Type VIIC U-Boat

The Type VIIC U-boat was an upgraded variant of the German Type VII submarine. It was commissioned in the mid 1940 and it saw combat action in the waters of the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the North Sea, during WW2. This version included 570 submarines, which were in service between 1940 and 1945. Many of them were sunk by British destroyers during the Battle of the Atlantic from 1942 onward.

The Type VIIC U-boat was a very reliable and efficient submarine. However, its range was not as good as other German underwater vessels. Thus, it had to depend heavily on the German naval bases on the French and Spanish coasts for refitting, especially the one at Brest. Compared with other U-boats of its type, the VIIC had a more powerful sonar as well as mechanical improvement. This is the reason, it was longer and heavier than the previous ones.

Specifications

Type: attack submarine

Length: 67.1 m.

Beam: 6.2 m overall; 4.7 m pressure hull.

Displacement: 1,070 tons (submerged).

Draft: 4.74 m.

Power Plant: two 6-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engines, generating 3,200 HP.

Speed: 17.7 knots on surface; 7.6 knots (underwater).

Range: 8,500 miles.

Crew: 52 sailors and officers

Armament: five 533mm torpedo tubes, with fourteen torpedoes; one 88mm naval gun, with 220 rounds.

Below, a Type VIIC submarine, the U-203, arriving at Brest, France, in July 1942.

The conning tower of this U-boat.

Below, the Type VIIC at the shipyard, before being launched.

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K-3 Leninsky Komsomol

The K-3 Leninsky Komsomol, Project 627, was the first nuclear-powered submarine in service with Soviet Union Navy. It was launched on August 9, 1957 and it was commissioned the following year, on June 4, 1958. It was phased out in 1989. However, it was saved from being scrapped as it is a museum ship today. It was known as "Kit", which means 'whale'.

The K-3 Leninsky Komsomol was the first Soviet submarine to sail under the icecap of the North Pole, surfacing in July 1962. In 1967, there was a technical malfunctioning and fire broke out in the hydraulic compartment. They had a hard time to put out the fire. As a result, 39 sailors lost their lives. However, this Soviet submarine never had any problem with its nuclear reactors.

Specifications

Type: attack submarine

Length: 107.4 m

Beam: 7.9 m

Displacement: 4,750 tons (submerged)

Draft: 5.6 m

Power Plant: two water-cooled reactors, each with steam generators and steam turbines; two diesel AC generators.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots

Range: unlimited (stopped for supplies)

Armament: eight 533-mm bow torpedo tubes, with twenty torpedoes.

Below, the bow of the K-3 Leninsky Komsomol submarine, which has just been restored and is ready to be exhibited in the Russian naval museum

Historical pictures of the Project 627 taken around 1962.

 

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Trieste Heavy Cruiser

The Trieste heavy cruiser of the Italian Royal Navy belonged to the Trento class. She was armed with four 203-mm naval guns, which were set up in two fore turrets. She was laid down at Stabilimento Tecnico Triestino shipyard near the port of Trieste. She was launched on October 24, 1926. After two years of sea trials, she was finally commissioned on December 21, 1928.

The Trieste of the Regia Marina (Royal Navy) would be designated flagship of the First Naval Squadron, and, together with her sister-ship Trento, she cruised the Northern Mediterranean Sea for about two years. Later, at the shipyard of La Spezia, she would have her foremast rebuilt, from a tripod to a pentapod structure. In 1937, she joined Benito Mussolini's colonial trip to Libya. When WW2 broke out, she was at port, undergoing light armament modifications and replacement of the funnel cap.

When Italy entered the war in June 1940, Trieste and Trento were part of the Third Division, Second Squadron. Together with Bolzano, they were assigned to patrol the sea waters north of Sicily. During the Battle of Cape Teulada in November 1940, she enganged British warships and came out of it unscathed. The following year, in February 1941, she would participate in the hunt for the British Royal Navy's Force H. However, no contact was made as the British were able to elude the Italian fleet.

In late March 1941, Trieste joined the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto and engaged four British cruisers. Although she came under attack by Allied bombers, she was not hit. In August 1942, the Third Division of Trieste sailed from the port of Messina to engage the Royal Navy once again. During this naval battle, two Italian cruisers, Bolzano and Attendolo were torpedoed.

On April 10, 1943, while she was anchored in Sardinian harbor of La Maddalena, Trieste was attacked by B-24 bombers. As a result, she was hit and capsized to starboard. In 1946, she was stricken from the Italian naval register.

