Shchuka-class Submarine

Shchuka-class Submarine

Country

Russia

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

This article refers to the entire Shchuka-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

ww2dbaseAlso known in the shortened forms of ShCh or SC, the Shchuka-class submarines were the second most numerous class of submarines in the Soviet Navy with 88 submarines built at Leningrad, Gorky, Nikolaev (Ukraine), and Vladivostok. The names of the submarines indicated their assignment; 100-series submarines were of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, 200-series the Black Sea Fleet, 300-series the Baltic Fleet, and 400-series to the Northern Fleet. 36 of them were lost during the class' service career, all but 2 of them were lost between 1939 and 1945. The surviving submarines were decommissioned in the mid-1950s. While most of them were subsequently scrapped, two were loaned to Communist China.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Sep 2012

Shchuka-class Submarine Operational Timeline

6 Nov 1933	The keel of submarine ShCh-307 was laid down by Baltiyskiy Zavod at Leningrad, Russia.
5 Jan 1934	The keel of submarine ShCh-205 was laid down at the Shipyard Named After 61 Communards at Nikolaev, Ukraine.
23 Jul 1934	The keel of ShCh-317 was laid down at Shipyard 194 named after A. Marti in Leningrad, Russia.
1 Aug 1934	ShCh-307 was launched by Baltiyskiy Zavod at Leningrad, Russia.
6 Nov 1934	Submarine ShCh-205 was launched at the Shipyard Named After 61 Communards at Nikolaev, Ukraine.
4 Dec 1934	The keel of submarine ShCh-313 was laid down by Baltiyskiy Zavod at Leningrad, Russia.
31 Dec 1934	The keel of submarine ShCh-324 was laid down by the Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112 named after Andrei Zhdanov at Gorkiy, Russia.
31 Dec 1934	The keel of ShCh-320 was laid down at A. Marti shipyard (Yard 194) at Leningrad, Russia.
12 Feb 1935	ShCh-320 was launched at Leningrad, Russia.
10 Apr 1935	Submarine ShCh-324 was launched at Gorkiy, Russia.
28 Jun 1935	ShCh-313 was launched at Leningrad, Russia.
4 Aug 1935	ShCh-307 was commissioned into service.
24 Sep 1935	ShCh-317 was launched at Leningrad, Russia.
23 Jul 1936	ShCh-313 was commissioned into service.
29 Sep 1936	ShCh-317 was commissioned into service with Captain V. A. Yegorov in command.
31 Oct 1936	Submarine ShCh-324 was commissioned into service.
17 Nov 1936	Submarine ShCh-205 was commissioned into service.
29 Nov 1936	ShCh-320 was commissioned into service.
13 Jan 1940	Soviet submarine ShCh-324 attacked an Axis convoy in the Sea of Aland, but all torpedoes missed. Finnish Navy converted yacht Aura II retaliated with depth charges, but the wooden yacht was destroyed when one of the depth charges exploded in the thrower, killing 26; 15 survived the sinking.
15 Jul 1941	ShCh-401 attacked German auxiliary submarine chasers UJ 177 and UJ 178 off Kiberg, Norway with a torpedo; the torpedo missed.
9 Aug 1941	The Soviet Shchuka-class submarine ShCh-307 (Treska) commanded by N. I. Petrov torpedoed and sank the German submarine U-144 west of Hiiumaa Island in the Baltic Sea.
26 Sep 1941	ShCh-320 fired a torpedo at a merchant ship north of Danzig Bay; the torpedo missed.
1 Oct 1941	ShCh-320 fired a torpedo at a merchant ship north of Danzig Bay; the torpedo missed.
15 Oct 1941	ShCh-320 fired a torpedo at a merchant ship north of Danzig Bay at 1115 hours; the torpedo missed.
5 Nov 1941	Soviet submarine ShCh-324 was lost in the Baltic Sea off Tallinn, Estonia; she had presumably hit a mine. All 38 aboard were killed.
24 Dec 1941	ShCh-401 attacked an enemy ship with four torpedoes off Bosfjord, Norway at 2003 hours; all torpedoes missed.
7 Jan 1942	ShCh-401 attacked an enemy ship with three torpedoes off Helnes, Norway at 0038 hours; all torpedoes missed.
19 Apr 1942	ShCh-401 pursued a German convoy with torpedoes off Tanafjord, Norway, targeting tanker Forbach; the submarine was driven off by German mineseepers M 154 and M 251 before the attack was made.
