Pre-revolutionary period: the beginning of production of combat submarines

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

November 28, 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the oldest Kronstadt submarine formation, which is the legal successor of the Baltic Sea submarine forces of the Imperial Navy of Russia, and on March 19, 2006, our country celebrated the 100th anniversary of its submarine forces.

In January 1901, at the suggestion of the chief inspector of shipbuilding of Russia, Lieutenant-General E. N. Kuteinikov, the professional design of domestic combat submarines began in St. Petersburg. By this time, the industrial production of electric motors and electric batteries had already been mastered, which made it possible to ensure the movement of a submarine in a submerged position, internal combustion engines, including diesel engines, which had high efficiency and turned out to be most suitable as surface engines. As an underwater weapon for submarines, torpedoes proved to be the most effective, which allowed them to attack surface vessels both at anchor and moving in the open sea.

On January 4, 1901, the Maritime Ministry approved the "Submarine Construction Commission", which was headed by the talented shipbuilding engineer IG Bubnov. The commission has developed a project for the first domestic combat-ready submarine "Dolphin". In 1901, I. G. Bubnov was appointed its builder at the Baltic Shipyard, supervised its testing and commissioning of the fleet.

On August 29, 1903, the first submarine "Dolphin", almost completely finished and standing at the outfitting wall of the plant, was visited by Emperor Nicholas II. He listened to the report of IG Bubnov and wished "success in further constructions." This was the beginning of the financing of the submarine project. On October 27 (14), 1903, it was accepted into the treasury (for service), and on June 18, 1904, it became part of the Baltic Fleet. This was the beginning of the creation of the submarine forces of the Russian fleet. It should be noted that the construction of the Dolphin submarine was clearly experimental and had no great combat value. This was the firstborn of our submarine forces.

In connection with the beginning of the construction of submarines, the question arose of training personnel: teams and specialist officers for service on them: they were recruited exclusively from volunteers. The training took place on the Dolphin submarine, which was also the first training submarine for training submariners, and Captain 2nd Rank MN Beklemishev was their first commander-mentor and teacher. Not without losses. So on June 29 (16), 1904, during the 18th training dive on the Neva, the Dolphin submarine sank. Lieutenant A. N. Cherkasov commanded the Dolphin on this exit. On the boat, besides him, there were two officers and 34 lower ranks, of which only four belonged to the Dolphin team, the rest mastered the basics of scuba diving "in order to teach them to be submerged on a boat." A. Cherkasov obviously did not take into account the overload of the boat (24 people weigh about 2 tons) and, as a consequence, the higher than usual diving speed. The abnormal situation was aggravated by the design flaws of the boat.

The fact is that the main design flaw was that when it was immersed, the entrance hatch had to be left ajar in order to bleed off the excess air released from the ballast tanks into a durable hull before diving. Before going under the water, the hatch was quickly closed. At 9.30 am "Dolphin" began to dive and went under water with an open hatch. Only 2 officers and 10 sailors were saved. Lieutenant A. N. Cherkasov and 24 sailors did not manage to get out and died. Three days later, the submarine was raised. The submariners were buried at the Smolensk cemetery. The names of the victims are engraved on the tombstone. Lieutenant A. N. Cherkasov is buried nearby in a separate grave. On his gravestone there is an inscription: “Here lies the body of Lieutenant Anatoly Nilovich Cherkasov, who died on the destroyer Dolphin on June 16, 1904, together with a command of 24 people. Lower ranks ". These were the first losses of the first combat submarine of the Russian fleet.

Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 became the first in world history in which submarines took part - ships of a new type, which by this time were just beginning to take their place in the navies of the world's leading maritime powers.

In April 1904, the battleships Yashima and Hatsuse were blown up by mines near Port Arthur, while the Japanese considered that they were attacked by submarines, and the whole squadron fired long and fiercely into the water. The commander of the 1st Pacific Squadron, Rear Admiral V. K. Vitgeft, ordered to give a radiogram when the Japanese battleships were blown up that the admiral thanks the submarines for the successful deed. Of course, the Japanese intercepted this message and "took note of it."

