926

Design edit

The design specification was issued in 1930 and the design was approved in 1931. The project numbers (3, 53, 53-U or 58) were retroactively applied in 1939.

The ships were built with steel hulls using a mixed welding and riveted construction. Crew section was additionally coated by wood laminate for the thermal isolation. The vessel interior was split into nine water-proof compartments. Vessels were intended to be very habitable in long voyages, with central heating, sauna and even cinema apparatus.

Mine-sweeping equipment consisted of three towed trails. Various attempts to fit the leading trails were not successful. Also, the magnetic trails were fitted starting from 1944, followed soon by acoustic trails. Survivability against magnetic-sensing mines was provided by 3-section degaussing coils.

Wartime operation have resulted in several field modifications, of which typical the increase of anti-aircraft armaments, usually at the expense of the amount of carried mines and artillery shells – due to the limited stability of the vessel. The turnover maximal recovering force angle was just 38 degrees with standard load.

The crew was also provided with small arms (one Degtyaryov machine gun and 15 rifles) for the onshore fire support. Finally, the minesweepers were capable to carry up to ten 45mm anti-tank guns and up to 600 infantry with light armament.[1]

The design was considered generally satisfactory, the design flaws resulting in reduced seaworthiness, survivability and insufficient stability being gradually rectified in later sub-types. The intrinsic problems of relatively poor maneuverability and draft too deep for minesweeper (resulting in frequent vessel destruction in minefields) were impossible to fix though.

Several versions were produced:

  • Project 3 (1930) – 8 vessels, crew complement 52 men.
  • Project 53 (1933) – 10 vessels, rigid ballast, improvement of steering gear, doors and hatches
  • Project 53-U (1937) – 17 vessels, widened hull, increased AA guns, crew complement 66 men
  • Project 58 (1937) – 7 vessels, improved compartmentalization and stability, better diesel engines rated to 1,600 horsepower (1,200 kW) each

Ships edit

A total of 44 ships were built, although 2 latest ships were never completed to minesweeper specifications. The vessels with a single-digit designations (T-1 to T-8) were assigned to Pacific Fleet, T-201 to T-221 – to the Baltic fleet, and T-401 to T-415 – to the Black Sea fleet.[2]

