When World War I began, the Russian Black Sea Fleet was clearly superior in power to the Turkish Navy. But 12 days after the war began (Turkey was still neutral at that time), 2 German ships arrived in Constantinople (Istanbul) - the light cruiser Breslau and the battle cruiser Goeben, which broke past the ships of France and Great Britain into the Eastern Mediterranean . They then entered the Black Sea through the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits. Goeben was a modern battlecruiser with a speed of 28 knots and armed with ten 280 mm guns.
At the same time, the Black Sea Fleet had only outdated battleships armed with four 305 mm caliber guns (the battleship Rostislav had four 254 mm caliber guns); the speed of these ships did not exceed 16 knots. In terms of the number of large-caliber guns, the entire Russian brigade of armored ships outnumbered the artillery armament of the cruiser Goeben, however, taking advantage of its superior speed, it could always avoid a meeting with the squadron of the Russian fleet. Modern Russian ships were just being built in Nikolaev, and by the beginning of the war, not a single one of them was ready. Therefore, the interest of the Russian command of the Black Sea Fleet in replenishing these ships is understandable.
Underwater minelayer "Crab", during construction at the Naval shipyard in Nikolaev, 1911.
In the summer of 1915, the first of these battleships, the Empress Maria, was to enter service (armed with twenty 130 mm guns and twelve 305 mm guns). However, the ship had to make the first passage to Sevastopol from Nikolaev with untested main-caliber gun turrets. Naturally, his passage could be considered secure only if a meeting between the Empress Maria and the cruiser Goeben was excluded. To ensure the passage of the Empress Maria to Sevastopol, the idea arose to block the Goeben’s entrance to the Black Sea. To do this, it was necessary to secretly lay a minefield near the Bosphorus Strait. For such laying of mines near the enemy coast, an underwater minelayer was most suitable. That is why the task was entrusted to the submarine "Crab", which has not yet completed its tests.
At 07:00 on June 25, 1915, the underwater minelayer "Crab" under a commercial flag with 4 torpedoes and 58 mines on board was removed from the moorings.
In addition to the personnel, on the minelayer were: captain of the first rank, head of the Submarine Brigade V.E. Klochkovsky, lieutenant flag navigator of the brigade M.V. Parutsky. and lieutenant commissioning captain of the plant, mechanical engineer Lukyanov V.S. (the latter went on a hike of his own free will). The minelayer was accompanied by new submarines "Morzh", "Tyulen" and "Nerpa".
The submarine "Crab", according to the instructions received, was supposed to lay a minefield on the line of the Bosphorus lighthouses (Anatoli-Fener and Rumeli-Fener) 1 mile long. The submarine "Nerpa" was supposed to block the Bosphorus from the east, located near the Shili lighthouse (Anatolian coast of Turkey, east of the Bosphorus); the submarine "Seal" was supposed to be located west of the Bosphorus, and the submarine "Walrus" was supposed to be in a position opposite the Bosphorus itself.
At 09:20, the submarine "Crab", located parallel to Cape Sarych, headed for the Bosphorus. The submarines Tyulen, Nerpa and Walrus sailed in the wake column, with the lead submarine Tyulen located on the left beam of the Crab. The weather was clear, the wind did not exceed force two. The submarine "Crab" was running under two kerosene engines on the starboard side. After a few hours of work, we had to move on to the left shaft engines to inspect the first ones and put them in order.
From 10 to 11 o'clock, small arms and artillery exercises were carried out: machine guns and a 37-mm gun were tested. By order of the brigade chief, at 12.00 the pennant and military flag were raised on the submarines. At 20:00 the submarines began to disperse, so as not to hinder each other in maneuvering in the dark. In the morning they were supposed to meet again.
The minelayer "Crab", having greater speed than other submarines, arrived at the meeting point on the morning of June 26 before the submarines accompanying it. Therefore, to use free time, the engines were stopped and the minelayer "Crab" was trimmed and submerged. During the dive, it was discovered that the submarine "Crab" was losing buoyancy with its stern. It turned out that the aft trim tank was filled with water due to the fact that the neck of the tank was leaking water from the setting. I had to surface and replace the rubber on the neck of the tank. The damage was repaired, after which trimming began again.
During trimming, it was discovered that pumping water between the trimmed tanks was impossible due to the low power of the pump. During the ascent of the minelayer, the water remaining in the superstructure was drained through the pipes.
But it turned out that this was happening slowly, so it was necessary to open the neck of the aft trim tank and drain some of the water into it, and then pump it overboard with a fire hose.
All submarines were assembled at 10:50. After the "Crab" was deferred, the submarines "Tyulen" and "Nerpa" headed to their assigned positions, and the submarine "Walrus", since it was supposed to take a position opposite the Bosphorus, followed along with the minelayer "Crab". There were 85 miles left to go to the Bosphorus. Captain of the first rank Klochkovsky planned to carry out the mine laying in the evening twilight, so that in case of failure or malfunction of the minelayer during laying or immediately after it at night there would be a reserve of time. In this regard, he decided to lay mines in the evening of the next day, that is, June 27.
The engines were started at 14:00, they began to move, and at the same time charging of the battery began. At 20:00 the submarine "Walrus" left. At the same time, she received orders to meet against the Bosphorus the next morning, but out of sight of the submarine from the shore. At 00:00 on June 27, the battery charging was completed (3000 A-hours taken), the engines were stopped, and the Crab submarine stood in place until 04:00, after which it went at low speed. At 06:30 the shore appeared along the bow, and at 07:35 the submarine "Walrus" appeared on the right abeam. At 09:00 a light haze almost hid the shore. The "Crab" was located 28 miles from the Bosphorus Strait. The engines were stopped, and then, after lunch, at 11:40 they were started up again, but this time for propeller and charging, so that the batteries were fully charged for the upcoming mine laying. 11 miles from Rumeli-Fener, the engines stopped at 16:15, and the dive began at 16:30. 20 minutes after this they gave an underwater passage of 4 knots. The head of the submarine brigade decided to lay a minefield from the Anatoli-Fener lighthouse to Rumeoli-Fener, and not vice versa, since in the latter case, in case of an error in speed, the underwater minelayer "Crab" could jump out onto the Anatolian coast.
The location of the submarine was determined through a periscope. However, in order not to be detected, the commander of the submarine brigade, who was in the control room, took bearings with a periscope, exposing it to the surface only for a few seconds, after which he transmitted the countdown in a circle to the flagship navigator, who plotted the course.
At 18:00 the minelayer was 8 miles from Anatoli Fener. The "Crab" was at a depth of 50 feet (15.24 meters), counting from the keel of the submarine to the surface. The depth was then increased to 60 feet (18.29 meters). At 19:00, while determining the location of the minelayer, a Turkish patrol steamer was discovered opposite the strait, located 10 cables away from the minelayer. However, captain of the first rank Klochkovsky refused to attack the ship, because he was afraid of being discovered and disrupting the laying of the minefield. The depth was increased to 65 feet (19.8 meters), in order to pass under the keel of the steamer, the minelayer "Crab" lay on a course of 180 degrees.
