Advertisements for the request “German boat. Weapons of World War II: torpedo boats About the Russian peasantry

Let's take a short detour from our reviews on aviation and move on to water. I decided to start like this, not from the top, where all sorts of battleships, battle cruisers and aircraft carriers blow bubbles, but from below. Where passions were no less comical, albeit in shallow waters.

Speaking about torpedo boats, it is worth noting that before the start of the war, the participating countries, including even the “Mistress of the Seas” Britain, did not burden themselves with the presence of torpedo boats. Yes, there were small ships, but more likely for training purposes.

For example, the Royal Navy had only 18 TCs in 1939, the Germans owned 17 boats, but Soviet Union there were 269 boats available. Shallow seas had their effect, in the waters of which problems had to be solved.

That’s why we’ll start, perhaps, with a participant flying the flag of the USSR Navy.

1. Torpedo boat G-5. USSR, 1933

The G-5 was a coastal zone boat, unlike the D-3, which could easily operate at a distance from the shore. It was a small boat, which, nevertheless, worked on enemy communications throughout the Great Patriotic War.

During the war, it underwent several modifications, the GAM-34 engines (yes, the Mikulin AM-34s became planing) were replaced with imported Isotta-Fraschini, and then with GAM-34F with a power of 1000 hp, which accelerated the boat to a crazy 55 units with combat load. Empty, the boat could accelerate to 65 knots.

The weapons also changed. The frankly weak DA machine guns were replaced first with ShKAS (an interesting solution, to be honest), and then with two DShKs.

By the way, the enormous speed and non-magnetic wooden-duralumin hull allowed the boats to mine acoustic and magnetic mines.

Advantages: speed, good weapons, low cost design.

Disadvantages: very low seaworthiness.

2. Torpedo boat "Vosper". Great Britain, 1938

The torpedo boat had very decent seaworthiness (at that time British ships were the standard) and cruising range. He also went down in history because it was the Vospers that were the first in the fleet to install Oerlikon automatic cannons, which greatly increased firepower boat

Since the British TKAs were weak competitors to the German Schnellbots, which will be discussed below, the gun came in handy.

Initially, the boats were equipped with the same engines as the Soviet G-5, that is, the Italian Isotta-Fraschini. The outbreak of the war left both Great Britain and the USSR without these engines, so we have another example of import substitution. The USSR very quickly adapted the Mikulin aircraft engine, and the British transferred the technology to the Americans, and they began to build boats with their own Packard engines.

The Americans further strengthened the boat’s armament, predictably replacing the Vickers with 12.7 mm Brownings.

Where did the Vospers fight? Yes everywhere. They took part in the evacuation of the Dunkirk disgrace, caught German “schnellboats” in the north of Britain, and attacked Italian ships in the Mediterranean Sea. We also checked in. 81 American-built boats were transferred to our fleet as part of Lend-Lease. 58 boats took part in the battles, two were lost.

Advantages: seaworthiness, armament, cruising range.

Disadvantages: speed, large crew for a small ship.

3. Torpedo boat MAS type 526. Italy, 1939

Why did I choose the 526th series in our review? Probably because they even showed up among us and fought in our waters, although not where most thought.

Italians are cunning. To two regular Isotta-Fraschini engines (yes, all the same!) with 1000 horsepower each, they added a pair of Alfa Romeo engines with 70 hp each. for economical running. And under such engines, boats could sneak at a speed of 6 knots (11 km/h) over absolutely fantastic distances of 1,100 miles. Or 2,000 km.

But if it was necessary to catch up with someone, or quickly get away from someone, this was also in order.

Plus, the boat turned out to be not only good in terms of seaworthiness, it turned out to be very versatile. And in addition to the usual torpedo attacks, it could easily hit a submarine with depth charges. But this is more psychological, since, of course, no hydroacoustic equipment was installed on the torpedo boat.

Torpedo boats of this type participated primarily in the Mediterranean Sea. However, in June 1942, four boats (MAS No. 526-529), together with Italian crews, were transferred to Lake Ladoga, where they took part in the attack on Suho Island with the aim of cutting the Road of Life. In 1943, the Finns took them over, after which the boats served as part of the Finnish naval forces.

Advantages: seaworthiness, speed.

Disadvantages: multifunctionality in Italian design. The boat had weapons, but there were problems with their use. One machine gun, albeit a large-caliber one, is clearly not enough.

