The M-class submarines, also ''Malyutka'' class (russian: Малютка; ''baby'' or ''little one''), were a class of small, single-, or 1½-hulled
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s built in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
and used during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The submarines were built in sections so they could easily be transported by rail. The production was centered in the
Gorky Shipyard on the
Volga River
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...
, after which the sections were transported by railway to
Leningrad
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 ...
for assembly and fitting out. This was the first use of welding on Soviet submarines.
History
1930s to 1940s
Submarines of this class were in four series: VI, VI-bis, XII, XV. The number of VI and VI-bis series boats were almost equal. Series XII was a re-developed project with equivalent tactical characteristics. The first series were powered by one
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
and one electric motor. Series XV had developed separately with improved characteristics, including the main
ballast
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...
in light hull and two
shafts
''Shafts'' was an English feminist magazine produced by Margaret Sibthorp from 1892 until 1899. Initially published weekly and priced at one penny, its themes included votes for women, women's education, and radical attitudes towards vivisection, ...
. These vessels were mainly used by the
Black Sea Fleet
Chernomorskiy flot
, image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet
, dates = May 13, ...
and the
Baltic Fleet
, image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg
, image_size = 150
, caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign
, dates = 18 May 1703 – present
, country =
, allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present)
...
.
Although the design was satisfactory, only limited results were obtained and losses were heavy with 33 submarines sunk between 1941 and 1945. ''M-103'' disappeared in the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
in mid-August 1941. The wreck was discovered in the late 1990s during a
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
minesweeping training exercise. Seven submarines were lost in the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
, four
depth-charged and sunk by Romanian warships (''M-31'' by the
flotilla leader
A flotilla leader was a warship of late 19th century and early 20th century navies suitable for commanding a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships, typically a small cruiser or a large destroyer (known as a destroyer leader). The flotil ...
, ''M-58'' by the
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
''Regina Maria'', ''M-59'' by the destroyer
''Regele Ferdinand'' and ''M-118'' by the Romanian
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-steam ...
s
''Ghiculescu'' and ''Stihi'') (both ''M-58'' and ''M-59'' however are also reported as lost on Romanian laid mines, while ''M-31'' was also claimed by mines or a German vessel )
and three were sunk in
minefields
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
laid by the Romanian
minelayer
A minelayer is any warship, submarine or military aircraft deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for installing controll ...
s , ''Dacia'' and ''Regele Carol I''. By 1945, some 111 M-class submarines had been completed, with another 30 XV-series completed between 1945 and 1947.
Cold War
Two submarines of the early series of this class, along with two s, (''S-52'' and ''S-53'') and two s (under lease, ''S-121'' and ''S-123'') were sold to the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in June 1954 as the foundation of the
People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force
The People's Liberation Army Navy Submarine Force (PLANSF) is the submarine service of the People's Liberation Army Navy. It consists of all types of submarines in operational service organized into three fleets: the North Sea Fleet, the East Se ...
. Both the M- and S-class submarines were sold to China, and two more M-XV series of this class (''M-278'' and ''M-279'') were sold to China a few years later in 1956.Those purchased by China were renamed, but the two leased ''Shchuka''-class submarines were not. The four M-class submarines bought by China were renamed National Defense # ''21'', ''22'', ''23'' (ex ''M-278'') and ''24'' (ex ''M-279'') respectively.
Modern times
An M-class submarine was discovered near
Tallinn
Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
in May 2012. The submarine is located in
Tallinn Bay
Tallinn Bay ( et, Tallinna laht) is a bay in Estonia on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. The Estonian capital city Tallinn is located on the southern coast of the bay.
Tallinn Bay itself is divided into several parts: Tallinn Roadstea ...
between the islands of
Aegna
Aegna is an Estonian island in the Bay of Tallinn in the Baltic Sea. Administratively it is part of the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and is a sub district of the Kesklinn (City center) district.
Geography
Aegna island has an area ...
and
Naissaar
Naissaar ( sv, Nargö; german: Nargen) is an island in Estonia. It is situated in the Gulf of Finland, northwest of the capital city Tallinn, and is administratively part of the Viimsi Parish, Viimsi parish. The island covers an area of . It is ...
, at an approximate depth of . It is believed to be ''M-216'', which was intentionally sunk in the area in 1962 for training purposes.
Divers
Diver or divers may refer to:
*Diving (sport), the sport of performing acrobatics while jumping or falling into water
*Practitioner of underwater diving, including:
**scuba diving,
**freediving,
**surface-supplied diving,
**saturation diving, a ...
have confirmed that many components, including the
periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position.
In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
, are missing. It is also believed that the training exercise may have been ordered as a result of several deadly submarine accidents in the 1950s. One such accident happened near
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri Peninsula of northwestern Estonia. Since 2017, it's the administrative centre of Lääne-Harju Parish of Harju County. Previously a village of Estonia-Swedes known by the historical ...