Specifications

Type: Heavy cruiser

Length: 197 m

Beam: 20.6 m

Draft: 6.8 m

Displacement: 13,300 tons (full-loaded)

Armor: 70-mm on belt, 100-mm on tower, and 50-mm on deck

Power Plant: four steam turbines fed by twelve Yarrow boilers

Maximum Speed: 32 knots

Range: 7,700 km

Crew: 780 sailors and officers

Armament: four 203-mm guns; eight 100-mm guns; four torpedo tubes.

Below, the Trieste moored in a Mediterranean harbor, in 1934.

Her four 203-mm guns.

Side views of the Trieste heavy cruiser in 1940.

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Battleship Ise

The battleship Ise was a dreadnought battleship in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy between 1917 and 1945. It was one of the most powerful war vessel of WW1 and WW2 as it was fitted with twelve 356-mm (14 in) naval guns, which were mounted in six twin turrets, and twenty 140-mm (5.5 in) guns. Her belt armor was 300-mm-thick at water line level. She was the lead ship of her class, the other being the Hyuga.

The battleship Ise was built between 1915 and 1917 by Kawasaki, at the Kobe shipyard. She was commissioned during World War I as a "superdreadnought", ending her career as a battleship carrier. This was due to the fact that her original configuration was modified in 1943, after the Battle of Midway; the Japanese engineers replaced the rear gun turrets with a flight deck to accommodate an air group of floatplanes. Since it was not long enough, the flight deck was equipped with forward catapults. Twenty two aircraft could be carried, with nine in the hangar.

Taking part in the Battle of Midway of June 1942, Ise also participated in the naval Battle of Cape Engano in 1944. At the end of the WW2, she was transferred to the South China Sea. Having survived this armed conflict, she was scrapped in 1946.

Specifications

Type: Dreadnought battleship

Length: 208.18 m (683 ft)

Beam: 28.65 m (94 ft)

Draft: 8.93 m (29 ft, 4 in)

Displacement: 31,750 tons

Power Plant: 4 steam turbines, with 4 shafts, fed by 24 coal-fired, water-tube Kampon boilers.

Maximum Speed: 25 knots

Crew: 1,360 men, and 1,463 sailors after carrier conversion.

Below, a photo of the battleship Ise taken around 1937, during the Japanese invasion of China.

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Battleship Tirpitz

The German battleship Tirpitz was launched on April 1, 1939. Although she was almost identical to her class sister KMS Bismarck, she had undergone a series of improvement, such as the addition of two sets of quadruple torpedo tubes and updated aircraft handling arrangement. Her main armament consisted of eight 380-mm naval guns, which were set up in four, twin turrets.

After sea trials, the KMS Tirpitz was finally commissioned on February 25, 1941, entering operational service in September that year. Her first mission was cruising the Gulf of Finland to prevent any breakout by the Soviet Baltic Fleet. Next, she was sent to Trondheim, in Norway, to attack and disrupt Allied convoys to Murmansk.

In September 1943, she would be damaged by torpedoes fired from a midget submarine. In April and August 1944, she was damaged again by an bombers scrambled from a British aircraft carrier. Finally, on November 12, 1944, she was permanently destroyed and capsized by an Avro Lancaster bomber. Two direct hits had ripped a massive hole in her hull. Tons of water poured in, making her to list. She finally capsized as 971 sailors were trapped and drowned.

Specifications

Type: Battleship class Bismarck

Length: 253 m

Beam: 36 m

Displacement: 53,500 tons

Draft: 11 m

Power Plant: 3 Brown-Boveri geared turbines, with 3 shafts, developing 150,170 HP.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots

Range: 19,000 km

Armament: Eight 38-cm (380-mm) main guns; twelve 15-cm (150mm) guns; and sixteen 10.5-cm (105-mm) Flak guns.

Below, KMS Tirpitz being towed by a tug boat into her mooring dock in Kaafyord, Norway, in late 1941.

Broadside view of Tirpitz anchored at the coast of the Scandinavian country in the Summer of 1942.

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Battleship Bismarck

The battleship Bismarck was one of the most famous warships in World War II. Together with her sister Tirpitz, she left her mark on naval history, even though she had a short life. She was launched on February 14, 1939, and she was commissioned on August 24, 1940. Her main weapons consisted of eight 380-mm naval guns.

The Bismarck was the first full scale battleship, which was built for the new German Kriegsmarine after Adolf Hitler rescinded the Treaty of Versailles. She was developed following the designs used before and during the First World War. However, she would be fitted with considerably higher installed power.

Right after she was commissioned, the Bismarck sailed into the North Sea in late August, 1940, escorted by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. The two warships left Korsfjord, Norway, sailing southward. When they reached the Denmark Strait, they met the Royal Navy's battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Hood. Using her 380-mm guns, the Bismarck opened fire and sank Hood within minutes, seriously damaging Prince of Wales.