4. Patrol torpedo boat RT-103. USA, 1942

The idea itself was not to create a purely torpedo boat, but a patrol boat. This is clear even from the name, because RT stands for Patrol Torpedo boat. That is, a patrol boat with torpedoes.

Naturally, there were torpedoes. Two twin large-caliber Brownings are a useful thing in all respects, but we are generally silent about the 20-mm automatic cannon from Oerlikon.

Why does the American Navy need so many boats? It's simple. The interests of protecting the Pacific bases required just such ships, capable of primarily carrying out patrol duty and, in case of emergency, quickly escaping if enemy ships were suddenly discovered.

The most significant contribution of the RT series boats was the fight against the “Tokyo Night Express,” that is, the supply system for Japanese garrisons on the islands.

The boats turned out to be especially useful in the shallow waters of archipelagos and atolls, where destroyers were careful not to enter. A torpedo boats intercepted self-propelled barges and small coastal vessels transporting military contingents, weapons and equipment.

Advantages: powerful weapons, good speed

Disadvantages: perhaps none.

5. Torpedo boat T-14. Japan, 1944

But the problem lay elsewhere: there were no free engines. It’s a fact, but indeed, the Japanese fleet did not receive a decent torpedo boat precisely because there was no engine for it.

The only acceptable option in the second half of the war was the Mitsubishi project, which was called the T-14.

It was the smallest torpedo boat; even the coastal Soviet G-5 turned out to be larger. However, thanks to their space savings, the Japanese managed to squeeze in so many weapons (torpedoes, depth charges and an automatic cannon) that the ship turned out to be quite toothy.

Alas, the blatant lack of power of the 920-horsepower engine, despite all its advantages, did not make the T-14 any kind of competitor to the American RT-103.

Advantages: small size, weapons

Disadvantages: speed, range.

6. Torpedo boat D-3. USSR, 1943

The first series of D-3 was built with GAM-34BC engines, the second was built with American Lend-Lease Packards.

The sailors believed that the D-3 with Packards was much better than the American Higgins boats that came to us under Lend-Lease.

The Higgins was a good boat, but the low speed (up to 36 knots) and rope torpedo tubes, which completely froze in Arctic conditions, somehow did not suit the yard. The D-3 with the same engines was faster, and since it also turned out to be smaller in displacement, it was also more maneuverable.

The low silhouette, shallow draft and reliable muffler system made our D-3s indispensable for operations off the enemy’s coast.

So the D-3 not only carried out torpedo attacks on convoys, it was gladly used for landing troops, transporting ammunition to bridgeheads, laying minefields, hunting for enemy submarines, guarding ships and convoys, trawling fairways (bombarding German bottom proximity mines).

Plus, it was the most seaworthy of the Soviet boats, withstanding waves of up to 6 points.

Advantages: set of weapons, speed, seaworthiness

Disadvantages: I think there are none.

7. S-Boat torpedo boat. Germany, 1941

These were ships of a slightly higher class than all those listed before. But what if the German shipbuilders tried to stand out in every possible way? And their battleships were not exactly battleships, and a destroyer could puzzle another cruiser, and the same thing happened with the boats.

These were versatile ships, capable of doing everything, much like our D-3s, but had very impressive weapons and seaworthiness. Especially with weapons.

Actually, like the Soviet boats, the Germans charged their TKAs with the same tasks of protecting small convoys and individual ships (especially those coming from Sweden with ore), in which, by the way, they succeeded.

Ore carriers from Sweden calmly arrived at the ports because large ships Baltic Fleet They stood in Leningrad throughout the war, without interfering with the enemy. But for torpedo boats and armored boats, especially submarines, the Schnellboat, stuffed with automatic weapons, was too tough.

So I consider control over the delivery of ore from Sweden to be the main combat mission that the Schnellbots performed. Although 12 destroyers that were sunk by boats during the war is not a small number.

Advantages: seaworthiness and weapons

Disadvantages: size, therefore, not great maneuverability.

These ships and their crews had a difficult life. Not battleships after all... Not battleships at all.

A torpedo boat is a small combat ship designed to destroy enemy warships and transport vessels with torpedoes. Widely used during World War II. By the beginning of the war, torpedo boats were poorly represented in the main fleets of Western naval powers, but with the beginning of the war, the construction of boats increased sharply. To the beginning of the Great Patriotic War The USSR had 269 torpedo boats. Over the course of the war, more than 30 torpedo boats were built, and 166 were received from the Allies.