23 Apr 1942	Soviet submarine ShCh-401 attacked a German supply convoy just off Gamvik in northern Norway, sinking Norwegian merchant ship Stensaas (all aboard survived). Later on the same day, ShCh-401 attacked German submarine chaser UJ 1110, but was driven off by UJ 1110's depth charges. ShCh-401 reported in her position in the evening, but it would be the last time she was heard from; she likely ran into a minefield shortly after the report.
18 May 1942	Soviet submarine ShCh-205 sank Turkish ship Duatepe with torpedoes and schooner Kaynardzha with the deck gun 10 miles off Bulgaria; these ships were suspected of smuggling weapons to southern Ukraine for German forces.
23 May 1942	Soviet submarine ShCh-205 sank Turkish merchant ship Safak off Burgas, Bulgaria; Safak was suspected of bringing arms for German troops fighting in Ukraine.
16 Jun 1942	ShCh-320 fired two torpedoes at German minesweeper depot ship MRS 12 west of Porkkala, Finland; both torpedoes missed.
16 Jun 1942	ShCh-317 sank Finnish merchant ship Argo east of Stockholm, Sweden. Later on the same day, ShCh-317 attacked Swedish merchant ship Ulla (carrying survivors of Argo) but failed to cause any damage.
19 Jun 1942	ShCh-317 damaged Danish merchant ship Orion northeast of Gotland, Sweden; Orion would be able to be towed to Visby, Gotland for repairs.
22 Jun 1942	Soviet submarine ShCh-317 sank Swedish ship Ada Thorthon 5 miles west of Gotland island in the Baltic Sea; 14 were killed, 8 survived.
5 Jul 1942	Soviet submarine ShCh-320 sank German coastal freighter Anna Katrin Fritzen off Memelland, Germany (Memel, occupied Latvia) at 1151 hours.
8 Jul 1942	Soviet submarine ShCh-317 sank German ship Otto Cords 10 miles off of the Swedish coast.
10 Jul 1942	The crew of ShCh-317 transmitted what was to become the final radio report from the submarine off the southern tip of Öland, Sweden, indicating that the submarine was returning to base.
14 Jul 1942	German patrol boats damaged Soviet submarine ShCh-317 in the "Nashorn" minefield in the Baltic Sea; Finnish minelayer Ruotsinsalmi and patrol boat VMV-6 followed the oil slick from ShCh-317 and sank the damaged submarine with depth charges, killing all 38 aboard.
16 Jul 1942	ShCh-320 fired two torpedoes at German merchant ship Gudron off the German coast; both torpedoes missed.
5 Aug 1942	Submarine ShCh-205 attacked German tanker Le Progrès northeast of Constanta, Romania; all three torpedoes missed.
1 Oct 1942	ShCh-320 departed on her final war patrol and never returned, possibly having struck a naval mine in the Gulf of Finland.
2 Oct 1942	ShCh-307 attacked Finnish merchant ship Wanda in the Sea of Åland; both torpedoes missed.
11 Oct 1942	ShCh-307 attacked an Axis convoy south of the Åland Islands in the Gulf of Finland; both torpedoes missed.
21 Oct 1942	ShCh-307 attacked an Axis convoy in the Gulf of Finland; both torpedoes missed.
26 Oct 1942	ShCh-307 sank Finnish merchant ship Betty H. south of the Åland Islands in the Gulf of Finland.
1 Mar 1943	Submarine ShCh-205 was awarded guard ship status.
16 Oct 1944	ShCh-307 attacked a merchant ship; both torpedoes missed.
3 Nov 1944	Off Akmenrags, Latvia, ShCh-307 attacked a merchant ship at 2157 hours and another at 2213 hours; all four torpedoes missed.
9 Jan 1945	ShCh-307 attacked a merchant ship southwest of Liepaja, Latvia; both torpedoes missed, and ShCh-307 was subjected to depth charging by German auxiliary patrol vessel V 317.
16 Jan 1945	ShCh-307 sank German merchant ship Henrietta Schulze southwest of Liepaja, Latvia.
6 Mar 1945	ShCh-307 and her crew received the Red Banner Award, and the commanding officer, M. S. Kainin, received the honorable rank of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
23 Apr 1948	ShCh-307 was decommissioned from service.
28 Apr 1948	ShCh-307 was converted to a floating charging station with the new designation PZS-5.
11 Sep 1954	Submarine ShCh-205 was decommissioned from service.
8 Apr 1957	ShCh-307 was struck from the naval register.
5 Sep 1995	The conning tower of the submarine ShCh-307 was installed at the Memorial of Victory at Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, Russia.

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Shchuka-class Submarine