At 19.55 the minelayer was 13.75 cables away from the Anatoli-Fener lighthouse. At 20:10 we started setting mines. After 11.5 minutes, the crab minelayer touched the ground. Since the chief of the submarine brigade sought to place a minefield as close as possible to the lighthouses, he considered that the minelayer had touched the Rumelian Shoal. In this regard, Klochkovsky gave the order to put the steering wheel on the starboard side, blow out the high-pressure tank and stop the mine elevator. At this moment, according to the sign, the last mine had not yet been laid.
At 20:22 there was a strong shock, and then several more. The minelayer rose to 45 feet (13.7 meters), having a significant trim on the bow, but did not float further, probably hitting something with its nose. Then they stopped the progress and blew out the middle tank to allow the submarine to free itself and not wrap mines around the propeller (if the minelayer is located on a minefield). A minute later, the "Crab" rose to half of the wheelhouse, being on a northerly course. From the left side, through the cabin window, the Rumeli-Fener lighthouse could be seen in the twilight...
The minelayer sank again at 20:24, gaining speed of 5.25 knots.
A minute later, during an attempt to place the “last mine,” it turned out that the indicator was not working correctly: this mine was placed just before it touched the ground. The minelayer's speed was reduced and its depth increased to 65 feet (19.8 meters) in order to pass under the keels of oncoming ships and under possible minefields.
At 20:45, the Crab increased its speed to 4.5 knots in order to move away from the Bosphorus as quickly as possible, since there were large trims, and it was assumed that the submarine had suffered hull damage. Captain first rank Klochkovsky gave the order to surface at 21:50. After surfacing, the head of the submarine brigade and the commander went up to the bridge. It was dark. Nothing was visible: only on the black strip of the coast, near the strait, flashes of fire could be seen, and to the west of it - a weak flickering light... They turned on the ventilation of the submarine and allowed those in need of fresh air to go up, and there were such, especially in the aft compartment of the minelayer, where the kerosene engines were located... This is what the submarine commander, Senior Lieutenant L.K. Fenshaw, wrote in his report: “Due to the lack of time left before the dive, I could not properly cool the kerosene engines and went under the water with the hot engines.
Due to the high temperature emanating from the heating electric motors, during a long 6-hour underwater voyage, significant emissions of oil and kerosene vapors appeared, so strong that most of the crew burned out not only in the stern of the submarine, but also in other parts of the vessel. Even in the control room, where the chief of the submarine brigade, the flagship navigator, the submarine commander and the vertical helmsman were located, the eyes were very watery, and breathing was difficult. As a result, after the submarine surfaced, part of the crew went onto the deck, and midshipman Ivanov, etc. a senior mechanical engineer was carried out in a semi-conscious state.”
At 23:20 the kerosene engines on the starboard side were started, and 25 minutes later - on the left side. The brigade chief was supposed to give the agreed radiogram to the commander of the Walrus submarine, but this was not possible because the minelayer’s antenna broke during the underwater voyage.
The further voyage of the submarine "Crab" to Sevastopol passed without incident. The only fear was that there would not be enough lubricating oil, since its consumption turned out to be much more than expected. The latter was not unexpected, since back on April 8, during tests of an underwater minelayer on the surface, the commission decided to change the lubrication device for the thrust bearings and install a refrigerator to cool the draining oil, but this was not done in time for the actual voyage.
On June 29 at 07:39, when approaching Sevastopol, the minelayer "Crab" separated from the Black Sea Fleet squadron that had left Sevastopol. The head of the submarine brigade reported to the fleet commander that the minelayer had completed his combat mission. At 08:00 the commercial flag was hoisted again. At 09:30, the underwater minelayer "Crab" moored in the South Bay near the base.
The first trip showed that the minelayer has a significant number of design flaws, such as: the complexity of the diving system, due to which the diving time could be up to 20 minutes; the submarine is cluttered with machinery; There was a high temperature in the rooms caused by the operation of kerosene engines and harmful fumes from them, which made it difficult for the minelayer team to work. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the personnel did not have time to properly study the structure of such a complex ship before the trip. Only an important and urgent task forced the command to send the not yet fully completed underwater minelayer on such a responsible mission.
Thanks to complete calm and resourcefulness, as well as the dedicated and hard work of the submarine’s personnel, who eliminated many shortcomings, the assigned operation was completed. Indeed, when during the mine laying on the evening of June 27, four strong blows to the bow followed and the current strength of the mine elevator increased significantly, it was feared that the fuses of the auxiliary circuit would blow, causing the stop of all auxiliary mechanisms, and when the minelayer was stopped and the elevator continued to operate, the mines would installed under the stern of the submarine. Lieutenant Krusenstern V.V. immediately stopped the elevator, thereby avoiding this danger. During the impacts, the maximum switch for the horizontal rudders also stopped working. Boatswain Tokarev N., the helmsman, immediately realized why the rudders were not shifting, turned on the open maximum switch, which made it possible to keep the minelayer from dangerous and large trims. Fearing that the ballast tank and torpedo tubes would be damaged as a result of the strikes, midshipman N.A. Monastyrev. took the necessary measures: ordered to keep a pump for pumping out water and compressed air ready. Despite the severe headache and fatigue - signs of burnout - midshipman M.P. Ivanov, a mechanical engineer, was with the team all the time and encouraging everyone.
Mechanical engineer V.S. Lukyanov, the plant’s delivery person, at the right moment, appeared in the compartments and gave instructions, helped the normal operation of the minelayer’s mechanisms.
The officers were promoted or awarded for the successful completion of a combat mission to lay a minefield near the Bosphorus. Commander of the submarine "Crab" Fanshawe L.K. was promoted to the rank of captain of the second rank, flagship navigator of the submarine brigade of Parutsky M.V. promoted to the rank of senior lieutenant, N.A. Monastyrev. promoted to lieutenant, Ivanov M.P. - Mechanical engineer - lieutenant.
Orders were awarded to: Klochkovsky V.E. – Order of Vladimir, third degree with swords, V.V. Kruzenshtern – Order of Anna, third degree, Ivanova M.P. - Order of Stanislav, third degree. Later, by order of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet dated September 26, 1915, etc. senior minelayer officer Lieutenant Kruzenshtern V.V. awarded St. George's for the fact that "when laying a minefield, with selfless and valiant activity, he brought the submarine out of a critical situation, which contributed to the successful completion of the combat mission." For this campaign, the sailors were also awarded: 8 people - St. George's Crosses, 10 people - the St. George's Medal, 12 people - the Medal "For Diligence".
The next day after the mines were laid, the Turks discovered a barrier placed by the submarine "Crab" based on the mines that had surfaced. Having picked up one of them, they realized that the mines had been laid by a submarine. Immediately, the minesweeper division began trawling, and the commandant of the Bosphorus reported on July 3 that the minefield had been cleared.
However, this conclusion was very hasty: the bow of the gunboat Isa Reis was blown up on the “etched” barrier. She was towed to shore and scrapped.
