Destroyer project 7. Stalin series. Driving performance: overload, stability, seaworthiness

Project 7 destroyers, also known as Gnevny-class destroyers, are a type of destroyers built for the Soviet Union. Navy in the second half of the 1930s. One of the most massive types of destroyers in the history of the Soviet fleet. Their design and construction was personally supervised by the head of the country. Therefore, the "sevens" were unofficially called the destroyers of the "Stalinist series". The lead ship was the Wrathful. It became part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in 1938. A total of 53 units were laid down. Of these, 28 were completed according to the original project. 18 were completed under the 7U project. 6 were dismantled on the slipway. One ("Resolute") sank while being towed in a storm after launching and was not completed. The main caliber of the "Wrathful" is four 130 mm guns. Thirty-kilogram shells of one hundred and thirty flew 33 km, in literally words - beyond the horizon. At the same time, the rate of fire of the main guns reached 13 rounds per minute. To match the artillery were torpedoes - the main heavy weapon of the "sevens". Two three-tube apparatus fired the latest Soviet torpedoes of the 53-39 type. They were put into service just before the war. Torpedoes carried 317 kg of powerful explosives at a distance of up to 10 km. "Naval cavalry" - the destroyers were called so for their speed and maneuverability. In the design of these ships, everything was subject to speed. That is why they did not put heavy armor protection on them, as on cruisers. Project 7 destroyers were designed for artillery combat and torpedo attacks. They had powerful artillery weapons, modern fire control systems, reliable power plants. But during the war, for their intended purpose, the "seven", like other ships of the Soviet fleet, were almost never used. Nevertheless, today I have 10 cases of the combat use of destroyers of the "Stalinist series" for you. 1. On March 28, 1942, the destroyer Thundering left Murmansk for Medvezhiy Island. The task is to meet and escort convoy PQ-13 to the Kola Bay. On the third day of a tense military campaign, the signalman saw an obscure silhouette through binoculars. After a few seconds, he disappeared, as if dissolving among the waves. The submarine is going to dive. The commander of the ship, captain of the 3rd rank Gurin, immediately gave the order: - Full speed ahead! Bombs go! "Thundering" rushed to the attack. The Red Navy took their places at the stern bombers. - "Reset the first series! The first went! The second went!" The destroyer dropped 6 depth charges, then lay back on her course for another attack. Fragments began to float to the surface in boiling foam. There was a large oil stain on the water. In the depths Barents Sea the German submarine Yu-585 found its grave. This was the first major victory for the Soviet destroyers of the famous "Stalinist series". 2. From the first hours of the war, the destroyer "Angry", the one that became the lead "Stalinist series" received combat mission for staging minefields at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland, in order to prevent the enemy from breaking through to Leningrad. Minelayers went out to sea. They were covered by a detachment of light forces of the Baltic Fleet. Cruiser Maxim Gorky escorted by the destroyers Gnevny, Proud and Guard. It was not by chance that the "Sevens" became part of the cover detachment. In terms of the power of artillery and torpedo weapons, they surpassed any German destroyer. The detachment of light forces moved forward in full readiness for combat with enemy surface ships, but the danger came from under the water. The detachment moved directly to the minefield, set by the Germans at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland even before the start of hostilities, on the night of June 22. The destroyer "Wrathful" went first. Suddenly there was a deafening explosion, the ship was enveloped in clouds of smoke and steam. The destroyer was blown up by a German anchor mine of the EMS type. The explosion tore off the bow to the second gun. 20 people died. The destroyer "Proud" turned back on a course to provide assistance. It was impossible to take the damaged ship in tow. In order for the destroyer not to go to the enemy, it had to be sunk. 186 sailors were removed from the "Angry", and then they opened fire on it from the artillery of the main caliber. The lead ship of the "Stalinist series" was the first major loss of the Soviet fleet during the Great Patriotic War. But there were at this difficult time the first victories, even small ones. 3. On the third day of the war, the gunners of the destroyer "Thundering" shot down a German bomber. This would not be surprising if we were talking about anti-aircraft gunners. But Junkers 88 fell apart in the air, having received direct hit from the main gun. The same one hundred and thirty in the passport data of which it was recorded - "does not have the properties of anti-aircraft fire." 4. On July 18, the 41st aircraft of the Baltic Fleet discovered an enemy convoy. Several transports, escorted by torpedo and patrol boats, went through the Irben Strait to Riga captured by the Germans. The destroyer "Guarding" headed to intercept the convoy. The high speed of 39 knots allowed the destroyer to catch up with the enemy already at the very entrance to the port. High-explosive shells of one hundred and thirty hit the German ships. Two vehicles caught fire. But the return fire of the enemy coastal batteries and the attacks of the Luftwaffe aircraft did not allow to build on success. "Guarding" lay down on the reverse course. The anti-aircraft crews of the destroyer repulsed all the attacks of the German aviation. There was no combat damage or loss of personnel on the Guardian. 5. In the second half of August 1941, the German ground troops surrounded the main naval base of the Baltic Fleet Tallinn. The evacuation of warships and auxiliary vessels began eastward to Kronstadt. Had to walk 170 miles through mines Gulf of Finland under constant attack from German aircraft. The destroyers covered the cruiser "Kirov". On board were the Headquarters of the Fleet, the government of Estonia and the gold reserves of the state banks of the Baltic states. During the transition, five destroyers were killed. Another hit a mine, but survived. It was the destroyer Gordy. The semi-submerged ship was taken in tow by another destroyer, the Ferocious. For almost two days they literally crawled into the base. Two ideal targets for Luftwaffe bombers. Reflecting attacks from the air, the Gordoy anti-aircraft gunners fired all the ammunition - a thousand shells from each barrel. Two and a half hundred bombs were dropped on the destroyer, but none of them hit the target. The ship was able to reach Kronstadt. 6. In August 1941, the destroyer "Bodry" entered the firing position in the area of ​​besieged Odessa. Volleys of one hundred and thirty destroyed the command post and headquarters of the Romanian infantry division. For this, the crew received gratitude from the command of the Odessa defensive region. 7. In October 1941, the enemy approached Sevastopol. The Black Sea "sevens" came to the defense of the main naval base of the fleet. Under fire from German coastal batteries and aircraft, the destroyers broke through into the besieged city. They transported troops, equipment, ammunition and food, fired at enemy positions from main caliber guns. In total, 6 destroyers of the "Stalinist series" fought in the Black Sea theater of operations. Four of them died under the bombs of German aircraft. 8. On November 15, 1943, the destroyer Razumny was guarding convoy AB55. Acoustics heard the noise of propellers under water. "Reasonable" immediately turned around and lay down on a combat course. The destroyer attacked the enemy submarine with ten BB1 depth charges. The last three explosions were unusually powerful. List of German casualties submarine fleet replenished the submarine Yu387. 9. But victories were not easy. Until May 45, two "sevens" of the Northern Fleet did not survive. Already at the beginning of the war, Junkers 87 dive bombers sank the destroyer Stremitelny in the Kola Bay. A hundred-kilogram aerial bomb hit the torpedo tube, the torpedoes detonated, the ship broke in half and sank in a matter of seconds. 10. On January 6, 1945, the destroyer Furious received heavy damage. It was attacked by an acoustic homing torpedo. The explosion tore off the "Furious" stern, a fire started on the ship. Thanks to the dedication of the crew, the destroyer was already afloat and was towed to the base. Destroyers have become universal soldiers of the sea. Day and night, in rain and snow, these ships went out on minelaying, attacked enemy submarines and transports, landed and supported landing forces with fire from their guns, delivered reinforcements and ammunition to the defenders of the besieged cities, took out the wounded and the civilian population, escorted transport ships, repelled raids enemy aviation. Per military honors during the Great Patriotic War, four Project 7 destroyers were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and the Thundering one received the title of Guards.

Project 7 destroyers, also known as Gnevny-class destroyers, are a type of destroyers built for the Soviet Navy in the second half of the 1930s. One of the most massive types of destroyers in the history of the Soviet fleet. Their design and construction was personally supervised by the head of the country. Therefore, the "sevens" were unofficially called the destroyers of the "Stalinist series". The lead ship was the Wrathful.

