''Akula'' (russian: Акула; meaning shark) was a submarine built for the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from ...

. ''Akula'' saw service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and sank in November 1915 after hitting a

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ...

Design and construction

The boat was designed by

Ivan Bubnov Ivan Grigoryevich Bubnov (russian: Ива́н Григо́рьевич Бу́бнов; 18 January 1872 – 13 March 1919) was a Russian marine engineer and designer of submarines for the Imperial Russian Navy. Bubnov was born in Nizhny Novgorod an ...

and was an amalgam of the previous and the designs. The design was presented to the Marine technical committee in late 1905 and was ordered in 1906. ''Akula'' was built at the

Baltic shipyard The OJSC Baltic Shipyard (''Baltiysky Zavod'', formerly Shipyard 189 named after Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze) (russian: Балтийский завод имени С. Орджоникидзе) is one of the oldest shipyards in Russia and is part o ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. The vessel was launched on 4 September 1907.

Service history

Initially the boat was to use petrol engines but these were replaced by safer diesels. The boat's design was a single hull/ saddle tank type with a diving depth of 25 fathoms (). Significant initial problems were experienced and the electric motor and propellers which needed to be replaced. ''Akula'' was the first Russian submarine able to cruise long distances. In 1912 ''Akula'' made the world's first multi-torpedo volley with five torpedoes. She subsequently served in the Baltic Fleet during

making 16 patrols and unsuccessfully attacked the German

coastal defense ship Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrifi ...

. On 10 October 1914, ''Akula'' ran aground in the Soeloesund. She was refloated with assistance from the

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

. She struck a

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

and sank near

Hiiumaa Hiiumaa (, ) is the second largest island in Estonia and is part of the West Estonian archipelago, in the Baltic Sea. It has an area of 989 km2 and is 22 km from the Estonian mainland. Its largest town is Kärdla. It is located within ...

in November 1915 on her 17th patrol. ''Akula'' lies about below water. All 35 members of the crew died.

Notes

References

External links

flot.com // page in Russian Language

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akula (1908) Submarines of the Imperial Russian Navy Ships built at the Baltic Shipyard 1907 ships World War I submarines of Russia Ships sunk by mines Ships lost with all hands Maritime incidents in October 1914 Maritime incidents in November 1914