On July 5, 1915, the cruiser Breslau set out to meet four Turkish ships carrying coal. From Cape Kara-Burnu Vostochny, 10 miles to the north-east, it hit a mine and took in 642 tons of water (with a displacement of 4550 tons). This minefield was laid in December 1914 by the minelayers of the Black Sea Fleet - "George", "Alexey", "Ksenia" and "Konstantin". The cruiser Breslau, guarded by minesweepers, entered the Bosporus and docked in Stenia. Several months were spent on its repair, and only in February 1916 it entered service. For the German-Turkish fleet, this was a significant loss, considering that of the light cruisers only the slow-moving Hamidiye remained in its composition. During this period, the battle cruiser Goeben did not go to the Black Sea, since it was decided to use it only in extreme cases. The reason is a shortage of coal, which was caused by the hostilities of Russian ships in the coal region of the Anatolian coast.
The battleship "Empress Maria" arrived safely in Sevastopol from Nikolaev on July 23, 1915.
After the return of the underwater minelayer "Crab" to Sevastopol, until August, the deficiencies remaining in connection with the urgent departure to the combat campaign were eliminated and repaired.
On August 20-21, 1915, after repairs were completed, she went to sea. At the beginning of December, an order came from the commander of the Black Sea Fleet for the minelayer "Crab" to go out to lay mines in favorable weather and then blockade the port of Zunguldak.
On December 10, the minelayer "Crab" went out to carry out the order of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet at sea, but on December 12, due to stormy weather, it was forced to return to Sevastopol. Thus, "Crab" did not lay mines in the last months of 1915. Captain Second Rank Fenshaw L.K. in August he was appointed acting director. the head of the first division of submarines, which included the Crab, the Seal, the Nerpa and the Walrus. In October 1915, senior lieutenant Mikhail Vasilyevich Parutsky (born in 1886, completed the scuba diving course in 1910) was appointed commander of the “Crab” - the flagship navigator of the Submarine Brigade, who previously held the position of submarine commander, and in 1912 - the position of deputy division commander submarines according to technical parts. Instead of mechanical engineer Lieutenant Ivanov M.P. Mechanical engineer midshipman P.I. Nikitin was appointed to the "Crab" and served as senior mechanical engineer in February-October 1916.
"Crab" in February 1916 received the task of placing mines near the Bosphorus. He left Sevastopol at 17:10 on February 25 under the pennant of the head of the Submarine Brigade, Captain First Rank Klochkovsky. But due to stormy weather two days later, on February 27 at 20.45, the minelayer was forced to return to Sevastopol.
Vice Admiral A.V. Kolchak was appointed commander of the Black Sea Fleet on June 28, 1916. (instead of Admiral A.A. Eberhardt), on whom the Tsar and Headquarters had high hopes.
In pursuance of a directive from Headquarters, a decision was made to set up a minefield near the Bosphorus. To carry out this task, it was planned to use the minelayer "Crab" and four newest destroyers of the first division - "Piercing", "Daring", "Wrathful" and "Restless". The first to lay mines was the Crab, and then the destroyers on the closest approaches to the strait. The last barrier was supposed to be placed in 3 lines 20-40 cables from the entrance to the Bosphorus. Before the military campaign to the Bosphorus in June, the minelayer "Crab" made six trips to sea, and in July - two trips (July 11 and 13). At 06:40 on July 17, the underwater minelayer "Crab" under the command of Senior Lieutenant M.V. Parutsky. and under the braid pennant of the head of the Submarine Brigade, captain first rank Klochkovsky V.E. reached the Bosphorus from Sevastopol, having 4 torpedoes and 60 mines on board. The duties of the senior mechanical engineer were performed by engine conductor Pusner Yu. The weather was clear, the wind from the nor'easter did not exceed 1 point. In the afternoon the batteries were recharged. The minelayer's campaign, as always, was accompanied by accidents: at 00:30 on July 18, the jacket of the second cylinder of the starboard aft kerosene engine burst. Under Pusner's leadership, the damage was repaired and all 4 engines were started at 03:00. Two hours later, new damage was discovered: mine-machine conductor P. Kolenov discovered that the lashings of the steel cable of the anti-mine bow bends had burst. Kolenov grabbed these bends on the move, thus eliminating this damage. The minelayer was approaching the Bosphorus. Its banks opened at 12:30. When there were 18 miles left to the strait, captain first rank Klochkovsky decided to sail further in a positional position. The kerosene engines stopped. The submarine was ventilated. The minelayer submerged and differentiated at 13:45. We tested horizontal rudders and checked the control of the submarine in an underwater position.
At 14:10 the middle tank was purged and the submarine moved into position. After 5 minutes the right kerosene engine was started. When 12 miles remained to the Bosphorus, the engine was stopped again; the submarine was re-ventilated. The motors were cooled, and at 16:00 at a depth of 12 meters the underwater passage was launched. The time for setting mines was approaching. The weather was favorable: white scallops, north-east wind of force 3-4. At 19:50, when the minelayer was 4.5 cables away from Rumeli - Fener, Klochkovsky ordered mine laying to begin, and the submarine gradually move to the left with the expectation that there would be a drift to the right, since they discovered a weak current to the west.
The production of all 60 minutes was completed by 20:08. The barrier was placed south of the line that connected Capes Yum-Burnu and Rodiguet, that is, in the path of enemy military ships, the fairway of which ran from the north to Cape Poiras, according to the latest intelligence data. The western wing of the barrier touched the Rumelian Shoal, and the eastern wing did not reach the Anatolian coast by 6 cables. Only the fairway of enemy commercial ships remained open. The mines were placed at a depth of 6 meters from the surface.
After laying the mines, the minelayer "Crab" took a reverse course, moving in a submerged position. When it got dark enough, at 21:30, the middle tank was blown out, and the minelayer moved into position. 7 miles from Anatoli-Fener, at 22:15, all the main ballast was blown out, and the underwater minelayer moved into a cruising position. The kerosene engines were started in 15 minutes. At 06:00 on July 19, we started charging the batteries; at 13:00 an accident occurred: the jacket of the 4th cylinder of the starboard kerosene engine burst. We were forced to shut down the starboard engines and finish charging the batteries. However, the misfortunes did not end there: at 21:00 the circulation pump circuit of the forward engine on the port side burst.
They began to cool the engine with an autonomous pump. At 08:00 on July 20, the kerosene engines stopped: water began to flow from the fuel tanks... They had to send a radiogram to the fleet headquarters with a request to send a tug. However, an hour later the port side stern engine was started, and the Crab submarine set off under its own power. Finally, the shore opened up along the bow. A new radiogram was sent to fleet headquarters stating that the Crab would reach the base under its own power. At 11:30 the minelayer headed for the Chersonesos lighthouse. Quick repair of the damage made it possible to start the second kerosene engine.
The port ship "Dneprovets", which acted as a submarine escort, approached the minelayer 10 minutes later. "Dneprovets" followed with "Crab" to the Khersones lighthouse. At 14:45, the minelayer moored alongside the submarine base ship in Sevastopol. Thus, the second combat campaign of the first underwater minelayer ended.