The project of the first planing Soviet torpedo boat was developed in 1927 by a team of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) under the leadership of A.N. Tupolev, later an outstanding aircraft designer. The first experimental boat "ANT-3" ("Firstborn"), built in Moscow, was tested in Sevastopol. The boat had a displacement of 8.91 tons, the power of two gasoline engines was 1200 hp. s., speed 54 knots. Maximum length: 17.33 m, width 3.33 m, draft 0.9 m, Armament: 450 mm torpedo, 2 machine guns, 2 mines.

Comparing the Firstborn with one of the captured SMVs, we found out that the English boat was inferior to ours in both speed and maneuverability. On July 16, 1927, the experimental boat was included in the naval forces at the Black Sea. “Taking into account that this glider is an experimental design,” the acceptance certificate stated, “the commission believes that TsAGI completed the task assigned to it in full and the glider, regardless of some shortcomings of a naval nature, is subject to acceptance into the composition Naval Forces Red Army..." Work on improving torpedo boats at TsAGI continued, and in September 1928 the serial boat "ANT-4" ("Tupolev") was launched. Until 1932, our fleet received dozens of such boats, called "Sh- 4". In the Baltic, Black Sea and Far East Soon the first formations of torpedo boats appeared.

But "Sh-4" was still far from ideal. And in 1928, the fleet ordered another torpedo boat from TsAGI, named G-5 at the institute. It was a new ship at that time - in its stern there were trenches for powerful 533-mm torpedoes, and during sea trials it reached an unprecedented speed - 58 knots with full ammunition and 65.3 knots without load. Naval sailors considered it the best of the existing torpedo boats both in terms of armament and technical properties.

Torpedo boat "G-5" type

The lead boat of the new type "GANT-5" or "G5" (planing No. 5) was tested in December 1933. This boat with a metal hull was the best in the world, both in terms of armament and technical properties. It was recommended for mass production and by the beginning of the Great Patriotic War it became the main type of torpedo boats of the Soviet Navy. The serial "G-5", produced in 1935, had a displacement of 14.5 tons, the power of two gasoline engines was 1700 hp. s., speed 50 knots. Maximum length 19.1 m, width 3.4 m, draft 1.2 m. Armament: two 533 mm torpedoes, 2 machine guns, 4 mines. It was produced for 10 years until 1944 in various modifications. In total, more than 200 units were built.

"G-5" underwent baptism of fire in Spain and in the Great Patriotic War. In all seas, they not only launched dashing torpedo attacks, but also laid minefields, hunted for enemy submarines, landed troops, guarded ships and convoys, trawled fairways, bombarding German bottom proximity mines with depth charges. Particularly difficult and sometimes unusual tasks were carried out by Black Sea boats during the Great Patriotic War. They had to escort... trains running along the Caucasian coast. They fired torpedoes at... the coastal fortifications of Novorossiysk. And finally, they fired missiles at fascist ships and... airfields.

However, the low seaworthiness of boats, especially the Sh-4 type, was no secret to anyone. With the slightest disturbance, they were filled with water, which easily splashed into the very low pilothouse, open at the top. The release of torpedoes was guaranteed in seas of no more than 1 point, and boats could simply remain at sea in seas of no more than 3 points. Due to the low seaworthiness of the Sh-4 and G-5, only in very in rare cases provided the design range, which depended not so much on the fuel supply as on the weather.

This and a number of other shortcomings were largely due to the “aviation” origin of the boats. The designer based the project on a seaplane float. Instead of an upper deck, "Sh-4" and "G-5" had a steeply curved convex surface. While ensuring the strength of the body, it at the same time created a lot of inconvenience in maintenance. It was difficult to stay on it even when the boat was motionless. If it was in full swing, absolutely everything that fell on it was dumped.

This turned out to be a very big disadvantage during combat operations: the paratroopers had to be placed in the chutes of torpedo tubes - there was nowhere else to place them. Due to the lack of a flat deck, "Sh-4" and "G-5", despite relatively large reserves of buoyancy, were practically unable to transport serious cargo. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, torpedo boats "D-3" and "SM-3" were developed - long-range torpedo boats. "D-3" had a wooden hull; according to its design, the torpedo boat "SM-3" with a steel hull was produced.

Torpedo boat "D-3"

Boats of the "D-3" type were produced in the USSR at two factories: in Leningrad and Sosnovka, Kirov region. By the beginning of the war, the Northern Fleet had only two boats of this type. In August 1941, five more boats were received from the plant in Leningrad. All of them were brought together into a separate detachment, which operated until 1943, until other D-3s began to enter the fleet, as well as Allied boats under Lend-Lease. The D-3 boats compared favorably with their predecessors, the G-5 torpedo boats, although in terms of combat capabilities they successfully complemented each other.

