T43-class minesweeper

The T43 class were a group of minesweepers built for the Soviet Navy and Soviet allies in the 1950s and 1960s. The Soviet designation was Project 254.

ORP Dzik a minesweeper of the Polish Navy
Class overview
Name: T43 class (Project 254)
Operators:
Preceded by: Fugas-class minesweeper
Succeeded by: T58 class minesweeper
Built: 1948-1960?
In commission: 1948?-1990?
Completed: 178
Retired: 178 ?
General characteristics
Displacement: 500 tons standard, 569 tons full load
Length: 58 meters
Beam: 8.5 meters
Draught: 2.15 meters
Draft: 2.30 meters [1]
Propulsion: diesel engines 2200 hp
Speed: 14 knots (26 km/h)
Range: 3,800 nautical miles (7,037.6 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Crew: 70 (10 officers)
Armament:
  • 4 37mm guns (2x2)
  • 2 12.7mm machine guns
  • 1 depth charge thrower
  • up to 32 mines
  • Sweeps MT-1, MTSh

Design

The design specification was issued in 1946 and the design was approved in 1948. The ships were built with steel hulls which were degaussed but no specific attempt was made to reduce electrical or acoustic signature. Several versions were produced:

  • Project 254 K (1952)- new MT-2 minesweeping gear, fitted with radar
  • Project 254 M (1955)- deep mechanical sweep, acoustic and magnetic sweeps, more modern ASW mortars, 25mm guns replace 12.7mm machine guns, variable-pitch propellers
  • Project 245 A (1957) - provided with NBC protection, with pressurised central space to keep out fall out
  • Project 254 PGR (sometimes referred to as Project 254 V) - KVN-50 class radar picket ship fitted with a Knife Rest or Big Net radar installation - 20 conversions from 1956
  • Project 258 (1956) - KVN-6 class radar picket ship fitted with Kaktus radar or later (Project 258M) modified with Rubka radar - 14 conversions from 1977
  • Project 513 - patrol boat for the Border Guard

Ships

A total of 178 ships were built

  • Kamysh Borun yard Kerch built 61 ships
  • Polish yards built 12 ships
  • Izhora Leningrad built over 100
  • About 20 were built under licence in China

Exports
  • Albania - 2 ships (1960)
  • Algeria - 2 ships (1968)
  • Bulgaria - 3 ships (1953)
  • China - 4 ships 1955 (plus 20 built in China as the Type 010 class minesweeper)
  • Cuba - 3 ships
  • Egypt - 7 ships (1954-1957)
  • Ghana - 3 ships (1961–63)
  • Indonesia - 6 ships (1962)
  • Iraq - 2 ships 1969
  • Myanmar = 3 ships bought between 1965 and 1967, 4 donated between 1969 and 1972. 1 sunk in accident in Bay of Bengal in 1996, rest scrapped between 2006 and 2009.
  • Poland - built 12 ships under licence
  • Syria - 2 ships

One Syrian T-43 was sunk by the Israeli Navy during the Battle of Latakia. One or two Albanian and six Egyptian T-43s are active. All other T-43s are believed to have been retired.

See also

References
  1. Couhat Jean. Combat Fleets of the world 1982/1983 Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament Paris: Editions Maritimes et d'Outre-Mer, 1981 ISBN 0-87021-125-0 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-50192

Bibliography

Gardiner, Robert (ed.) (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. London: Conway Maritime. ISBN 0-85177-605-1. OCLC 34284130.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link) Also published as Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7. OCLC 34267261.

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