Project 7 destroyers

Main Caliber

The main caliber artillery of the Project 7 destroyers: four 130-mm B-13-I guns with a barrel length of 50 calibers manufactured by the Bolshevik plant , vertical guidance angles from −5 to + 45 °. All types of shells (high-explosive, semi-armor-piercing, and remote grenades) were of the same weight - 33.5 kg and were fired from the barrel with an initial speed of 870 m / s at a maximum range of 139 kbt (25.7 km). Ammunition included 150 shots per barrel, in overload (according to the capacity of the cellars) the ship could take up to 185 shots per barrel - that is, a total of up to 740 shells and charges. The supply of ammunition was carried out manually;

Anti-aircraft weapons

Anti-aircraft weapons were: a pair of 76-mm 34-K universal installations, two 45-mm semi-automatic 21-K , two 12.7-mm DShK machine guns . During the war, anti-aircraft weapons were strengthened by replacing the 21-K semi-automatic with 70-K automatic guns and installing additional 1-3 (depending on the availability of guns) 70-K submachine guns, DShK machine guns or Vickers or Colt anti-aircraft machine guns obtained from Lend-Lease . The destroyer destroyer of the Baltic Fleet also received an additional 34-mm 34-K gun.

Torpedo weapons

Torpedo armament included two 533-mm three-tube torpedo gunpowder apparatus 39-Yu . The speed of the torpedo launch was 12 m / s. 533 mm torpedoes 53-38 (53-38U), length 7.4 m, weight 1615 (1725) kg, explosive (TNT) 300 (400) kg, range: 4.0 km with 44.5 knots, 8 0 - 34.5, 10.0 - 30.5. According to the project, destroyers could carry an additional 6 spare torpedoes in the racks, but reloading the vehicles manually in fresh weather was not possible. The command of the Northern Fleet was the first to understand this and in March 1942 ordered the replacement of torpedoes.

Anti-submarine weapons

On the rails located on the upper deck, the ship could take 60 minutes of KB-3 , or 65 minutes of a sample of 1926, or 95 minutes of a sample of 1912 (in overload). A standard set of depth charges - 25 pieces (10 large B-1 and 15 small M-1); later it was brought to 40 B-1 and 27 M-1 ^[4] . Large bombs were stored directly in aft bomb spreaders; small ones - 12 in the cellar and 8 in the aft shelving in utah.

Power plant

Two main turbo-gear three-body units of a mixed active-reactive system and three triangular water tube boilers with a capacity of 48,000 liters. from. at 415 rpm, which rotated two propellers with a diameter of 3.18 m and a pitch of 3.65 m.

Detection, navigation and communication tools

Driveability: overload, stability, seaworthiness

To increase stability, a solid ballast (82 - 67 tons) was laid on a part of the Sevens in 1940-1941. Sevens "Seven" left much to be desired. Because of the narrowed contours of the bow of the hull, they buried strongly in the wave; with sea waves of 8 points, the speed dropped to 5-8 knots.

External Differences

Crew

Baltic Fleet

By the beginning of the war, the Baltic Fleet had five “sevens” - destroyers “Angry”, “Proud”, “Menacing”, “Shrewd” and “Guardian”.

The destroyer "Wrathful", the lead ship of this series of destroyers, died at the very beginning of the war, on June 23, 1941, after being blown up at a German minefield. The crew managed to keep the ship afloat, however, in the presence of periscopes (which most likely simply seemed to observers) and a mine blast after the "Angry" of the cruiser "Maxim Gorky", the commander of the ship’s detachment, I. G. Svyatov, ordered the destroyer’s crew to be evacuated and the damaged ship.

The destroyer "Proud" in June-August 1941 acted as part of the Baltic Fleet light forces detachment, participated in mine operations, rescue teams from the destroyers "Angry" and "Angry", provided fire support to the Soviet troops defending Tallinn. On August 28, 1941, during the evacuation of troops and navy from Tallinn, he received heavy damage from a mine explosion near the side, the next day was attacked by German aircraft, but reached Kronstadt. September 29 in Kronstadt received additional damage and was transferred to Leningrad, where it was repaired until October 8. In November, the destroyer was one of the ships that participated in the evacuation of the garrison of the Hanko Peninsula to Leningrad, but on the night of November 13-14, when passing to Hanko, it exploded in two mines and sank.

The destroyer destroyer operated in the first months of the war in the Gulf of Riga and in the waters of the Moonsund archipelago. On July 20, during a mine setting in the Irbensky Strait, he received damage from a mine explosion near the side, after which he left for Kronstadt and was under repair until September. In September, he supported the fire of Soviet troops at Oranienbaum, but on September 18 he again got into repairs in Kronstadt, and on September 21-23, a ship standing in the dock received several bombs. In October, the damaged destroyer was transferred to Leningrad, where it was repaired until June 1942. After the repair, Grozaschiy was mainly engaged in artillery support for the troops defending Leningrad, and in January 1944 he supported the fire of Soviet troops during the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsky offensive operation.

The destroyer "Shrewd" also operated in the Gulf of Riga in June-early July, then moved to Tallinn. In the second half of July, repairs were carried out in Leningrad, after which he participated in the defense of Tallinn, the Tallinn crossing and the support of the Soviet troops defending Leningrad. On November 3, the ship made the transition to the Hanko naval base, where it took on board 560 soldiers evacuated from the peninsula, but on the way back the destroyer exploded in two mines and sank, only 80 crew members and 270 passengers were saved.