It became part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet in 1938. A total of 53 units were laid down. Of these, 28 were completed according to the original project. 18 were completed under the 7U project. 6 were dismantled on the slipway. One ("Resolute") sank while being towed in a storm after launching and was not completed. The main caliber of the "Wrathful" is four 130 mm guns. Thirty-kilogram shells of one hundred and thirty flew 33 km, in the literal sense of the word - beyond the horizon. At the same time, the rate of fire of the main guns reached 13 rounds per minute. To match the artillery were torpedoes - the main heavy weapon of the "sevens". Two three-tube apparatus fired the latest Soviet torpedoes of the 53-39 type. They were put into service just before the war. Torpedoes carried 317 kg of powerful explosives at a distance of up to 10 km.
"Naval cavalry" - the destroyers were called so for their speed and maneuverability. In the design of these ships, everything was subject to speed. That is why they did not put heavy armor protection on them, as on cruisers. Project 7 destroyers were designed for artillery combat and torpedo attacks. They had powerful artillery weapons, modern fire control systems, and reliable power plants. But during the war, for their intended purpose, the "seven", like other ships of the Soviet fleet, were almost never used. Nevertheless, today I have 10 cases of the combat use of destroyers of the "Stalinist series" for you.

1. On March 28, 1942, the destroyer Thundering left Murmansk for Medvezhiy Island. The task is to meet and escort convoy PQ-13 to the Kola Bay. On the third day of a tense military campaign, the signalman saw an obscure silhouette through binoculars. After a few seconds, he disappeared, as if dissolving among the waves. The submarine is going to dive. The commander of the ship, captain of the 3rd rank Gurin, immediately gave the order: - Full speed ahead! Bombs go! "Thundering" rushed to the attack. The Red Navy took their places at the stern bombers. - "Reset the first series! The first went! The second went!" The destroyer dropped 6 depth charges, then lay back on her course for another attack. Fragments began to float to the surface in boiling foam. There was a large oil stain on the water. In the depths of the Barents Sea, the German submarine Yu-585 found its grave. This was the first major victory for the Soviet destroyers of the famous "Stalinist series".

2. From the first hours of the war, the destroyer "Angry", the same one that became the lead "Stalinist series" received a combat mission to lay minefields at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland in order to prevent the enemy from breaking through to Leningrad. Minelayers went out to sea. They were covered by a detachment of light forces of the Baltic Fleet. Cruiser Maxim Gorky escorted by the destroyers Gnevny, Proud and Guard. It was not by chance that the "Sevens" became part of the cover detachment. In terms of the power of artillery and torpedo weapons, they surpassed any German destroyer. The detachment of light forces moved forward in full readiness for combat with enemy surface ships, but the danger came from under the water. The detachment moved directly to the minefield, set by the Germans at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland even before the start of hostilities, on the night of June 22. The destroyer "Wrathful" went first. Suddenly there was a deafening explosion, the ship was enveloped in clouds of smoke and steam. The destroyer was blown up by a German anchor mine of the EMS type. The explosion tore off the bow to the second gun. 20 people died. The destroyer "Proud" turned back on a course to provide assistance. It was impossible to take the damaged ship in tow. In order for the destroyer not to go to the enemy, it had to be sunk. 186 sailors were removed from the "Angry", and then they opened fire on it from the artillery of the main caliber. The lead ship of the "Stalinist series" was the first major loss of the Soviet fleet during the Great Patriotic War. But there were at this difficult time the first victories, even small ones.

3. On the third day of the war, the gunners of the destroyer "Thundering" shot down a German bomber. This would not be surprising if we were talking about anti-aircraft gunners. But the Junkers 88 fell apart in the air, having received a direct hit from the main caliber gun. The same one hundred and thirty in the passport data of which it was recorded - "does not have the properties of anti-aircraft fire."

4. On July 18, the 41st aircraft of the Baltic Fleet discovered an enemy convoy. Several transports, escorted by torpedo and patrol boats, went through the Irben Strait to Riga captured by the Germans. The destroyer "Guarding" headed to intercept the convoy. The high speed of 39 knots allowed the destroyer to catch up with the enemy already at the very entrance to the port. High-explosive shells of one hundred and thirty hit the German ships. Two vehicles caught fire. But the return fire of the enemy coastal batteries and the attacks of the Luftwaffe aircraft did not allow to build on success. "Guarding" lay down on the reverse course. The anti-aircraft crews of the destroyer repulsed all the attacks of the German aviation. There was no combat damage or loss of personnel on the Guardian.

5. In the second half of August 1941, German ground forces surrounded the main naval base of the Baltic Fleet, Tallinn. The evacuation of warships and auxiliary vessels began eastward to Kronstadt. I had to go 170 miles along the mine-strewn Gulf of Finland under the continuous attacks of German aircraft. The destroyers covered the cruiser "Kirov". On board were the Headquarters of the Fleet, the government of Estonia and the gold reserves of the state banks of the Baltic states. During the transition, five destroyers were killed. Another hit a mine, but survived. It was the destroyer Gordy. The semi-submerged ship was taken in tow by another destroyer, the Ferocious. For almost two days they literally crawled into the base. Two ideal targets for Luftwaffe bombers. Reflecting attacks from the air, the Gordoy anti-aircraft gunners fired all the ammunition - a thousand shells from each barrel. Two and a half hundred bombs were dropped on the destroyer, but none of them hit the target. The ship was able to reach Kronstadt.

6. In August 1941, the destroyer "Bodry" entered the firing position in the area of ​​besieged Odessa. Volleys of one hundred and thirty destroyed the command post and headquarters of the Romanian infantry division. For this, the crew received gratitude from the command of the Odessa defensive region.

7. In October 1941, the enemy approached Sevastopol. The Black Sea "sevens" came to the defense of the main naval base of the fleet. Under fire from German coastal batteries and aircraft, the destroyers broke through into the besieged city. They transported troops, equipment, ammunition and food, fired at enemy positions from main caliber guns. In total, 6 destroyers of the "Stalinist series" fought in the Black Sea theater of operations. Four of them died under the bombs of German aircraft.

8. On November 15, 1943, the destroyer Razumny was guarding convoy AB55. Acoustics heard the noise of propellers under water. "Reasonable" immediately turned around and lay down on a combat course. The destroyer attacked the enemy submarine with ten BB1 depth charges. The last three explosions were unusually powerful. The list of losses of the German submarine fleet was replenished by the submarine Yu387.

9. But victories were not easy. Until May 45, two "sevens" of the Northern Fleet did not survive. Already at the beginning of the war, Junkers 87 dive bombers sank the destroyer Stremitelny in the Kola Bay. A hundred-kilogram aerial bomb hit the torpedo tube, the torpedoes detonated, the ship broke in half and sank in a matter of seconds.

10. On January 6, 1945, the destroyer Furious received heavy damage. It was attacked by an acoustic homing torpedo. The explosion tore off the "Furious" stern, a fire started on the ship. Thanks to the dedication of the crew, the destroyer was already afloat and was towed to the base.

Destroyers have become universal soldiers of the sea. Day and night, in rain and snow, these ships went out on minelaying, attacked enemy submarines and transports, landed and supported landing forces with fire from their guns, delivered reinforcements and ammunition to the defenders of the besieged cities, took out the wounded and the civilian population, escorted transport ships, repelled raids enemy aviation. For military distinctions during the Great Patriotic War, four Project 7 destroyers were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and the Thundering was awarded the title of Guards.

“Crushing” is one of the most disliked topics by our historians. If possible, they generally prefer not to remember it once again. If the latter fails, then they talk about "Crushing" in passing and patter. There are plenty of reasons for such persistent dislike. For a long time"Crushing" was never written about at all. The disgraced destroyer was mentioned only in the memoirs of the commander of the Northern Fleet during the Great Patriotic War, Admiral Golovko.

