Fugas-class minesweeper
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 | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Fugas class (Project 3) |
| Operators: | |
| Succeeded by: | T43 class minesweeper |
| Built: | 1933–1946 |
| In commission: | 1936–1961 |
| Completed: | 44 |
| Lost: | 19 |
| Retired: | 25 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 490–535 tons |
| Length: | 62 meters |
| Beam: | 7.41 meters |
| Draft: | 2.5 meters |
| Installed power: | 2x1,400 hp (1,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: | diesel engines driving dual screws |
| Speed: | 17.5 knots (32 km/h) |
| Range: | 7,200 nmi (13,300 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 52–61 |
| Armament: |
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Design
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
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] |
References
- 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.
- Mikhail Monakov, Jurgen Rohwer, "Stalin's Ocean-going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programs 1935–1953", p.137
- 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
- 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
- Diving club Divesport, Корабль Nr2 (UJ – 113, Nordmark)
- 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
- Тип "Фугас". Т-415
Further reading
- Mikhail Monakov; Jurgen Rohwer (2012). Stalin's Ocean-going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programs, 1935–53. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-32191-7.