Preparation of the underwater minelayer "Crab" for a new campaign began on August 18, 1916. By 13:00, 38 mines had been loaded, but suddenly one mine became misaligned, becoming wedged in the mine elevator. Due to this, part of the elevator had to be dismantled. The elevator was assembled overnight, and at 08:00 the next day, loading of mines resumed. All 60 mines were loaded onto the minelayer by 13.00.
At 00:50 on August 20, 1916, the "Crab" left Sevastopol, heading for Varna. At first the weather was calm, but by the evening it became fresh, and by midnight a strong storm broke out. The waves crashed onto the underwater minelayer, and the propellers began to become exposed. Kerosene engines, as always, began to break down. At 01:40, the starboard kerosene engine had to be stopped for inspection and repair of damage. At this time, the wind force increased to 6 points. The submarine was positioned side-by-side to the wave. By 04:00 the roll reached 50 degrees. Acid began to leak from the batteries, the insulation resistance in the batteries decreased, and some electrical mechanisms failed. In the wardroom, a table was torn from its place. The team began to feel seasick. People at the engines worked in rather difficult conditions: the smell of burnt oil, kerosene evaporation and high temperature... Due to the uneven load during pumping, the circuit of the circulation pump weakened. We had to continue our journey under electric motors. The kerosene engines were restarted at 05:35. But at 06:40 the circuit of the circulation pump broke - the starboard engine completely broke down. The submarine continued to move at low speed under the port side stern motor. The submarine "Crab" at that time was 60 miles from Constanta.
Due to a clogged oil line, the thrust bearing of the left shaft overheated at 09:00. A radiogram was sent to the battleship Rostislav, which was stationed in Constanta, asking for help. The wind force reached 8 points. At 12:00 the minelayer "Crab" was 11 miles from Cape Shabla. It was necessary to abandon the mine installation, and a second radiogram was sent to the Rostislav stating that the minelayer was heading to Constanta for repairs. Despite the enhanced cooling, at 13:00 the kerosene engines on the left side became hot. They had to be turned off. The submarine went under electric motors. At the Tuzla lighthouse at 15:30, the minelayer "Crab" met with the destroyer "Zavetny", sent to its aid and, following it in its wake, overcame the Romanian minefield, entering the port of Constanta.
While the minelayer "Crab" was parked in the port of Constanta, enemy seaplanes carried out raids. The first raid was carried out between 8 and 9 a.m. on August 22. The "Crab" managed to submerge and lay on the ground during the raid. However, during the second raid, which took place on August 25, 1916, the minelayer did not have time to go under water. Fortunately, everything worked out fine.
On August 27, "Crab" was given the task of setting up a minefield in the southern approach to Varna (near the Galata lighthouse). Experience has shown that kerosene engines can fail at any time, so the decision was made: the Crab would be towed by a destroyer to a point 22 miles from the coast. Then the minelayer will proceed to the mine-laying site on his own, with the expectation of arriving at the specified point by sunset. After laying the mine, the "Crab" will first be underwater, and then, with the onset of darkness, will arrive at the meeting place with the destroyer. The Crab was to be towed by the destroyer Gnevny.
The minelayer "Crab" was differentiated in the harbor on August 28, 1916. By 22:30, the Crab was ready to receive a tug from the destroyer. Since there was no towing device on the Crab, the tug was launched through the submarine's anchor fairlead.
At 01:00 on August 29, the submarine "Crab" towed by the destroyer "Gnevny" left Constanta, accompanied by minesweepers. At 05:30, the minesweepers were released, and the destroyer and minelayer proceeded to their destination on their own. The weather was beautiful and sunny, conducive to the hike. At 06:00, senior lieutenant M.V. Parutsky, commander of the minelayer "Crab", asked the destroyer to stop the vehicles to release the towing cable. When the submarine's crew selected the cable, the "Wrathful" went into full swing. The tow rope jerked, it pulled tight, cutting through the deck of the superstructure by 600 mm. The destroyer opened fire. It turned out that there were two enemy seaplanes in the air. One of them began to move towards the minelayer "Crab" and tried to descend, but the destroyer "Gnevny" did not allow him to do this with its fire.
But the "Crab" could not dive, because this was prevented by a cable that hung on the bow of the submarine. The seaplane dropped 8 bombs on it, but none of them hit the minelayer. Thanks to the well-aimed fire of the Gnevny, one of the planes was shot down. Having used up their supply of bombs, the seaplanes flew away. The attack by enemy aircraft failed, however, the mine installation was also disrupted, since the enemy discovered our ships. Now the "Crab" was moving on its own. Enemy aircraft, having received a new supply of bombs, again appeared above the minelayer, but the Crab sank, and the enemy attack was again ineffective.
At 15:30, the underwater minelayer "Crab" moored in Constanta.
By 16:30, the port's forces had repaired the superstructure of the minelayer "Crab" and installed a large hook for towing. To avoid aircraft attacks, it was decided to leave Constanta in the evening. Now the minelayer was accompanied by the older destroyer Zvonky. When the "Crab" approached the "Zvonoy" at 17:50 on August 31 to launch a tug, it was not possible to do this because the hook broke. The hike was postponed until the next day.
At 18:30 on September 1, the underwater minelayer "Crab", already towed by the destroyer "Gnevny", left Constanta. At 20:00 the ships passed two miles from the Tuzla lighthouse at a speed of 10 knots. It's starting to get fresh. The tow rope snapped at 9 p.m. They started him up again 2.5 hours later.
By 06:00 the next day the wind had died down. The tow rope was released. Having agreed to meet with the minelayer, the destroyer Gnevny left. The Crab approached Cape Emine at noon. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon we prepared for the dive. The weather turned bad again: a fresh wind blew from the north-north-west, and a small wave with scallops appeared. Having sunk, the minelayer "Crab" moved at a speed of 3.5 knots under the periscope. At 16:30, to shorten the route, Senior Lieutenant Parutsky decided to pass under an enemy minefield, which, according to available data, had been laid. He failed. The “Crab” at 19:10 was 16 cables away from the Galata lighthouse. The shore began to disappear in the evening darkness. Approaching 5 cables to the lighthouse, the minelayer began laying mines. After the mine elevator began operating, the clanging of iron was suddenly heard in the superstructure, and the elevator stopped working. It was turned on in the other direction, and again to set mines. The load increased sharply - 60 A instead of 10 A, and then the elevator continued normal operation. At 19:18 the indicator showed that 30 minutes had been set, the setting was interrupted, and after half an hour it was resumed.
According to the sign, all mines were deployed at 19:28. The air in the submarine had completely deteriorated. It became difficult to breathe. In this regard, the high-pressure tank was purged, and the submarine was ventilated through the conning hatch. It was completely dark.
At 21:15, three miles from the coast, the drainage of the main ballast tank began, the minelayer began to float, but at the same time its list constantly increased and eventually reached 10 degrees. While determining the reasons for the roll, it was found that the right mine magazine remained in place, since the mine of this magazine jammed while exiting the superstructure at the door of the aft embrasure. Due to the accident of the right elevator, not all the mines were laid, as the indicator showed, but only 30. The mines were placed in two lines at intervals of 200 feet (61 meters), instead of the required 100 feet (30.5 meters). A list to starboard of 10 degrees and overflowing water in the superstructure became the reason that the commander of the "Crab" ordered the port side displacer to be filled. They decided not to touch the mine jammed in the right elevator until dawn. The minelayer, powered by kerosene engines, moved away from the shore at a speed of six knots, heading towards a meeting with the destroyer "Gnevny". The mine in the right elevator was wedged at dawn with great precautions and the embrasure door was closed.