Since the Bismarck had also been damaged during this naval battle, she was forced to seek shelter in the German-occupied port of Brest. However, an armada of British warships and aircraft carriers had just been assembled and were waiting for the Bismarck, which was seriously damaged. As she undertook evasive maneuver and tried to resume her voyage, she was hit by a torpedo dropped by a British carrier-borne bomber. Partially destroyed, she would be sunk by the British battleships King George V and Rodney on May 27, 1941.

Specifications

Type: Battleship

Length: 251 m (823 ft, 6 in)

Beam: 36 m (118 ft)

Displacement: 50,153 tons (full load)

Draft: 9.3 m (29 ft, 5 in)

Power Plant: 3-shaft, Blohm & Voss geared steam turbines, delivering 138,000 HP. Turbines were fed by 12 boilers.

Speed: 30 knots

Crew: 2,092 sailors and officers

 

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North Korea Nuclear Submarine

North Korea nuclear submarine was launched on September 6, 2023. Christened Hero Kim Kun OK, it is a complete reconstruction of an already existing Soviet-made Project 633 underwater vessel (Romeo-class). It was rebuilt in such a way as to be able to carry tactical nuclear weapons. Thus, technically speaking, it is a tactical nuclear attack submarine, which was fitted with stealth technology, being able to surreptitiously sail off the coast of the USA (without being detected.

Below, a photo of the first nuclear-powered attack and tactical submarine being launched by the North Korean Navy.

Specifications

Length: 76 m

Beam: 6.7 m

Displacement: 1,855 tons (submerged)

Draft: 5.6 m

Speed: 16 knots

Crew: 57

Armament: eight 533mm torpedo tubes; medium-range nuclear missiles.

Below, the nuclear attack submarine of the Republic of North Korea.

 

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Battleship Admiral Scheer

The pocket battleship Admiral Scheer belonged to the Deutschland class. Like her sisters Admiral Graf Spee and Lützow, this powerful German warship was built with electric arc welding, instead of rivets, which had been used in the past to join steel plates. The manufacturer was the Marinewerft in Wilhelmhaven. It was launched in 1933 and commissioned on November 12, 1934. It was a fast battleship, which was armed with six 280-mm naval guns.

The first WW2 combat sortie of Admiral Scheer would take place on October 31, 1940. On November 5, it attacked a British convoy, sinking HMS Jervis Bay, which was an armed merchant cruiser. In February 1941, she would capture a British oil tanker and sink the merchant ship Gregorios. In 1942, together with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and two destroyers, she would patrol the waters off the coast of Norway, attacking the Allied arctic convoys. In 1944, Admiral Scheer returned to the Baltic Sea, where she would rescue German refugees at the end of the war. On April 9, 1945, she was sunk by RAF bombers.

Specifications

Type: Heavy cruiser/ pocket battleship/ Panzerschiffe

Length: 183 m

Beam: 21.3 m

Draft: 5.8 m

Displacement: 15,180 tons

Power Plant: eight MAN diesel engines, with two propellers, generating 55,000 horse power.

Speed: 28.3 knots

Range/Endurance:  10,000 nautical miles

Radar: FuMO-27

Crew: 1,040 sailors + 30 officers

Below, schematic drawing of Panzerschiffe Admiral Scheer

Photo of Admiral Scheer in 1941

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Type VII U-Boat

The Type VII U-Boat was a class of submarines in service with the German Kriegsmarine from 1936 to 1945. They were low-cost, conventional, compact and simple to build boats. However, it was very reliable and easy to handle at all times. It was produced in large numbers, with a total of 721 seagoing underwater boats in four basic versions. It became the backbone of the German submarine force during the Battle of the Atlantic, sinking a huge number of Allied merchant vessels and warships.

Being commissioned in 1936, the Type VIIA proved to be very successful as it was first operated in anger during the Spanish Civil War. Therefore, it was adopted as the standard mass-produced type. By mid 1937, however, production of this German submarine had switched to the Type VIIB U-Boat, which was larger than its predecessor and saddle tanks had been added and upgraded with more powerful diesel engines. It was thought it would the last one of the class. Nevertheless, in 1940, it would be superseded by the Type VIIC, which was massively produced, with 616 submarines. The VIID would be the last development, with 32 units made.

From May 1943, all Type VII submarines began to urgently being refitted, with the most valuable changes being the fitting of a snort air pipe for charging the batteries while submerged. It also underwent an extension of the conning tower. Also a pair of 20mm AA guns were fitted to the submarine. By this time, the situation became a desperate battle against British destroyers that were equipped with more advanced sonars and radars.