The destroyer "Crushing" belonged to a series of destroyers of the "7" project. The destroyers of the project "7" (or, as they are usually called, "sevens") rightfully occupy a prominent place in our naval. And it is not surprising - after all, they were active participants in the Great Patriotic War, were the most massive Soviet surface ships built in the 30s, it is from the "sevens" that several generations of domestic destroyers, large missile ships and even cruisers. One destroyer of the "7" type became guards, four - red banner. At the same time, a lot of contradictory things have been said and written about them. This is especially true for the combat operations of the “sevens” during the war years - here real, often tragic events were replaced by legends for a long time. Especially a lot of rumors always circulated around the tragic death destroyer"Crushing". The first six "sevens" managed to be laid at the end of 1935, and the next year - and all the rest. By the beginning of World War II, the Soviet Navy had 22 destroyers of the "Wrathful" type. These were our most massive pre-war ships.

The destroyer "Crushing" was built at the plant number 189 named after S. Ordzhonikidze. Serial number C-292. Laid down on 10/29/1936, launched on 08/23/1937, acceptance certificate was signed on 08/13/1939. Shortly after commissioning, he was transferred via the White Sea-Baltic Canal (September - November 1939) to the Northern Fleet. In November, the destroyer arrived at Polyarny. During the war with Finland, he carried out sentinel and escort service, then he was engaged in combat training. From July 18, 1940 to July 4, 1941, a warranty repair was carried out at the plant number 402 in Molotovsk. In total, before the start of World War II, he walked 10,380 miles.

After the completion of sea trials, the "Crushing" was included in the White Sea Flotilla, where it remained until September 29. During this time, he escorted transports several times, made 3 mine laying (delivered 90 mines of KB-1 and 45 mines of the 1908 model), underwent a short-term preventive maintenance.

October 1 "Crushing" arrived in Polyarny and became part of a separate division of destroyers.
The Northern Fleet during the Great Patriotic War was the youngest and smallest, but at the same time the most active operational formation of our Navy. By June 1941, it was the Sevens that were his largest ships. Five destroyers of this type ("Loud", "Terrible", "Thundering", "Swift" and "Crushing"), together with three "Noviks", made up the 1st separate division of destroyers. At the end of 1942, with the arrival of the Pacific "Reasonable", "Furious" and the leader "Baku", a brigade of destroyers was formed (commander - captain of the 1st rank, then rear admiral, P.I. Kolchin).

Until January 1, 1942, he went out 11 times to shell enemy positions, fired 1297 130-mm shells. In addition, together with Grozny and the English cruiser Kent, he participated in the search for German destroyers (though without results), and escorted transports. The most difficult campaign was the joint escort operation with Grozny on December 24–26. During a 9-point storm with a 7-point wave and heavy icing of the superstructures, the ship's roll reached 45 °, and due to the salinity of the refrigerator, for some time it was necessary to go on one TZA. By some miracle, the ships escaped major damage. This time, the Crusher was just lucky, and he got to the base.

On March 28, after the completion of scheduled preventive repairs, the Crushing, together with the Thundering and the British destroyer Oribi, went out to meet the PQ-13 convoy, and in the morning of the next day they entered its guard. At 11:18, in poor visibility, shooting was heard, and after 2 minutes, splashes from five artillery shells rose near the port side of the Crushing. After 6-7 seconds, 3 more shells fell on the bow and stern. The destroyer increased its speed. A few seconds later, at a heading angle of 130 ° and a distance of 15 cables, the silhouette of a ship was discovered, identified as a German destroyer of the Raeder class. "Crushing" opened fire and with the second salvo achieved coverage with a shell hitting the area of ​​​​the second pipe of the enemy ship. He sputtered and veered sharply to the left. Our destroyer followed up with 4 more volleys, but no more hits were observed. The falling snow charge hid the enemy from sight. In total, "Crushing" fired 20 130-mm shells.

Sailors of the Soviet destroyer of project 7 "Crushing" with a ship's pet, the area of ​​the bow torpedo tubes, a view of the bow. Northern Fleet

This fleeting battle occupies a prominent place in the history of Soviet naval art, since it is the only episode in the entire Great Patriotic War when our surface combat ship collided with an enemy of its own class and even emerged from it as if it were the winner. The German destroyer Z-26 is usually indicated as the enemy of the "Crushing". However, in Lately materials appeared in the press in which other versions are put forward. So, the authors of a number of publications, rightly pointing out that by the time described, the Z-26 was badly damaged and fired back from the Trinidad cruiser from the only surviving gun, and the Z-24 and Z-25 circling around the convoy were far enough from the skirmish site, express the hypothesis that the "Crusher" fought with ... the English destroyer "Fury". This seems unlikely, since a hit on an allied destroyer (which, by the way, arrived in Murmansk the next day) would certainly have been reflected both in documents and in historical literature. It is more logical to assume that the Z-26 was still the target for the commandors of the “Crushing”, only someone else fired on the Soviet destroyer, since the first 5-gun volley could not be fired by any of the destroyers located nearby (both English and German ships had 4 guns of the main caliber). By the way, in the report of the commander of the "Crushing" nothing is said about the conduct of fire by the Germans. So the two volleys that fell at the side could well have belonged to the same Trinidad cruiser, which mistook the Crushing and Thundering for Z-24 and Z-25. In any case, an unambiguous explanation of some inconsistencies in the Soviet, German and English descriptions this fight does not exist.

In April, "Crushing", while guarding convoys, repeatedly repelled air attacks, again suffered a 9-10-point storm. On the evening of April 30, she entered the guard of the Edinburgh cruiser torpedoed by a German submarine, which had five tons of gold on board, intended to pay for the United States under lend-lease. However, the lack of fuel forced the "Crushing" after 8 hours to go to the base. Having replenished the supply of fuel oil, "Crushing" on the evening of May 1 returned to the location of the cruiser, but, alas, it was too late. Six hours before the approach of the destroyer, Edinburgh was sunk. Later, the British claimed that the Soviet destroyers left their damaged cruiser at the most difficult moment. These claims had nothing to do with the commander of the "Crushing" and his team and are fully related to the command of the Northern Fleet, which, when planning the operation, did not take into account the fuel reserves and their consumption on their ships.

On May 8, the “Crushing” twice went to the Ara Bay to shell coastal targets. According to reconnaissance, both attacks were successful and inflicted some damage on the enemy. The second campaign, however, almost ended in tragedy. During the shelling of coastal targets, "Crushing" was suddenly attacked by 28 German aircraft at once. The destroyer managed to urgently rivet the anchor chain (there was no time to choose the anchor) and, successfully maneuvering, avoided hits from the bombs raining down on it. At the same time, the anti-aircraft gunners of the ship managed to shoot down one bomber from a 37-mm machine gun.

Torpedo tube 39-Yu of one of the destroyers of the Northern Fleet ("Crushing")

From May 28 to May 30, “Crushing”, along with “Terrible” and “Kuibyshev”, was guarding the allied convoy PQ-16. All this time, the convoy transports were subjected to massive attacks by fascist bombers and torpedo bombers. On May 29, in just one attack, the Germans dropped 14 torpedoes on the convoy ships, but none of them hit the target, but the Focke-Wulf torpedo bomber was shot down by a 76-mm projectile from the Smashing from a distance of 35 cables. The next day, another aircraft, this time a Junkers-88, was destroyed by a direct hit from a 76-mm destroyer shell, and two others were damaged. And here the Crushing team was the best of the best. As for the destroyer's anti-aircraft gunners, they were rightfully considered the best in the entire Northern Fleet. On the evening of May 30, the convoy transports, securely covered by our destroyers, safely reached the Kola Bay.

On July 8, the Crushing, together with the Thundering, were heading towards the infamous PQ-17 convoy. Along the way, the destroyers hit the floating 4-point ice. Forced to slow down to a small speed and deprived of the ability to maneuver, on the night of July 10 they were attacked by four Ju-88 bombers, which dropped 8 bombs on each ship. Fortunately, there were no direct hits, but the Crushing received light damage and deformation of the hull from close explosions. Later, the attack was repeated, but the destroyers were lucky again - they repulsed this attack without loss. However, our ships failed to meet the transport, and they were forced to return to Vaenga.

