''Shch-307'' (Russian: Щ-307) was a Series V-bis-2 built for the Soviet Navy during the 1930s with the name of . Renamed Shch-307 while under construction in 1934, she was completed the following year. The boat was assigned to the

Baltic Fleet The Baltic Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Baltic Sea. Established 18 May 1703, under Tsar Peter the Great as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the Baltic Fleet is the oldest Russian fleet. In 1918, the fleet w ...

and participated in the defense of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

after the

Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

invaded in June 1941 (

Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...

). The ship played a minor role during the evacuation of Tallinn,

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, in August. ''Shch-307'' made only four war patrols during the war, but sank a German submarine in 1941. After the war, the boat was decommissioned in 1948, renamed ''PZS-5'' and converted into a floating charging station the following year. She was stricken from the navy list in 1957 and subsequently scrapped, although her conning tower was preserved as a memorial.

Background and decription

The Series V-bis-2 ''Shchuka''-class submarines were improved versions of the Series V-bis boats placed into production because Soviet shipyards were having difficulties integrating new German technology. The boats displaced surfaced and submerged. They had an overall length of , a beam of , and a mean

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

of . The boats had a diving depth of . Their crew numbered 39 officers and crewmen.Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, p. 160 For surface running, the Series V-bis-2 boats were powered by a pair of 38V-8

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

s, one per propeller shaft. The engines produced a total of , enough to give them a speed of due to better streamlining of the hull. When submerged each shaft was driven by a PGV8

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

for . The boats had a surface endurance of at ; and at submerged. The Series V-bis-2 boats were armed with six torpedo tubes. Four of these were in the bow and the others were in the stern. They carried four reloads for the bow tubes. The submarines were also equipped with a pair of 21-K deck guns fore and aft on the conning tower.Polmar & Noot, pp. 254–255

Construction and career

''Shch-307'' was laid down by the Baltic Works in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

on 6 November 1933 with the name of ''Treska''. She was launched on 1 August 1934 and renamed ''Shch-307'' on 15 September. The submarine was commissioned on 4 August 1935 into the

. The boat was refitted in 1938–1939 and played no part in the 1939–1940

Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...

with

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

because she was conducting post-refit training.Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, pp. 160, 162 The submarine played a small role during Operation Barbarossa. During the Baltic Sea campaign, ''Shch-307'' sank the off Dagö Island (now Hiiumaa, Estonia) on 10 August. She evacuated from Tallinn to Kronstadt on 28–30 August. The boat penetrated the Axis mine barrage defending the exit from the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

in September 1942 and sank a small merchant ship in the Åland Sea during her second war patrol in October. She made her next patrol in October 1944, after Estonia had been liberated and the Axis minefields cleared. While patrolling in the vicinity of Vindava,

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, ''Shch-307'' made six unsuccessful attacks on Axis shipping. During her next patrol in January 1945, the submarine missed a German patrol boat, but sank a small

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

. After the war, she was disarmed on 23 April 1948 and turned into a floating charging station renamed ''PZS-5'' in 1949. The boat was stricken on 8 April 1957 and subsequently broken up; her conning tower was preserved as a memorial in

Liepāja Liepāja () (formerly: Libau) is a Administrative divisions of Latvia, state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest city in the Courland region and the third-largest in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an ...

, Latvia. When that country became independent, the conning tower was moved to Moscow in 1994.Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, p. 162

Claims

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shch-307 1934 ships Shchuka-class submarines Ships built in the Soviet Union World War II submarines of the Soviet Union Ships built at the Baltic Shipyard Museum ships in Russia