Project 122bis

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Project 122bis
Albanian Project 122bis boat, 2007
Albanian Project 122bis boat, 2007
Ship data
Ship type Submarine
Shipyard Shipyard 340 Zelenodolsk
Construction period June 30, 1945 to December 26, 1955
Units built Soviet Union: 157

PR China: 14

period of service Since 1947
Ship dimensions and crew
length
52.24 m ( Lüa )
width 6.48 m
Draft Max. 2.28 m
displacement Standard / full: 307 t / 325 t
 
crew 50
Machine system
machine 1. Construction lot : 3 × GM -12-278A diesel engine
Machine
performance 		3 × 1,206 hp (887 kW)
Top
speed 		20 kn (37 km / h)
propeller 3
Machine system
machine 2. Construction lot: 3 × М-50F diesel engine
Machine
performance 		3 × 1,200 PS (883 kW)
Top
speed 		18.7 kn (35 km / h)
propeller 3
Armament

All boats:

  • 1 × 1 85mm L / 52 90K
  • 2 × 1 37mm L / 67 70K

1st series:

  • 2 × BMB-1 WaBo launchers

2nd series:

  • 2 × BMB-2-WaBo launchers

Project 122bis ( Russian "проект 122Б" ), also known by NATO as the Kronstadt class , was a class of Soviet anti - submarine boats that were built for use in the coastal apron after the Second World War .

development

In 1939 the Soviet Navy had approved the plans for the large submarine from Project 122 . The class was primarily intended to secure marine bases on the seaside and was accordingly designed with short sea endurance and range. A 76 mm gun was placed on the forecastle, followed by a narrow structure and the funnel. Since the superstructure and chimney were in front of the center of the ship, there was enough space at the stern for depth charges and a supply of 40 light (40 kg) and 16 heavy (180 kg) depth charges . In addition, several heavy machine guns were distributed to the superstructure and stern. Three diesel engines enabled a speed of up to 22 knots. However, the plans of the project were soon revised and the navy now also demanded the suitability of the ships for escort duties near the coast, significantly more powerful armament and seaworthiness up to a sea state of level 7 . 40 ships of this project 122a were built in the war from 1941 to 1945. However, some had to be abandoned unfinished when German troops overran one of the production sites, an inland shipyard near Kiev , on their advance . After the end of the war, the Soviet Navy initially wanted to develop a completely new submarine as part of the ten-year plan for shipbuilding, but the industry only had limited capacities and raw materials available that were not wasted on immature experiments should be. The successor project 122bis was developed on the basis of project 122a . The bow shape was changed and the freeboard increased to improve seaworthiness. The equipment, with GM engines and Browning machine guns, was initially based on American deliveries under the lending and leasing law .

Technology and organization

Construction planning

Project 122bis was the first type of ship to be prefabricated from segments on a large scale in the Soviet Union. In order to be able to build the boats faster because of the large numbers of items, all steps of material procurement and construction from the military's economic plans were transferred to the planning staff of the shipyard in Zelenodolsk . Equipped with such special authorizations, the construction time was shortened rapidly from 1947 and at peak times a ship was launched every twelve days.

Hull and drive

The 52 meter long hull of Project 122bis was made of steel . 20 individual segments were prefabricated, provided with interior fittings, assembled and welded . It consisted of ten watertight compartments. The propulsion of project 122bis consisted of three marine diesel engines , distributed in two engine rooms. First, American General Motors 12-278A engines were used, which were replaced by their own M-50F diesels from the second construction batch onwards. Since the Soviet engines theoretically had a comparable performance to the American ones, but were significantly weaker in use, the top speed fell from 20 knots to just 18.7 knots from the second construction lot onwards.

Sensors

To search for air and surface contacts one was radar type Gjus ( Russian "Гюйс" installed) on the main mast. The system was continuously modernized so that some ships carried up to four different radar systems during their service life. The search for submarines was equipped in Project 122bis with the Tamir-10 sonar developed in 1946 , the sensor of which was mounted under the forecastle. The system could only reach its full potential at a speed of less than 10 knots. The last construction lot received the improved Tamir-11.

Armament

An 85 mm L / 52-90K gun was placed on the forecastle of Project 122bis, which was enclosed by a protective shield that was open at the rear. 240 grenades were carried for the weapon. The weapon could fire its projectiles at targets up to 15 kilometers away.

The close-range defense was based on two 37-mm-L / 67-FlaK 70K in two individual mounts, which stood on the stern. They were supported by two 12.7 mm twin machine guns, one of which was installed in front of and another behind the superstructure. Initially, the American Browning M2 was installed here, which uses the 12.7 × 99 cartridge; however, the weapons were then replaced by the native DSchK , which uses the Soviet 12.7 × 108 cartridge.

The main weapon used against submarines was on Project 122bis depth charges . For this purpose, two BMB-1 launcher devices were installed, which could use a supply of 24 heavy and 32 light bombs against enemy submarines. From 1951 the BMB-2 launcher replaced the BMB-1 model. The boats were also designed so that they could carry up to 18 sea ​​mines and set them down via the stern. In the last construction lot of Project 122bis, the newly developed RBU-1200 launcher was installed from 1953 . Two of the launchers were installed on the forecastle.

Ships of project 11451

157 boats of Project 122bis were built in the Soviet Union between 1945 and 1955. The draft was only partially suitable for its core task, the hunt for submarines, and was thus completely removed from the Soviet Navy as a submarine as early as 1975. However, due to their design, the ships could easily be used for many other tasks. So they were given to friendly states in the mid-1950s. They went to Egypt , Albania , Bulgaria and Romania . Later, Cuba and Indonesia also received Project 122bis boats.

The People's Republic of China was a special case . Still friends with the USSR in the 1950s, in 1955 China received the license to build Project 122bis boats, all technical documentation, support in the form of components and technical advisors. This enabled them to build 14 boats in their own shipyards and thus lay the foundation for their navy.

Evidence and references

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to Jangajew, 30 boats were built per year, i.e. 365 days / 30 boats = 12.17 days per boat.
  2. ↑ "227 + 9" units of the class, however, are named at russian-ships.info (as of March 1, 2012)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Norman Polmar: The Naval Institute guide to the Soviet Navy. US Naval Institute Press, 1991, ISBN 0870212419 , p. 204.
  2. ^ Oleg A. Godin, David R. Palmer: History of Russian underwater acoustics. World Scientific Publishing Company, 2008, ISBN 978-9812568250 , p. 257.

Web links