Orfey-class destroyer

The Orfey-class destroyers were built for the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. They were modified versions of the earlier destroyer Novik and the Derzky-class destroyers. These ships were larger, had triple torpedo tubes and an extra 102 mm (4 in) gun. One ship, Engels, was fitted with a 305 mm (12 in) recoilless rifle for testing in 1934. Fourteen ships were completed in 1914–1917 and fought in World War I and during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The survivors fought in World War II.

Engels (ex-Desna)
Class overview
Operators:
Preceded by: Novik
Succeeded by: Izyaslav class
In commission: 1914–1956
Planned: 23
Completed: 16
Lost: 9
Retired: 7
General characteristics (as built)
Type: Destroyer
Displacement:
  • 1,260 tons (standard)
  • 1,440 tons (full load)
Length: 98 m (321 ft 6 in)
Beam: 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Draught: 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Installed power:
Propulsion: 2 shaft; 2 steam turbines
Speed: 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Complement: 150
Armament:

Ships

Built at the Putilov yard, St Petersburg

Ship Launched Fate
Kapitan Belli
renamed Karl Liebknecht		 29 Oct 1915 Transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet. Broken up 1950s
Kapitan Izylmetev
renamed Lenin		 4 Nov 1914 Scuttled 24 June 1941 at Liepāja, Latvia while under repair
Kapitan Kern
renamed Rykov		 27 Aug 1915 Transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet. Broken up 1950s
Kapitan Konon-Zotov 23 Oct 1915 Broken up incomplete 1923
Kapitan Kroun 5 Aug 1916 Broken up incomplete 1923
Kapitan I ranga Miklucha Maklai
renamed Spartak (1917)
renamed Vambola
renamed Almirante Villar		 27 Aug 1915 Captured by the British in 1918, given to the Estonian Navy and sold by the Estonians to Peru in 1933. Scrapped in 1954 ref
Lieutenant Dubasov 9 Sep 1916 Broken up incomplete 1923
Lieutenant Ilin
renamed Voikov		 28 Nov 1914 transferred to the Soviet Pacific Fleet. Broken up 1950s

Built at Metal Works, St Petersburg (Petrograd)

Ship Launched Fate
Orfey 5 Jun 1916 Broken up 1929, after sustaining irreparable mine damage in 1917
Azard
renamed Zinoviev in 1922
renamed Artem in 1928		 5 Jun 1916 Sank British submarine L55 during the Russian Civil War, sunk 28 August 1941 by mines
Desna
renamed Engels		 4 Nov 1915 Sunk 25 Aug 1941 by mines
Grom 5 Jun 1915 Sunk 14 Oct 1917, during the Battle of Moon Sound
Letun 4 Nov 1915 Broken up 1925, after sustaining irreparable mine damage in 1916, Mine was laid by SM UC-27
Pobiditel
renamed Volodarski		 5 Nov 1914 Sunk 28 August 1941
Samson
renamed Stalin		 5 Jun 1915 transferred to the Soviet Pacific fleet via the Arctic in 1936, Broken up 1953
Zabiyaka
renamed Uritski		 5 Nov 1914 transferred to the Northern Fleet, Sunk as a target during nuclear test in 1953

Built by Russo Baltic Yard, Reval

Ship Launched Fate
Gavriil 5 Jan 1915 Helped sink British submarine L55 and three British motor boats. Sunk by mines 21 October 1919 together with sister ships Konstantin and Svoboda during an attempted sortie to support Red Army forces defending Petrograd against the advance of Yudenich's white forces. The accompanying Azard managed to manoeuvre out of the minefield but 485 men were lost.
Konstantin 12 Jun 1915 Sunk by mines 21 October 1919 in the same operation as Gavril.
Vladimir
renamed Svoboda		 18 Aug 1915 Sunk by mines 21 October 1919 in the same operation as Gavril.
Mikhail 1916 towed to Petrograd but broken up incomplete 1923
Mechislav 1916 towed to Petrograd but broken up incomplete 1923
Sokol 1917 towed to Petrograd but broken up incomplete 1923
  • Lenin
  • Pobeditel
  • Stalin ex-Samson
  • Uruitskiy

Bibliography
  • Breyer, Siegfried (1992). Soviet Warship Development: Volume 1: 1917–1937. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-604-3.
  • Budzbon, Przemysaw (1984). "Russia". In Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (eds.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 291–325. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
  • Budzbon, Przemysaw (1980). "Soviet Union". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 318–346. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-459-4.
  • Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth. ISBN 978-1-84832-100-7.
  • Hill, Alexander (2018). Soviet Destroyers of World War II. New Vanguard. 256. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-2256-7.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Watts, Anthony J. (1990). The Imperial Russian Navy. London: Arms and Armour. ISBN 0-85368-912-1.
  • Whitley, M. J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.
  • Yakubov, Vladimir & Worth, Richard (2008). Raising the Red Banner: A Pictorial History of Stalin's Fleet. Gloucestershire, UK: Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-450-1.

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