The Yastreb-class guard ships were built for the Soviet Navy as small patrol and escort ships. Fifteen out of twenty planned ships were laid down before the start of Operation Barbarossa. Only one was completed during World War II. Five others were completed after the war, but five were scrapped on the stocks at Nikolayev when it was captured by the Germans in late 1941. Four were scrapped by the Soviets at Leningrad and five were cancelled before they were laid down. The postwar ships were completed to a modified design as Project 29K. One of these was transferred to the NKVD. The last of the ships was scrapped in 1975.
Design The Yastreb-class guard ships were designed to replace the unsatisfactory that preceded them. The Uragans had proven to be too small for the weight of their armament, too slow and had poor seakeeping capabilities due to their excessive top-weight. Despite being almost twice the displacement of the older ships, the Yastreb were equipped with only one additional main gun. This was done to minimize the stability problems experienced by their predecessors.
General characteristics The Project 29 ships were longer than their predecessors at overall. They had a beam of and, at full load, a draft of . They were significantly heavier than the Uragan class; the Yastreb-class ships displaced at a standard load, and at full load, nearly twice the at standard load of the earlier ships.Rohwer and Monakov, p. 101 The Project 29K ships had a deeper draft of at full load and they were slightly heavier than their half-sister; they displaced at a standard load, and at full load. Their crew increased to 127 men, an increase of 15 men over Yastreb.
Armament The intended main armament was three single B-34 guns, protected by gun shields. Some ships reportedly substituted the B-34 guns for three of the naval version 52-K anti-aircraft guns. Four AA machine guns were also carried. The underwater armament consisted of one triple torpedo tube mount, fitted between the funnels and up to 40 mines.
Propulsion Yastreb had 2 shaft geared steam turbines producing that propelled her to . Her endurance was at . The Project 29K ships used the same machinery, but were half a knot slower and had only a range of at .
Construction The construction of all the Project 29 ships was interrupted by Operation Barbarossa in 1941. Those ships furthest along were suspended for the duration of the war, although Yastreb, as the lead ship of the class, was just over half-complete on 22 June 1941. It was finished at the end of 1944 after the Siege of Leningrad was broken in early 1944. Most of the others were scrapped or cancelled.Rohwer and Monakov, p. 237 Eleven more ships were intended to be laid down in 1942 and another eight in 1943, but the war ended that plan.Rohwer and Monakov, p. 121
Five other ships had made significant progress before the Germans invaded and were completed to a revised design, Project 29K, after the war. These were slightly larger, added four single 61-K AA guns, and a pair of depth charge throwers in lieu of the mines.Rohwer and Monakov, p. 203
The six ships that were to start construction at the Ordzhonikidze Shipyard in Sevastopol actually had their material prepared at Marti South in Nikolayev and shipped to Sevastopol for building. Similarly the three ships launched, but not completed by the end of the war at the Zhandov Shipyard in Leningrad, were towed to the former Schichau-Werke shipyard in Kaliningrad for completion.
Ships Project 29 Ship Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate Yastreb Zhdanov, Leningrad 23 May 1939 10 June 1940 30 December 1944 scrapped 12 September 1959 Bditel'nyi Zhdanov, Leningrad 23 May 1940 Never completed and scrapped Tigr Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1940 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans Leopard Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1940 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans Rys Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans Yaguar Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans Kuguar Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 scrapped on the stocks by the Germans Pantera Ordzhonikidze, Sevastopol 1941 not laid down, cancelled Berkut Zhdanov, Leningrad August 1940 scrapped on the stocks Sokol Zhdanov, Leningrad October 1940 scrapped on the stocks Grif Zhdanov, Leningrad May 1941 scrapped on the stocks Voron Zhdanov, Leningrad Canceled 19 July 1941 Kondor Zhdanov, Leningrad Canceled 19 July 1941 Fregate Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Canceled Orlan Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur Canceled Project 29K Orel Zhdanov, Leningrad 28 May 1939 12 February 1941 21 December 1950 scrapped 18 September 1969 Korshun Zhdanov, Leningrad 25 October 1939 28 May 1941 21 January 1951 scrapped 31 January 1961 Zorkii Zhdanov, Leningrad 23 May 1940 31 October 1940 30 January 1950 scrapped 4 November 1975 Burevestnik Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur 4 December 1939 17 July 1943 15 July 1947 scrapped 28 January 1958 Al'batros Shipyard 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur 4 December 1939 2 June 1944 29 September 1945 scrapped 28 February 1961
Career Little is known about their careers. Yastreb reportedly became a training ship on 17 February 1956. It became a target ship on 31 August 1956 and was then sold for scrap on 12 September 1959. Orel became a floating barracks on 31 January 1964 before being sold for scrap on 18 September 1969. Korshun may have been transferred to the Border Guards for several years before it was returned to the Navy in 1952. She was sold for scrap 31 January 1964. Zorkii also appears to have been transferred to the Border Guards upon completion before it was returned to the Navy in 1952. She became a training ship on 18 October 1956 and was sold for scrap on 4 November 1975. Burevestnik became a training ship on 17 February 1956 and was sold for scrap on 28 January 1958. Al'batros also became a training ship at the same time and was sold for scrap on 28 February 1961.
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References
External links Yastreb class on sovnavy-ww2.by.ru