Combat History

Exploits of the vast fleet of Type VII submarines were heroic and legendary. On September 17, 1939, the U-29 sank the British carrier Courageous. On October 14, Gunther Prien took U-47 into the impenetrable Scapa Flow, a sea strait in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sinking the battleship Royal Oak and two other vessels. However, U-99 would be sunk by HMS Walker in March 1941. Prien and Schepke kept sinking merchant ships until they were discovered and sunk by Allied warships. From then on, German submarines would operate in packs, and, by 1943, they had lost the efficiency and surprise advantage they had enjoyed, because of the Allied advance in radar technology.

Specifications (Type VIIC)

Length: 67.10 m (220 ft, 2 in)

Beam: 6.20 m (20 ft, 4 in)

Draft: 4.74 m (15 ft, 7 in)

Displacement: 861 tons (submerged)

Power Plant: two 6-cylinder, 4-stroke diesel engines

Speed: 17.7 knots on surface, and 7.6 knots submerged

Range: 8,500 nautical miles (15,500 km)

Crew: 52 officers and sailors

Armament: five 533-mm torpedo tubes, with four in bow and one in stern section. It had a fourteen G7a compressed air-driven torpedoes. One 8.8 cm naval gun.

Below, two photos of the Type VIIB version; side view and tower.

 

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Battleship Roma

Battleship Roma was a powerful war vessels used by the Regia Marina (Italian Royal Navy) during World War II. It was a Littorio class battleship, featuring nine 15-inch (381mm) naval guns. She was built at the Trieste Yard by C.R.D.A., being launched on June 9, 1940. She was commissioned on June 14, 1942. In December, 1942, she would become the flagship of the Regia Marina.

Like her three sisters of the class, Roma main duty was to escort German and Italian cargo ships carrying armament and other military equipment to supply the Afrika Korps and Italians troops fighting in North Africa. While she and her sister Vittorio Veneto were moored at La Spezia naval base, they were attacked by American B-17 bombers on June 5, 1943. During this air raid both Italian battleships were damaged but not impaired.

Roma would be hit again twice during the night of June 23-24. Having been repaired at Genoa, she returned to service again. Along with Vittorio Veneto and Italia battleship, and three Regia Marina's cruisers, Roma sailed from La Spezia to Malta right after the armistice with the Allies had been signed. When the Germans found out about this betrayal, they launched an air raid to attack the Italians warships. Roma would be hit by two radio-controlled Fritz-x bombs dropped by Dorniers Do-217 bombers. Several hours later she would sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. She had broken into two pieces before going down. It was September 9, 1943.

Specifications

Type: Littorio Class Battleship

Length: 240.68 m (789 ft, 8 in)

Beam: 32.82 m (107 ft, 8 in)

Displacement: 46,215 tons (full loaded)

Draft: 9.6 m (31 ft, 6 in)

Power Plant: 4 steam Belluzo geared turbines, with 4 screw propellers, which were supplied by 8 Yarrow boilers, delivering 128,200 HP

Speed: 30 knots

Range: 9,000 nautical miles

Armament: nine 15-in (381mm) naval guns, which were set up in three triplet turrets; twelve 6-in (152mm) guns; four 120mm, twelve 90mm, twenty 37mm, and sixteen 20mm AA guns.

Below, the Battleship Roma in June 1942. You can see the fore portion of ship bristling with six of her nine381mm guns.

The aft view of this Littorio class battleship

 

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Fuso Class Battleship

The Fuso class battleship was one of two war vessels in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during WW2. The lead ship was the Fuso and her sister, the Yamashiro. The former had been laid down at the Kure Navy Yard in 1912 and completed in 1915, while the Yamashiro was built at the Yokosuka Navy Yard between 1913 and 1917. Fitted with twelve 14-inch (356mm) naval guns, they were superior and more powerful than her American and British counterparts at the time they were commissioned. They were iconic Japanese battleships with their towering pagoda-style bridge structures.

Service Modifications and Upgrade

In the 1930s, both warships underwent extensive modifications, which would dramatically change their appearance. During this process, armor protection was increased as the total weight of armor was raised to slightly more than 12,000 tons. This meant 42% of the ship total displacement (35,300 tons). To increase protection from torpedo attack, two armor blisters were added, which increased the beam by 127 feet. As for their power plant, the original 24 coal-fired boilers were replaced with six Kampon oil-fired boilers and 2 Kampon steam turbines, with 4 shafts, were fitted. This new propulsion system increased their power to 40,000 HP.

Wartime Service

Although they were built at the beginning of WW1, they would have to wait until World War II to see combat action. They took part in the Battle of Midway as escort battleships, coming out unscathed. The Fuso would be used to carry troops to Truk in the Central Pacific in 1943. In October 1944, both battleships took part in Operation Sho-go, which was the last Japanese attempt to fight a decisive battle to save the Philippine islands from an Allied invasion, resulting in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

In this military operation, they both were detached from the main body of the First Striking Force due to their slow speed, forming into Force C as it entered Leyte Gulf from the south. During the subsequent battle of Leyte Gulf, Fuso was hit twice; one bomb dropped by a US Navy dive bomber struck her stern portion. As they sailed in Surigao Straight, they were hit by torpedoes fired from American warships. After ferocious fighting, both of them would be sunk in Surigao Straight on October 25, 1944.