During the summer-autumn of 1942, the Crusher underwent a short-term scheduled preventive maintenance. At this time, the ship was also used to escort transports, and was engaged in combat training. In total, from the beginning of the war until September 1, 1942, the Crushing made 40 combat campaigns, covering a total of 22,385 miles in 1,516 running hours. Without a doubt, it was one of the most combat ships of the Soviet Navy at that time.

In total, over the years of the war, the "Crushing" fired 1639 130-mm shells (including 84 - on aircraft), 855 - 76-mm and 2053 - 37-mm projectiles, while shooting down 6 enemy aircraft (2 of them together with other ships ). During the same time, two cases of spontaneous firing of torpedoes occurred on the ship (during one of them, the Red Navy Starchikov died). Two more sailors drowned as a result of accidents - this exhausts the loss of the ship's personnel up to its last campaign. Not a single person was injured from the combat impact of the enemy on the Crushing.

On November 17, 1942, another QP-15 convoy went to sea from Arkhangelsk. 26 allied transports and 11 British escort ships that had unloaded in the port of Arkhangelsk were returning to Iceland for new party military supplies for the fighting Soviet Union.
At the first stage of the transition in the zone of responsibility of the Northern Fleet, the cover forces of the convoy were always reinforced by the ships of the Northern Fleet. This time, the leader "Baku" was assigned to escort the QP-15 under the pennant of the division commander, Captain 1st Rank P.I. Kolchin (commander of the leader - captain of the 2nd rank V.P. Belyaev) and the destroyer "Crushing" (commander - captain of the 3rd rank M.A. Kurilekh). In the conditions of a severe storm, which reached hurricane strength by the morning of November 20, with frequent snow charges and almost zero visibility, the convoy ships and escort ships lost sight of each other. The convoy dispersed and there was, in fact, no one to guard. For the convoy ships, the severity of the storm was offset by safety from possible attacks by German submarines and aircraft. Attack in a stormy sea at such great strength wind and great excitement was impossible. Therefore, with the permission of the convoy commander, Soviet ships, not reaching the designated escort point, they began to independently return to the base.

76-mm guns 34-K on one of the destroyers of the Northern Fleet ("Grozny" or "Crushing"), 1942

When returning to Polyarny on the leader "Baku", the hull's tightness was broken from the impact of waves of nine-point strength, all the bow rooms along the 29th frame were flooded, water penetrated into the 2nd and 3rd boiler rooms - only boiler No. 1 remained in operation. The condition of the ship was critical, the roll reached 40 ° on board. The personnel fought a desperate struggle for unsinkability. With serious damage, but "Baku" still reached the base, where it was forced to get up for repairs.

The destroyer "Crushing" had much worse. Strong wind with snow charges spread big wave. The Crusher's speed dropped to a minimum, the ship holding her bow against the wave. But that didn't help much. Soon the "Baku" was lost from sight, and in order to find it, the destroyer began to shoot illuminating shells and shine a searchlight, but to no avail ...

It is not known whether the division commander, Captain 1st Rank Kolchin, ordered the commander of the "Crushing" Kurilekh to go to the base on his own. The fact that missiles were fired from the “Crushing” in an attempt to find the “Baku” suggests that, most likely, no command was received from the divisional commander to the destroyer at all. So Kurilekh had to act at his own peril and risk.

Thus, we can talk about the failure of the divisional commander to fulfill his direct duties - after all, as a detachment commander, he was responsible not only for the leader on whom he held his pennant, but also for the destroyer subordinate to him. Kolchin, in essence, abandoned the "Crushing" to the mercy of fate. The only thing that justifies the commander in this case is the plight of the “Baku” itself, which barely made it to the base. Of course, in this state, the leader could not provide any significant assistance to the destroyer. Most likely, it was this argument that was taken into account during the investigation of what happened with the "Crushing", and no one accused Kolchin of anything. It's like they just forgot about him.

Left to itself, "Crushing", successively changing course from 210 to 160 ° and gradually slowing down to 5 knots, with difficulty "raked out" against the wave, having main boilers No. 1 and 3 in operation (No. 2 was in "hot reserve" ), 2 turbogenerators, 2 turbofire pumps, the fuel supply was about 45% of the total (only in the area of ​​​​engine and boiler rooms), the rest of the reserves were within normal limits. November 20 at 14:30 a strong crack was heard in the aft cockpit (audible on the bridge too) - this was the bursting of the upper deck flooring sheets between the aft superstructure and the 130-mm gun No. 4, just where the stringers ended and the hull area with a transverse framing system began (173rd frame ). At the same time, a corrugation formed on the outer skin of the port side, followed by a break in both shaft lines. Within 3 minutes, the stern part broke off and sank, taking with it six sailors who did not have time to leave the tiller and other aft compartments. Soon followed powerful explosion- it worked, reaching a predetermined depth, depth charge fuses ... The situation became critical in an instant.
The remaining aft compartments were quickly filled with water up to the aft bulkhead of the 2nd engine room (159th frame). The ship, which had lost its course, turned with a lag to the wave, the side roll reached 45–50 °, the keel - 6 °. There was a trim to the stern, the stability decreased somewhat, which was noticeable by the increased pitching period; the ship "stale" in a heeled position. The wave constantly covered the deck and superstructures, movement along the upper deck was extremely difficult, while hard work was in full swing below; reinforced and compacted the aft bulkhead of the engine room, drained the compartments of the 159-173rd frame, using not only a standard ejector, but also an oil pumping electric pump. All mechanisms worked flawlessly, the work of drainage facilities and lighting was fully ensured, water filtration almost stopped, aft bulkheads absorbed wave shocks, ship stability improved and trim decreased. Even the reserve boiler No. 2 was put into operation (the commander of the electromechanical warhead took the initiative) in order to "load the personnel with work." All that was left was to wait for help. However, this hope in the conditions of the most severe storm was rather doubtful ...

Having learned about the accident, Golovko ordered the leader of “Baku” to immediately go to the aid of “Crushing”. At the same time, orders were given to the destroyers "Uritsky" and "Kuibyshev", located in Iokanka, and the destroyer "Razumny", located in the Kola Bay, to also go to the aid of the "Crushing" and, having found it, lead to the Kola Bay; the rescue ships “Shkval” and “Memory of Ruslan”, tugboat No. 2 be ready to go to sea.

The destroyers left on purpose. And an hour later, another radiogram was received from Kurilekh: “The stern was torn off by a wave to the engine room. Korma sank. I stay on the surface. Wind - south, ten points ... "

Aft of the "Crushing" with an additional 37-mm machine gun, 1942

The place of the “Crusher” is latitude 75 degrees 1 minute, longitude 41 degrees 25 minutes. It's four hundred and twenty miles north of Iokanka.
At about 18 hours 15 minutes, “Kuibyshev” (commander of the ship Gonchar) and “Uritsky” (commander of the ship Kruchinin) approached under the general command of Simonov (commander of the division). Later, "Reasonable" (commander of the ship Sokolov) approached.

The state of the sea in the area where the "Crushing" was found was no better than the day before. Attempts by "Reasonable" to approach the ship that had crashed and take it in tow ended in failure. The tugboat was started twice, and twice the tugboat burst. Meanwhile, the weather worsened even more. Having reported this, Sokolov asked permission to remove people and refuse to tow. Apparently, filming people is the only way to save them. Sokolov's decision is correct in the first part, but it is premature to refuse towing. First you need to remove people, then it will be seen.

It is clear from the following message that Sokolov failed in both. It was impossible to approach the side of the Crusher. The ships were thrown so hard that when they came close they had to break from hitting each other. Attempts to keep the "Reasonable" cars in place when approaching the maximum possible distance were not successful. Many times the Sentient approached the Crusher in order to allow the people of the damaged ship to get to the Sapient's deck. Only one person managed to safely jump from the side of the “Crushing” onto the deck of the “Reasonable”. That was the end of Sokolov's attempts to remove people.