"D-3" had improved seaworthiness and could operate at a greater distance from the base than the boats of the "G-5" project. Torpedo boats of this type had a total displacement of 32.1 tons, greatest length 21.6 m (length between perpendiculars - 21.0 m), maximum width along the deck 3.9 and along the chine - 3.7 m. The structural draft was 0.8 m. The hull of the "D-3" was made of wood. The speed depended on the power of the engines used. GAM-34 750 l. With. allowed the boats to develop a speed of up to 32 knots, GAM-34VS 850 hp. With. or GAM-34F 1050 l. With. - up to 37 knots, Packards with a power of 1200 hp. With. - 48 knots. The cruising range at full speed reached 320-350 miles, and at eight knots - 550 miles.

On experimental boats and serial "D-3" for the first time, side-drop torpedo tubes were installed. Their advantage was that they made it possible to fire a salvo from a stop, while boats of the G-5 type had to reach a speed of at least 18 knots - otherwise they would not have time to turn away from the fired torpedo.

The torpedoes were fired from the boat's bridge by igniting a galvanic ignition cartridge. The salvo was duplicated by the torpedoist using two ignition cartridges installed in the torpedo tube. "D-3" were armed with two 533-mm torpedoes of the 1939 model; the mass of each was 1800 kg (TNT charge - 320 kg), the range at a speed of 51 knots was 21 cables (about 4 thousand m). The D-3's small arms consisted of two DShK machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber. True, during the war, the boats were equipped with a 20-mm Oerlikon automatic cannon, a coaxial 12.7 mm Colt-Browning machine gun, and some other types of machine guns. The boat's hull was 40 mm thick. In this case, the bottom was three-layer, and the side and deck were two-layer. On outer layer there was larch, and on the inside there was pine. The sheathing was fastened with copper nails at the rate of five per square decimeter.

The D-3 hull was divided into five waterproof compartments by four bulkheads. In the first compartment there are 10-3 sp. there was a forepeak, in the second (3-7 ships) there was a four-seater cockpit. The galley and boiler enclosure are between the 7th and 9th frames, the radio cabin is between the 9th and 11th. Boats of the "D-3" type were equipped with improved navigation equipment compared to what was on the "G-5". The D-3 deck made it possible to take on board a landing group, and it was also possible to move on it during a campaign, which was impossible on the G-5. The living conditions of the crew, consisting of 8-10 people, made it possible for the boat to operate for a long time away from its main base. Heating of the vital compartments of the D-3 was also provided.

Komsomolets-class torpedo boat

"D-3" and "SM-3" were not the only torpedo boats developed in our country on the eve of the war. In those same years, a group of designers designed a small torpedo boat of the Komsomolets type, which, almost no different from the G-5 in displacement, had more advanced tube torpedo tubes and carried more powerful anti-aircraft and anti-submarine weapons. These boats were built with voluntary contributions from Soviet people, and therefore some of them, in addition to numbers, received names: “Tyumen Worker”, “Tyumen Komsomolets”, “Tyumen Pioneer”.

The Komsomolets type torpedo boat, manufactured in 1944, had a duralumin hull. The hull is divided by waterproof bulkheads into five compartments (space 20-25 cm). A hollow keel beam is laid along the entire length of the hull, performing the function of a keel. To reduce pitching, side keels are installed on the underwater part of the hull. Two aircraft engines are installed in the hull one after the other, while the length of the left propeller shaft was 12.2 m, and the right one - 10 m. The torpedo tubes, unlike previous types of boats, are tubular, not trough. The maximum seaworthiness of the torpedo bomber was 4 points. The total displacement is 23 tons, the total power of two gasoline engines is 2400 hp. s., speed 48 knots. Maximum length 18.7 m, width 3.4 m, average recess 1 m. Reservation: 7 mm bulletproof armor on the wheelhouse. Armament: two tube torpedo tubes, four 12.7 mm machine guns, six large depth charges, smoke equipment. Unlike other domestically built boats, the Komsomolets had an armored (7 mm thick sheet) deckhouse. The crew consisted of 7 people.