In 1904, submarines began to be sent to Vladivostok by rail. At the end of December 1904, there were already eight submarines there. On January 14 (1), 1905, by order of the commander of the Vladivostok port, all these boats organizationally entered the Separate destroyer detachment, which, in turn, was subordinate to the head of the Vladivostok cruiser detachment Rear Admiral K. Ya. Jessen. The direct management of the actions of the Separate Detachment was entrusted to the commander of the submarine "Kasatka" Lieutenant A. V. Plotto, and Lieutenant II Riznich, who commanded the Pike submarine, was appointed his deputy. A. Plotto was the first commander of the first tactical detached submarine detachment (A. V. Plotto was born on March 12, 1869, later Vice Admiral, naval leader, theorist and practitioner of diving. Died in 1948 at the age of 79, buried in Piraeus (Greece)). By the end of 1905, there were 13 submarine units in Vladivostok.

By the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, no country in the world had yet developed meaningful views on the role of submarines in their fleets. Therefore, the Russian Naval Department had to develop plans for the use of its submarines in the war at sea, without having any experience. No one really knew what submarines were capable of and how they should operate. The commander of the "Soma" Lieutenant Prince Vladimir Vladimirovich Trubetskoy wrote that "… the boats, in fact, no one led, and those commanders who wanted to do something were not given the initiative …". And further: “… Everything had to be done for the first time, even to come up with command words to control the boat. Basically they were developed by the commander of the "Skat" Lieutenant Mikhail Tieder and the commander of the "Pike" Lieutenant Riznich "(many of these" command words "have survived to our time:" Stand in places. To ascend "," Stand in places. To dive ", "Blow out ballast", "Look around in the compartments" and others). Their combat activities were reduced to carrying out patrol service, conducting close reconnaissance and protecting the coast in the Vladivostok region.

Only in one case did Russian submarines, while performing patrol service and conducting reconnaissance, manage to find Japanese ships. For the first time in the practice of military operations, the Russian submarine officer, the commander of the Soma, Lieutenant Prince V. V. Trubetskoy, saw through the periscope not a training target shield, but enemy ships. He decided to attack the enemy. The Som plunged and began maneuvering in order to take a convenient position for a salvo, but the Japanese ships found it, opened fire and rammed it. The Som sank to 12 meters and made an evasive maneuver in order to regain a comfortable position for a torpedo salvo. But the fog suddenly descended on the sea allowed the enemy ships to hide. Although there was no combat clash and this attack was not successful, it played a positive role.

This case was an attempt at the first submarine attack in the history of the Russian submarine fleet and was carried out by Lieutenant Prince V. V. Trubetskoy. For the first time in world history, new opponents met - surface ships and a submarine, starting on that distant day a confrontation, unfinished to the present. At first, submarines belonged to the destroyer class. By 1906, Russia had 20 of these submarine destroyers. This circumstance led to the fact that on March 11, 1906, in the Naval Department, Vice Admiral A. A. Birilev, Minister of the Navy, signed order No. 52, which read: “The Sovereign Emperor on the 6th day of March of this year deigned to command: 1) Include the following categories in the classification of naval vessels established on the 30th day of December 1891: a) …….. b) submarines. 2) in the second category (list) destroyers "Dolphin", "Kasatka", "Field Marshal Count Sheremetyev", "Skat", "Burbot", "Perch", "Mackerel", "Catfish", "Sterlet", "Salmon", "Beluga", "Pike", "Gudgeon", "Sturgeon", "Goby", "Roach", "Halibut", "Whitefish", "Mullet", "Trout" … (I would like to emphasize that there was no Decree of Emperor Nicholas ??. On this issue, the Deputy Head of the Information Support Department of the Russian State Archive of the Navy, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation V. N. Gudkin-Vasiliev, conducted an archival study, which confirmed the absence of such a decree of the Emperor. Nevertheless, many literary sources, including reputable mass media, refer to the unknown "mythical" decree of the tsar, which no one has ever seen). From that time on, the history of the Russian submarine forces began as a kind of forces of the Navy. This was how the beginning of the creation of the submarine forces of our country was legalized, and the day of March 6 (19) was declared the Day of the Submariner by Order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy No. 253 of 15.07.1996. In the conclusions on the combat use of submarines in the Russo-Japanese war, it was noted that one of the reasons for the low efficiency of their use is: "… The officers and the crew are not sufficiently trained and they had to train themselves …", and already three weeks after order No. 52, 27.03 1906 (April 9, new style) in Libava (Liepaja), the first Russian training diving squadron was officially created. The purpose of the detachment was the training of submariners, the acceptance of submarines from the industry, their staffing, and commissioning.