Specifications

Type: Battleship

Displacement: 35,300 tons (38,000 full-loaded)

Length: 202.7 m (665 ft)

Beam: 28.7 m (94 ft, 2 in)

Draft: 8.7 m (29 ft, 8 in)

Speed: 24.75 knots

Range: 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km)

Crew: 1,400 sailors and officers

Below, the Fuso battleship in 1933, with her trademark pagoda tower.

The impressive armament of the Yamashiro; the 356mm guns. Photo taken in 1937.

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Surcouf

The Surcouf (N N 3) was a cruiser submarine in service with the French Navy. Launched in 1929, it was commissioned on April 16, 1934. It was designed by the French engineer Robert Surcouf. It was the largest submarine in the world until the emergence of the Imperial Japanese Navy I-400 submarine launched in 1944.

After the German invasion of France in May 1940, it served with the French free forces from June 1940. However, it would be sunk long before the war ended, not by the Germans but by an American ship. It was accidentally sunk by the US steamer Thompson Lykes in the Gulf of Mexico on February 18, 1942. The American ship had rammed the Surcouf, opening a gaping crack through which tons of water rushed in until it went down to the bottom of the ocean.

Technical Features

The Surcouf (N N 3) had a double hull, heavy gun armament as it was fitted with two 203mm naval guns, which was quite unusual for a submarine. It was also equipped with fire control system, a motor boat, and cargo compartment. Its power plant allowed it to sail for long distances without mooring at port, more than 18,000 km.

Specifications

Length: 110 m (361 ft)

Beam: 9 m (29 ft, 6 in)

Displacement: 4,304 tons (submerged)

Draft: 7.25 m (23 ft, 9 in)

Power Plant: 4 Sulzer Diesel engines; 2 electric motor; 2 shafts, generating 7,600 HP.

Armament: eight 550mm and four 400mm torpedo tubes, four in bow, the other external; two 203mm guns, and two 37mm AA guns.

Compliment: 118 sailors and officers

The French submarine Surcouf in 1937

 

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USS New Mexico (BB-40)

The USS New Mexico (BB-40) was a battleship used by the US Navy during World War II. In this armed conflict, she carried out missions both in the Atlantic and the Pacific Theater of Operations. It had been laid down in 1915, launched in 1917, and commissioned on May 20, 1918. However, it did not saw combat action during the First World War.

The USS New Mexico BB-40 was the first of series of three battleships, the others being the USS Mississippi BB-41 and the Idaho BB-42. All three of them had identical hulls and measurement, with improved underwater armor protection in relation to the Pensilvania BB-38, which had been launched in 1916. They were fitted with twelve 356-mm (14-in) naval guns, which were set up in three triple turrets: two turrets on the fore deck, and the other on the aft deck.

When the Japanese fleet launched the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the three USS New Mexico class battleships were operating in the Atlantic Ocean. In July 1942, they were transferred to the Pacific to be aircraft carrier escorts and to provide fire support to the US landing troops on Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Saipan. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf and the Philippine Sea, they were hit hard by kamikaze combat aircraft, but they were not serious damaged as they were repaired and kept operating for the remainder of the war.

Specifications

Type: Battleship

Length: 190.2 m (624 ft)

Beam: 29.7 m (97.4 ft)

Draft: 9.1 m (30 ft)

Displacement: 33,000 tons (full load)

Power Plant: 4 steam turbines, with 4 shafts and 4 propellers, and 9 boilers, generating 27,500 HP.

Armor: 343/203mm-thick on belt; 76mm-thick on deck.

Armament: twelve 356-mm-caliber guns; fourteen 127-mm and four 76-mm AA guns

The USS New Mexico BB-40 in the 1930s after having been refitted with new power plant and thicker armor.

 

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Triomphant Class Submarine

A Triomphant class submarine is one of four strategic missile submarines in service with the French Navy. They are nuclear-powered and fitted with stealth technology. They were built on the shipyards of Cherbourg, Normandy, France, by the DCNS firm. They are Le Triomphant, Le Temeraire, Le Vigilant, Le Terrible, being commissioned in 1997, 1999, 2004, and 2010 respectively.

Preceded by the Redoutable class, these French submarines are armed with M-51 ballistic missiles, which have a 4,200-km range and carry six warheads, and eighteen torpedoes. They are fitted with a nuclear reactor, two steam turbines, one electric motor, and one shaft pump jet propulsor. They cruise and patrol the waters of the Atlantic, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean.