These torpedo bombers demonstrated their high combat qualities to the greatest extent in the spring of 1945, when units of the Red Army were already completing the defeat of Hitler’s troops, advancing towards Berlin with heavy fighting. Soviet from the sea ground troops covered the ships of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, and the entire burden of hostilities in the waters of the southern Baltic fell on the shoulders of the crews of submarines, naval aviation and torpedo boats. Trying to somehow delay their inevitable end and preserve ports for the evacuation of retreating troops as long as possible, the Nazis made feverish attempts to sharply increase the number of search, strike and patrol groups of boats. These urgent measures to some extent aggravated the situation in the Baltic, and then to help current forces Four Komsomolets were transferred to the Red Banner Baltic Fleet, which became part of the 3rd division of torpedo boats.

These were last days The Great Patriotic War, the last victorious attacks of torpedo boats. The war will end, and the Komsomol members, covered in military glory, will forever be frozen on pedestals as a symbol of courage - as an example for descendants, as an edification for enemies.

Small warships and boats were one of the most numerous and diverse components of the navies of the countries participating in the war. It included vessels, both strictly for purpose and multifunctional, both small in size and reaching 100 m in length. Some ships and boats operated in coastal waters or rivers, others in the seas with a cruising range of more than 1,000 miles. Some boats were delivered to the scene of action by road and rail, while others were transported on deck large ships. A number of ships were built according to special military projects, while others were adapted from civilian design developments. The prevailing number of ships and boats had wooden hulls, but many were equipped with steel and even duralumin. Reservations for the deck, sides, deckhouse and turrets were also used. The power plants of the ships were also varied - from automobile to aircraft engines, which also provided different speeds - from 7-10 to 45-50 knots per hour. The armament of ships and boats depended entirely on their functional purpose.

The main types of vessels in this category include: torpedo and patrol boats, minesweepers, armored boats, anti-submarine and artillery boats. Their totality was defined by the concept of “mosquito fleet”, which emerged from the First World War and was intended for military operations at the same time in large groups. Operations involving the “mosquito fleet”, in particular amphibious operations, were used by Great Britain, Germany, Italy and the USSR. Short description types of small warships and boats is as follows.

The most numerous ships among small warships were torpedo boats- high-speed small warships, the main weapon of which is a torpedo. By the beginning of the war, the idea of ​​large artillery ships as the basis of the fleet still prevailed. Torpedo boats were poorly represented in the main fleets of sea powers. Despite the very high speed (about 50 knots) and the comparative cheapness of manufacture, the standard boats that prevailed in the pre-war period had very low seaworthiness and could not operate in seas of more than 3-4 points. Placing torpedoes in the stern trenches did not provide sufficient accuracy for their guidance. In fact, the boat could hit a fairly large surface ship with a torpedo from a distance of no more than half a mile. Therefore, torpedo boats were considered a weapon of weak states, intended only to protect coastal waters and closed waters. For example, by the beginning of the war, the British fleet had 54 torpedo boats, while the German fleet had 20 ships. With the outbreak of the war, the construction of boats increased sharply.

Approximate number of main types of torpedo boats of own construction used in the war by country (excluding captured and transferred/received)

Some countries that do not have shipbuilding capacity or technology ordered boats for their fleets from large shipyards in the UK (British Power Boats, Vosper, Thornycroft), Germany (F.Lurssen), Italy (SVAN), USA ( Elco, Higgins). So Great Britain sold 2 boats to Greece, 6 to Ireland, 1 to Poland, 3 to Romania, 17 to Thailand, 5 to the Philippines, 4 to Finland and Sweden, 2 to Yugoslavia. Germany sold 6 boats to Spain, 1 to China, 1 to Yugoslavia – 8. Italy sold Turkey – 3 boats, Sweden – 4, Finland – 11. USA – sold to the Netherlands – 13 boats.

In addition, Great Britain and the United States transferred ships to their allies under Lend-Lease agreements. Similar transfers of ships were carried out by Italy and Germany. Thus, Great Britain transferred 4 boats to Canada, 11 to the Netherlands, 28 to Norway, 7 to Poland, 8 to France. The USA transferred 104 boats to Great Britain, 198 to the USSR, 8 to Yugoslavia. Germany transferred 4 to Bulgaria, 4 to Spain, and 4 to Romania. 6. Italy transferred 7 boats to Germany, 3 to Spain, and 4 to Finland.

The warring parties successfully used captured ships: those that surrendered; captured, both in full working order, and subsequently restored; unfinished; raised by crews after the flooding. So Great Britain used 2 boats, Germany - 47, Italy - 6, USSR - 16, Finland - 4, Japan - 39.