Soon Kuibyshev and Uritsky, both types of Novik, approached. Ships of this type kept better on the wave.
Since a notification was sent from the headquarters of the fleet about enemy submarines in the area, Sokolov on the Rational took on the task of providing the ships with anti-submarine defense, and the Kuibyshev and Uritsky took up the removal of personnel from the Crushing.
Of course, nothing came of Simonov's intention to bring the Kuibyshev on board to the Crushing. I had to organize the crossing of people with the help of a gazebo. At the same time, fuel oil was produced from the emergency ship, which somewhat reduced the sea roughness near the side. And yet the steel ends snapped almost immediately. Then a hemp cable from the Kuibyshev was brought in and a gazebo was attached to the cable. It seemed impossible to transport people in such a way, in such a wave, and even in snow charges. And yet it was done. Simonov ordered at the stern, from where he started the cable and where they began to transport the people of the “Crushing”, and the commander of the “Kuibyshev” Gonchar controlled the machines with the help of a machine telegraph, trying to maneuver the moves in such a way as not to break the hemp cable. Both, Simonov and Gonchar, acted not only skillfully, but also with great art, both fully possess maritime prowess, flair and will.

Ninety-seven people of the “Crushing” had already been transferred to the “Kuibyshev” when the hemp cable also burst.
The weather continued to worsen. I had to resort to another method: to shoot people with the help of life buoys, tied every two meters into a new hemp cable. Such cables, each 300 meters long, were fed to the “Crushing” from one side by the “Kuibyshev”, from the opposite side - by the “Uritsky”. It is hard to imagine how it all looked in the snow charges that now and then covered the ships, with a sea of ​​seven or eight points, in the dark ... Nevertheless, there is already a message that in this way, pulling up lifebuoys with people in them, it was possible to take on seventy-nine more people on board the Kuibyshev. "Uritsky" took eleven.

There were 15 people left on board the “Crushing” one, among them a miner, senior lieutenant Lekarev and deputy commander for political affairs of the BCH-5, senior lieutenant Vladimirov. Where are the rest of the officers? It is clear with Kurilekh: he hurried to save his person, but where is the deputy, first mate, navigator, artilleryman and others? Did they follow the example of Kurilekh?..

Requested by the fleet headquarters, Vladimirov reported that the command had abandoned the ship. Immediately, he very sensibly reported on the measures he had taken: raised the steam, launched the mechanisms. The final words of Vladimirov's report: - the destroyer is holding up well.

In connection with the departure of the destroyers from the Crushing, Golovko ordered the Loud to go there immediately. He left at 5 pm. Information about his movement is not comforting. At 18 hours 10 minutes, when leaving the Kola Bay, lay down on a course of 60 degrees, went at a speed of 20 knots with a light wind and calm sea. However, as the ship moved northward, by 9 p.m., the wind and wave gradually increased to six points. Because of strong blows waves into the hull, the course of the “Loud” is reduced to 15 knots. After 45 minutes, the wind and wave are already seven points. Having reduced the speed to ten knots, “Loud”, in order to weaken the blows of the waves, turned into the wind.

Golovko later recalled in his memoirs:
“I regret that I didn’t send minesweepers yesterday to the Crushing. Rumyantsev offered to send them, but I did not accept his offer then. That's my fault. I was sure that after the destroyers discovered the Crusher, they would be able to take it in tow. A day has been lost, because it is still necessary to send minesweepers.

Calling P.V. Panfilov (commander of the minesweeper division) and set him the task of reaching the “Crushing” with two minesweepers - TShch-36 and TShch-39; remove all who remained on the broken ship; then take it in tow and take it to the Kola Bay, weather permitting; if the weather does not allow either to remove people or tow the ship, then stay at the “Crushing” and guard it until the weather improves; if the destroyer, due to its condition, cannot be towed even in good weather, remove all personnel from it, after which the ship will be blown up and destroyed. At 23 o'clock both minesweepers went to their destination.

"Reasonable" at 15 hours 15 minutes, and "Kuibyshev" and "Uritsky" at 15 hours 30 minutes left the "Crushing", since it is impossible to continue rescuing personnel with the help of ends and lifebuoys, and the fuel supply does not allow waiting for the weather to improve : it on all three ships was left short on the way back. Before leaving, Simonov sent a signal to the Crushing that everyone who remained on board the wrecked ship would be removed by the submarine as soon as the weather improved.

It was impossible to continue the withdrawal of the personnel of the "Crushing" on the destroyers in the situation that had developed. The waves began to roll over the ships, and a threat was created to the life of all people on all ships. The removal of personnel was accompanied by casualties: eight people died from impacts by waves on the hull and under propellers, ten people were taken aboard the Kuibyshev and Uritsky in an unconscious state, it was not possible to save their lives.

In total, 179 people were accepted for Kuibyshev, 11 for Uritsky, and one for Razumny.
Finally, they asked how many people were left on board. From the destroyer they answered: "Fifty fuel oil." The question was repeated, adding that the minesweepers were already on their way. Then a rocket flew over the “seven”, then another, a third ... At first they decided on the bridge that a table of conditional signals was used, but the fourth rocket went, the fifth, and it became clear that each rocket is a farewell salvo over a grave that has not yet been dug, and such missiles counted fifteen.

Both minesweepers (TShch-36 and TShch-39) arrived on dead reckoning at 9:10 am on November 25 in the area of ​​the “Crushing” accident and began to search in formation of the front, shifting the tacks to the east. The ships kept within sight of each other. Visibility at the start of the search is from 10 to 12 cables. The search is carried out in conditions of snow charges with a northwest wind of up to five points. The excitement of the sea is four points. Nothing like what happened for several days. "Crushing" was not found ...

November 26 People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov signed a directive on the investigation into the death of the destroyer "Crushing" No. 613 / Sh, and on November 30 - a directive on the preparation of an order on the fact of the death of the destroyer "Smashing" No. 617 / Sh.

In mid-December 1942, the commander of the Northern Fleet, Vice Admiral Golovko, with a pain in his heart, as he writes in his memoirs, signed the order: to stop the search for the Crushing, the ship to be considered dead.

Kurilekh, Rudakov, Kalmykov, Isaenko were put on trial. The navigator, signalman and lekpom were sent to a penal platoon. The commander of the ship Kurilekh was shot.

The history of the tragedy of the destroyer "Crushing" showed not only examples of cowardice, but also great self-sacrifice in the name of saving comrades. Therefore, those who are trying to hide the truth about this tragic page in our naval history are wrong. "Crushing" was, and we must remember those who died at his combat posts, having fulfilled their military and human duty to the end.
1. Lekarev Gennady Evdokimovich, born in 1916, senior lieutenant, commander of the warhead-3.
2. Vladimirov Ilya Alexandrovich, (1910), political instructor BCh-5.
3. Belov Vasily Stepanovich, (1915), chief foreman, foreman of the bilge machinist team.
4. Sidelnikov Semen Semenovich, (1912), midshipman; chief bosun.
5. Boyko Trofim Markovich, (1917), foreman of the 2nd article, commander of the department of turbine drivers.
6. Nagorny Fedor Vasilievich, (1919), Red Navy sailor, signalman
7. Lyubimov Fedor Nikolaevich, (1914), senior sailor, senior boiler engineer.
8. Gavrilov Nikolai Kuzmich, (1917), senior Red Navy sailor, senior turbine driver.
9. Purygin Vasily Ivanovich, (1917), senior sailor, senior boiler engineer.
10. Zimovets Vladimir Pavlovich, (1919), sailor, electrician.
11. Savinov Mikhail Petrovich, (1919), Red Navy sailor, bilge engineer.
12. Ternovoy Vasily Ivanovich, (1916), foreman of the 2nd article, commander of the minders department.
13. Artemiev Prokhor Stepanovich, (1919), Red Navy sailor, boiler engineer.
14. Dremlyuga Grigory Semenovich, (1919), Red Navy sailor, boiler engineer.
15. Chebiryako Grigory Fedorovich, (1917), senior Red Navy sailor, senior rangefinder.
16. Shilatyrkin Pavel Alekseevich, (1919), Red Navy sailor, boiler engineer.
17. Bolshov Sergey Tikhonovich, (1916), senior sailor, senior electrician.
The approximate place of the death of the destroyer "Crushing": latitude 73 degrees 30 minutes north, longitude 43 degrees 00 minutes east. Now this area of ​​the Barents Sea has been declared a memorial place, passing through which the ships of the Northern Fleet lower the St. Andrew's flags at half-mast.

were chosen as the basis for the creation of new Soviet destroyers.

