Soviet destroyer Opytny: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|1935 Soviet Navy destroyer}} |
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{{Infobox ship image |
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|Ship image= |
|Ship image=Opytny in Leningrad.jpg |
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|Ship caption= |
|Ship caption=''Opytny'' in Leningrad |
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{{Infobox ship career |
{{Infobox ship career |
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|Ship country=[[Soviet Union]] |
|Ship country=[[Soviet Union]] |
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|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Soviet Union|naval}} |
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Soviet Union|naval-1935}} |
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|Ship name=''Sergo Ordzhonikidze'' |
|Ship name=''Sergo Ordzhonikidze'' |
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|Ship namesake=[[Sergo Ordzhonikidze]] |
|Ship namesake=[[Sergo Ordzhonikidze]] |
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|Ship ordered=[[Five- |
|Ship ordered=[[Five-year plans for the national economy of the Soviet Union#Second plan, 1933–1937|2nd Five-Year Plan]] |
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|Ship builder=[[Severnaya Verf|Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov)]], [[Leningrad]] |
|Ship builder=[[Severnaya Verf|Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov)]], [[Leningrad]] |
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|Ship laid down=26 June 1935 |
|Ship laid down=26 June 1935 |
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|Ship launched=8 December 1935 |
|Ship launched=8 December 1935 |
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|Ship commissioned= |
|Ship commissioned=11 September 1941 |
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|Ship decommissioned= |
|Ship decommissioned= |
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|Ship in service= |
|Ship in service= |
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|Ship out of service= |
|Ship out of service=March 1944 |
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|Ship struck= |
|Ship struck=10 February 1953 |
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|Ship nickname=''Golden Fish'' or ''Golden 500'' |
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|Ship reinstated= |
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|Ship renamed=''Opytny'' ({{ |
|Ship renamed=''Opytny'' ({{langx|ru|Опытный|lit=Experimental}}), 25 September 1940 |
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|Ship fate=[[ship breaking|Scrapped]], |
|Ship fate=[[ship breaking|Scrapped]], 1953 |
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|Ship yard number=500 |
|Ship yard number=500 |
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|Header caption=(as built) |
|Header caption=(as built) |
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|Ship type=[[Destroyer]] |
|Ship type=[[Destroyer]] |
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|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1707|LT|t|}} ( |
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1707|LT|t|lk=on}} (normal) |
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|Ship length={{convert|113.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]]) |
|Ship length={{convert|113.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[o/a]]) |
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|Ship beam={{convert|10.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |
|Ship beam={{convert|10.2|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |
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|Ship draft={{convert| |
|Ship draft={{convert|4.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} ([[deep load]]) |
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|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 geared [[steam turbine]]s |
|Ship propulsion=2 shafts; 2 geared [[steam turbine]]s |
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|Ship speed={{convert|35|kn|lk=in}} |
|Ship speed={{convert|35|kn|lk=in}} |
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|Ship range={{convert|1370|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn}} |
|Ship range={{convert|1370|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|18|kn}} |
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|Ship power=*4 [[Ramzin boiler]]s |
|Ship power=*4 [[Ramzin boiler]]s |