Features in the structure and equipment of torpedo boats from the leading building countries can be characterized as follows.

In Germany, the main attention was paid to the seaworthiness, range and effectiveness of the torpedo boats' weapons. They were built relatively large sizes and high range, with the possibility of long-range night raids and torpedo attacks from long distances. The boats received the designation "Schnellboote" ( S— type) and were produced in 10 series, including a prototype and experimental samples. The first boat of the new type, S-1, was built in 1930, and mass production began in 1940 and continued until the end of the war (the last boat was S-709). Each subsequent series, as a rule, was more advanced than the previous one. The large radius of action with good seaworthiness allowed the boats to be used practically as destroyers. Their functions included attacks on large ships, infiltration of harbors and bases and attacks on the forces there, attacks on merchant ships traveling along sea routes, and raids on installations along the coast. Along with these tasks, torpedo boats could be used to conduct defensive operations - attacking submarines and escorting coastal convoys, conducting reconnaissance and operations to clear enemy minefields. During the war, they sank 109 enemy transports with a total capacity of 233 thousand gross tons, as well as 11 destroyers, a Norwegian destroyer, a submarine, 5 minesweepers, 22 armed trawlers, 12 landing ships, 12 auxiliary vessels and 35 different boats. Strength These boats, ensuring high seaworthiness, also turned out to be one of the reasons for their death. The keel shape of the hull and significant draft did not allow passage minefields, which did not pose a danger to small or small boats.

British wartime torpedo boats had increased tonnage and strong hull plating, but due to the lack of the necessary engines, their speed remained low. In addition, the boats had unreliable steering devices and propellers with blades that were too thin. The effectiveness of torpedo attacks was 24%. Moreover, during the entire war, each boat on average took part in 2 combat operations.

Italy tried to build its boats based on the German “Schnellboote” models of the first series. However, the boats turned out to be slow and poorly armed. Re-equipping them with depth charges turned them into hunters who only appearance resembled German ones. In addition to full-fledged torpedo boats, in Italy the Baglietto company built about 200 auxiliary, small boats, which did not show tangible results from their use.

In the United States, by the beginning of the war, torpedo boat construction was at the level of experimental development. Based on the 70-foot boat of the English company "British Power Boats", the company "ELCO", carrying out their constant refinement, produced ships in three series in total number 385 units. Later, Higgins Industries and Huckins joined their production. The boats were distinguished by maneuverability, autonomy and could withstand force 6 storms. At the same time, the yoke design of the torpedo tubes was unsuitable for use in the Arctic, and the propellers quickly wore out. For Great Britain and the USSR, 72-foot boats were built in the USA according to the design of the English company Vosper, but their characteristics were significantly inferior to the prototype.

The basis of the USSR torpedo boats were two types of pre-war development: “G-5” for coastal action and “D-3” for medium distances. The G-5 planing boat, usually built with a duralumin hull, had high speed and maneuverability. However, poor seaworthiness and survivability, short range of action neutralized it best qualities Thus, the boat could fire a torpedo salvo in seas up to 2 points, and stay at sea up to 3 points. At speeds above 30 knots, machine gun fire was useless, and torpedoes were launched at a speed of at least 17 knots. Corrosion “ate” the duralumin literally before our eyes, so the boats had to be lifted onto the wall immediately upon returning from the mission. Despite this, the boats were built until the middle of 1944. Unlike the G-5, the new D-3 boat had a durable wooden hull design. It was armed with onboard torpedo tubes, which made it possible to fire a torpedo salvo even if the boat lost speed. A platoon of paratroopers could be spotted on the deck. The boats had sufficient survivability, maneuverability and could withstand storms of up to force 6. At the end of the war, in development of the G-5 boat, the construction of Komsomolets type boats with improved seaworthiness began. It could withstand force 4 storms, had something of a keel, an armored conning tower and tubular torpedo tubes. At the same time, the survivability of the boat left much to be desired.

B-type torpedo boats were the backbone of Japan's mosquito fleet. They had low speed and weak weapons. By technical specifications American boats were more than twice as large as them. As a result, the effectiveness of their actions in the war was extremely low. For example, in the battles for the Philippines, Japanese boats managed to sink a single small transport ship.

The combat operations of the “mosquito fleet” showed the high efficiency of universal, multi-purpose boats. However, their special construction was carried out only by Great Britain and Germany. The rest of the countries were constantly modernizing and re-equipping their existing vessels (minesweepers, torpedo and patrol boats), bringing them closer to universality. Multipurpose boats had a wooden hull and were used, depending on the task and situation, as artillery, torpedo, rescue ships, minelayers, hunters or minesweepers.

