Leninets-class submarine


The Leninets or L class were the second class of submarines to be built for the Soviet Navy. Twenty-five were built in four groups between 1931 and 1941. They were minelaying submarines and were based on the British L-class submarine,, which was sunk during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. Some experience from the previous 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 Russian [submarine Krab (1912)]. These boats were considered successful by the Soviets. Groups 3 and 4 had more powerful engines and a higher top speed.

Ships

Group 1

Six ships were built, all launched in 1931. Three were assigned to the Baltic Fleet and three to the Black Sea Fleet, including Soviet submarine L-3.
NumberNameMeaningFleetLaunchedFate
L-1Leninets Follower of LeninBaltic28 February 1931Sunk by German artillery October 1941, salvaged 1944, scrapped 1949
L-2Stalinets Follower of StalinBaltic21 May 1931Sunk 14 November 1941 by mine off Keri Island
Frunzenets Follower of FrunzeBaltic8 August 1931Renamed B-3 in 1949; decommissioned 15 February 1971, conning tower preserved as a memorial
Garibaldets Follower of GaribaldiBlack Sea31 August 1931Renamed B-34 in 1949; decommissioned 2 November 1954 and scrapped on 17 February 1956
L-5Chartist An adherent of ChartismBlack Sea5 June 1932Decommissioned 25 December 1955 and scrapped in 1956
L-6Carbonari CarbonariBlack Sea3 November 1932Sunk with depth charges near Sevastopol on 18 April 1944 by the German submarine chaser UJ-104

Group 2

Six ships were built and launched between 1935 and 1936. All were built for the Pacific Fleet by plant 202 "Dalzavod" Vladivostok and plant 199 Komsomolsk-na-Amure.
NumberNameMeaningFleetLaunchedFate
L-7VoroshilovetsFollower of Kliment VoroshilovPacific15 May 1935Stricken 1958 and later scrapped
L-8DzerzhinetsFollower of DzerzhinskyPacific10 September 1935Decommissioned 1959, served as a training vessel until 1970; dismantled in 1973; conning tower preserved as a memorial to L-19
L-9KirovetsFollower of KirovPacific25 August 1935Renamed L-19 in 1945 in honor of the sunken L-19, renamed B-19 in 1949; stricken in 1958 and later scrapped
L-10MenzhinetsFollower of MenzhinskiPacific18 December 1936Renamed B-10 in 1949, decommissioned in 1959; served as floating charging station ZAS-18, stricken in 1967 and scrapped
L-11SverdlovetsFollower of SverdlovPacific4 December 1936Renamed B-11 in 1949; decommissioned and stricken in 1959 and later scrapped; conning tower preserved as a memorial to L-16
L-12MolotovetsFollower of MolotovPacific7 November 1936Renamed B-12 in 1949, decommissioned in 1959; stricken in 1983; hull entombed in a stone pier in Magadan in 1986

Group 3

Seven ships were built 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.
ShipFleetLaunchedFate
L-13Pacific2 August 1936Renamed B-13 in 1949, decommissioned 1956; stricken in 1958
L-14Pacific20 December 1936Renamed B-14 in 1949, decommissioned 1956, stricken in 1984 and scrapped
L-15Pacific26 December 1936Transferred to the Northern Fleet via the Panama Canal in late 1942; stricken in 1958 and scrapped
L-16Pacific9 July 1937Torpedoed by Japanese submarine on 11 October 1942 near the coast of Oregon while being transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet
L-17Pacific5 November 1937Renamed B-17 in 1949, decommissioned 1959; served as training ship UTS-84 into the 2000s
L-18Pacific12 May 1938Renamed B-18 in 1949, decommissioned 1958; served as training ship UTS-85 into the 2000s
L-19Pacific25 May 1938Lost on or after 24 August 1945 to unknown cause; probably mined in or off the Le Pérouse Strait

Group 4

6 ships were built 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.
ShipFleetLaunchedFate
L-20Baltic14 April 1940Renamed B-20 in 1949, decommissioned 1956; sank on 10 October 1957 in Chernaya Bay during nuclear testing
Baltic17 July 1940Renamed B-21 in 1949, stricken 1955 and scrapped in 1958
Baltic23 September 1939Transferred to Northern Fleet 1941; renamed B-22 in 1949, decommissioned 1955; participated in nuclear testing in 1957–1958; stricken in 1959 and scrapped
L-23Black Sea29 April 1940Missing after 1 January 1944; likely sunk 17 January 1944 off Cape Tarchakut by German sub-chaser UJ106
L-24Black Sea17 December 1940Sunk between 15 and 29 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; wreck found in 1991
L-25Black Sea26 February 1941Never finished; sunk while being towed from Tuapse to Sevastopol on 18 December 1944