Specifications

Length: 138 m (453 ft)

Beam: 12.50 m (41 ft)

Displacement: 14,335 tons (submerged)

Draft: 10.60 m (34.8 ft)

Power Plant: K15 pressurized  water-cooled reactor

Speed: 25 knots

Range: unlimited distance.

Complement: 111

Below, a Triomphant-class submarine, Le Temeraire, sailing in the Atlantic Ocean

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Deutschland Class Pocket Battleship

A Deutschland class pocket battleship was one of three thickly armored heavy cruisers, which were in service with the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. Since they were smaller in size than a conventional battleship, they were referred to as pocket battleships. The reason for their reduced hull length and weight was that the Treaty of Versailles, signed right after WW1, forced Germany to limit their fleet tonnage. Although, technically speaking, they were heavy cruisers, they were fitted with much thicker armor than these type of ships, hence their name in German Panzerschiff.

The three Deutschland class pocket battleships were: 1) Deutschland, which was laid and built by the Deutsche Werke on Kiel's shipyards, Schleswig-Holstein, being commissioned in 1933; 2) Admiral Scheer, which was produced by the Reichsmarinewerft on the Wilhelmshaven's Imperial shipyards, entering service in 1934; 3) Admiral Graf Spee, which was also built on the Wilhelmshaven's Imperial Shipyards, as it was commissioned in 1936. In German, all three were known as Panzerschiffe.

Renamed Lützow, the Deutschland took part in several military operations in both North and Baltic Sea during the war; it was sunk on April 16, 1945, by British bombers during a RAF raid while she was moored at Swinemünde naval base. Admiral Scheer, on the other hand, would spend most of the war in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, attacking and sinking Allied convoy merchant ships; it was serious damaged on April 9, 1945, by Allied dive bombers. Admiral Graf Spee lived a short life as she would be scuttled by her crew on Rio de La Plata River, off the coast of Uruguay in December 1939.

Armament

The Deutschland class pocket battleships were fitted with six 280-mm naval guns set up in two triplet turrets; eight 150-mm guns in single turrets; and eight 53-mm torpedo tubes.

Specifications

Type: Heavy Cruiser

Length: 186 m

Beam: 21,34 m

Displacement: 15,180 tons (full load)

Draft: 7.25 m

Power Plant: eight MAN Diesel Engines, with two propellers, delivering 54,000 HP.

Speed: 28.3 knots

Range: 16,900 km (9,100 nautical miles)

Crew: 1,000 sailors and officers

Below, Admiral Scheer in the Summer of 1939 in the Baltic Sea.

Admiral Graf Spee in late 1937.

 

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IJN Musashi

The IJN Musashi was a Yamato-class battleship used by Japan in World War II. This powerful vessel was launched on November 1, 1940, entering service on August 5, 1942; thus, it did not take part in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which had taken place on December 7, 1941. Together with her sister ship, Yamato, it had the strongest armor and the most powerful naval guns ever fitted to a battleship.

The keel of Musashi had been laid on a slipway, in Nagasaki yard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, on March 29, 1938. It had two catapults as it could carry up to seven float-planes in the below-deck hangar. Her launching was done by stealth as her construction had been kept secret.

Service History

As soon as it had been commissioned, the IJN Musashi was attached to the combined fleet, under Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, replacing her sister ship Yamato as the fleet's flagship on February 11, 1943. It participated in naval operations off the coast of Truk and Brunei. The IJN Musashi, Yamato, and Magato made up the vertebral column of Vice Admiral Kunta's Force A fleet in the naval battle of Leyte Gulf on October 23, 1944, off the coast of Philippines. It would be sunk on the second day of this military engagement, on October 24, by US Navy's Helldiver and Avenger dive-bombers, which had taken off the USS Intrepid and the USS Essex carriers.

Below, the IJN Musashi sailing near the coasts of Brunei, Borneo, Southeast Asia, in 1943

Specifications

Length: 263 m

Beam: 38.9 m

Draft: 10.45 m

Displacement: 64,000 tons (empty)

Armor: up to 410-mm-thick steel plate on ship belt. 230-mm-thick on decks.

Power Plant: four geared steam turbines, which put out 150,000 HP. Steam to the turbines was fed by twelve Kanpon boilers.

Speed: 27 knots

Crew: 2,500 sailors and officers

Armament: nine 460-mm (18 in) naval guns, which were mounted in three triplet turrets, two on fore deck, and one on aft deck. Twelve 155-mm guns; and twelve 127-mm AA guns.

The Musashi moored off the coast of Truk in July 1944.