A total of 53 units were laid. Of these, 28 were completed according to the original project. 18 were completed under the 7-U project. 6 were dismantled on the slipway. One (“Resolute”) sank while being towed in a storm after launching (the ship was commanded by the future Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy S. G. Gorshkov) and was not completed.

Development history

Construction history

Armament

Main caliber

Project 7 destroyers have main battery artillery: four 130 mm B-13-I guns with a barrel length of 50 calibers, manufactured by the Bolshevik plant, elevation angles from -5 to +45 °. All types of projectiles (high-explosive fragmentation, semi-armor-piercing and remote grenades) were of the same weight - 33.5 kg and were fired from the barrel at an initial speed of 870 m / s for a maximum range of 139 kbt (25.7 km). The ammunition included 150 shots per barrel, in overload (according to the capacity of the cellars) the ship could take up to 185 shots per barrel - that is, up to 740 shells and charges in total. The supply of ammunition was carried out manually, delivery - pneumatic rammer.

Anti-aircraft weapons

Anti-aircraft weapons were: a pair of 76-mm universal installations 34-K, two 45-mm semi-automatic 21-K, two 12.7-mm machine guns DShK. During the war, anti-aircraft armament was strengthened by replacing 21-K semi-automatic guns with 70-K automatic guns and installing additional 1-3 (depending on the availability of guns) 70-K machine guns, DShK machine guns or those received under Lend-Lease anti-aircraft machine guns Vickers or Colt. The destroyer destroyer of the Baltic Fleet "Grozyashchiy" also received an additional 76-mm 34-K gun.

Torpedo armament

Torpedo armament included two 533 mm triple-tube 39-Yu torpedo tubes. The torpedo launch speed was 12 m/s. 533-mm torpedoes 53-38 (53-38U), length 7.4 m, weight 1615 (1725) kg, explosive weight (TNT) 300 (400) kg, range: 4.0 km, 44.5 knots, 8 .0 - 34.5, 10.0 - 30.5. According to the project, the destroyers could carry an additional 6 spare torpedoes in racks, but manually reloading the vehicles in fresh weather turned out to be impossible. The command of the Northern Fleet was the first to understand this and in March 1942 ordered the spare torpedoes to be removed.

Anti-submarine weapons

On the rails located on the upper deck, the ship could take 60 minutes of KB-3, or 65 minutes of the 1926 model, or 95 minutes of the 1912 model (in overload). Standard set of depth charges - 25 pieces (10 large B-1 and 15 small M-1); later it was brought up to 40 B-1 and 27 M-1. Large bombs were stored directly in the stern bombers; small - 12 in the cellar and 8 in the aft rack on the poop.

Power plant

Two main turbo-gear three-hull units of a mixed active-jet system and three triangular-type water-tube boilers, with a capacity of 48,000 liters. With. at 415 rpm, which rotated two propellers with a diameter of 3.18 m and a pitch of 3.65 m.

Auxiliary devices and systems

Means of detection, navigation and communication

Driving performance: overload, stability, seaworthiness

To increase stability, a part of the "sevens" in 1940-1941 laid solid ballast (82 - 67 tons). The seaworthiness of the "sevens" left much to be desired. Due to the narrowed contours of the bow of the hull, they were heavily buried in the wave; when the sea was 8 points, the speed dropped to 5-8 knots.

External differences

Crew

Service during the Great Patriotic War

Baltic Fleet

By the beginning of the war, the Baltic Fleet had five "sevens" - the destroyers "Wrathful", "Proud", "Threatening", "Sharp-witted" and "Guarding".

The destroyer Gnevny, the lead ship of this series of destroyers, died at the very beginning of the war, on June 23, 1941, when it exploded on a German minefield. The team managed to keep the ship afloat, however, in the conditions of detection of periscopes (which most likely just seemed to observers) and a mine explosion after the "Angry" also the cruiser "Maxim Gorky", the commander of the detachment of ships I. G. Svyatov ordered the destroyer team to be evacuated and the damaged ship to be shot ship.

The destroyer "Proud" in June-August 1941 operated as part of a detachment of light forces of the Baltic Fleet, participated in mine laying, rescue teams from the destroyers "Angry" and "Angry", provided fire support to the Soviet troops defending Tallinn. On August 28, 1941, during the evacuation of troops and fleet from Tallinn, he received heavy damage from a mine explosion near the side, the next day he was attacked by German aircraft, but reached Kronstadt. On September 29, in Kronstadt, she received additional damage and was transferred to Leningrad, where she was under repair until October 8. In November, the destroyer was among the ships that participated in the evacuation of the garrison of the Khanko Peninsula to Leningrad, but on the night of November 13-14, when moving to Khanko, it was blown up by two mines and sank.

In the first months of the war, the destroyer "Grozyashchiy" operated in the Gulf of Riga and in the waters of the Moonsund Archipelago. On July 20, during a minelaying in the Irben Strait, he was damaged by a mine explosion next to the side, after which he went to Kronstadt and was under repair until September. In September, he supported the Soviet troops at Oranienbaum with fire, but on September 18 he again got under repair in Kronstadt, and on September 21-23, the ship standing in the dock received several hits of air bombs. In October, the damaged destroyer was transferred to Leningrad, where it was repaired until June 1942. After the repair, the Grozashchiy was mainly engaged in artillery support for the troops defending Leningrad, in January 1944 he supported the Soviet troops with fire during the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsky offensive operation.

The destroyer "Sharp-witted" also operated in the Gulf of Riga in June-early July, then moved to Tallinn. In the second half of July, repairs were carried out in Leningrad, after which he participated in the defense of Tallinn, the Tallinn crossing and support for those who defended Leningrad Soviet troops. On November 3, the ship made the transition to the Hanko naval base, where it took on board 560 soldiers evacuated from the peninsula, but on the way back the destroyer was blown up by two mines and sank, only 80 crew members and 270 passengers were saved.

The destroyer "Guarding" in July-August operated in the Gulf of Riga together with the destroyer "Grozyashchiy". On August 11, the destroyer escorted the hospital ship Vyacheslav Molotov at the passage to Kronstadt, was able to bring the ship blown up by a mine to its destination in tow. On September 21, the destroyer at Peterhof was attacked by a group of German bombers, received several direct hits and sank in shallow water. In October, part of the equipment and weapons were removed from the sunken ship, but it was not possible to carry out full-fledged lifting work due to the proximity of the front line. Only in July 1944, the ship, which had lain at the bottom for almost three years, was raised and in 1948 returned to the fleet.

Black Sea Fleet

The Black Sea Fleet had six "sevens" - the destroyers "Fast", "Cheerful", "Courageous", "Vigilant", "Flawless" and "Merciless".

"Fast" in the early days of the war was engaged in providing air defense of Sevastopol. On July 1, the destroyer was sent for repairs to Nikolaev, but at the exit from the bay it was blown up by a bottom mine and sank. On July 13, Bystry was raised and docked, but on August 30 the ship was taken out of the dock, and in early September the damaged destroyer was attacked by aircraft and sank again. The bow of the damaged destroyer was already in the fall of 1941 used to repair the same type of "Merciless", and the entire hull was raised only after the war for disposal.