At 06:00 on September 3, the submarine "Crab" met with the destroyer "Gnevny" and took over the tow rope from it. The Crab, located seven miles from Constanta, was attacked by enemy seaplanes, which dropped 21 bombs, but they did not cause any harm to it.
At 18:00 on September 4, both ships arrived safely in Sevastopol.
Assessing the last operation carried out by the minelayer “Crab”, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, in a report on the actions of the fleet in the period from September 1 to 15, 1916, wrote: “Due to the difficulty of the installation, which required accurate calculation of routes, since the distance between the Bulgarian obstacle and the shore does not exceed 1 mile , and in the event of a malfunction of the submarine’s mechanisms, I consider the fulfillment of the task assigned to the commander of the “Crab”, despite previous failures, to be an outstanding feat.”
On July 18, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, by order of November 15, 1916, awarded the minelayer commander, Senior Lieutenant M.V. Parutsky. for laying mines near the Bosphorus with the St. George Cross of the fourth degree, and acting. senior officer Lieutenant Monastyrev N.A. by order of November 1, 1916 - St. George's weapon. And about. mine officer midshipman M.F. Przhisetsky promoted to lieutenant and awarded the Order of Vladimir, fourth degree with swords and bow. The head of the submarine brigade, by order of June 27, 1916, captain of the first rank V.E. Klochkovsky. awarded with the St. George's weapon.
By order of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet dated 10/06/1916, 26 people from the crew of the underwater minelayer "Crab" were awarded: 3 - the St. George Cross of the third degree; 7 – St. George Cross of the fourth degree; 3 – St. George medal of the third degree; 13 - St. George medal of the fourth degree. Previously, by order of the fleet commander, he awarded 3 people the medal “For Diligence” and 9 people with a medal on the Stanislavsky ribbon.
After this campaign, the commander of the Black Sea Fleet ordered “to begin a major overhaul and alteration of the mine laying system of the underwater minelayer “Crab” due to many design flaws and damage to mechanisms that create insecurity for the submarine’s mission.”
This is where the combat activity of the world's first underwater minelayer ended.
In the autumn and winter of 1916, some changes took place in the minelayer’s officer corps. Engine conductor Yu. Pusner was promoted to second lieutenant in the Admiralty, by order of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet he was appointed a minelayer ship mechanic, midshipman Nikitin P.I., a mechanical engineer, was assigned to the submarine "Orlan". Lieutenant N.A. Monastyrev, who served as senior officer. On September 28, he was appointed to the same position on the submarine "Sperm Whale". After sailing on it, he was given command of the submarine "Scat".
During the Civil War, Monastyrev was in the White Fleet. He suffered the fate of other former officers who opposed their people: Monastyrev ended up in Bizerte. Here, from 1921 to 1924, Monastyrev was involved in the production of the “Bizerte Maritime Collection” and the Russian fleet. Monastyrev's service in the White Fleet ended in November 1924 after the recognition of the USSR by France. During emigration, Monastyrev N.A. wrote several books and articles about the history of the Russian fleet, submarines, Arctic exploration and other issues.
Undoubtedly, the last commander of the submarine "Crab", captain of the second rank (promoted to this rank in 1917) M.V. Parutsky, was also an outstanding submarine officer, but he, too, later ended up in exile.
It is also necessary to note the captain of the first rank (since 1917, rear admiral) Vyacheslav Evgenievich Klochkovsky, head of the Submarine Brigade, who served in the submarine fleet since 1907. He commanded a submarine, and then submarine formations. Klochkovsky, like Monastyrev, served in the White Fleet. Subsequently he transferred to the Polish bourgeois fleet, in recent years he was the Polish naval attache in London. He retired in 1928.
Also, the success of the underwater minelayer "Crab" was facilitated by the courageous, selfless and skillful service of conductors, non-commissioned officers and sailors during difficult combat campaigns. Awards with medals and St. George's crosses are convincing proof of this.
Ctrl Enter
Noticed osh Y bku Select text and click Ctrl+Enter
Russia has priority in creating the world's first underwater minelayer (UML). Back in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Mikhail Petrovich Nalyotov (1869-1938) designed and built a PMZ armed with four barrage mines. The fall of Port Arthur, where the PMZ was created, did not allow its testing to be completed. The idea of M.P. Nalyotov was brought to life ten years later, when, according to his design, the world’s first PMZ “Crab” was built at the shipyards of Nikolaev, which was superior in basic tactical and technical characteristics to the foreign-built PMZs that appeared later.
The submarine "Crab", the world's first underwater minelayer, was designed by Mikhail Petrovich Nalyotov, a communications technician by training, a talented inventor, an energetic and enterprising designer.
The idea of creating an underwater minelayer came from M.P. Nalyotov on the day of the death of the battleship Petropavlovsk, which was blown up by a Japanese mine on March 31, 1904. M.P., who was in Port Arthur at that time. Naletov decided to build a submarine - a minelayer for laying mines off enemy shores. This Nalyotov built the submarine with his own savings: The local naval authorities were distrustful of Nalyotov’s idea, but allowed him to use workshops and “free machines.”
The displacement of the underwater minelayer under construction was supposed to be about 25 tons, it was supposed to carry 4 mines or 2 Schwarzkopf torpedoes. The mines were supposed to be placed through a hatch in the lower part of the hull - “under oneself”.
Port Arthur. PMZ and its commander - midshipman B.A. Vilkitsky during tests, 1904
The minelayer was built, its sea trials began, but due to the surrender of Port Arthur it fell to the Japanese (according to some sources, it was blown up). The commander of the underwater minelayer, which according to some sources was called “Portarturian,” became the man who went down in world history as the man who committed.
In 1906 M.P. Naletov presented to the Marine Technical Committee a project for an underwater minelayer with a displacement of about 300 tons. The project had a number of shortcomings and was not accepted. After considering Nalyotov’s comments, a second version of the underwater minelayer with a displacement of 450 tons and a third with a displacement of 470 tons were developed.
The fourth and final version of the minelayer was developed by Nalyotov in 1907. On October 2, 1907, the specification with drawings and the draft contract were submitted by the Nikolaev Naval plant for approval by the Naval Ministry. In 1908, the Naval Ministry issued an order to the Naval plant for the construction of an underwater minelayer.
In the summer of 1909, after testing submarine models in the Experimental Pool, the plant presented the final drawings of the underwater minelayer, which, together with the specifications, were approved on July 11, 1909. By the end of 1909, assembly of the hull began. M.P. Naletov was appointed as a consultant during the construction of the ship.
A number of shortcomings were discovered in the submarine design, the main one of which was the excessive volume of the aft ballast tank. Adjustments to the project continued until 1912, when a new contract was signed for the construction of one underwater minelayer (PMZ) with a displacement of about 500 tons when floating on the surface.
