Leninets-class submarine

Submarine L-4 Garibaldets
Class overview
Preceded by	Template:Sclass-
Succeeded by	Template:Sclass2-
Built	1931–1941
In commission	1931–1971
Completed	25
Lost	4
Preserved	1 (partially)
General characteristics
Displacement	Group 1+2: 1,051 tons surfaced 1,327 tons submerged Group 3+4: 1,123 tons surfaced 1,416 tons submerged
Length	Group 1+2: 81 m (265 ft 9 in) Group 3+4: 83.3 m (273 ft 4 in)
Beam	Group 1+2: 6.6 m (21 ft 8 in) Group 3+4: 7 m (23 ft 0 in)
Draft	All Groups: 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric, 2 shafts Group 1+2: 2,200 hp (1,600 kW) diesels 1,450 hp (1,080 kW) electric motors Group 3+4: 4,200 hp (3,100 kW) diesels 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) electric motors
Speed	Group 1+2: 14 knots (26 km/h) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h) submerged Group 3+4: 18 knots (33 km/h) surfaced 10 knots (19 km/h) submerged
Complement	53
Armament	1 × 100 mm gun 1 × 45 mm gun 6 × 21-inch (533 mm) bow torpedo tubes 12 × torpedoes 20 × mines 2 stern mounted torpedo tubes added in Groups 3 and 4

The Leninets or L class were the second class of submarines to be built for the Soviet Navy. They were minelaying submarines and were based on the British L-class submarine, HMS L55, which was sunk during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. Some experience from the previous Template:Sclass-s was also utilised. The boats were of the saddle tank type and mines were carried in two stern galleries as pioneered on the pre-war Krab, the world's first minelaying submarine. These boats were considered successful by the Soviets and 25 were built in four groups between 1931 and 1941. Groups 3 and 4 had more powerful engines and higher speed.

Ships

Further information: Submarine warfare in the Black Sea campaigns (1941–42)

Group 1

6 ships were built (L1 to L6), all launched in 1931. 3 were assigned to the Baltic Fleet and 3 to the Black Sea Fleet, including Soviet submarine L-3.

Number	Name	Meaning	Fleet	Launched	Fate
L1	Leninets (Ленинец)	Follower of Lenin	Baltic	28 February 1931	Sunk by German artillery October 1941, salvaged, scrapped 1945
L2	Stalinets (Сталинец)	Follower of Stalin	Baltic	21 May 1931	Sunk by mine 15 November 1941
L3	Frunzenets (Фрунзенец)	Follower of Frunze	Baltic	8 August 1931	Decommissioned 15 February 1971, conning tower preserved as a memorial
L4	Garibaldets (Гарибальдиец)	Follower of Garibaldi	Black Sea	31 August 1931	Decommissioned 17 February 1956
L5	Chartist (Чартист)	An adherent of Chartism	Black Sea	5 June 1932	Decommissioned 25 December 1955
L6	Carbonari (Карбонарий)	Carbonari	Black Sea	3 November 1932	Sunk with depth charges near Sevastopol on 18 April 1944 by the German submarine chaser UJ-104

Group 2

6 six ships were built (L7 to L 12) and launched between 1935 and 1936. All were built for the Pacific Fleet by plant 202 "Dalzavod" Vladivostok and plant 199 Komsomolsk-na-Amure.

Number	Name	Meaning	Fleet	Launched	Fate
L7	Voroshilovets	Follower of Kliment Voroshilov	Pacific	15 May 1935	Decommissioned 1956
L8	Dzerzhinets	Follower of Dzerzhinsky	Pacific	10 September 1935	Decommissioned 1950s
L9	Kirovets	Follower of Kirov	Pacific	25 August 1935	Decommissioned 1950s
L10	Menzhinets	Follower of Menzhinski	Pacific	18 December 1936	Decommissioned 1950s
L11	Sverdlovets	Follower of Sverdlov	Pacific	4 December 1936	Decommissioned 1950s
L12	Molotovets	Follower of Molotov	Pacific	7 November 1936	Decommissioned 1950s

Group 3

7 ships were built (L13 to L19) and launched from 1937 to 1938. All were assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Considered a new project, the hull was based on the Srednyaya class. They carried 18 mines.

Ship	Fleet	Launched	Fate
L13	Pacific	2 August 1936	Decommissioned 1950s
L14	Pacific	20 December 1936	Decommissioned 1950s
L15	Pacific	26 December 1936	Transferred to the Northern Fleet via the Panama Canal in late 1942, decommissioned 1950s
L16	Pacific	9 July 1937	Torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-25 on 11 October 1942, near the coast of Oregon while being transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet
L17	Pacific	5 November 1937	Decommissioned 1950s
L18	Pacific	12 May 1938	Decommissioned 1950s
L19	Pacific	25 May 1938	Sunk in 1945

Group 4

6 ships were built (L20 to L25) and launched from 1940 to 1941. 3 were assigned to the Baltic Fleet and 3 to the Black Sea Fleet. This group added stern torpedo tubes and new, more powerful diesel engines.

Ship	Fleet	Launched	Fate
L20	Baltic	14 April 1940	Decommissioned 1950s
L21	Baltic	17 July 1940	Decommissioned 1950s
L22	Baltic	23 September 1939	Transferred to Northern Fleet 1941, Decommissioned 1950s
L23	Black Sea	29 April 1940	Sunk 17 January 1944 by German sub-chaser UJ106
L24	Black Sea	17 December 1940	Sunk on 15 December 1942 off Cape Shabla by a mine of the Romanian flanking barrage S-15, laid by the Romanian minelayers Amiral Murgescu, Regele Carol I and Dacia
L25	Black Sea	26 February 1941	Unfinished. Sunk while being towed from Tuapse to Sevastopol in December 1944

References

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Yakubov, Vladimir and Worth, Richard. (2008) Raising the Red Banner: The Pictoral History of Stalin's Fleet 1920-1945. Spellmount. ISBN 978-1-86227-450-1
• L-class submarines Template:Ru icon