The creation of a scuba diving training detachment was formalized by order No. 88 dated April 17 (29), 1906, signed by the Minister of the Navy, Vice-Admiral A. A. Birilev. This order read: "Sovereign Emperor, on the 27th day of March 1906, the Highest deigned to approve 1) the opinion that followed in the State Council on the establishment of a training diving detachment and 2) the staff of a training diving detachment …" … The detachment was based at the port of Emperor Alexander III (Liepaja), Rear Admiral Eduard Nikolaevich Schensnovich was appointed the first commander of the detachment (he commanded the detachment in 1906-1907). Based on his report, a commission was created, the opinion of which was reflected in its main wording: “… Not a single part of the naval specialty requires from the personnel such knowledge as a submarine; here everyone should know what he needs to do under different circumstances, mistakes are not allowed, and therefore all employees on submarines must pass the most thoroughly appropriate course at school and pass the exam perfectly according to the established program … " (RGA Navy. D.27995, ll. 182-183). The detachment included: training staff, an officer's class and a school for lower ranks. The detachment included all available submarines of the Baltic Fleet: the training ship Khabarovsk, submarines Peskar, Beluga, Sig, Sterlyad, Lamprey, Okun, and Mackrel. On these submarines, 7 officers and 20 sailors began to undergo training.

The submarine division included: 1st division - submarines "Bars", "Vepr" and "Gepard"; 2nd Division - submarines "Tiger", "Lioness" and "Panther"; 3rd Division - submarines "Shark", "Cayman", "Crocodile", "Alligator" and "Dragon"; 4th division - submarines "Mackerel", "Okun" and "Lamprey"; 5th division - submarines Beluga, Gudgeon, Sterlet; special purpose division - small boats No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, built by order of the military department; support ships - transports "Europe", "Khabarovsk", No. 1, No. 2 and "Oland", the rescue ship "Volkhov", the destroyer "Prytky" and 4 boats. The first Russian submarine to achieve combat success in the war at sea was the Gepard submarine. Early in the morning of 23 (10) August 1915, off the western coast of Ezel Island, the Gepard spotted an enemy three-pipe cruiser of the Bremen class and with it five destroyers. Approaching a distance of 6-8 cables, the commander, Lieutenant Ya. I. Podgorny, fired a volley of five torpedoes and hoped to see the result of the attack, but turning the periscope back, he saw an enemy destroyer heading straight for the boat. They had to urgently go under water to a depth of about 15 meters, and after a while the submariners heard a strong explosion.

What happened to the enemy cruiser is unknown, but from the Tserel lighthouse they also heard an explosion in the darkness. This was the first salvo method of torpedo attack to be successfully applied.

On November 27, 1915, the submarine "Akula" under the command of Captain 2nd Rank N. A. Gudim launched its 17th military campaign. Her course lay towards Memel, where she was to set mines. The boat did not return from the military campaign. Most likely she died on a mine. However, what actually happened was never established. "Shark" became the first submarine in Russian history that was killed in the course of hostilities. Our memory will preserve the "Akula" as one of the first Russian diesel-electric submarines, which marked the beginning of active hostilities of domestic submariners and their long-distance campaigns.

On May 15, 1916, the submarine "Wolf" (commanded by Senior Lieutenant IV Messer) set out on a military campaign to the Norrkoping Bay area (located in the south-east of Sweden). Ivan Vladimirovich, operating in this area, sank 3 German transports and one steamer with a total tonnage of about 14600 tons. submarine "Beluga" and in 1915-1918 submarine "Wolf." pilotage of the White Sea. Then he emigrated first to Finland, then to Serbia and then to the USA. Died on December 16, 1952 in Cleveland (Ohio)).