In parallel with the construction of the underwater minelayer, the production and testing of mines designed by M.P. was carried out. Naletov, which were supposed to have zero buoyancy. At the same time, a dispute arose between Nalyotov and the mine department of the Marine Technical Committee about the priority in the invention of mines of this type. Naletov came to the conclusion that the mines with anchors located on the underwater minelayer should have zero buoyancy, which did not require the installation of tanks and systems for replacing the negative buoyancy of the mines on the ship. For this purpose M.P. Naletov proposed increasing the volume of the mine's anchor, and after the mine leaves the PMZ, at the right moment, filling the anchor with water in order to create in it the force necessary to hold the floating mine at a given installation depth.
Anchor mine "PL" type
In 1913, at the Lessner plant in St. Petersburg, the PL (PL-100) barrage mines of the 1914 model with a variable buoyancy anchor of the MP system were manufactured for the PMZ "Crab". Naletova. In this case, the mine anchor consisted of two cylinders placed one inside the other. The diameter of the outer cylinder was equal to the diameter of the spherical mine and ensured the compact arrangement of mines with anchors on the PMZ and their movement during mine laying. Due to the volume enclosed between the outer and inner cylinders of the anchor, its buoyancy was created. The upper bottom of the outer cylinder was made in the shape of a mine, and the bottom was in the form of a flat or convex ring. The inner cylinder contained a view with a minrep and a stopper. A cast iron ring was attached to the lower bottom of the outer cylinder, in which a hole was provided for passage to the locking cable eye. At the PMZ, the mines were placed in a horizontal position and the locking cable with the load was located in a special recess. Anchor mine "PL" M.P. system Naletov model 1914 had the following weight and size characteristics: length - 1000 mm, width - 850 mm, height - 950 mm and weight about 100 kg. In general, the length of the mine with anchor was 1500 mm, diameter - 1230 mm.
Mine anchor "PL" type
To place mines on the PMZ in the middle and aft parts of the superstructure, two enclosures (corridors or channels) located parallel to the centerline plane of the ship, equipped with mine (rail) tracks, were provided. The mines were loaded onto the PMZ using a standard crane from the side of the stern embrasures (mine fairleads) fully prepared for installation, since access to them at sea was excluded.
Construction of the stern superstructure of the PMZ “Crab”
The mines were installed on the mine tracks, and vertical and lateral rollers were provided on the mine anchors to move them.
The movement of mines along mine paths to the aft embrasure of each mine row was carried out using a mine elevator. At the same time, in the lower part of the mine corridor there was a conveyor chain driven by the rotation of the sprocket drive wheel located in the bow of the mine row. The anchor of each mine had a pin with a roller at the bottom, which fit into a groove in the mine elevator chain. The sprockets were connected through bevel gears to drive electric motors located in a durable housing. When testing mine elevators, along with a chain drive for moving mines, a screw drive with a worm shaft was considered, which included drive rollers for mine anchors that rolled between special guide shoulder straps. The worm shaft was rotated by an electric motor with a power of 6-8 hp. at a rotation speed of 1200 - 1500 rpm. The electric motor was located in a durable housing and was connected to the right side worm shaft using a vertical shaft through a bevel gear, and to the left side worm shaft using a transfer shaft and bevel gears. Indicators for the number of mines deployed and remaining on the elevator were installed in a durable housing. The mines were placed in a checkerboard pattern, usually at a distance of 100 feet (30.5 m) on the surface at a PMZ speed of 3 to 10 knots by changing the speed of the mine elevators.
The PL mines had an impact-inertial fuse. They were installed at a given depression from the surface using a hydrostatic device, the operating principle of which was proposed by Admiral S.O. Makarov. After dropping a mine with an anchor from the PMZ, falling into the water it first assumed an inclined and then a vertical position, the load of the locking cable fell out of its socket and pulled back the stopper of the minerep view, and the mine was separated from the anchor. When the mine came out, two valves installed in the inner cylinder of the armature automatically opened. Through one of the valves, water entered the mine's anchor, and through the other, air came out of the anchor. The mine's anchor was designed in such a way that the center of gravity was located in its lower part. Due to this, the anchor, falling to the bottom, maintained a vertical position. Under the influence of the resulting negative buoyancy, the mine's anchor reached the bottom, and the mine, under the influence of positive buoyancy, floated up. At the same time, with the help of a hydrostat at a predetermined depth from the surface, the mine's view drum was braked, and the mine was installed in the firing position.
To test the mine devices in operation, a working mock-up was made in 1909, in which a mine tube with eight mines was installed between the hulls of two pontoons. Tests were carried out in 1911 and gave positive results. At the same time, the pontoon was towed at a speed of 7.5 knots. Five mines were laid from it at specified mine intervals.
On August 8, 1912, the underwater minelayer was given the name “Crab,” and on August 12, 1912, “Crab” was launched.
Drawing of PMZ “Crab”
In June 1913, factory testing of the “Crab” began, and on June 22 the first test dive took place.
Underwater minelayer "Crab"
Main performance characteristics of the PMZ “Crab” (data from 1915 based on the results of sea trials)
| Construction plant | Society of Nikolaev factories and shipyards (ONZiV), Nikolaev |
| Number of ships in the series, pcs. | 1 |
| Commissioning, g | 1915 |
| Architectural and structural type | single-hull |
| Main dimensions, m: - maximum length - maximum width — average draft | |
| Displacement, t: — surface - underwater | |
| Buoyancy reserve, % | 41 |
| Type of power plant | ICE-electric |
| Engine type | Kerosene engines from Körtinga |
| Type of electric motors | "Eclerange-Electric" |
| AB: — number of AB groups — number of elements in the group |
Lead-acid "Meto" |
| Engine power, hp: — surface propulsion (ICE) - underwater passage | |
| Number of propeller shafts, pcs. | 2 |
| Fuel reserve, t | 37.1 |
| Speed, knots: — surface largest — surface economic — underwater greatest - underwater economic | |
| Cruising range, miles: — surface speed 8.6 knots — underwater 7.1 knots — underwater 4.1 knots | |
| Immersion depth (during testing), m | 37 |
| Crew, people | 53 |
| Artillery weapons: | — 1x70 mm gun — 2x7.62 mm machine guns |
| Torpedo weapons: | — 2x450-mm tubular tubes (4 torpedoes) |
| Mine: | 60 anchor mines of the "PL" type |
Senior Lieutenant A.A. was appointed the first commander of the "Crab" PMZ. Andreev.
During acceptance tests, insufficient stability of the submarine was discovered, which required the installation of a lead keel weighing 28 tons and the installation of boules (on-board “displacers”) to compensate for its weight. The alterations were completed in the fall of 1914, the tests ended only in July 1915.