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*{{ |
*{{cvt|70000|shp|kW|lk=on}} |
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|Ship complement=262 |
|Ship complement=262 |
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|Ship sensors= |
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|Ship EW= |
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|Ship armament=*3 × single [[130 mm/50 B13 Pattern 1936|{{convert|130|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns]] |
|Ship armament=*3 × single [[130 mm/50 B13 Pattern 1936|{{convert|130|mm|in|abbr=on}} guns]] |
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*4 × single [[45 mm anti-aircraft gun (21-K)|{{convert|45|mm|abbr=on}}]] [[AA gun]]s |
*4 × single [[45 mm anti-aircraft gun (21-K)|{{convert|45|mm|abbr=on}}]] [[AA gun]]s |
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* |
*3 × single [[37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)|{{convert|37|mm|abbr=on}}]] AA guns |
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*2 × quadruple {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s |
*2 × quadruple {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s |
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*60 [[Naval mines|mines]] |
*60 [[Naval mines|mines]] |
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'''''Opytny''''' ({{ |
'''''Opytny''''' ({{langx|ru|Опытный|lit=Experimental}}) was the only member of her [[ship class|class]] of [[destroyer]]s built for the [[Soviet Navy]] during the 1930s. The Soviet designation for her class was [[List of ships of Russia by project number|Project 45]]. She was originally named ''[[Sergo Ordzhonikidze]]'' and was the first Soviet destroyer to be indigenously designed.<ref>Budzbon, p. 331</ref> Renamed ''Opytny'' in 1940, the ship was intended as a [[prototype]] for future Soviet destroyers. |
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Plagued with severe problems with her [[boiler]]s, the ship was not suited for fleet operations, but the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 ([[Operation Barbarossa]]) forced the Navy to accept ''Opytny'' several months later. Assigned to the [[Baltic Fleet]] in August, the ship was limited to service as a [[floating battery]] to provide [[naval gunfire support]] for the [[Red Army]] during the [[Siege of Leningrad]] with frequent periods in [[reserve fleet|reserve]] or under repair. ''Opytny'' was no longer useful after the end of the siege and she was taken out of service in March 1944. A proposal to turn her into a training ship was rejected after the end of [[World War II]] and the ship was [[ship breaking|scrapped]] in 1953. |
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==Design== |
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==Background== |
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The Specifications (TTZ in Russian) for this ship were issued in 1934. The ship was intended as a prototype to test a new propulsion system, which was intended to use high-pressure Wagner-type boilers developed by Germany. The Wagner boilers were more compact and powerful than conventional boilers and used superheated steam (75 atmospheres vs. the 26-27 atmospheres in conventional boilers used for the ''Project 7'' destroyers). The machinery was mounted in a unit layout with two funnels and alternating boiler rooms and engine rooms. The design speed was 42 knots |
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When the [[naval architect]] Valerian Bzhezinsky was visiting German shipyards in 1930–1932, during the [[Germany–Soviet Union relations, 1918–1941|period when Weimar Germany and the Soviet Union were cooperating most closely]], he was intrigued by the high-pressure Wagner [[boiler]]s being developed for the [[German Navy]]. These offered the possibility of producing more power than lower-temperature propulsion plants for a given weight. After his appointment as director of the Soviet Navy's surface-ship design office in 1931 and the struggle to save weight with the design of the {{sclass|Gnevny|destroyer}}s in 1933–1934, he conceived of a smaller destroyer using this type of advanced propulsion machinery that would be much faster than the ''Gnevny'' class.<ref name=rm2>Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, p. 132</ref> |
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Bzhezinsky intended the ship to serve as a [[prototype]] to test the [[Ramzin boiler|straight-flow, high-pressure boilers]] developed by [[Leonid Ramzin]]. These worked at a pressure of {{convert|75|kg/cm2|kPa psi|0|abbr=on|lk=on}}, almost three times the pressure used by the boilers of the ''Gnevny''-class ships, and were intended to produce {{convert|70000|shp|lk=on}}, enough to give the ship a speed of {{convert|42|kn|lk=in}}. This was more than enough to cooperate with the {{sclass|Leningrad|destroyer|0}} [[destroyer leader]]s then under construction.<ref>Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, pp. 115, 132</ref><ref>Hill, p. 44</ref> |
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Due to the weight savings it was designed to mount 3 twin enclosed gun turrets in positions A,X and Y similar to the Japanese [[Fubuki class destroyer]]s. A new gun system, the [[B-2LM]], was developed for this ship however due to poor weight control the twin turrets were substituted for single guns. |
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To maximize survivability, the ship's propulsion machinery was organized in a [[Unit system of machinery|unit layout]] with alternating [[fire room|boiler room]]s and [[engine room]]s so that a single torpedo hit could not disable more than one pair of coupled boilers and engines. The separation between the boiler rooms dictated two widely spaced [[funnel (ship)|funnel]]s. To save weight, [[welding]] was extensively used for the internal structure with traditional [[riveting]] limited to the [[hull (watercraft)|hull]] plates. More weight savings would accrue from auxiliary machinery working on high-pressure steam and electrical equipment using [[alternating current]]. The Soviet Navy originally intended use the same armament as the ''Gnevny'' class, but decided to take advantage of the weight savings and augment the main armament to six 50-[[caliber (artillery)|caliber]] [[130 mm/50 B13 Pattern 1936|{{convert|130|mm|in|adj=on|sp=us}} B-13 guns]] in three twin-gun [[B-2LM]] turrets. They were arranged with a single mount forward of the [[superstructure]] and an [[superfiring]] pair at the [[stern]]. The main guns were to be controlled by a ''Galileo'' [[Ship gun fire-control system|fire-control system]] with a Duplex [[Director (military)|fire-control director]]. The [[torpedo]] armament was to consist of two quadruple mounts for {{convert|533|mm|0|adj=on|sp=us}} [[torpedo tube]]s, each of which was to be provided with a reload. The Soviets expected significant savings from the fuel-efficient boilers and the ship's range was anticipated to be {{convert|3200|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|18|kn}}. The design was approved as [[List of ships of Russia by project number|Project 45]] on 29 December 1934.<ref name=b23>Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, pp. 132–133</ref> |
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==Service== |
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The ship was built by [[Severnaya Verf|Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov)]] in [[Leningrad]], [[laid down]] as [[yard number]] 500 on 26 June 1935 under the name ''[[Sergo Ordzhonikidze]]''. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 8 December 1936, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 28 September 1941<ref>Rohwer & Monakov, p. 233</ref> after extensive trials and subsequent reconstruction. She served as a [[floating battery]] during the [[Siege of Leningrad]], during which time she suffered significant damage from German artillery fire.<ref>Hill, p. 45</ref> After the war she served as an experimental ship and was decommissioned in 1949. She was scrapped in 1955–1956. |
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==Construction== |
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The ship was [[laid down]] as [[yard number]] 500 at [[Severnaya Verf|Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov)]] in [[Leningrad]] on 26 June 1935 under the [[Five-year plans for the national economy of the Soviet Union#Second plan, 1933–1937|2nd Five-Year Plan]].<ref>Rohwer & Monakov, p. 233</ref> [[Ceremonial ship launching|Launched]] on 8 December, further work was delayed by major problems with components that were not designed to be used with high-pressure steam or alternating current and the lengthy amount of time required to redesign the ship to accommodate devices that used low-pressure steam and direct current. Even though the Ramzin boilers were in service in power stations throughout the USSR, they often broke down when subject to the frequent changes in loads characteristic of naval boilers. They were not well-suited to manual operation, but an automatic-control system importated from Germany proved to be incapable of solving the problems and Soviet industry was unable to build a system that could. She was given the name ''Sergo Ordzhonikidze'', then the [[People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry|Minister for Heavy Industry]], in August 1936. The B-2LM turrets were also delayed and single mounts for the B-13 guns were installed in their place during late 1939 and early 1940.<ref name=b23/> Firing the guns revealed the weakness in their supporting structure.<ref>Westwood, p. 198</ref> The Galileo fire-control system was unavailable and the same Mina system that was used on the ''Gnevny''-class ships was substituted for it. The lengthy delays and increasing costs of fixing her problems gave the ship the [[nickname]] of ''Golden Fish'' or ''Golden 500''.<ref name=b23/> |
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==Description== |
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''Opytny'' had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|113.5|m|ftin|sp=us}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|10.2|m|ftin|sp=us}}, and a [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|4.6|m|ftin|sp=us}} at [[deep load]]. The ship was significantly overweight, displacing {{convert|1707|MT|LT}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|2016|MT|LT}} at deep load. Her crew numbered 262 officers and sailors. ''Opytny'' was powered by two geared [[steam turbine]] sets, each driving a single [[propeller shaft]] using steam provided by four Ramzin boilers that operated at a temperature of {{convert|450|°C}}. During her first [[sea trial|speed trials]] in 1940, boiler problems limited the ship to {{convert|25|kn}} with bursts of {{convert|35|kn}}. Similarly her radius of action proved to be a major disappointment as her maximum capacity of {{convert|372|MT|LT}} of [[fuel oil]] only gave her a range of {{convert|1370|nmi}} at {{convert|18|kn}}, less than half of what expected.<ref name=rm2/> |
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===Armament and fire control=== |
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Development of the B-2LM turrets was delayed and ''Opytny'' was completed with three single 130 mm mounts instead. Each gun was provided with 150 [[Cartridge (firearms)|rounds]].<ref name=p7>Platonov, p. 227</ref> The manually operated mounts had an [[elevation (ballistics)|elevation range]] of −5° to +45° and had a [[rate of fire]] of 6–10 rounds per minute. They fired a {{convert|33.4|kg|lb|adj=on|sp=us}} shell at a [[muzzle velocity]] of {{convert|870|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}, which gave them a range of {{convert|25597|m|yd|sp=us}}.<ref>Yakubov & Worth, pp. 103–104</ref> |
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[[Anti-aircraft warfare|Anti-aircraft defense]] was provided by four 46-caliber [[45 mm anti-aircraft gun (21-K)|{{convert|45|mm|adj=on|sp=us}} 21-K]] AA guns, all in single mounts grouped around the forward funnel, three 67-caliber [[37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)|{{convert|37|mm|adj=on|sp=us|0}} 70-K]] [[AA gun]]s positioned [[abaft]] the rear funnel as well as a pair of {{convert|12.7|mm|adj=on|sp=us}} [[DShK|DK]] [[machine gun]]s in single mounts.<ref name=p7/> The 21-K was a converted [[anti-tank gun]] with a rate of fire of 25–30 rounds per minute with an elevation range between −10° and +85°. The gun fired a {{convert|1.41|kg|lb|adj=on|sp=us}} shell at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|760|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}. This gave them a range of {{convert|9200|m|yd|sp=us}}.<ref name=yk4>Yakubov & Worth, p. 104</ref> ''Opytny'' stowed 1,000 rounds for each gun.<ref name=p7/> The 70-K had the same range of elevation as the 21-K, but fired its shells about six times more quickly than the bigger gun. Its shells weighed {{convert|0.732|kg|lb|sp=us}} and were fired at a muzzle velocity of {{convert|880|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}} to a range in excess of {{convert|4000|m|yd|sp=us}}.<ref name=yk4/> The ship carried 3,000 rounds per gun.<ref name=p7/> The DK machine guns had an effective rate of fire of 125 rounds per minute and an effective range against aircraft of {{convert|2500|m|yd|sp=us}}.<ref name=yk4/> |
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''Opytny'' was equipped with eight 533 mm torpedo tubes in two rotating quadruple mounts [[amidships]], but only half the tubes were provided with a reload.<ref name=rm2/> The ship was intended to fitted for 10 B-1 and 15 M-1 [[depth charge]]s, but she was completed with room for 28 M-1 charges in addition to the B-1s. The destroyer could also carry a maximum of 60 KB [[naval mine|mines]].<ref name=p8>Platonov, p. 228</ref> |
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Fire control for ''Opytny''{{'}}s [[main battery]] was provided by a Mina [[Ship gun fire-control system|fire-control system]] that was derived from an Italian Galileo system. It included a TsAS-2 [[mechanical computer|mechanical]] [[analog computer]] that received information from a KDP2-4 gunnery [[director (military)|director]] on the roof of the [[bridge (nautical)|bridge]]<ref name=b3>Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, p. 133</ref> which mounted a pair of DM-4 {{convert|4|m|ftin|spell=in|sp=us|adj=on}} [[stereoscopic rangefinder]]s. Anti-aircraft fire control was strictly manual with only a DM-3 {{convert|3|m|ftin|spell=in|sp=us|adj=on}} rangefinder to provide data to the guns.<ref name=p8/> |
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==Career== |
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The ship was renamed ''Opytny'' on 25 September 1940 and was scheduled for her final sea trials in June–August 1941, but the Axis invasion disrupted those plans. She was provisionally accepted by the Soviet Navy on 17 August<ref name=b3/> and was assigned to support [[42nd Army (Soviet Union)|42nd]] and [[52nd Army (Soviet Union)|52nd Armies]] of the [[Leningrad Front]] on 30 August.<ref>Rohwer, p. 97</ref> |
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The ship was formally [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 11 September.<ref name=b3/> Not long afterwards, ''Opytny'' suffered significant damage from German artillery fire<ref name=h5>Hill, p. 45</ref> and was under repair from November 1941 to August 1942. For most of this period, her main guns were removed. The ship was reduced to reserve in July 1943 and was taken entirely out of service in March 1944, after the end of the Siege of Leningrad.<ref name=h5/> ''Opytny'' was refitted beginning in September 1947, but a proposal to rebuild her as a training ship was rejected. The ship was [[wikt:stricken|stricken]] on 10 February 1953 and subsequently scrapped in Leningrad.<ref name=b3/> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor-last=Chesneau|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=0-85177-146-7|last=Budzbon|first= |
*{{cite book|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|editor-last=Chesneau |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich, UK|year=1980|isbn=0-85177-146-7 |last=Budzbon|first=Przemysław|pages=318–346|chapter=Soviet Union|editor-first=Roger}} |
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*{{cite book |last1=Budzbon |first1=Przemysław |last2=Radziemski |first2=Jan |last3=Twardowski |first3=Marek |title=Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939–1945 |date=2022 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=978-1-68247-877-6|volume=I: Major Combatants|name-list-style=amp}} |
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* {{cite book | last = Hill | first = Alexander | year = 2018 | title = Soviet Destroyers of World War II | place = Oxford, UK| publisher = Osprey Publishing| isbn = 978-1-4728-2256-7|series=New Vanguard|volume=256}} |
* {{cite book | last = Hill | first = Alexander | year = 2018 | title = Soviet Destroyers of World War II | place = Oxford, UK| publisher = Osprey Publishing| isbn = 978-1-4728-2256-7|series=New Vanguard|volume=256}} |
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*{{cite book |last1=Platonov |first1=Andrey V.|title=Энциклопедия советских надводных кораблей |
*{{cite book |last1=Platonov |first1=Andrey V.|title=Энциклопедия советских надводных кораблей 1941–1945 |trans-title=Encyclopedia of Soviet Surface Ships 1941–1945 |date=2002 |publisher=Poligon |location=Saint Petersburg |isbn=5-89173-178-9 |language=Russian}} |
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*{{cite book| |
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005 |edition=Third Revised |isbn=1-59114-119-2 |author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}} |
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*{{cite book| |
* {{cite book|last1=Rohwer|first1=Jürgen|last2=Monakov|first2=Mikhail S.|title=Stalin's Ocean-Going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programs 1935–1953|publisher=Frank Cass |location=London |year=2001 |isbn=0-7146-4895-7|name-list-style=amp}} |
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*{{cite book|last= |
*{{cite book|last=Westwood|first=J. N.|title=Russian Naval Construction, 1905–45 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |year=1994 |isbn=0-333-55553-8}} |
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* {{cite book|last1=Yakubov|first1=Vladimir|last2=Worth |first2=Richard |chapter=The Soviet Project 7/7U Destroyers |editor1-last=Jordan |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Dent |editor2-first=Stephen |publisher=Conway |location=London |year=2008|title=Warship 2008|pages=99–114 |isbn=978-1-84486-062-3 |name-list-style=amp}} |
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*''This article incorporates material from Russian Wikipedia'' |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [http://www.navycollection.narod.ru/ships/Russia/Destroyers/ESM_Proect_45/dates.html Site in Russian] |
* [http://www.navycollection.narod.ru/ships/Russia/Destroyers/ESM_Proect_45/dates.html Site in Russian] |
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{{WWII Soviet ships}} |
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{{WWIISovietShips}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Opytny Class Destroyer}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opytny Class Destroyer}} |
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Latest revision as of 13:37, 26 October 2024
 Opytny in Leningrad
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Soviet Union | |
| Name | Sergo Ordzhonikidze |
| Namesake | Sergo Ordzhonikidze |
| Ordered | 2nd Five-Year Plan |
| Builder | Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov), Leningrad |
| Yard number | 500 |
| Laid down | 26 June 1935 |
| Launched | 8 December 1935 |
| Commissioned | 11 September 1941 |
| Out of service | March 1944 |
| Renamed | Opytny (Russian: Опытный, lit. 'Experimental'), 25 September 1940 |
| Stricken | 10 February 1953 |
| Nickname(s) | Golden Fish or Golden 500 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1953 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Destroyer |
| Displacement | 1,707 long tons (1,734 t) (normal) |
| Length | 113.5 m (372 ft 5 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in) |
| Draft | 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in) (deep load) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |
| Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range | 1,370 nmi (2,540 km; 1,580 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
| Complement | 262 |
| Armament |
|
Opytny (Russian: Опытный, lit. 'Experimental') was the only member of her class of destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the 1930s. The Soviet designation for her class was Project 45. She was originally named Sergo Ordzhonikidze and was the first Soviet destroyer to be indigenously designed.[1] Renamed Opytny in 1940, the ship was intended as a prototype for future Soviet destroyers.
Plagued with severe problems with her boilers, the ship was not suited for fleet operations, but the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa) forced the Navy to accept Opytny several months later. Assigned to the Baltic Fleet in August, the ship was limited to service as a floating battery to provide naval gunfire support for the Red Army during the Siege of Leningrad with frequent periods in reserve or under repair. Opytny was no longer useful after the end of the siege and she was taken out of service in March 1944. A proposal to turn her into a training ship was rejected after the end of World War II and the ship was scrapped in 1953.
Background
[edit]When the naval architect Valerian Bzhezinsky was visiting German shipyards in 1930–1932, during the period when Weimar Germany and the Soviet Union were cooperating most closely, he was intrigued by the high-pressure Wagner boilers being developed for the German Navy. These offered the possibility of producing more power than lower-temperature propulsion plants for a given weight. After his appointment as director of the Soviet Navy's surface-ship design office in 1931 and the struggle to save weight with the design of the Gnevny-class destroyers in 1933–1934, he conceived of a smaller destroyer using this type of advanced propulsion machinery that would be much faster than the Gnevny class.[2]
Bzhezinsky intended the ship to serve as a prototype to test the straight-flow, high-pressure boilers developed by Leonid Ramzin. These worked at a pressure of 75 kg/cm2 (7,355 kPa; 1,067 psi), almost three times the pressure used by the boilers of the Gnevny-class ships, and were intended to produce 70,000 shaft horsepower (52,000 kW), enough to give the ship a speed of 42 knots (78 km/h; 48 mph). This was more than enough to cooperate with the Leningrad-class destroyer leaders then under construction.[3][4]
