Yastreb-class guard ship

The Yastreb-class guard ships were built for the Soviet Navy as small patrol and escort ships. Fifteen out of twenty planned ships were laid down before the start of Operation Barbarossa, but only one was completed during World War II. Five others were completed after the war, but five were scrapped on the stocks at Nikolayev when it was captured by the Germans in late 1941, four were scrapped by the Soviets at Leningrad and five were cancelled before they were laid down. The postwar ships were completed to a modified design as Project 29K. One of these was transferred to the NKVD. The last of the ships was scrapped in 1975.

Yastreb
Class overview
Name: Yastreb
Operators:  Soviet Navy
Preceded by: Uragan class
Succeeded by: Kola class
Subclasses: Project 29K
Built: 1939–1951
In service: 1944–1969
Planned: 20
Completed: 6
Cancelled: 5
Lost: 9
General characteristics (Project 29)
Type: Guard ship
Displacement:
  • 842 tonnes (829 long tons; 928 short tons) (standard)
  • 995 tonnes (979 long tons; 1,097 short tons) (full load)
Length: 85.7 m (281 ft 2 in)
Beam: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)
Draught: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:
Speed: 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h)
Endurance: 2,700 nmi (5,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 112 men
Armament:

Design

The Yastreb-class guard ships were designed to replace the unsatisfactory Uragan-class guard ship that had preceded them. The Uragans had proven to be too small for the weight of their armament, too slow and bad seaboats because of their excessive top-weight. While almost twice the displacement of the older ships, the Yastrebs had only one additional main gun to minimize the type of stability problems suffered by their predecessors.

General characteristics

The Project 29 ships were longer than their predecessors, at 85.7 m (281 ft) overall. They had a beam of 8.4 m (28 ft) and at full load a draft of 2.6 m (8.5 ft). They were significantly heavier than the Uragan class; the Yastreb-class ships displaced 842 metric tons (829 long tons) at a standard load, and 995 metric tons (980 long tons) at full load, nearly twice the 457 metric tons (400 long tons) at standard load of the earlier ships.[1] The Project 29K ships had a deeper draft of 3.3 m (11 ft) at full load and they were slightly heavier than their half-sister; they displaced 905 metric tons (891 long tons) at a standard load, and 1,059 metric tons (1,040 long tons) at full load. Their crew increased to 127 men, an increase of 15 men over Yastreb.[2]

Armament

The intended main armament was three single 100 mm (3.9 in) B-34 guns, protected by gun shields, although some ships reportedly substituted three of the naval version of the 85 mm (3.3 in) 52-K anti-aircraft guns.[3] Four 12.7 mm (0.50 in) AA machine guns were also carried. The underwater armament consisted of one triple torpedo tube 456 mm (18.0 in) mount, fitted between the funnels, and up to 40 mines.[1]

Propulsion

Yastreb had 2-shaft geared steam turbines producing 23,000 shp (17,000 kW) that propelled her to 34 knots (39 mph; 63 km/h). Her endurance was 2,700 nmi (5,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h).[1] The Project 29K ships used the same machinery, but were half a knot slower, and had only a range of 2,200 nmi (4,070 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h).[2]

Construction

The construction of all the Project 29 ships was interrupted by Operation Barbarossa in 1941. Those ships furthest along were suspended for the duration of the war, although Yastreb, as the lead ship of the class, was just over half-complete on 22 June 1941 and was finished at the end of 1944 after the Siege of Leningrad was broken in early 1944. Most of the others were scrapped or canceled.[4] Eleven more ships were intended to be laid down in 1942 and another eight in 1943, but the war ended that plan.[5]

Five other ships had made significant progress before the Germans invaded and were completed to a revised design, Project 29K, after the war. This was slightly larger, added four single 37 mm (1.5 in) 61-K AA guns, and a pair of depth charge throwers in lieu of the mines.[2]

The six ships that were to start construction at the Ordzhonikidze Shipyard in Sevastopol actually had their material prepared at Marti South in Nikolayev and shipped to Sevastopol for building. Similarly the three ships launched, but not completed by the end war, at the Zhandov Shipyard in Leningrad were towed to the former Schichau-Werke shipyard in Kaliningrad for completion.[4]

Ships
Project 29
Ship Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
Yastreb Zhdanov, Leningrad 23 May 1939 10 June 1940 30 December 1944 scrapped 12 September 1959
Bditel'nyi Zhdanov, Leningrad 23 May 1940 Never completed and scrapped
Tigr Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1940 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans
Leopard Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1940 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans
Rys' Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans
Yaguar Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans
Kuguar Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans
Pantera Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 not laid down, cancelled
Berkut Zhdanov, Leningrad August 1940 scrapped on the stocks
Sokol' Zhdanov, Leningrad October 1940 scrapped on the stocks
Grif Zhdanov, Leningrad May 1941 scrapped on the stocks
Voron Zhdanov, Leningrad Canceled 19 July 1941
Kondor Zhdanov, Leningrad Canceled 19 July 1941
Fregate Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Canceled
Orlan Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Canceled
Project 29K
Orel Zhdanov, Leningrad 28 May 1939 12 February 1941 21 December 1950 scrapped 18 September 1969
Korshun Zhdanov, Leningrad 25 October 1939 28 May 1941 21 January 1951 scrapped 31 January 1961
Zorkii Zhdanov, Leningrad 23 May 1940 31 October 1940 30 January 1950 scrapped 4 November 1975
Burevestnik Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur 4 December 1939 17 July 1943 15 July 1947 scrapped 28 January 1958
Al'batros Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur 4 December 1939 2 June 1944 29 September 1945 scrapped 28 February 1961

Career

Little is known about their careers. Yastreb reportedly became a training ship on 17 February 1956, before becoming a target ship on 31 August 1956 and sold for scrap on 12 September 1959. Orel became a floating barracks on 31 January 1964 before being sold for scrap on 18 September 1969. Korshun may have been transferred to the Border Guards for several years, before being returned to the Navy in 1952. She was sold for scrap 31 January 1964. Zorkii also appears to have been transferred to the Border Guards upon completion before being returned in 1952. She became a training ship on 18 October 1956 and was sold for scrap on 4 November 1975. Burevestnik became a training ship on 17 February 1956 and was sold for scrap on 28 January 1958. Al'batros also became a training ship at the same time and was sold for scrap on 28 February 1961.[6]

Notes
  1. Rohwer and Monakov, p. 101
  2. Rohwer and Monakov, p. 203
  3. "Russian 85 mm/52 (3.3") 90-K 85 mm/52 (3.3") 92-K 85 mm/52 (3.3") MK85". 23 May 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  4. Rohwer and Monakov, p. 237
  5. Rohwer and Monakov, p. 121
  6. "Typ Yastreb" (in Russian). Retrieved 2009-08-09.

References
  • Roger Chesneau, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Monakov, Mikhail S. (2001). Stalin's Ocean-Going Fleet. London: Frank Cass. ISBN 0-7146-4895-7.
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