In 1915, on the Black Sea, an urgent need arose to create active minefields off the Turkish coast in order to prevent large German ships from breaking through to the Black Sea coast of Russia. Only an underwater minelayer could covertly perform this task. The PMZ "Crab" made its first combat mission on June 25, 1915, without fully completing the tests. With 58 mines and 4 torpedoes, the “Crab”, accompanied by the submarines “Walrus”, “Nerpa” and “Seal”, went to the Bosphorus Strait. On June 27, mines were placed in the area of the Anatoli-Fener and Rumeli-Fener lighthouses. The barrage was discovered by the Turkish fleet by floating mines, after which trawling began; however, the Turkish gunboat Isa-Reis was blown up by exposed mines.
The second laying of mines was carried out in the same area on July 18, 1916, the third - on September 1, 1916 near the city of Varna (Bulgaria).
The world's first underwater minelayer "Crab" was superior in basic performance characteristics, especially in mine ammunition, to the German PMZ type UC 1, which appeared in 1915, but it had design flaws: low stability on the surface due to the large mass of highly located mines, long dive time - 12 minutes, imperfect surface engines, problems in mine elevators (on the last trip, due to a stuck mine, PMZ was able to deliver only half of the mine stock). Therefore, after generally successfully completed military campaigns, the underwater minelayer required repairs, and in September 1916, the “Crab” was delivered to the workshops of the Sevastopol port. During its holding in Sevastopol, it was decided to replace kerosene internal combustion engines with Diesel engines, improve mine devices and carry out a number of other improvements. In June 1918, the Crab fell into the hands of the German and then the Anglo-French naval command. On April 26, 1919, during the retreat of the interventionist troops from the Crimea, the “Crab”, in the left side of which a hole measuring about 0.5 square meters was made. m, was flooded in the outer roadstead of Sevastopol Bay.
Loading mine ammunition at the Krab PMZ
In 1934, the Crab was discovered during preparatory work for the recovery of the submarine Whale. The “Crab” lay at a depth of 57-59 meters without a list. The aft part of the PMZ went deep into the ground and the trim to the stern was 12 degrees. The bow hatch was open, the conning hatch was closed.
In May 1935, ship-lifting work began. It was planned to raise the PMZ in several stages. The task of the first stage was to extract the “Crab” from the ground. To do this, it was supposed to raise the bow end by 12 meters with pontoons, bring towels under the stern and lower the boat to the ground. At the second stage, two 200-ton pontoons, two 80-ton pontoons and two 40-ton soft pontoons were to be sharpened over the boat and the boat was to be lifted in a stepwise manner and transferred to Streletskaya Bay to a depth of 17 meters. At the third stage, it was planned to attach 200-ton pontoons directly to the sides of the boat, and then lift it to the surface.
This project could not be strictly adhered to. When the bow was raised, the stern of the “Crab” sank even further into the ground and it was not possible to place towels under it. Attempts to raise the bow continued several times, while the trim of the boat to the stern reached 50 degrees, but the result remained the same.
In this situation, the entire burden of further work at the first stage fell on the divers. By the end of September, they had eroded a pit 9-10 meters deep under the stern. Repeatedly its walls collapsed on the divers, but, fortunately, each time they managed to get out of the rubble safely. After the propeller shafts emerged from the ground, the excavation of the pit was stopped. Two 80-ton pontoons were secured to the shafts and the boat was pulled out of the ground. Further work proceeded extremely quickly. From October 4 to October 7, the boat was successively raised to 12, 15 and 17 meters and brought into Streletskaya Bay, and a month later the “Crab” was pulled to the surface. Having sealed the hole and drained the compartments, the Epron team handed over the minelayer to the Black Sea Fleet.
Life cycle of PMZ "Crab"
Having learned about the rise of the “Crab”, M.P. Naletov prepared a project for the restoration of the PMZ, but at that time the serial construction of more advanced domestic submarines was in full swing, including the Leninets-type PL-PMZ, and the need for restoring the outdated ship disappeared. The project was rejected, the Crab was not restored and was scrapped.
Literature:
- .- St. Petersburg: Central Design Bureau for MT "Rubin", 1 Central Research Institute of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, 1994
- A.N. Gusev. Underwater minelayers. Built ships and unrealized projects: information and technical reference book. Under the general editorship of Academician V.M. Pashina. - St. Petersburg: Central Research Institute named after. Academician A.N. Krylova, 2002
FROM THE EDITOR OF THE FIRST EDITION 1
It started in Port Arthur 2
New project of underwater minelayer 4
The second and third versions of the underwater minelayer 7
Fourth and final version of minelayer 8
Beginning of construction of minelayer "Crab" 10
Testing of M.P. mine device Naletova 12
Descent of minelayer, completion and testing 13
Descent of minelayer, completion and testing. Part II 15
Reconstruction of the minelayer and its delivery 17
How "Crab" 20 was made
Basic data of the projects of the underwater minelayer M.P. Naletova (projects by year) 21
The first combat campaign of "Crab" 23
"Crab" in the 1916 campaign 26
"Crab" is undergoing repairs 29
End of "Crab" 31
Conclusion 31
Brief information about the plant that built the underwater minelayer. 33
Index of names. 34
Index of ships and vessels 36
References 37
N. A. Zalessky
"Crab" - the world's first underwater minelayer
Underwater minelayer "Crab"
FROM THE EDITOR OF THE FIRST EDITION
The creation and combat operations of the world's first underwater minelayer "Crab" - a completely original ship of the Russian Navy - were covered in our literature very sparingly, and sometimes inaccurately. Thus, incorrect information was reported about the construction of a small submarine for laying mines in besieged Port Arthur - the prototype of the "Crab".
N.A. Zalessky objectively illuminates the thorny path traveled by the inventor and builder of the “Crab” M.P. Naletov, the path that ultimately led to the establishment of the priority of Russian technical thought in the creation of the world’s first underwater minelayer. The chapters devoted to the combat operations of the "Crab" are written in a lively and interesting manner.
One can hope that N.A. Zalessky’s book will be favorably received not only by specialists in the field of shipbuilding, but also by those interested in the history of the Russian Navy.
Konstantin Fedyaevsky
From the author
The creation of the world's first underwater minelayer "Crab" is one of the remarkable pages in the history of Russian military shipbuilding. The technical backwardness of Tsarist Russia and a completely new type of submarine, which was the “Crab,” led to the fact that the minelayer came into operation only in 1915. But even in such a technically developed country as the Kaiser’s Germany, the first underwater minelayers appeared only in the same year, and in terms of their tactical and technical data they were significantly inferior to the Crab.
Unfortunately, this event in domestic shipbuilding was very poorly covered in Soviet literature, not to mention the pre-revolutionary press. This prompted the author, over 25 years ago, to begin researching the history of the creation of the world's first underwater minelayer, using mainly archival documents and, to a much lesser extent, literary sources. The book about "The Crab" was published in 1967 in a relatively small edition - 14,000 copies and has now become a kind of bibliographic rarity. Therefore, the publishing house undertook a second edition of the book.
As the first attempt to present the history of "The Crab", the book, of course, was not without shortcomings, and although over the past twenty years since the publication of the book, the author has not received any comments or suggestions for improving its content, the author considered himself obliged to clarify and correct and supplement the text of the first edition.