To maximize survivability, the ship's propulsion machinery was organized in a unit layout with alternating boiler rooms and engine rooms so that a single torpedo hit could not disable more than one pair of coupled boilers and engines. The separation between the boiler rooms dictated two widely spaced funnels. To save weight, welding was extensively used for the internal structure with traditional riveting limited to the hull plates. More weight savings would accrue from auxiliary machinery working on high-pressure steam and electrical equipment using alternating current. The Soviet Navy originally intended use the same armament as the Gnevny class, but decided to take advantage of the weight savings and augment the main armament to six 50-caliber 130-millimeter (5.1 in) B-13 guns in three twin-gun B-2LM turrets. They were arranged with a single mount forward of the superstructure and an superfiring pair at the stern. The main guns were to be controlled by a Galileo fire-control system with a Duplex fire-control director. The torpedo armament was to consist of two quadruple mounts for 533-millimeter (21 in) torpedo tubes, each of which was to be provided with a reload. The Soviets expected significant savings from the fuel-efficient boilers and the ship's range was anticipated to be 3,200 nautical miles (5,900 km; 3,700 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). The design was approved as Project 45 on 29 December 1934.[5]
Construction
[edit]The ship was laid down as yard number 500 at Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov) in Leningrad on 26 June 1935 under the 2nd Five-Year Plan.[6] Launched on 8 December, further work was delayed by major problems with components that were not designed to be used with high-pressure steam or alternating current and the lengthy amount of time required to redesign the ship to accommodate devices that used low-pressure steam and direct current. Even though the Ramzin boilers were in service in power stations throughout the USSR, they often broke down when subject to the frequent changes in loads characteristic of naval boilers. They were not well-suited to manual operation, but an automatic-control system importated from Germany proved to be incapable of solving the problems and Soviet industry was unable to build a system that could. She was given the name Sergo Ordzhonikidze, then the Minister for Heavy Industry, in August 1936. The B-2LM turrets were also delayed and single mounts for the B-13 guns were installed in their place during late 1939 and early 1940.[5] Firing the guns revealed the weakness in their supporting structure.[7] The Galileo fire-control system was unavailable and the same Mina system that was used on the Gnevny-class ships was substituted for it. The lengthy delays and increasing costs of fixing her problems gave the ship the nickname of Golden Fish or Golden 500.[5]
Description
[edit]Opytny had an overall length of 113.5 meters (372 ft 5 in), a beam of 10.2 meters (33 ft 6 in), and a draft of 4.6 meters (15 ft 1 in) at deep load. The ship was significantly overweight, displacing 1,707 metric tons (1,680 long tons) at standard load and 2,016 metric tons (1,984 long tons) at deep load. Her crew numbered 262 officers and sailors. Opytny was powered by two geared steam turbine sets, each driving a single propeller shaft using steam provided by four Ramzin boilers that operated at a temperature of 450 °C (842 °F). During her first speed trials in 1940, boiler problems limited the ship to 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) with bursts of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). Similarly her radius of action proved to be a major disappointment as her maximum capacity of 372 metric tons (366 long tons) of fuel oil only gave her a range of 1,370 nautical miles (2,540 km; 1,580 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), less than half of what expected.[2]
Armament and fire control
[edit]Development of the B-2LM turrets was delayed and Opytny was completed with three single 130 mm mounts instead. Each gun was provided with 150 rounds.[8] The manually operated mounts had an elevation range of −5° to +45° and had a rate of fire of 6–10 rounds per minute. They fired a 33.4-kilogram (74 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 870 m/s (2,900 ft/s), which gave them a range of 25,597 meters (27,993 yd).[9]