, where the entire crew of ''
M-200'' died during a failed rescue operation.
In July 2015, another M-class (series XII) submarine was found in the Black Sea by divers off the Romanian coast at
Costinești
Costinești is a commune and resort in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania, located on the shore of the Black Sea, about south of the county seat, Constanța. It consists of two villages: Costinești and Schitu.
Etymology
Costinești ...
, at an approximate depth of . It is believed to be either ''M-34'' or ''M-58'', both being lost to Romanian minefields. The submarine is buried in sand up to the deck level and also completely filled with sand, making any further identification almost impossible. The upper part of the hull shows a pretty high level of damage - many ribs are exposed. The aft hatch was partially opened. The hull is in one piece, with the conning tower and deck gun intact.
Versions
;Series VI: 30 submarines constructed between 1932 and 1934 were 37.5 m long and displaced 201 tons submerged (158 tons surfaced).
*M-1
*M-2
*M-3
*M-4
*M-5
*M-6
*M-7
*M-8
*M-9
*M-10
*M-11
*M-12
*M-13
*M-14
*M-15
*M-16
*M-17
*M-18
*M-19
*M-20
*M-21
*M-22
*M-23
*M-24
*M-25
*M-26
*M-27
*M-28
*M-51
*M-52
;Series VI-bis: 19 submarines built in four sections between 1934 and 1936) were 37.5 m long and displaced 202 tons submerged (161 tons surfaced).
*M-53
*M-54
*M-55
*M-56
*M-71 (lost on 24 June 1941)
*M-72
*M-73
*M-74 (lost on 23 September 1941)
*M-75
*M-76
*M-77
*M-78 (lost on 23 June 1941)
*M-79
*M-80 (lost on 24 June 1941)
*M-81 (lost on 1 July 1941)
*M-82
*M-83 (lost on 27 June 1941)
*M-84
*M-85
*M-86
;Series XII: 45 submarines built in six sections between 1936 and 1941 were 44.5 m long, and displaced 258 tons submerged (206 tons surfaced).
*M-30
*M-31 (lost on 17 December 1942)
*M-32
*M-33 (lost on 22 August 1942)
*M-34 (lost on 3 November 1941)
*
M-35
*M-36 (lost on 4 January 1944)
*M-57 (lost in August 1941)
*M-58 (lost in October 1941)
*M-59 (lost in November 1941)
*M-60 (lost in September 1942)
*M-62
*M-63 (lost in August 1941)
*M-90
*M-92
*M-94 (lost on 21 July 1941)
*M-95 (lost in June 1942)
*M-96 (lost on 8 September 1944)
*M-97 (lost on 15 August 1942)
*M-98 (lost on 14 November 1941)
*M-99 (lost on 27 June 1941)
*M-102
*M-103 (lost in August 1941)
*M-104
*M-105
*M-106 (lost on 5 July 1943)
*M-107
*M-108 (lost on 28 February 1944)
*
M-111 M-111 was the designation given to two former state trunklines in the U.S. state of Michigan:
* M-111 (1928 Michigan highway) in the Bay City area
* M-111 (1938 Michigan highway) in Keweenaw County
{{end box ...
*M-112
*M-113
*M-114
*M-115
*M-116
*M-117
*M-118 (lost on 1 October 1942)
*M-119
*M-120
*M-121 (lost in November 1942)
*M-122 (lost on 14 May 1943)
*M-171
*
M-172 (lost in October 1943)
*M-173 (lost in August 1942)
*M-174 (lost in October 1943)
*M-176 (lost in July 1942)
*M-175 (lost on 10 January 1942)
;Series XV: 4 submarines built in seven sections during World War II while other 11 built after it, until 1953 were 53.0 m long, and displaced 420 tons submerged (350 tons surfaced).
Completed during World War II:
*
M-200 (lost on 21 November 1956)
*M-201
*M-202
*M-203
Completed after World War II:
*M-204
*M-205
*M-206
*M-214
*M-215
*M-216
*M-217
*M-218
*M-219
*M-234
*M-235
*
M-290
Both series VI and VI-bis were constructed by A. N. Asafov. Series XII was made by P. I. Serdyuk and series XV was created by F. F. Polushkin.
File:Shadowgraph Malyutka class VI series submarine.svg, Series VI
File:Shadowgraph Malyutka class VI-bis series submarine.svg, Series VI-bis
File:Shadowgraph Malyutka class XII series submarine.svg, Series XII
File:Shadowgraph Malyutka class XV series submarine.svg, Series XV
References
* Erminio Bagnasco, ''Submarines of World War II'', Cassell & Co, London. 1977
{{DEFAULTSORT:M class submarine, Soviet
Submarine classes
Submarines of the Soviet Navy
Russian and Soviet navy submarine classes
Ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy