The Bars class were a group of submarines built for the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I. A total of 24 boats were built between 1914 and 1917. A number of them saw action during the First World War, and three were lost in the conflict. The surviving boats were taken over by the Soviets after the Bolshevik Revolution and a number of them remained in service until the 1930s.

Design The Bars-class submarines were ordered by the Imperial Russian Navy under their 1912 construction programme. 24 boats were ordered; 12 for the Baltic Fleet, six for the Black Sea, and six for the Siberian flotilla. The Baltic Fleet units were built at the Baltic Yard, St. Petersburg, and the Noblessner Yard, Reval (now Tallinn). The Black Sea units were built at Nikolayev, at the Baltic and the Naval Yards. The Siberian units were also built in the Baltic, but the outbreak of the First World War made their transfer impossible, and they were reassigned to the Baltic Fleet in 1915.Conway p. 316

These boats were designed by Ivan Bubnov and based on the preceding . They were single-hulled, but like the Morzh boats lacked internal bulkheads. The Morzh design was enlarged with more powerful engines, a larger torpedo armament, and larger guns.

As designed the boats were to have two electric and two diesel engines, but a shortage of these diesels meant the boats had a variety of machinery fitted. Only Kuguar and Zmeya had the diesels originally intended for them. This and greater than expected hull resistance left them with lower than intended underwater speeds.

The gun armament too was problematic; the intended armament was one and one gun, but this too, varied according to availability. Three units (Bars, Vepr, and Volk) carried two 63 mm guns, while four others had an additional 75 mm gun. The Black Sea boats had one 75 mm and one 37 mm gun.

The torpedo armament comprised four internal torpedo tubes and eight external torpedoes in drop collars mounted in recessed niches low in the hull. Trials with Bars and Vepr showed these to be unsuitable and subsequent vessels had the niches and drop-collars moved to the upper deck; Bars and Vepr were later refitted to this pattern, before their ultimate complete removal.

The design had numerous shortcomings, including a lack of internal bulkheads and a slow diving time. Surviving boats were modernized after the Russian Civil War by installing bulkheads, new diesels, pumps and extra torpedo tubes (the external drop collars were removed).

Service history The Baltic Fleet units saw action during the First World War and made numerous war patrols in the Baltic, despite being limited by the short operating season. In the 1915 ice-free season they targeted German warships but with little success, these being generally fast and well-protected. In the 1916 and 1917 seasons they were employed attacking German iron-ore shipments along the Swedish coast, though again with little success, due to the restrictions imposed by Swedish neutrality.

Three vessels (, Lvitsa and Gepard) were lost in action. Two (Edinorog and Ugor) were lost in marine accidents and two (Forel and Yaz)were left unfinished. Another two (Kuguar and Vepr) were designated as training units. With the onset of the Bolshevik Revolution and the start of the Russian Civil War the surviving units in the Baltic were taken over by the Soviets and saw some action against Allied Intervention forces; in 1919 Pantera sank the British destroyer .

The Black Sea units were unfinished during World War I and were seized by the German occupation forces before being surrendered to the Allies and the White Russian forces of General Wrangel. With the end of the Civil War the surviving Bars-class vessels remained in service until the 1930s before being discarded.

Ships + Baltic Fleet Ship Namesake Builder Launch date Service/Fate BarsБАРС (Leopard)Russian has two words for the leopard (pantera pardus); «барс» (from Turkish) and «леопард"» (from the Greek) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 2 June 1915 Lost May 1917; cause unknownGepardГЕПАРД (Cheetah) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 2 June 1915Sunk 28 October 1917KuguarКУГУАР (Cougar) Noblessner Yard, Reval 1916Hulked 1922LeopardЛЕОПАРД (Leopard) Noblessner Yard, Reval 1916Renamed Krasnoarmeets. Hulked 1936LvitsaЛЬВИЦА (Lioness) Noblessner Yard, Reval 23 October 1915Sunk 11 June 1917PanteraПАНТЕРА (Panther) Noblessner Yard, Reval 26 April 1916Sank British destroyer off the island of Seiskari during the British Intervention in Russia. Aksel Berg was navigating officer at the time. The ship was renamed Komissar and converted to a harbour training ship 1941RysРЫСЬ (Lynx) Noblessner Yard, Reval 1916Renamed Bolshevik, sunk in an accident 13 September 1935TigrТИГР (Tiger) Noblessner Yard, Reval 18 September 1915Renamed Kommunar, broken up 1936TurТУР (Aurochs) Noblessner Yard, Reval 1916Renamed Tovarich, stricken in 1936VeprВЕПРЬ (Wild Boar) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 1915Hulked 1922VolkВОЛК (Wolf) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 1915Stricken 1936YaguarЯГУАР (Jaguar) Noblessner Yard, Reval 1916Renamed Krasnoflotets. Stricken 1936

+ Black Sea Fleet Ship Namesake Builder Launch Date Service/FateBurevestnikБУРЕВЕСТНИК (Petrel) Naval Yard, Nikolayev 1916Seized by the Germans as SM US-1 and transferred to the White Russian forces in 1918, interned in Bizerte with Wrangel's fleet and scrapped 1924GagaraГАГАРА (Loon/Diver) Baltic (Admiralty) Yard, Nikolayev 7 October 1916Seized by the Germans as US 4 and scuttled 26 April 1919LebedЛЕБЕДЬ (Swan) Naval Yard, Nikolayev 1917Seized by the Germans and scuttled 26 April 1919OrlanОРЛАН (Sea eagle) Naval Yard, Nikolayev 1916Seized by the Germans as US 2 and scuttled 26 April 1919PelikanПЕЛИКАН (Pelican) Naval Yard, Nikolayev September 1917Seized by the Germans and scuttled 26 April 1919Utka УТКА (Duck) Baltic (Admiralty) Yard, Nikolayev 1916Seized by the Germans as US 3 and transferred to the White Russian forces in 1918, interned in Bizerte and scrapped 1924

+ Siberian Flotilla (served at Baltic Fleet) Ship Namesake Builder Launch Date Service/Fate EdinorogЕДИНОРОГ (Unicorn) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 1916 Sunk 25 February 1918.

Wreck found on 28 May 2009 by the Estonian Maritime Museum in the northern part of the Gulf of Finland.Rare submarine found at the bottom of Gulf of Finland: 28 May 2009, Postimees (in Estonian)ZmeyaЗМЕЯ (Serpent) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 1916Renamed Proletariy, sunk in an accident 22 May 1931UgorУГОРЬ (Eel) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 1916Sunk 27 March 1920YazЯЗЬ (Ide/Orfe) Noblessner Yard, Reval 1917? Never commissioned. Used by Kommuna for training purposes. Stricken 1922ErzhЕРШ (Ruffe) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 1917? Converted to minelayer

Sunk in an accident 22 May 1931ForelФОРЕЛЬ (Trout) Baltic Shipyard, St. Petersburg 1916 Converted to minelayer

Stricken 1922

Notes

References

External links

Bars class submarines at morflot.tsi.ru Bars class submarines at deepstorm.ru Bars class submarines VY Gribovsky (Russian) V.Dygalo, The Fleet of the State of Russia. The Roots and Origin of the Russian Navy (extract) History of Bars class Rare submarine found at the bottom of Gulf of Finland: 28 May 2009, Postimees (in Estonian)