Anti-aircraft defense was provided by four 46-caliber 45-millimeter (1.8 in) 21-K AA guns, all in single mounts grouped around the forward funnel, three 67-caliber 37-millimeter (1 in) 70-K AA guns positioned abaft the rear funnel as well as a pair of 12.7-millimeter (0.50 in) DK machine guns in single mounts.[8] The 21-K was a converted anti-tank gun with a rate of fire of 25–30 rounds per minute with an elevation range between −10° and +85°. The gun fired a 1.41-kilogram (3.1 lb) shell at a muzzle velocity of 760 m/s (2,500 ft/s). This gave them a range of 9,200 meters (10,100 yd).[10] Opytny stowed 1,000 rounds for each gun.[8] The 70-K had the same range of elevation as the 21-K, but fired its shells about six times more quickly than the bigger gun. Its shells weighed 0.732 kilograms (1.61 lb) and were fired at a muzzle velocity of 880 m/s (2,900 ft/s) to a range in excess of 4,000 meters (4,400 yd).[10] The ship carried 3,000 rounds per gun.[8] The DK machine guns had an effective rate of fire of 125 rounds per minute and an effective range against aircraft of 2,500 meters (2,700 yd).[10]
Opytny was equipped with eight 533 mm torpedo tubes in two rotating quadruple mounts amidships, but only half the tubes were provided with a reload.[2] The ship was intended to fitted for 10 B-1 and 15 M-1 depth charges, but she was completed with room for 28 M-1 charges in addition to the B-1s. The destroyer could also carry a maximum of 60 KB mines.[11]
Fire control for Opytny's main battery was provided by a Mina fire-control system that was derived from an Italian Galileo system. It included a TsAS-2 mechanical analog computer that received information from a KDP2-4 gunnery director on the roof of the bridge[12] which mounted a pair of DM-4 four-meter (13 ft 1 in) stereoscopic rangefinders. Anti-aircraft fire control was strictly manual with only a DM-3 three-meter (9 ft 10 in) rangefinder to provide data to the guns.[11]
Career
[edit]The ship was renamed Opytny on 25 September 1940 and was scheduled for her final sea trials in June–August 1941, but the Axis invasion disrupted those plans. She was provisionally accepted by the Soviet Navy on 17 August[12] and was assigned to support 42nd and 52nd Armies of the Leningrad Front on 30 August.[13]
The ship was formally commissioned on 11 September.[12] Not long afterwards, Opytny suffered significant damage from German artillery fire[14] and was under repair from November 1941 to August 1942. For most of this period, her main guns were removed. The ship was reduced to reserve in July 1943 and was taken entirely out of service in March 1944, after the end of the Siege of Leningrad.[14] Opytny was refitted beginning in September 1947, but a proposal to rebuild her as a training ship was rejected. The ship was stricken on 10 February 1953 and subsequently scrapped in Leningrad.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ Budzbon, p. 331
- ^ a b c Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, p. 132
- ^ Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, pp. 115, 132
- ^ Hill, p. 44
- ^ a b c Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, pp. 132–133
- ^ Rohwer & Monakov, p. 233
- ^ Westwood, p. 198
- ^ a b c d Platonov, p. 227
- ^ Yakubov & Worth, pp. 103–104
- ^ a b c Yakubov & Worth, p. 104
- ^ a b Platonov, p. 228
- ^ a b c d Budzbon, Radziemski & Twardowski, p. 133
- ^ Rohwer, p. 97
- ^ a b Hill, p. 45
Bibliography
[edit]- Budzbon, Przemysław (1980). "Soviet Union". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 318–346. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
- Budzbon, Przemysław; Radziemski, Jan & Twardowski, Marek (2022). Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939–1945. Vol. I: Major Combatants. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-68247-877-6.
- Hill, Alexander (2018). Soviet Destroyers of World War II. New Vanguard. Vol. 256. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-2256-7.
- Platonov, Andrey V. (2002). Энциклопедия советских надводных кораблей 1941–1945 [Encyclopedia of Soviet Surface Ships 1941–1945] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Poligon. ISBN 5-89173-178-9.
- Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
- Rohwer, Jürgen & Monakov, Mikhail S. (2001). Stalin's Ocean-Going Fleet: Soviet Naval Strategy and Shipbuilding Programs 1935–1953. London: Frank Cass. ISBN 0-7146-4895-7.
- Westwood, J. N. (1994). Russian Naval Construction, 1905–45. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-55553-8.
- Yakubov, Vladimir & Worth, Richard (2008). "The Soviet Project 7/7U Destroyers". In Jordan, John & Dent, Stephen (eds.). Warship 2008. London: Conway. pp. 99–114. ISBN 978-1-84486-062-3.