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B-871 Alrosa

The B-871 Alrosa is a Kilo class submarine in service with the Russian Navy. From September 2019 to February 2022, it was completely upgraded as it was fitted out with the most advanced sensors and radars systems and ultra-stealth materials to carry out special missions. After having been tested for six months, it is operating in the Black Sea right now as a special attachment and reinforcement to the Russian submarines flotilla of the Black Sea Fleet. Now, it is a different kind of submersible warship as it is fitted out with unique features for special missions.

Technical Characteristics

The Alrosa is propelled by a turbine without screw propellers as it is driven by a pump jet propulsion system. It means it can sail faster without the detectable cavitation noise. This technical fact enables the submarine to move stealthily in the shallow waters adjacent to the coasts. This high-tech submarine was also fitted with two layers of ultra-stealthy materials that muffle the most insignificant noise that could be generated inside the boat.

Weapons

The Alrosa is equipped with four tubes to launch hypersonic anti-ship and cruise missiles to attack targets on land from of 4,700 km away. Yes, it carries inside her bowels 3M-54 Kalibr and the powerful Zircon missiles. It also has six torpedo tubes for eighteen smart torpedoes.

Specifications

Length: 73.8 m

Beam: 9.9 m

Displacement: 4,000 tons (submerged)

Draft: 6.2 m

Range: 7,500 nautical miles.

Below, the Kilo-class Alrosa moored at a naval base in Crimea

 

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US Navy in 1944

The US Navy in 1944 was powerful enough to defeat Japan. It had made possible the successful island-hopping campaign in the Pacific Theater. It had increased its size about 20 times from what it used to be in December 1941, when the United States of America entered World War II right after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By then, the aircraft carrier had become more important as an strategic warship than the battleship as it could project more fire power to a much longer range than the latter, thanks to its squadrons of bombers and fighter aircraft it carried on its deck and in the storage area. As a result, the number of carriers had multiplied in relation to the number of battleship. In the Atlantic, in order to fight against the German U-Boats, a large number of destroyers had been built and deployed by the USA's shipbuilding industry and Navy.

By 1944, the American navy's aircraft carriers had clearly established the Allied air superiority in the skies over the Pacific and Atlantic, as it was essential to victory and for survival of the a fleet. By then, the Essex-class had added 24 new carriers to the already in service Yorktown-class, which included the USS Enterprise (CV-6). The Essex could carry up to 90 aircraft onboard, including two new lethal fighters: the F6F Hellcat and the F4F Corsair, which were able to defeat the Japanese A6M Zero. Not only the number of surface warships had increased but also the number of submarines, with the introduction of the Balao-class and the Tench-class, with a about 60 additional submarines in the Pacific. Meanwhile, the battleship was relegated to provide fire support to landing Allied forces on the Pacific islands.

With the US Navy 3rd and 7th fleet having been beefed up, the US Navy and US Marine Corps were able to obtain major historical victory over the Japanese in the Pacific Theater of Operation. They successfully captured Guam, Tinian, and Saipan, which belonged to the Mariana groups of islands, and to thoroughly beat the Imperial Japanese fleet at the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944. In October, the TF-38 and TF-77, of the 3rd and 7th Fleet respectively, defeated the Japanese combined fleet, which lost 4 carriers, 3 battleship and 10 cruisers.

Below, the USS Yorktown (CV-10) in October 1944. It had just been commissioned to replace the Yorktown CV-5, which had been sunk during the Battle of Midway.

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Akagi Aircraft Carrier

The Akagi aircraft carrier had first been designed as a battlecruiser, which would be converted into a carrier between 1923 and 1927. The conversion was the result of the Washington Naval Disarmament Treaty, which forced the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) to reduce its tonnage and, hence, the number of warships, leaving the IJN with a surplus in battlecruisers and battleships to be scrapped. Thus, the need for combat aircraft platforms led the Japanese government to convert these warships into aircraft carriers.

The conversion work on the Akagi began in 1923 and it was completed in March 1927, with a 210-meter-long flight deck and two funnels at its starboard edge. However, ten years later, in 1937, it would be completely rebuilt, with a small island superstructure on the port side of vessel, and a full length flight deck (260-m long). It was hoped that a port side island would simplify operations when sailing alongside other carriers. The IJN Akagi would take part in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and it was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Nagumo. It also participated in a series of Japanese raids in the East Indies and Indian Ocean, sinking the British carrier Hermes.

Below, the Akagi in 1939, with a Yokosuka B4Y torpedo-bomber in the foreground. This biplane aircraft would be replaced with the Nakajima B5Ns.