"Bodry" met the beginning of the war in Sevastopol, carried out sentinel service from August to October, participated in the support and supply of the Soviet troops defending Odessa. On October 31, the ship was attacked by aircraft and received serious damage from close explosions, which is why it went into repair for a month and a half. At the end of December, the destroyer, together with the cruisers Krasny Kavkaz and Krasny Krym, the leader Kharkiv and the destroyer Nezamozhnik, delivered reinforcements and ammunition to Sevastopol, and in January 1942 participated in the tactical landing at Sudak. In February-July 1942, she again went for repairs in Tuapse, in July she was transferred to Poti, but on July 16, the destroyer, which had already completed repairs, was hit by German bombers attacking the port of Poti, received severe damage and was out of action almost until the end of the war - the repair was completed December 31, 1944.

Boiky, like Bodry, in August-October was engaged in supporting troops in Odessa, participated in the landing at Grigorievka, then escorted transports going to Sevastopol, and in early November ensured the evacuation of troops and ammunition from Yalta to Sevastopol. On December 28-30, the destroyer participated in the landing in the port of Feodosia. In January, the ship underwent repairs, after which it participated in the supply of Sevastopol, several raiding operations, including raids on the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts. In 1943, until the ensuing ban in October on the use of destroyers in combat operations without Moscow's permission, Boyky made several exits to the coast of the Taman Peninsula and the Crimea, shelling the coast and laying mines. Since October, the destroyer went to sea only sporadically (including the wear and tear of mechanisms) and did not take part in hostilities.

"Vigilant" met the beginning of the war in a major overhaul in Sevastopol and did not participate in hostilities until October. In late October - early November, he took part in the evacuation of troops from Donuzlav and from the Tendra Spit to Sevastopol, in February-March he supported the southern flank of the Crimean Front. On April 17, he accompanied the Svanetia ambulance at the crossing from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, after the death of the transport he saved 143 people. Participated in the delivery of reinforcements to Sevastopol, was one of the last large ships that reached the city (June 25). On July 2, 1942, the destroyer located in Novorossiysk was attacked by German bombers, one of the bombs hit the bow torpedo tube and caused the torpedoes to detonate, from which the ship was literally torn into two parts. The destroyer was not subject to restoration.

"Faultless" at the beginning of the war was engaged in laying minefields, participated in the defense of Odessa, while supporting the landing at Grigorievka, it was seriously damaged by German aircraft. In November, after repairs, he participated in the evacuation of Soviet troops from Yalta and from the Tendrovskaya Spit, the defense of Sevastopol. in January-March 1942, he supported the Soviet landing at Sudak and the southern flank of the Crimean Front. On June 24, the destroyer, together with the leader "Tashkent", delivered reinforcements to Sevastopol and took out the wounded. On June 26, the leader and the destroyer set off on a second voyage, but in the evening of the same day the destroyer was attacked by enemy aircraft and sank with the entire crew and the soldiers on board.

"Merciless" was also engaged in minelaying in the first days of the war, then participated in the defense of Odessa and the landing at Grigorievka, during which he received significant damage and was sent for repairs to Sevastopol. In early November, the ship under repair was again attacked from the air, due to which the hastily repaired ship was evacuated to Poti, where it was under repair until September 1942. From October 1942 to October 1943, the ship participated in the transportation of troops from Poti and Batumi to Tuapse, escorted transports, made several trips to the Crimean coast and to the coast of Bulgaria. October 6, 1943. "Merciless" together with the leader "Kharkov" and the destroyer "Able" made a raid to Yalta and Feodosia. On the way back, the detachment of ships was subjected to four successive bomber attacks, during the second attack the destroyer was heavily damaged, and finished off during the next attack.

Northern Fleet

Pacific Fleet

Modernization

Post-war service

"Threatening" in 1946 became part of the 4th (South-Baltic) Navy, from December 1948 - as part of the 8th (North-Baltic Navy). In June 1952, the ode was staged on overhaul, but already in August of the following year, the repair was stopped, and the ship was expelled from the Navy and sent for scrap.

The destroyer "Fast" was good example product "Soyuzverfi" of the Soviet Union. The destroyer became the eleventh warship of the project number "7" and was put into operation in the Black Sea Fleet.

Story

After the First World War, the participating countries tried to make up for their lost military potential. One of the directions was the Navy, which since the time of Alfred Mahan has been one of the predetermining factors in obtaining global power.

In addition, cruisers and battleships received a special trend. British destroyers type "V" and "W"; Japanese Hatsuharu and Fubuku; American "Porter", "Mahan", "Benson" and "Gridley"; French "Jaguar" and "La Fantask"; Italian "Maestralle"; German "Type 1934" and "Type 1936" - are the main representatives of foreign modern destroyers in the period 1920-1930.

Prerequisites for creation

The Soviet Union also did not want to lag behind its European and Asian neighbors. At the beginning of the 1930s, the Navy of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army operated only 17 ships (12 ships were in the Baltic Sea, the remaining 5 in the Black Sea), which remained since the First World War. Moreover, destroyers of the Novik type did not respond desired characteristics of that time and could not represent the interests of the Soviet Union of Socialist Republics. As a result, the command Naval Forces The Red Army, together with Soyuzverf and the Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR, adopted a resolution on the construction of 50 destroyers of a new type. A new type of destroyers was the project number "7" (or as it is known the type "Angry"). Over time, a modernized version of the destroyer "7U" appeared (or, in another way, the "Watchdog" type).

The Great Patriotic War

At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War In the Soviet Navy there were 22 destroyers of the project number "7". The remaining 25 destroyers, although they were laid down in 1935-1936, for one reason or another, were not put into operation by contractors (shipyards). All destroyers of project number "7" and its upgraded version "7U" were divided into 4 fleets:

1. Baltic Fleet;
2. Black Sea Fleet;
3. Northern Fleet;
4. Pacific Fleet.

However, in connection with strategic tasks, destroyers played a role in the first two fleets.

Baltic Fleet

The structure included one detachment of light forces and one squadron, consisting of destroyers of project numbers "7" and "7U", as well as other ships of various classes. The destroyers Watchtower, Glorious, Stable, Angry, Harsh, Strong were included in this list (upon completion of construction, they were supplemented with new "sevens"). Despite the fact that basically all of these warships were put out of action by the fascist forces, some of them made real progress in achieving the victory of the Red Army.

For example, the destroyer "Glorious" in general was able to overcome 3,700 nautical miles and produce an artillery fuse in the amount of about 2,000 shells from the main and anti-aircraft guns. Another example is the destroyer Stoykiy, which has traveled over 7,500 nautical miles. Moreover, the latter not only struck (more than 1,500 shells) on enemy units, but successfully used mines (about 300 units), depth charges (about 130 units) and transported more than 1,500 military personnel. "Strong" and "Angry" participated directly in the naval battle against the German ship group and achieved success in it. The destroyer "Severe" also participated in another naval battle in the Gulf of Riga, where, like his brothers "Strong" and "Angry", he achieved success.

Black Sea Fleet

The composition consisted of two divisions, but only one had the destroyers of the project number "7" and "7U". The second division included destroyers Fast, Svobodny, Smart, Smart, Capable (over time, the ranks were supplemented by new destroyers of the project number 7 and 7U). The main task of the fleet was the defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. Moreover, in the following year, the fleet provided support for landing operations in Feodosia.

legend Black Sea Fleet is the destroyer of the project number "7" - "Smart". The latter went through the entire war without receiving a single significant injury and losing only 5 crew members. In general, "Smart" has passed more than 60,000 nautical miles (reaching 218 combat missions). For 4 years, the destroyer fired almost 3,000 artillery salvos, transported about 15,000 military personnel, shot down 5 Nazi bombers and towed more than 50 pieces of naval equipment. Moreover, the warship and all its crew were awarded the "Guards" title for excellent progress in the Feodosia Landing Operation in 1941. As the experts of that time said, the main success of the "Savvy" is the synchronism of the ship's commander - Captain 1st Rank N. Basisty and the crew of the destroyer subordinate to him - the legend.

