Leninets class submarine

The Leninets or L-class were the second class of submarines to be built for the Soviet Navy. They were minelaying submarines and were based on the British L-class submarine, HMS L55 , which was sunk during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. Some experience from the previous Dekabrist-class submarines was also utilised. Thse boats were of the saddle tank type and mines were carried in two stern galleries as pioneered on the pre-war  Krab , the world's first minelaying submarine. These boats were considered successful by the Soviets and 25 were built in 4 groups between 1931 and 1941. Groups 3 and 4 had more powerful engines and higher speed.

[edit] Ships

 * Group 1: 6 ships built (L1 to L6), all launched in 1931. 3 Baltic Fleet, 3 Black Sea Fleet , including Soviet submarine L-3.
 * Group 2 : 6 ships built (L7 to L 12), launched between 1935 and 1936. All built for the Pacific Fleet by plant 202 "Dalzavod" Vladivostok and plant 199 Komsomolsk-na-Amure.
 * Group 3 : 7 ships built (L13 to L19) launched 1937 to 1938. All for the Pacific Fleet. New project, hull based at Srednyaya class, 18 mines.
 * Group 4 : 6 ships built (L20 to L25) launched 1940 to 1941. 3 Baltic Fleet, 3 Black Sea Fleet. This group added stern torpedo tubes and new, more powerful diesel engines.

[edit] References

 * 1) ^ Memorial to sunken Soviet submarine unveiled off Bulgaria
 * Conway's All the World's fighting Ships 1922-1946
 * Vladimir Yakubov and Richard Worth, Raising the Red Banner -2008 Spellmount ISBN 978-1-86227-450-1
 * L-class submarines (Russian)