In 1916, England transferred 11 more AG-class submarines to Russia, which were being built in America for England. In November 1916, Rear Admiral Dmitry Verderevsky was appointed the second chief of the submarine division, replacing Rear Admiral N. L. Podgursky in this post.

The wall was constantly being completed for two thousand years - until 1644. At the same time, due to various internal and external factors, the wall turned out to be "layered", similar in shape to the channels left by bark beetles in the tree (this can be clearly seen in the illustration).

During the entire construction period, only the material changed, as a rule: primitive clay, pebbles and compacted earth were replaced by limestone and denser rocks. But the design itself, as a rule, did not undergo changes, although its parameters vary: height 5-7 meters, width about 6.5 meters, towers every two hundred meters (distance of the shot of an arrow or arquebus). They tried to draw the wall itself along the ridges of mountain ranges.

And in general they actively used the local landscape for fortification purposes. The length from the eastern to the western edge of the wall is nominally about 9000 kilometers, but if you count all the branches and layering, it comes out to 21,196 kilometers. On the construction of this miracle in different periods worked from 200 thousand to two million people (that is, a fifth of the then population of the country).

Now most of the wall is abandoned, part of it is used as a tourist site. Unfortunately, the wall suffers from climatic factors: the downpours erode it, the drying heat leads to collapses … Interestingly, archaeologists still discover hitherto unknown fortification sites. This mainly concerns the northern "veins" on the border with Mongolia.

Adrian's shaft and Antonina's shaft

In the first century AD, the Roman Empire actively conquered the British Isles. Although by the end of the century, the power of Rome, transmitted through the loyal heads of local tribes, in the south of the island was unconditional, the tribes living to the north (primarily the Picts and brigants) were reluctant to submit to foreigners, making raids and organizing military skirmishes. In order to secure the controlled territory and prevent the penetration of the raiders' detachments, in 120 AD the Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of a line of fortifications, which later received his name. By the year 128, the work was completed.

The shaft crossed the north of the British Isle from the Irish Sea to the North and was a wall 117 kilometers long. In the west, the rampart was made of wood and earth, it was 6 m wide and 3.5 meters high, and in the east it was made of stone, the width of which was 3 m, and the average height was 5 meters. Moats were dug on both sides of the wall, and a military road for the transfer of troops ran along the rampart on the south side.

Along the rampart, 16 forts were built, which simultaneously served as checkpoints and barracks, between them, every 1300 meters - smaller towers, every half a kilometer - signaling structures and cabins.

The rampart was built by the forces of three legions based on the island, with each small section building a small legion squad. Apparently, such a rotational method did not allow a significant part of the soldiers to be immediately diverted to work. Then these same legions carried out a guard duty here.

As the Roman Empire expanded, already under Emperor Antoninus Pius, in 142-154, a similar line of fortifications was built 160 km north of the Andrianov Wall. The new stone Antoninov shaft was similar to the "big brother": width - 5 meters, height - 3-4 meters, ditches, road, turrets, alarm. But there were much more forts - 26. The length of the rampart was two times less - 63 kilometers, since in this part of Scotland the island is much narrower.

However, Rome was unable to effectively control the area between the two ramparts, and in 160-164 the Romans left the wall, returning for Hadrian's fortifications. In 208, the troops of the Empire again managed to occupy the fortifications, but only for a few years, after which the southern one - the Hadrian's shaft - again became the main line. By the end of the 4th century, the influence of Rome on the island was declining, the legions began to degrade, the wall was not properly maintained, and the frequent raids of tribes from the north led to destruction. By 385, the Romans had stopped serving Hadrian's Wall.

The ruins of the fortifications have survived to this day and are an outstanding monument of Antiquity in Great Britain.