The IJN Akagi also took part in the Battle of Midway. She and Kaga carrier attacked the island on June 4, 1942, suffering slight damage. However, at about 10:30 AM, she was attacked by dive-bombers that had taken off the USS Enterprise, being struck twice. One of the bombs burst into the hangar, which started a fire that spread throughout the rest of the carrier. As a result, the Akagi was abandoned and scuttled by a Japanese destroyer.

Specifications

Type: aircraft carrier

Length: 260.6 m (855 ft)

Beam: 31.4 m (103 ft)

Draft: 8.6 m (28 ft, 3 in)

Power Plant: 4-shaft geared steam turbines, delivering 133,000 HP.

Maximum Speed: 31 knots

Aircraft: 21 Mitsubishi A6M 'Zero' fighters; 21 Aichi D3A 'Val' dive-bombers; 21 Nakajima B5N 'Kate' torpedo-bombers.

Armament: six 200mm, six twin 120mm, and 14 twin 25mm Anti-Aircraft guns.

Below, the IJN Akagi sailing in the Pacific Ocean in 1938

Front view of the Akagi. Photo taken around 1940.

 

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K-157 Vepr

The K-157 Vepr is a nuclear-powered, Akula-II class submarine in service with the Russian Navy since 1995. Also known as Project 971U, it was modernized and updated with new armament and power plant between 2016 and 2017 at the Nerpa shipyard. It is now part of the Northern Fleet. It is an attack submarine, which can destroy targets on sea and on land, using its wide array of missiles and torpedoes.

Technical Characteristics

Having been completely overhauled, the K-157 Vepr is 3 meter longer than it used to be, when it was an Akula-I class submarine. The added length was employed for additional stealth technology, making of it one of the most surreptitious submarines in the world. Thus, it displaces 700 tons more than it used to. It also features the high-tech MGK-540 Skat-3 sonar system, which can pick up the slightest vessel noise from 200 km away. Most experts agree that it is quieter than the US Navy's Los Angeles class submarines.

Armament

The Project 971U, Vepr, is equipped with a wide variety of weapons. It is fitted with 40 Kalibr hypersonic missiles, which can be used to attack both enemy ships and land targets, eight 533mm torpedo tubes, which fires the latest generation of smart torpedoes; Onix anti-ship cruise missiles, as well as surface-to-air missiles.

Specifications

Length: 113.3 m

Beam: 13.6 m

Draft: 9.7 m

Displacement: 8,450 tons

Power Plant: one 190 MW pressurized water nuclear reactor, with one 43,000 HP steam turbine and one 7-bladed propeller; two retractable electric propulsors for low speed.

Speed: 35 knots (underwater)

Crew: 60

Below, the K-157 Vepr (Project 971U) Akula II submarine in the Baltic Sea during test trials

 

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Russian Black Sea Fleet

The Russian Black Sea Fleet has been strategically important since the time of Imperial Russia. Founded in 1783, during the reign of Catherine II, the Great, it has been the main military tool used by Russia and the Soviet Union to exert its geopolitical presence in the Black Sea region and beyond, as it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea.

Although it had been reduced in size, since it had fallen in importance right after the Cold War, with the CIA-backed coup in Ukraine, in 2014, the Russian government saw right away the urgent need to quickly seize and secure Crimea and its naval base of Sevastopol to keep the strategic control of these waters. Thus, since then, what used to be a Russian flotilla in that region has been increased into a powerful fleet armed with hypersonic missiles. Aside from the Sevastopol port, the naval base of Novorossiysk is an important anchorage harbor for refit of this Russian Navy.

Black Sea Fleet Warships

Today, as of May 19, 2023, the backbone of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is composed of three large naval units: the 30th Surface Fleet Division, the 4th Independent Submarine Brigade, and the 197th Assault Ship Brigade, plus a small Coast Defense Ship Brigade. The surface fleet consists of 2 Krivak-class and 3 Admiral Grigorovich-class guided-missile frigates; and 5 Grisha-class, 5 Buyan-M-class, 2 Bora-class, 2 Tarantul-class, and 1 Steregushchy-class corvettes.

Meanwhile, the Independent Submarine Brigade is made up of 7 improved Kilo-class and 1 Lada-class submarines. Although they are diesel-powered submarines, they are extremely stealthy and they are fitted with hypersonic missiles, aside from conventional torpedoes. The Assault Ship Brigade is composed of 7 Ropucha-class landing ships.

Summary- Total numbers of warships

5 Frigates armed with cruise missiles and torpedoes.

15 Corvettes, about 7 of them fitted with hypersonic Kalibr missiles.

8 Diesel-powered attack submarines, all armed with hypersonic and supersonic cruise missiles, being characterized for their stealth technology.

Below, a cruise missile being launched from Admiral Essen (an Adm. Grigorovich-class frigate)

Below, Adm. Grigorovich frigate in the Mediterranean Sea

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