S-56 was an S-class submarine of the Soviet Navy during and after World War II. She was laid down by shipyard #194 in Leningrad on 24 November 1936, shipped in sections by rail to Vladivostok where it was reassembled by Dalzavod.[1] She was launched on 25 December 1939 and commissioned on 20 October 1941 in the Pacific Fleet. During World War II, the submarine was under the command of Captain Grigori Shchedrin and was moved from the Pacific Fleet to the Northern fleet across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans via the Panama Canal.
.jpg) S-56 on display in Vladivostok
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Soviet Union | |
| Name | S-56 |
| Laid down | 24 November 1936 |
| Launched | 25 December 1939 |
| Commissioned | 20 October 1941 |
| Decommissioned | 14 March 1955 |
| Fate | Stricken on 9 May 1975 and became a museum ship in Vladivostok |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | S-class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 77.8 m (255 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 4 m (13 ft 1 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 9,500 nmi (17,600 km) |
| Test depth | 79 m (259 ft) |
| Complement | 45 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record (World War II) | |
| Commanders: |
|
| Victories: | 4 merchant ships sunk (7,191 GRT) |
After decommissioning, the submarine was turned into a museum ship.[2]
Design
The Srednyaya or S-class submarine (Russian: Средняя, lit. 'medium'), also called Stalinets-class (Russian: Сталинец, lit. 'follower of Stalin'), was an ocean-going diesel electric attack submarine. Its pressure hull had seven compartments, and the submarine's displacement was 840 tonnes (830 long tons) while on the surface and 1,070 tonnes (1,050 long tons) while submerged. It had a length of 77.8 m (255 ft 3 in), a beam of 6.4 metres (21 ft 0 in), and a draft of 4 metres (13 ft 1 in). It had two diesel engines to power it on the surface and two electric motors for when it was submerged, providing 4,000 shaft horsepower (3,000 kW) and 1,100 shaft horsepower (820 kW), respectively, to one propeller shaft. This gave it a speed of 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h) on the surface and 9 knots (17 km/h) while underwater, and the submarine had a range of 9,500 nautical miles (17,600 km). Its test depth was 79 metres (259 ft), and as armament it had six 530 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes, one 100 mm (3.9 in) deck gun, and one 45 mm (1.8 in) gun.[3][4]
Service history
For her service, the submarine was awarded with the Order of the Red Banner and the Guards badge.[5]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 May 1943 | Eurostadt | 
|
1118 GRT
|
tanker (torpedo) |
| 17 July 1943 | M-346 | 
|
551 GRT
|
minesweeper (torpedo) |
| 19 July 1943 | NKi-09/Alane |
|
466 GRT
|
patrol vessel (torpedo) |
| 31 January 1944 | Heinrich Schulte |
|
5056 GRT
|
freighter (torpedo) |
| Total: | 7191 GRT | |||
During the attack against Eurostadt, another torpedo hit and damaged the German freighter Wartheland (3676 GRT) but the ship was saved because the torpedo was a dud.[2]
References
Citations
- ^ "МГК ПЛ "С-56"". 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- ^ a b c "S-56 of the Soviet Navy - Soviet Submarine of the S (Stalinec) class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "S (Stalinec) class". Uboat.net. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ Gardiner & Chesneau 1980, p. 337.
- ^ Orlov Alex; Dmitriy Metelev; Evgeniy Chirva. "Великая Отечественная - под водой". Town.ural.ru. Archived from the original on 2014-04-30. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
Works
- Gardiner, Robert & Chesneau, Roger, eds. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.