Name Sub-class ?Launched Commissioned Fate Comments
T-1 Strela Project 53 10/5/1935 13/8/1938 retired
T-2 Tros Project 53 22/5/1935 25/9/1938 retired transferred to North Korea
T-3 Podsekatel Project 53 16/9/1935 14/11/1938 retired
T-4 Provodnik Project 53 30/6/1935 4/12/1938 retired
T-5 Paravan Project 58 15/3/1937 30/12/1938 retired
T-6 Kapsyul Project 58 21/3/1937 30/1/1939 retired
T-7 Veha Project 53 30/12/1936 8/9/1938 sunk sunk in storm in 1949
T-8 Cheka Project 53 27/12/1936 2/11/1938 retired transferred to North Korea in December 1953
T-201 Zaryad Project 3 12/10/1933 26/12/1936 sunk VT-509 transport was damaged by same mine which sank Zaryad[3]
T-202 Buj Project 3 12/12/1933 11/8/1938 sunk sunk by German E-boat[4]
T-203 Patron Project 3 28/12/1933 4/7/1938 sunk
T-204 Fugas Project 3 5/1/1934 10/12/1936 sunk the mine laid by Fugas sunk the German submarine chaser Uj-113 Nordmark[5][6]
T-205 Gafel Project 53-U 11/10/1937 21/7/1939 retired severely damaged during Gauntlet in the Gulf of Finland
T-206 Verp Project 53-U 12/10/1937 17/6/1939 sunk
T-207 Shpil Project 53-U 17/11/1937 23/9/1939 retired
T-208 Shkiv Project 53-U 18/11/1937 12/10/1939 sunk sunk by German E-boats S-35 and S-60.
T-209 Kneht Project 53-U 16/6/1938 3/6/1940 sunk
T-210 Gak Project 53-U 8/8/1938 14/11/1939 retired sunk and raised in 1944
T-211 Rym Project 53-U 21/9/1938 25/6/1940 retired
T-212 Shtag Project 53-U 6/6/1938 26/7/1940 sunk
T-213 Krambol Project 53-U 26/8/1938 30/11/1939 sunk
T-214 Bugel Project 53-U 26/8/1938 29/6/1940 sunk sunk 28 August 1941 by mine together with 34 other vessels in Gauntlet in the Gulf of Finland
T-215 Project 53-U 23/4/1939 30/9/1940 retired refitted as floating barracks PKZ-33 in 1961
T-216 Project 53-U 17/9/1939 24/12/1940 sunk sunk 28 August 1941 by mine together with 34 other vessels in Gauntlet in the Gulf of Finland
T-217 Kontr-admiral Yurkovsyu Project 53-U 21/9/1939 5/8/1941 retired scrapped in 1961
T-218 Project 53-U 20/3/1939 23/12/1940 retired refitted as experimental vessel OS-9 in 1957
T-219 Kontr-admiral Horoshhin Project 53-U 27/4/1941 25/9/1944 retired refitted as experimental vessel in 1956
T-220 Tral Project 53-U 10/4/1941 16/10/1946 retired
T-221 Project 53-U 10/4/1941 6/6/1946 retired renamed "Dmitry Lysov" upon completion
T-401 Tral Project 3 5/11/1933 23/12/1936 sunk sunk as target in 1955
T-402 Minrep Project 3 5/11/1933 28/1/1937 sunk
T-403 Gruz Project 3 20/3/1934 25/7/1937 sunk
T-404 Sshit Project 3 17/1/1934 25/7/1937 retired mines of Sshit and Yakor have sunk 1 German minelayer and 2 minesweepers
T-405 Vzryvatel Project 53 11/8/1936 27/4/1938 sunk heavily damaged by artillery and sank in storm
T-406 Iskatel Project 53 19/9/1936 29/4/1938 retired refitted as experimental vessel in 1954 and survived until 1990
T-407 Mina Project 53 22/12/1936 19/8/1938 retired refitted as training vessel in 1956, scrapped in 1992
T-408 Yakor Project 58 28/3/1937 15/2/1939 retired mines of Sshit and Yakor have sunk 1 German minelayer and 2 minesweepers
T-409 Garpoon Project 58 27/4/1937 20/2/1939 retired scrapped in 1960
T-410 Vzryv Project 58 29/4/1937 9/3/1939 sunk sinking of Vzryv by German U-19 was a pretext for the Soviets seizing the Romanian fleet in September 1944
T-411 Zasshitnik Project 53 10/8/1936 31/7/1938 sunk
T-412 Arseniy Raskin Project 58 13/4/1939 3/3/1941 retired scrapped in 1957
T-413 Project 58 29/4/1939 21/4/1941 sunk raised and scrapped in 1947
T-414 unique 3/1/1941 17/9/1945 retired was assigned to fleet rebuild/repair query but was never complete
T-415 unique 20/3/1941 5/11/1947 retired built as training vessel UTS-255 after attempted demolition in 1942[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Платонов А. В. Энциклопедия советских надводных кораблей, 1941–1945 / А. В. Платонов. — СПб.: ООО «Издательство Полигон», 2002. — 640 с. — 5 000 экз. — ISBN 5-89173-178-9.
  2. ^ Rohwer & Monakov, p. 137
  3. ^ D.A. Bertke, D. Kindell, G. Smith, "WORLD WAR II SEA WAR VOLUME 4 GERMANY SENDS RUSSIA TO THE ALLIES. Day-to-Day Naval Actions from June 1941 through November 1941", p. 175
  4. ^ D.A. Bertke, D. Kindell, G. Smith, "WORLD WAR II SEA WAR VOLUME 4 GERMANY SENDS RUSSIA TO THE ALLIES. Day-to-Day Naval Actions from June 1941 through November 1941", p. 176
  5. ^ Diving club Divesport, Корабль Nr2 (UJ – 113, Nordmark)
  6. ^ D.A. Bertke, D. Kindell, G. Smith, "WORLD WAR II SEA WAR VOLUME 4 GERMANY SENDS RUSSIA TO THE ALLIES. Day-to-Day Naval Actions from June 1941 through November 1941", p. 114
  7. ^ Тип "Фугас". Т-415

Further reading edit

  • Rohwer, Jürgen & Monakov, Mikhail S. (2001). Stalin's Ocean-Going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programs 1935–1953. London: Frank Cass. ISBN 0-7146-4895-7.
  • Yakubov, Vladimir & Worth, Richard (2016). "The Soviet Fugas-class Minesweepers". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2016. London: Conway. pp. 99–110. ISBN 978-1-84486-326-6.

External links edit

  • Fugas-type minesweeper – type description and vessels list Archived 2019-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
  • Soviet navy minesweepers: Минно-тральные корабли
  • List of Soviet navy minesweepers: Cоветское оружие времен Второй Мировой Войны Тральщики

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