Great Britain built 587 boats on special projects, of which 79 died. Another 170 boats were built under licenses by other countries. Germany produced 610 boats based on the technical documentation of the fishing seiner, of which 199 died. The boat received the designation “KFK” (Kriegsfischkutter - “military fishing boat”) and compared favorably with other vessels in terms of cost/efficiency. It was built both by various enterprises in Germany and in other countries, incl. in neutral Sweden.

Gunboats were intended to combat enemy boats and support landing forces. Varieties of artillery boats were armored boats and boats armed with rocket launchers (mortars).

The appearance of special artillery boats in Great Britain was associated with the need to fight the German “mosquito” fleet. A total of 289 ships were built during the war years. Other countries used patrol boats or patrol ships for these purposes.

Armored boats used in the war by Hungary, the USSR and Romania. By the beginning of the war, Hungary had 11 river armored boats, 10 of which were built during the First World War. The USSR used 279 river armored boats, the basis of which were boats of projects 1124 and 1125. They were armed with turrets from the T-34 tank with standard 76-mm guns. The USSR also built naval armored boats with powerful artillery weapons and an average range. Despite the low speed, insufficient elevation angle of tank guns, and the lack of fire control devices, they had increased survivability and provided reliable protection for the crew.

Romania was armed with 5 river armored boats, two of which from the First World War were used as minesweepers, two were rebuilt from Czechoslovak minelayers, one was captured Soviet project 1124.

In the second half of the war in Germany, Great Britain, the USSR and the USA, jets were installed on boats. launchers as additional weapons. In addition, 43 special mortar boats were built in the USSR. These boats were most used in the war with Japan during the landings.

Patrol boats occupy a prominent place among small warships. They were small warships, usually equipped with artillery weapons, and were designed to perform sentinel (patrol) service in the coastal zone and fight enemy boats. Patrol boats were built by many countries that had access to the seas or had large rivers. At the same time, some countries (Germany, Italy, USA) used other types of vessels for these purposes.

Approximate number of main types of self-built patrol boats used in the war by country (excluding captured and transferred/received)

Countries that occupy leading positions in the field of shipbuilding actively sold patrol boats to customers. Thus, during the war, Great Britain supplied France 42 boats, Greece - 23, Turkey - 16, Colombia - 4. Italy sold Albania - 4 boats, and Canada - Cuba - 3. The USA, under Lend-Lease agreements, transferred 3 boats to Venezuela, Dominican Republic– 10, Colombia – 2, Cuba – 7, Paraguay – 6. The USSR used 15 captured patrol boats, Finland – 1.

Characterizing the structural features of the most massive production of boats in the context of manufacturing countries, the following should be noted. The British HDML type boat was built at many shipyards and, depending on the intended duty station, received appropriate equipment. It had reliable engines, good seaworthiness and maneuverability. The mass construction of Soviet boats was based on adapting the developments of crew and service boats. They were equipped with low-power, mainly automobile engines and, accordingly, had low speed and, unlike British boats, did not have artillery weapons. Japanese boats were built on the basis of torpedo boats, had powerful engines, and, at a minimum, small-caliber guns and bomb throwers. By the end of the war, many were equipped with torpedo tubes and were often reclassified as torpedo boats.

Anti-submarine boats built by Great Britain and Italy. Great Britain built 40 boats, of which 17 were lost, Italy - 138, 94 died. Both countries built boats in the hulls of torpedo boats, with powerful engines and a sufficient supply of depth charges. In addition, Italian boats were additionally equipped with torpedo tubes. In the USSR, anti-submarine boats were classified as small hunters, in the USA, France and Japan - as hunters.

Minesweepers(boat minesweepers) were widely used in all major fleets and were intended to search and destroy mines and guide ships through mine-prone areas in harbors, roadsteads, rivers and lakes. The minesweepers were equipped various options trawls (contact, acoustic, electromagnetic, etc.), had a shallow draft and a wooden hull for low magnetic resistance, and were equipped with defensive weapons. The displacement of the boat, as a rule, did not exceed 150 tons, and the length - 50 m.

Approximate number of main types of boat minesweepers of own construction used in the war by country (excluding captured and transferred/received)

Most countries did not build minesweepers, but, if necessary, equipped existing auxiliary vessels or combat boats with trawls, and also bought minesweeper boats.