Serif line

The invasion of nomads in Eastern Europe required the strengthening of the southern borders of the Rusyn principalities. In the XIII century, the population of Russia uses various methods of building defenses against horse armies, and by the XIV century, the science of how to correctly build "notch lines" is already taking shape. Zaseka is not just a wide clearing with obstacles in the forest (and most of the places in question are wooded), it is a defensive structure that was not easy to overcome. On the spot, fallen trees, pointed stakes and other simple structures made of local materials, impassable for the horseman, are stuck in the ground crosswise and directed towards the enemy.

In this thorny windbreak were earthen traps, "garlic", which incapacitated the foot soldiers, if they tried to approach and dismantle the fortifications. And from the north of the clearing there was a shaft fortified with stakes, as a rule, with observation posts and forts. The main task of such a line is to delay the advance of the cavalry army and give time to the princely troops to gather. For example, in the XIV century, Prince of Vladimir Ivan Kalita erected an uninterrupted line of marks from the Oka River to the Don River and further to the Volga. Other princes also built such lines in their lands. And the Zasechnaya guard served on them, and not only on the very line: horse patrols went out on reconnaissance far to the south.

Over time, the principalities of Russia united into a single Russian state, which was capable of building large-scale structures. The enemy also changed: now they had to defend themselves from the Crimean-Nogai raids. From 1520 to 1566, the Great Zasechnaya Line was built, which stretched from the Bryansk forests to Pereyaslavl-Ryazan, mainly along the banks of the Oka.

These were no longer primitive "directional windbreaks", but a line of high-quality means of fighting horse raids, fortification tricks, gunpowder weapons. Beyond this line were stationed troops of the standing army of about 15,000 people, and outside the intelligence and agent network worked. However, the enemy managed to overcome such a line several times.

As the state strengthened and the borders expanded to the south and east, over the next hundred years, new fortifications were built: Belgorod line, Simbirskaya zaseka, Zakamskaya line, Izyumskaya line, woodland Ukrainian line, Samara-Orenburgskaya line (this is already 1736, after the death of Peter !). By the middle of the 18th century, raiding peoples were either subdued or could not raid for other reasons, and linear tactics reigned supreme on the battlefield. Therefore, the value of the notches came to naught.

Berlin Wall

After World War II, the territory of Germany was divided between the USSR and the allies into the Eastern and Western zones.

On May 23, 1949, the state of the Federal Republic of Germany was formed on the territory of West Germany, which joined the NATO bloc.

On October 7, 1949, on the territory of East Germany (on the site of the former Soviet occupation zone), the German Democratic Republic was formed, which took over the socialist political regime from the USSR. She quickly became one of the leading countries of the socialist camp.

Berlin remained a problem: just like Germany, it was divided into eastern and western zones of occupation. But after the formation of the GDR, East Berlin became its capital, but West, nominally being the territory of the FRG, turned out to be an enclave. Relations between NATO and the OVD heated up during the Cold War, and West Berlin was a bone in the throat on the road to GDR sovereignty. In addition, the troops of the former allies were still stationed in this region.

Each side put forward uncompromising proposals in their favor, but it was impossible to put up with the current situation. De facto, the border between the GDR and West Berlin was transparent, with up to half a million people crossing it unhindered a day. By July 1961, over 2 million people fled through West Berlin to the FRG, which made up a sixth of the population of the GDR, and emigration was increasing.

The government decided that since it could not take control of West Berlin, it would simply isolate it. On the night of 12 (Saturday) to 13 (Sunday) August 1961, the troops of the GDR surrounded the territory of West Berlin, not allowing the inhabitants of the city either outside or inside. Ordinary German communists stood in a living cordon. In a few days, all streets along the border, tram and metro lines were closed, telephone lines were cut off, cable and pipe collectors were laid with gratings. Several houses adjacent to the border were evicted and destroyed, in many others the windows were bricked up.

Freedom of movement was completely prohibited: some could not return home, some did not get to work. The Berlin conflict on October 27, 1961, would then be one of those moments when the Cold War could turn hot. And in August, the construction of the wall was carried out at an accelerated pace. And initially it was literally a concrete or brick fence, but by 1975 the wall was a complex of fortifications for various purposes.

