SS Dekabrist

SS ''Dekabrist'' was a Russian steamship, built in 1903 and immediately converted to an armed merchant cruiser. She served in the Russo-Japanese War, World War I, the Russian Civil War, and World War II. She was sunk in 1942.

History

''Dekabrist'' was launched as ''Franche Comte'' at the Vickers Maxim shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, Great Britain for M. le Boule of Le Havre on 2 October 1902, but remained at Barrow after her completion in April 1903. She was sold in secret to the Imperial Russian Navy and sailed from Barrow in April 1904, ostensibly bound for France, but was next reported at Libau under the name ''Anadyr'', where she was outfitted as an auxiliary cruiser for the Russo-Japanese War. She was armed with 8x57mm cannon and had a crew of 16 officers and 245 men. From Libau, she sailed with the Second Pacific Squadron for the Far East. ''Anadyr'' was present at the Battle of Tsushima, where she rescued survivors from the auxiliary cruiser ''Ural'', and escaped to Russia via Madagascar.

During World War I, ''Anadyr'' again served in the Imperial Russian Navy. In March 1918, pro-Soviet crewmen took over the ship on behalf of the Bolshevik government. In 1920, she served as a merchant ship with Transbalt. In 1921, she was again employed as a warship against the Whites.

1n 1922 she returned to merchant service as ''Dekabrist'', operating from Vladivostok.

In 1940 ''Dekabrist'' was used briefly as transport for Polish POWs from Vladivostok to Magadan en route to forced labour at the Kolyma gold mines in Siberia.

In December 1941, ''Dekabrist'' was employed on the Kola Run, the Allied supply route through the Norwegian Sea to the USSR's Arctic ports.

''Dekabrist'' sailed in one east-bound convoy, PQ 6, in December 1941, returning with other empty Allied merchant ships in west-bound convoy QP 5 in January 1942.Hutson, ch4
p53 et seq

Fate

In November 1942, ''Dekabrist'' took part in Operation FB, an attempt to run several independent-sailing merchant ships under cover of the Arctic night.

''Dekabrist'' sailed on 3 November, but was spotted and attacked by German aircraft. She was hit by a bomb which tore a hole in her bow. Despite efforts to save her, ''Dekabrist'' was abandoned at midnight on 5 November, and sank the following day.

''Dekabrist''s crew of 80 were able to abandon ship in four lifeboats; of these only one reached land, the inhospitable Hope Island, and of that boat's 20 crew-members, only three survived. These were picked up by a German vessel in October 1943, 11 months after the sinking.Walling pp235-241

Notes

References

* Hutson, Harry. ''Arctic interlude: Independent to North Russia'' Merriam Press (1997)
* Walling, Michael. ''Forgotten Sacrifice'' Osprey (2012)
* Woodman, Richard. ''Arctic Convoys 1941-1945'' Murray press (1994)

External links

''Dekabrist''
at wrecksite.eu; retrieved 3 July 2018

''Dekabrist''
at Lloyds Register, 1942; retrieved 3 July 2018

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dekabrist
Dekabrist, SS
1902 ships
Ships sunk by German aircraft
World War II shipwrecks in the Arctic Ocean
Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness
Maritime incidents in November 1942
Russo-Japanese War naval ships of Russia
Ships of the Gulag
World War I merchant ships of Russia
World War II merchant ships of the Soviet Union