The destroyer "Steregushchiy" in July-August acted in the Gulf of Riga together with the destroyer "Terrible". On August 11, the destroyer escorted the hospital ship “Vyacheslav Molotov” at the crossing to Kronstadt, was able to bring the ship that had blown up in a mine to its destination in tow. On September 21, the destroyer at Peterhof was attacked by a group of German bombers, received several direct hits and sank in shallow water. In October, part of the equipment and armament was removed from the sunken ship, but it was not possible to carry out full-fledged lifting work due to the proximity of the front line. Only in July 1944, the ship, which had been lying for almost three years at the bottom, was raised and in 1948 returned to the fleet.

Black Sea Fleet

The Black Sea Fleet had six "sevens" - destroyers "Fast", "Peppy", "Brisk", "Watchful", "Impeccable" and "Ruthless".

"Quick" in the early days of the war was engaged in providing air defense of Sevastopol. On July 1, the destroyer was sent for repair to Nikolaev, but at the exit from the bay it was blown up on a bottom mine and sank. On July 13, the Bystry was lifted and put into the dock, but on August 30 the ship was taken out of the dock, and in early September the damaged destroyer was attacked by airplanes and sank again. The bow of the damaged destroyer was already used in the autumn of 1941 to repair the same type of “Merciless”, and the entire hull was raised only after the war for disposal.

“Vigorous” met the beginning of the war in Sevastopol, carried out patrol service from August to October, participated in supporting and supplying the Soviet troops defending Odessa. On October 31, the ship was attacked by airplanes and suffered serious damage from close explosions, due to which it went into repair for a month and a half. At the end of December, the destroyer, together with the cruisers Red Caucasus and Red Crimea, the leader of Kharkov and the destroyer Nezamozhnik delivered reinforcements and ammunition to Sevastopol, and in January 1942 participated in the landing of tactical assault forces at Sudak. In February-July 1942 he again went for repairs in Tuapse, in July he was transferred to Poti, but on July 16 the destroyer that had already completed repairs was hit by German bombers attacking the port of Poti, received severe injuries and failed almost until the end of the war - the repair was completed December 31, 1944.

“Boyky”, like “Bodry”, was engaged in supporting troops in Odessa in August-October, participated in the landing at Grigoryevka, then escorted the transports going to Sevastopol, and in early November ensured the evacuation of troops and ammunition from Yalta to Sevastopol. December 28-30, the destroyer participated in the landing in the port of Feodosia. In January, the ship underwent repairs, after which it participated in the supply of Sevastopol, several raiding operations, including raids to the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts. In 1943, until the ban on the use of destroyers in combat operations without the sanction of Moscow in October, Boyky made several exits to the coast of the Taman Peninsula and the Crimea, shelling the coast and minefields. Since October, the destroyer went to sea only occasionally (including the deterioration of mechanisms) and did not take part in hostilities.

He met the “vigilant” beginning of the war in a major overhaul in Sevastopol and until October did not take part in hostilities. In late October and early November, he took part in the evacuation of troops from Donuzlav and from the Tendra Spit to Sevastopol, and in February-March supported the southern flank of the Crimean Front. On April 17, he accompanied the Svaneti ambulance transport at the transition from Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, after the death of the transport he saved 143 people. He participated in the delivery of reinforcements to Sevastopol, was one of the last large ships that reached the city (June 25). On July 2, 1942, the destroyer in Novorossiysk was attacked by German bombers, one of the bombs hit the bow torpedo tube and caused the torpedoes to be detonated, from which the ship literally burst into two. The destroyer was not subject to recovery.

"Impeccable" at the beginning of the war was engaged in the setting of minefields, participated in the defense of Odessa, while supporting the landing at Grigoryevka, it was heavily damaged by German aircraft. After repairs in November, he participated in the evacuation of Soviet troops from Yalta and from the Tendra Spit, and the defense of Sevastopol. in January-March 1942 he supported the Soviet landing at Sudak and the southern flank of the Crimean front. In June 24, the destroyer, together with the leader of Tashkent, delivered reinforcements to Sevastopol and took out the wounded. On June 26, the leader and destroyer went on a second flight, but on the evening of the same day, the destroyer was attacked by enemy aircraft and sank with the whole team and the soldiers on board.

In the early days of the war, “Merciless” was also engaged in mine productions, then participated in the defense of Odessa and the landing at Grigoryevka, during which he received significant damage and was sent for repair to Sevastopol. In early November, the ship under repair was again attacked from the air, due to which the hastily repaired ship was evacuated to Poti, where it was under repair until September 1942. From October 1942 to October 1943, the ship participated in the transport of troops from Poti and Batumi to Tuapse, escorted transports, made several trips to the coast of Crimea and to the coast of Bulgaria. October 6, 1943. The "merciless" together with the leader of "Kharkov" and the destroyer "capable" raided Yalta and Feodosia. On the way back, the detachment of ships underwent four consecutive attacks by bombers, during the second attack the destroyer received heavy damage, and during the next attack it was finished off.

Northern Fleet

Pacific Fleet

"Threatening" in 1946 became part of the 4th (South-Baltic) Navy, since December 1948 - as part of the 8th (North-Baltic Navy). In June 1952, the ode was put in for overhaul, but already in August of the following year the repair was stopped, and the ship was expelled from the Navy and sent for scrap.

From 1948 to 1957, the Steregushchiy was part of the 8th Navy, then the Baltic Fleet, in January 1958 it was removed from the list of the fleet and sent for scrap the following year.

"Bodry" continued his service as part of the Black Sea Fleet, underwent major repairs in 1951-1953, but already in 1956 he was decommissioned and used as a target ship, and in 1962 he was stranded at the Tendra Spit as a target.

“Boyky” also remained in the Black Sea Fleet, in 1948-1951 a major overhaul was completed. Since 1956 he served as an experimental vessel, in 1958 he was sent for scrap.

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