The ''Leninets'' or L class were the second class of

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

s to be built for the

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

. Twenty-five were built in four groups between 1931 and 1941. They were

minelaying A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle 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 ins ...

submarines and were based on the

British L-class submarine The British L-class submarine was originally planned under the emergency war programme as an improved version of the British E-class submarine. The scale of change allowed the L class to become a separate class. The armament was increased when ...

, , which was sunk during the British intervention in the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. Some experience from the previous s was also utilised. The boats were of the saddle tank type and mines were carried in two stern galleries as pioneered on the pre-war Russian submarine Krab (1912). These boats were considered successful by the Soviets. Groups 3 and 4 had more powerful engines and a higher top speed.

Ships

Group 1

Shadowgraph Leninets class II mod series submarine

Six ships were built (''L-1'' to ''L-6''), all launched in 1931. Three were 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 three to the

Black Sea Fleet The Black Sea Fleet () is the Naval fleet, fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, along with other Russian ground and air forces on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula, are subordin ...

, including

Soviet submarine L-3 ''L-3'' was one of six Series II Submarine hull, double-hulled Leninets-class submarine, ''Leninets'' or ''L''-class minelayer submarines built for the Soviet Navy during the early 1930s. ''L-3'' had initially been named ''Bolshevik'' and had been ...

Group 2

Shadowgraph Leninets class XI mod series submarine

Six ships were built (''L-7'' to ''L-12'') and launched between 1935 and 1936. All were built for the Pacific Fleet by plant 202 "Dalzavod" Vladivostok and plant 199 Komsomolsk-na-Amure.

Group 3

Shadowgraph Leninets class XIII mod series submarine

Seven ships were built (''L-13'' to ''L-19'') and launched from 1937 to 1938. All were assigned to the Pacific Fleet. Considered a new project, the hull was based on the ''Srednyaya'' class. They carried 18 mines.

Group 4

Shadowgraph Leninets class XIII-1938 series submarine

6 ships were built (''L-20'' to ''L-25'') and launched from 1940 to 1941. 3 were assigned to the Baltic Fleet and 3 to the Black Sea Fleet. This group added stern torpedo tubes and new, more powerful diesel engines.

References

Sources

* * * Yakubov, Vladimir and Worth, Richard. (2008) ''Raising the Red Banner: The Pictorial History of Stalin's Fleet 1920-1945.'' Spellmount.

External links

L-class submarines
{{WWII Soviet ships