Postwar

After the end of the Second World War, most of the destroyers of the project number "7" and "7U" were decommissioned. In their place came new and more modern at that time destroyers of the project number "30 bis". The main reason is the military-technological progress during the Great Patriotic War. The new destroyers were fully automated and equipped the latest installations like radar, sonar, etc.

The history of the creation of the destroyers of the project number "7"

In connection with the new ambitions of the country, the Command of the Naval Forces of the Red Army needed to update the outdated fleet. The first work on a new type of destroyer began in the late 1920s, but due to financial difficulties, the process stalled. Only in the early 1930s was the Central Design Bureau of Shipbuilding established, which was responsible for the design of new destroyers. The main requirements for the bureau were:

1. The construction of destroyers was supposed to be inexpensive and fast;
2. The new destroyers had to be no worse than their "brothers" from other countries.

The main persons responsible for the design were V. Nikitin (project manager) and P. Trachtenberg (project executor). The Central Bureau decided to seek help from the Italian shipyards for help in creating a new type of destroyer. There were two reasons for this:

1. Italian destroyers of the Maestrale type (built by the Ansaldo shipbuilding company) evoked positive reviews from the Soviet leadership;
2. Friendly relations between the Soviet Union and Italy.

The shipbuilding company "Ansaldo" gladly accepted the proposal of the TsKSB and decided to help our engineers. In connection with this turn of events, the silhouette and design of the hull of the new destroyer was a foregone conclusion. The delegation, which consisted of members of the Soyuzverf and the Command of the Navy of the Red Army, went to Italy. The Ansaldo company provided all the necessary documentation and drawings, and also gave Soviet engineers access to the shipyard.

After three months of joint work by Soviet-Italian engineers, in the fall of that year, the Main Revolutionary Military Council adopted the model of the new destroyer. According to its features, the project number "7" was supposed to have a displacement of about 1,300 tons, a maximum speed of 40 knots and a maximum cruising range of -1,800 nautical miles. It was planned to equip the destroyer with 4 130 mm artillery guns and 3 76 mm anti-aircraft guns, as well as 2 533 mm torpedo tubes. Moreover, in general view was designed for the Italian style - the destroyer had a linear main power plant and a single-tube hull.

Selecting the optimal configuration

Due to the incomprehensibility of the desires of the command and the reality of the country's capabilities, the project was revised and redone. Firstly, the level of technology and the lack of the necessary equipment forced the TsKSB to move away from the Italian prototype. Secondly, the desire to build a more powerful, but with a smaller displacement warship - led the engineers to a dead end.

The final sketch of the new ship was approved and signed by the Council of Labor and Defense in 1934. The technical data of the vessel should have looked like this: displacement - from 1430 tons to 1750 tons; length - 112 m; width - 10.2 m; maximum speed- 38 knots; staff - 170 people; armament - 4 artillery guns 130 mm, 2 anti-aircraft guns 76 mm and 2 three-tube torpedo guns. An important fact should be noted - at that time, many of the guns and equipment existed only in the plans of engineers, and the layout of the ships did not have any spare displacement.

Construction and testing

The construction of destroyers of the project number "7" was divided between 4 main and 2 auxiliary shipyards of the country.

The main shipyards were:

• Shipyard No. 189 im. Zhdanov;
• Shipyard No. 190 im. Ordzhonikidze;
• Shipyard No. 198 im. Marty;
• Shipyard No. 200 im. 61 Communards.

Auxiliary shipyards were:

• Shipyard No. 199;
• Shipyard No. 202;

The main task of which was to collect finished parts of the destroyer on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

Construction began in 1935, and almost all other destroyers were laid down the following year. However, despite the fact that at the beginning of the company everything went according to schedule, over time, construction lost its momentum. The main reasons were the lack of infrastructure and personnel in the country. Subsequently, in 1936, only 6 destroyers of the project number "7" were completed.

However, the turning point in the construction of Soviet destroyers was an incident that happened off the coast of Spain. At the beginning of 1937, the English destroyer Hunter was authorized to peacefully control the actions of the two sides of the Spanish civil war(Republicans and Francoists). In the early spring morning of the same year, Hunter found a mine, which immediately disabled the main power plant of the ship. The incident had a huge impact on the project number "7" because. the warship "Hunter" as well as the "seven" had a linear power plant. Despite the fact that by European standards the Hunter was recognized as a fairly tenacious combat ship, the Soviet Union decided to change the design of the ship. Responsible designers - V. Brzezinski, P. Trachtenberg and V. Rimsky-Korsakov were exiled to Siberia for negligence. In the end, they decided to make a modification of the ship. The main task was to change the structure of the main power plant. The modified version was the type "7U" (improved project number "7"). "7U" was upgraded within a month by engineer O. Jacob.

The first ship of the project number "7" - "Bodry" was launched in 1938. However, due to the fact that he did not reach the planned speed limit, the ship was returned to the shipyard. As a result, the first destroyer to be tested and put into operation was the Wrathful.

destroyer "Angry"

A total of 29 Project 7 destroyers and 18 Project 7U destroyers were built. The remaining 6 buildings, it was decided to divide into modules and use as spare parts. The destroyer "Resolute", commanded by the future Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the Soviet Union S. Gorshkov, sank during launching in stormy weather and, therefore, was not taken into service by the navy.

The design of the destroyer “Fast”

The silhouette of the project number "7" was single-pipe, rather long and not quite wide. Having a length to width ratio of 11:1 and high speed the maneuverability of the ship was quite low.

The ship's hull itself was made of low-manganese steel, which affected the ship's survivability. The fact is that low-manganese steel is characterized by high hardness on the one hand, but on the other hand it is very easy to crack. Even from the blows received during the mooring of the ship to the port, the destroyers sometimes received cracks. Above-deck structures were made of ordinary steel.

EM Ship

Project number "7" had a linear power plant. To be more precise, the boilers of the ships were in one long compartment in a unilinear order. The main reason for choosing a linear type of power plant was efficiency. However, in the modernized "7U" the power plant was changed. In the latter, the power plant was located in different compartments of the ship, which in turn increased the survivability of the ship.

Armament of the Ship

The destroyer was armed with: the main gun, anti-aircraft weapons, torpedo weapons and anti-submarine weapons.

Main Weapon

Main artillery piece there were 4 guns 130 mm. The guns themselves were produced by the Bolshevik plant. The projectile speed reached 900 m / s, and the range of the projectiles was about 30 km. In general, 150 shells for various purposes with a weight of 33.7 kg were intended for each gun.

Anti-aircraft Armament

As anti-aircraft weapons, the destroyer had two guns of the 34-K class with 76 mm.

Torpedo armament

Two 39-Yu class 3-tube torpedo tubes were part of the destroyer's armament. had a range of 4 km and a speed of 12 m / s.

Anti-Submarine Armament

On board the destroyer of the project number "7" were from 60 to 65 (depending on the class of mines). Standard armament consisted of:

1. 25 depth mines;
2. 10 large mines;
3. 15 units of small min.

Tactical and technical characteristics

The latest destroyer data was as follows:

1. Displacement - from 1500 to 2180 tons;
2. Hull draft - 3.8 m;
3. Travel speed - 38 knots (maximum) and 19 knots (economic);
4. Seaworthiness - 7 points;
5. Autonomy - 10 days;
6. Length - 112 m;
7. Width - 10.2 m.

Project Evaluation

The destroyers "Gnevny" (project number "7") and "Storozhevoy" (project number "7U") are the largest serial combat ship in the history of the Soviet and Russian fleet. Of course, 47 built destroyers were supposed to play essential role at the end of the Great Patriotic War. However, due to the fact that all destroyers were divided into 4 fleets, the power of such serial shipbuilding was dispersed and could not prove itself.

Another important factor is the increase in Soviet spending on the maritime industry. If in 1935 the country's expenses amounted to 4.6 billion. rubles, then in 1941 this figure was 12.8 billion. rubles.

Despite the large-scale serial construction of destroyers and the increase in spending allocated to the fleet, the Soviet Union was unable to properly use its naval power (by dividing the fleet into parts). Subsequently, the USSR could not become a maritime power in the post-war period.