After the next regional ship modeling competition in the F-2A class, it was decided, together with students, to build a German torpedo boat. On one of the sites on the network, drawings were found according to which the model was built.
So the drawings on which the model is built

Model characteristics:
Length: 85 cm;
Two SPEED 320 type engines with homemade water cooling;
Speed ​​controller Veloci RS-M ESC 170A
Hardware Hitec 2.4GHz Optic 6.

It was decided to make the body of the model from fiberglass; first, a blank was made from which the matrix was removed.

Material for the blank: Pine keel strip 2 cm thick. Frames - plywood. The spacing between the frames is made of foam plastic (we call it “termite”). Then the blank was covered with fiberglass and puttied:

After puttingty and leveling all the jambs, the blockhead was painted.

The next step was to make the crust, for this it was necessary to smear the block with a separator and cover several layers with fiberglass. The separator used paraffin-based gasoline Galosh + paraffin. The first layer of fiberglass is 0.25 mm, the second layer of fiberglass matting I don’t know exactly the thickness.

The hairiness was left so that when the resin dried, another layer of fiberglass could be applied.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find a photo of the finished crust for gluing the body, but I think I’ll take a photo in the near future and post what happened. In the meantime, here is the freshly glued body of the model

a little fine-tuning of the side markings:
The weight turned out to be about 180 grams. I think not much for such a large body.

The next stage was gluing in a small number of frames to stiffen the hull and to make it easier to attach the deck:

Guides were marked along the frame, which gave complex contours to the deck (the deck has its own curvature) and for cruelty, there were slats glued in (into the groove).

The deck was made of a “sandwich” of fiberglass-cardboard-fiberglass. I can’t say for sure how it will perform in the future, but I think it’s worth experimenting with. fitting the deck and cutting in the necessary places:

The next step was gluing the deck and filling both the hull and the deck:

The part of the deck at the stern had not yet been secured because there would be little space for access to the installation of motors, rudders, and water cooling.

Improvisation with water cooling (a copper tube from a refrigerator first wound onto a pipe of the required diameter and then mounted on a motor):

After the body has been sanded, it should be covered with primer (a two-component automotive primer was used) which will allow filling in small scratches from the sandpaper and identifying “shortcomings” - unevenness of the body which, if possible, can be eliminated:

So, let's start marking the places for the stern tubes, the places where the rudders exit and the water intake for water cooling:

Perhaps in the future I will get rid of the protruding air intake tube. If you have any advice, write in the comments, I will be glad to receive criticism :)

In the meantime, let's start manufacturing torpedo tubes and superstructures:

The setting is made of tinned sheet metal. To convey “Impressions” I try to repeat the elements that the scale of the model allows me to do, as well as the materials and tools that I have (don’t judge strictly)

There are a lot of photographs of the superstructure manufacturing process, so I’ll post a few with a few comments:

The place where part of the torpedo apparatus enters the superstructure:

After soldering, I wash the seams with soap and water (since I use soldering acid)

I cut the windows on the superstructure using a drill with a diamond blade, it’s very convenient and much easier than cutting out with a small chisel, as I did in the good old days =)

Making a mast:

Adding realistic elements to the superstructure:

That's all for now, the superstructure is now primed to avoid metal corrosion.
Wait for the continuation...
Write comments..
Don't judge strictly :)

P.S. And this is my ship modeling laboratory:

MBOU DOD "Center for Children's Technical Creativity" Kansk

I decided to start like this, not from the top, where all sorts of battleships, battle cruisers and aircraft carriers blow bubbles, but from below. Where passions were no less comical, albeit in shallow waters.

Speaking about torpedo boats, it is worth noting that before the start of the war, the participating countries, including even the “Mistress of the Seas” Britain, did not burden themselves with the presence of torpedo boats. Yes, there were small ships, but more likely for training purposes.

For example, the Royal Navy had only 18 TCs in 1939, the Germans owned 17 boats, but the Soviet Union had 269 boats. Shallow seas had their effect, in the waters of which problems had to be solved.

Italians in Russia. On Lake Ladoga.

Advantages: seaworthiness, speed.

Disadvantages: multifunctionality in Italian design. The boat had weapons, but there were problems with their use. One machine gun, albeit a large-caliber one, is clearly not enough.

4. Patrol torpedo boat RT-103. USA, 1942

Of course, in the USA they couldn’t make something small and fidgety. Even taking into account the technology received from the British, they came up with a rather massive torpedo boat, which was generally explained by the number of weapons that the Americans were able to place on it.