Let's list them in order: a concrete fence, a mesh fence with barbed wire and electrical alarms, anti-tank hedgehogs and anti-tire spikes, a road for patrols, an anti-tank ditch, a control strip. And also the symbol of the wall is a three-meter fence with a wide pipe on top (so that you cannot swing your leg). All this was served by security towers, searchlights, signaling devices and prepared firing points.

In fact, the wall turned West Berlin into a reservation. But the barriers and traps were made in such a way and in the direction that it was the inhabitants of East Berlin who could not cross the wall and get into the western part of the city. And it was in this direction that the citizens fled from the country of the Internal Affairs Department to the fenced-in enclave. Several checkpoints worked exclusively for technical purposes, and the guards were allowed to shoot to kill.

Nevertheless, in the entire history of the existence of the wall, 5,075 people successfully fled from the GDR, including 574 deserters. Moreover, the more serious the fortifications of the wall were, the more sophisticated were the escape methods: a hang glider, a balloon, a double bottom of a car, a diving suit, and makeshift tunnels.

Another 249,000 East Germans moved west "legally". From 140 to 1250 people died while trying to cross the border. By 1989, perestroika was in full swing in the USSR, and many of the GDR's neighbors opened borders with it, allowing East Germans to leave the country en masse. The existence of the wall became meaningless, on November 9, 1989, a representative of the GDR government announced new rules for entering and leaving the country.

Hundreds of thousands of East Germans, without waiting for the appointed date, rushed to the border on the evening of November 9. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, the maddened border guards were told "the wall is no more, they said on TV," after which crowds of jubilant residents of the East and West met. Somewhere the wall was officially dismantled, somewhere the crowds smashed it with sledgehammers and carried away the fragments, like the stones of the fallen Bastille.

The wall collapsed with no less tragedy than the one that marked every day of its standing. But in Berlin, a half-kilometer stretch remained - as a monument to the senselessness of such usurpation measures. On May 21, 2010, the inauguration of the first part of the large memorial complex dedicated to the Berlin Wall took place in Berlin.

Trump Wall

The first fences on the US-Mexico border appeared in the middle of the 20th century, but these were ordinary fences, and they were often demolished by emigrants from Mexico.

The construction of a real formidable line took place from 1993 to 2009. This fortification covered 1,078 km of the 3145 km of the common border. In addition to a mesh or metal fence with barbed wire, the functionality of the wall includes auto and helicopter patrols, motion sensors, video cameras and powerful lighting. In addition, the strip behind the wall is cleared of vegetation.

However, the height of the wall, the number of fences at a certain distance, surveillance systems and materials used during construction vary depending on the section of the border. For example, in some places the border runs through cities, and the wall here is just a fence with pointed and curved elements on top. The most "multi-layered" and often patrolled sections of the border-wall are those through which the flow of emigrants was greatest in the second half of the 20th century. In these areas, it has dropped by 75% over the past 30 years, but critics say this simply forces emigrants to use less convenient overland routes (which often lead to their death due to harsh environmental conditions) or resort to the services of smugglers.

On the current section of the wall, the percentage of illegal immigrants being detained reaches 95%. But on sections of the border where the risk of drug smuggling or the crossings of armed gangs is low, there may be no barriers at all, which causes criticism about the effectiveness of the entire system. Also, the fence can be in the form of a wire fence for livestock, a fence made of vertically placed rails, a fence made of steel pipes of a certain length with concrete poured inside, and even a blockage from machines flattened under the press. In such locations, vehicle and helicopter patrols are considered the primary means of defense.

The construction of the separation wall along the entire border with Mexico became one of the main points of Donald Trump's election program in 2016, but the contribution of his administration was limited to moving the existing sections of the wall to other directions of migration, which practically did not increase the total length. The opposition prevented Trump from pushing the wall project and funding through the Senate.

The heavily media-covered issue of building the wall has resonated in American society and outside the country, becoming another point of contention between Republican and Democratic supporters. New President Joe Biden promised to completely destroy the wall, but this statement has remained words for now.

And so far, to the delight of the emigrants, the fate of the wall remains in limbo.