To illustrate the book, documents and drawings of the TsGAVMF and photographs of the Central Naval Museum were used. In addition, some drawings were borrowed from articles by S. Glinka “The Submarine of Mr. Naletov” (illustrated supplement to the newspaper “New Time” dated August 10, 1905) and N.A. Monastyrev “The underwater minelayer “Crab” as a ship of the original Russian type” (Sea collection, Bizerte, 1922, No. 2), as well as from the reference book Henry Le Masson “Les Flottes de Combat” (Paris, 1947).
Submarine (minelayer) "Crab"
From book
"Thirteen submarines,
sunk in the roadstead of Sevastopol"
The underwater minelayer project was developed by communications technician M.P. Naletov. In December 1906, it was reviewed by the Marine Technical Committee. Naletov took into account the comments of the Marine Technical Committee and compiled 3 versions of an improved project, one of which later became the project of the Crab submarine.
Its final development was carried out by specialists from the Naval plant. In the summer of 1909, after testing submarine models in the Experimental Pool, the plant presented the final drawings of an underwater minelayer, which, together with the specifications, were approved on July 11, 1909. By the end of 1909, assembly of the hull began. M.P. Naletov was appointed as a consultant during the construction of the submarine.
The Crab was the world's first underwater minelayer. The mines were located in a permeable superstructure in two rows in corridors occupying approximately 2/3 of the length of the ship. There were guide rails on the side walls of each corridor, and a conveyor chain running at the bottom. A number of shortcomings were discovered in the submarine design, the main one being the excessive volume of the aft ballast tank. Adjustments to the project continued until 1912, when a new contract was signed for the construction of one underwater minelayer with a displacement of about 500 tons during surface navigation.
The submarine "Crab" was laid down at the end of 1909 at the Naval shipyard in Nikolaev, and launched on August 25, 1912. On August 23, 1912, she was included in the list of ships of the Black Sea Fleet. In June 1913, factory testing of the “Crab” began, and on June 22 the first test dive took place. During acceptance tests, insufficient stability of the submarine was discovered, which required the installation of a lead keel weighing 28 tons and the installation of boules (on-board “displacers”) to compensate for its weight. The alterations were completed in the fall of 1914, the tests ended only in the summer of 1915. The submarine "Crab" entered service on July 8, 1915.
During the First World War, the "Crab" took part in mine-laying operations in the Bosphorus Strait and near the port of Varna, and carried out positional and patrol services off the coast of Crimea.
The underwater minelayer "Crab" made its first combat mission on June 25, 1915. With 58 mines and 4 torpedoes, the “Crab”, accompanied by the submarines “Walrus”, “Nerpa” and “Seal”, went to the Bosphorus. On June 27, mines were placed in the area of the Anatoli-Fener and Rumeli-Fener lighthouses. The barrier was discovered by the Turkish fleet by floating mines, after which trawling began, but the Turkish gunboat Isa-Reis was blown up by exposed mines. The second laying of mines was carried out in the same area on July 18, 1916, the third - on September 1, 1916. In September 1916, the "Crab" was repaired and re-equipped in the workshops of the Sevastopol port.
On December 29, 1917, the submarine became part of Krasny. Black Sea Fleet. On May 1, 1918 it was captured by German troops, and on November 24, 1918 by Anglo-French troops. On April 26, 1919, without the knowledge of the command of the Russian Volunteer Army, by order of the allied command, it was taken out of the port by tugboats and scuttled with explosive cartridges (in the left side of which a hole measuring about 0.5 square meters was made in the wheelhouse area and the bow hatch was opened) in the outer roadstead Sevastopol.
In 1934, the Crab was discovered during preparatory work for the recovery of the submarine Whale. During the search for sunken boats, the metal detector gave a deviation indicating the presence of a large amount of metal in this place. The “Crab” lay at a depth of 57-59 meters without a list. The stern part of the underwater minelayer went deep into the ground and the trim to the stern was 12 degrees. The bow hatch was open, the conning hatch was closed.
In May 1935, ship-lifting work began. Due to the large depth of the flooding for that time, they decided to lift the submarine in stages, that is, gradually transferring it to an ever shallower depth. The task of the first stage was to extract the “Crab” from the ground. To do this, it was supposed to raise the bow end by 12 meters with pontoons, bring towels under the stern and lower the submarine to the ground. At the second stage, two 200-ton pontoons, two 80-ton pontoons and two 40-ton soft pontoons were to be sharpened over the submarine and the boat was to be raised in a stepwise manner and transferred to Streletskaya Bay to a depth of 17 meters. At the third stage, it was planned to attach 200-ton pontoons directly to the sides of the boat, and then lift it to the surface. It was not possible to strictly adhere to the project. When the bow was raised, the stern of the “Crab” sank even further into the ground and it was not possible to place towels under it. Attempts to raise the bow continued several times, while the submarine's trim to the stern reached 50 degrees, but the result remained the same. In this situation, the entire burden of further work at the first stage fell on the divers. By the end of September, they had eroded a pit 9-10 meters deep under the stern. This work was very difficult, since bringing the entire system of soil suction pipes to the top is very difficult, and the swell could turn this entire system into scrap. In addition, due to the great depth, divers could only work on the ground for 30 minutes. Repeatedly, the walls of the pit collapsed on the divers, but, fortunately, each time they managed to get out of the rubble safely.
After the propeller shafts emerged from the ground, the excavation of the pit was stopped. Two 80-ton pontoons were secured to the shafts and the submarine was pulled out of the ground. Further work proceeded extremely quickly. From October 4 to October 7, the submarine was successively raised to 12, 15 and 17 meters and brought into Streletskaya Bay, and a month later the “Crab” was brought to the surface. Having sealed the hole and drained the compartments, EPRON handed over the minelayer to the Black Sea Fleet.
The creator of the world's first underwater minelayer M.P. Naletov lived in Leningrad at that time. Having learned that his brainchild, the “Crab,” had been raised, he drew up a project for the restoration and modernization of the minelayer. But over the years, the Navy has gone far ahead in its development. It included dozens of new, advanced submarines of all types, including underwater minelayers, and the need to restore the “Crab”, an already obsolete submarine, disappeared. Therefore, after being raised near Sevastopol, the “Crab” was scrapped.
Tactical and technical data of the submarine "Crab"
Speed: highest (surface/underwater) - 10.8/8.3-8.6 knots
economic (surface/underwater) - 8.5/5.5-5.9 knots
Cruising range: surface - 1,200/2,000 miles (10.8/8.5 knots)
Submarine - 82/138 miles (8.2/5.9 knots)
Fuel capacity: 13.5 tons (kerosene)
Dive time - 7 min 38 sec
Ascent time - 4 min
Buoyancy reserve - 14%
Armament: 1 47 mm and 1 37 mm gun, 1 7.62 mm machine gun
(since 1916: 1 75/50 mm gun, 2x1 7.62 mm machine gun),
2 457 mm torpedo tubes (bow),
4 Drzewiecki torpedo tubes,
60 mines of barrage, 2 periscopes, searchlight with a diameter of 30 cm
Immersion depth (working): 50 m.
Crew: officers - 3 people, conductors - 2 people
lower ranks - 24 people.