The Leninets or L class were the second class of submarines to be built for the Soviet Navy. Twenty-five were built in four groups between 1931 and 1941. They were minelaying submarines and were based on the British L-class submarine, , which was sunk during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. 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

Six ships were built (L-1 to L-6), all launched in 1931. Three were assigned to the Baltic Fleet and three to the Black Sea Fleet, including Soviet submarine L-3.

Number Name Meaning Fleet Launched Fate L-1 Leninets (Ленинец) Follower of Lenin Baltic 28 February 1931Sunk by German artillery October 1941, salvaged 1944, scrapped 1949 L-2 Stalinets (Сталинец)Follower of StalinBaltic21 May 1931Sunk 14 November 1941 by mine off Keri Island Frunzenets (Фрунзенец)Follower of FrunzeBaltic8 August 1931Renamed B-3 in 1949; decommissioned 15 February 1971, conning tower preserved as a memorialGaribaldets (Гарибальдиец)Follower of GaribaldiBlack Sea31 August 1931Renamed B-34 in 1949; decommissioned 2 November 1954 and scrapped on 17 February 1956L-5Chartist (Чартист)An adherent of ChartismBlack Sea5 June 1932Decommissioned 25 December 1955 and scrapped in 1956L-6Carbonari (Карбонарий)CarbonariBlack Sea3 November 1932Sunk with depth charges near Sevastopol on 18 April 1944 by the German submarine chaser UJ-104L-6 (Карбонарий) (+1944) on wrecksite

Group 2

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.

Number Name Meaning Fleet Launched Fate L-7 Voroshilovets Follower of Kliment Voroshilov Pacific 15 May 1935Stricken 1958 and later scrapped L-8 DzerzhinetsFollower of DzerzhinskyPacific10 September 1935Decommissioned 1959, served as a training vessel until 1970; dismantled in 1973; conning tower preserved as a memorial to L-19L-9KirovetsFollower of KirovPacific25 August 1935Renamed L-19 in 1945 in honor of the sunken L-19, renamed B-19 in 1949; stricken in 1958 and later scrappedL-10MenzhinetsFollower of MenzhinskiPacific18 December 1936Renamed B-10 in 1949, decommissioned in 1959; served as floating charging station ZAS-18 (later PZS-20), stricken in 1967 and scrappedL-11SverdlovetsFollower of SverdlovPacific4 December 1936Renamed B-11 in 1949; decommissioned and stricken in 1959 and later scrapped; conning tower preserved as a memorial to L-16L-12MolotovetsFollower of MolotovPacific7 November 1936Renamed B-12 in 1949, decommissioned in 1959; stricken in 1983; hull entombed in a stone pier in Magadan in 1986

Group 3

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.

Ship Fleet Launched FateL-13Pacific 2 August 1936 Renamed B-13 in 1949, decommissioned 1956; stricken in 1958L-14Pacific 20 December 1936 Renamed B-14 in 1949, decommissioned 1956, stricken in 1984 and scrappedL-15Pacific 26 December 1936 Transferred to the Northern Fleet via the Panama Canal in late 1942; stricken in 1958 and scrappedL-16Pacific 9 July 1937 Torpedoed by Japanese submarine on 11 October 1942 near the coast of Oregon while being transferred to the Soviet Northern FleetL-17Pacific 5 November 1937 Renamed B-17 in 1949, decommissioned 1959; served as training ship UTS-84 into the 2000sL-18Pacific 12 May 1938Renamed B-18 in 1949, decommissioned 1958; served as training ship UTS-85 into the 2000sL-19Pacific 25 May 1938 Lost on or after 24 August 1945 to unknown cause; probably mined in or off the Le Pérouse Strait

Group 4

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.

Ship Fleet Launched Fate L-20 Baltic 14 April 1940Renamed B-20 in 1949, decommissioned 1956; sank on 10 October 1957 in Chernaya Bay during nuclear testing Baltic 17 July 1940Renamed B-21 in 1949, stricken 1955 and scrapped in 1958Baltic23 September 1939Transferred to Northern Fleet 1941; renamed B-22 in 1949, decommissioned 1955; participated in nuclear testing in 1957–1958; stricken in 1959 and scrappedL-23Black Sea29 April 1940Missing after 1 January 1944; likely sunk 17 January 1944 off Cape Tarchakut by German sub-chaser UJ106L-24Black Sea17 December 1940Sunk between 15 and 29 December 1942 off Cape Shabla by a mine of the Romanian flanking barrage S-15,Rohwer & Monakov, p. 266 laid by the Romanian minelayers Amiral Murgescu, Regele Carol I and Dacia;Donald A Bertke, Gordon Smith, Don Kindell, World War II Sea War, Volume 4: Germany Sends Russia to the Allies, p. 323 wreck found in 1991L-25Black Sea26 February 1941Never finished; sunk while being towed from Tuapse to Sevastopol on 18 December 1944

References

Sources

Further reading

External links L-class submarines