American Holland class submarine
Encyclopedia
The American Holland Class Submarines, also AG Class or A Class, were Holland 602 type submarines used by the Imperial Russian
and Soviet Navies
in the early 20th Century. The small submarines participated in the World War I Baltic Sea
and Black Sea
theatres and a handful of them also saw action during World War II.
at Electric Boat Company. The design was known as Holland 602GF/602L, which was very similar to the American H class
. The Russian abbreviation "AG" comes from "Amerikansky Golland" ("American Holland"). In 1916, the Russian Naval Ministry
ordered 11 units.
The boats were built at Barnet Yard in Vancouver
, Canada as knockdown kits. The kits were transported by ship to Vladivostok
and over the Trans-Siberian Railroad to European Russia
. The boats were assembled at the Baltic Shipyard
in Saint Petersburg
and its subsidiary in Nikolayev by the Black Sea (now Mykolaiv
, Ukraine
). Like some of the British H-class
boats (of the same design), they were equipped with Fessenden transducers, an early form of sonar
.
The Russian Revolution of 1917
slowed assembly in Nikolayev, but they were completed after much travail. In 1918, submarines AG 21 – AG 26 were included the Ukrainian State Navy. In 1920, one (AG 22) was taken over by the Russian White movement
at Bizerta and five were taken over by the Red Army
after the Civil war. The submarines were all completed after the war. All surviving Soviet AG submarines were modernized before World War II.
The Russians had also ordered an additional six submarines, but these could not be delivered due to the Revolution. These were instead taken over by the U.S. Navy as the H class
in 1918.
, while the remaining six were allocated to the Black Sea Fleet
.
During World War I, the Russian subs operated together with the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic
against the German Navy. This all changed with the October Revolution
and the Finnish Civil War
.
In 1918, the German occupation of Tallinn
and the Brest-Litovsk
peace treaty forced the British flotilla to move to Helsinki, then under the protection of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
. The German intervention in the Finnish Civil War
and the landing of the 10,000-strong German Baltic Sea Division
in Hanko forced the crew to scuttle the eight remaining submarines and the three support ships, Cicero, Emilie and Obsidian, outside Helsinki harbour.
The crews of the Russian ships were in a state of panic. Through negotiations with the Germans the many vessels of the Russian Navy moored in Helsinki were allowed to depart to Kronstadt. However, the difficult ice situation
made it impossible for smaller vessels to follow, and they had to be abandoned. Among these were the four Russian AGs in Hanko. The arrival of German troops under Rüdiger von der Goltz
on 3 April forced the Russians to hastily scuttle
the submarines, including AG 12
and AG 16
, in Hanko harbour.
The Finns located and raised the two boats. Extensive plans were made to refurbish them, but the strained economical situation of the 1920s and the new shipbuilding program of the 1930s finally led to their scrapping.
The Soviet Navy renamed their remaining five AGs A class, and all saw major modernization in the late 1930s. Two of the class were sunk during World War II.
in 1921 at Bizerta and eventually scrapped) (later A-1; scuttled June 1942 in Sevastopol) (later A-2) (later A-3; lost 28 October 1943) (later A-4)
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
and Soviet Navies
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
in the early 20th Century. The small submarines participated in the World War I Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
and Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
theatres and a handful of them also saw action during World War II.
Development
The AG type was designed by John Philip HollandJohn Philip Holland
John Philip Holland was an Irish engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the U.S...
at Electric Boat Company. The design was known as Holland 602GF/602L, which was very similar to the American H class
United States H class submarine
The United States H class submarines were Holland 602 type submarines used by the United States Navy.The first three submarines of the class were laid down in March-April 1911 as , and Garfish, and were renamed H-1, H-2 and H-3 while still under construction...
. The Russian abbreviation "AG" comes from "Amerikansky Golland" ("American Holland"). In 1916, the Russian Naval Ministry
Russian Admiralty
Admiralty Board was a supreme body for the administration of the Imperial Russian Navy in the Russian Empire, established by Peter the Great on December 12, 1718, and headquartered in the Admiralty building, Saint Petersburg....
ordered 11 units.
The boats were built at Barnet Yard in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada as knockdown kits. The kits were transported by ship to Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
and over the Trans-Siberian Railroad to European Russia
European Russia
European Russia refers to the western areas of Russia that lie within Europe, comprising roughly 3,960,000 square kilometres , larger in area than India, and spanning across 40% of Europe. Its eastern border is defined by the Ural Mountains and in the south it is defined by the border with...
. The boats were assembled at the Baltic Shipyard
Baltic Shipyard
The Baltic Shipyard is one of the oldest shipyards in Russia. It is located in Saint Petersburg in the south-western part of the Vasilievsky Island. It is one of the three shipyards active in Saint Petersburg...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and its subsidiary in Nikolayev by the Black Sea (now Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv , also known as Nikolayev , is a city in southern Ukraine, administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv is the main ship building center of the Black Sea, and, arguably, the whole Eastern Europe.-Name of city:...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). Like some of the British H-class
British H class submarine
The British H class submarines were Holland 602 type submarines used by the Royal Navy. The submarines constructed for the British Royal Navy between 1915 and 1919 were designed and built in response to German boats which mined British waters and sank coastal shipping with ease due to their small...
boats (of the same design), they were equipped with Fessenden transducers, an early form of sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
.
The Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
slowed assembly in Nikolayev, but they were completed after much travail. In 1918, submarines AG 21 – AG 26 were included the Ukrainian State Navy. In 1920, one (AG 22) was taken over by the Russian White movement
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
at Bizerta and five were taken over by the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
after the Civil war. The submarines were all completed after the war. All surviving Soviet AG submarines were modernized before World War II.
The Russians had also ordered an additional six submarines, but these could not be delivered due to the Revolution. These were instead taken over by the U.S. Navy as the H class
United States H class submarine
The United States H class submarines were Holland 602 type submarines used by the United States Navy.The first three submarines of the class were laid down in March-April 1911 as , and Garfish, and were renamed H-1, H-2 and H-3 while still under construction...
in 1918.
Operational service
Five of the submarines were allocated to the Baltic FleetBaltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
, while the remaining six were allocated to the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
.
During World War I, the Russian subs operated together with the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic
British submarine flotilla in the Baltic
A British submarine flotilla operated in the Baltic Sea for three years during the First World War. The squadron of nine submarines was attached to the Russian Baltic Fleet. The main task of the flotilla was to prevent the import of iron ore from Sweden to Imperial Germany...
against the German Navy. This all changed with the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
and the Finnish Civil War
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
.
In 1918, the German occupation of Tallinn
Occupation of Estonia by German Empire
The occupation of Estonia by the German Empire occurred during the later stages of the First World War. On October 11–21, 1917, when the Imperial German Army occupied the West Estonian archipelago , consisting of the islands of Saaremaa , Hiiumaa , and Muhu...
and the Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...
peace treaty forced the British flotilla to move to Helsinki, then under the protection of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic
The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic was a short-lived Finnish socialist government, established by a revolution just prior to the Finnish Civil War and in the aftermath of the October Revolution...
. The German intervention in the Finnish Civil War
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
and the landing of the 10,000-strong German Baltic Sea Division
Baltic Sea Division
The Baltic Sea Division was a 10,000 man German military unit commanded by Rüdiger von der Goltz. During the Finnish Civil War, in April 1918, it landed at Hanko and moved towards Helsinki and Lahti. The Baltic Sea Division quickly took back Helsinki from the Social Democrats of Finland, who had...
in Hanko forced the crew to scuttle the eight remaining submarines and the three support ships, Cicero, Emilie and Obsidian, outside Helsinki harbour.
The crews of the Russian ships were in a state of panic. Through negotiations with the Germans the many vessels of the Russian Navy moored in Helsinki were allowed to depart to Kronstadt. However, the difficult ice situation
Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet
Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet was an operation which transferred the ships of the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy from their bases at Tallinn and Helsinki to Kronstadt in 1918, caused by the possible threat to those bases from the final German offensives against Russia during World War...
made it impossible for smaller vessels to follow, and they had to be abandoned. Among these were the four Russian AGs in Hanko. The arrival of German troops under Rüdiger von der Goltz
Rüdiger von der Goltz
Gustav Adolf Joachim Rüdiger, Graf von der Goltz was German Army general during World War I. After World War I he was the commander of the army of the Baltic German-established Government of Latvia, which played an instrumental role in the defeat of Russian Bolsheviks and their local allies in...
on 3 April forced the Russians to hastily scuttle
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
the submarines, including AG 12
Finnish submarine AG 12
Finnish submarine AG 12 was a Russian submarine of Holland 602GF/602L type , which served in the Gulf of Finland during the first World War.During World War I Russian and British submarines operated from bases in Finland...
and AG 16
Finnish submarine AG 16
AG 16 was a Russian submarine of Holland 602GF/602L type , which served in the Gulf of Finland during the First World War.During World War I Russian and British submarines operated from bases in Finland...
, in Hanko harbour.
The Finns located and raised the two boats. Extensive plans were made to refurbish them, but the strained economical situation of the 1920s and the new shipbuilding program of the 1930s finally led to their scrapping.
The Soviet Navy renamed their remaining five AGs A class, and all saw major modernization in the late 1930s. Two of the class were sunk during World War II.
Baltic Fleet
(scuttled at Hanko, 3 April 1918)- AG 12Finnish submarine AG 12Finnish submarine AG 12 was a Russian submarine of Holland 602GF/602L type , which served in the Gulf of Finland during the first World War.During World War I Russian and British submarines operated from bases in Finland...
(scuttled at Hanko, 3 April 1918, raised by the Finns and later scrapped) (sunk by a mine 6 July 1917 off LibauLiepajaLiepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
) (scuttled at Hanko, 3 April 1918) - AG 16Finnish submarine AG 16AG 16 was a Russian submarine of Holland 602GF/602L type , which served in the Gulf of Finland during the First World War.During World War I Russian and British submarines operated from bases in Finland...
(ex-AG-13, scuttled at Hanko, 3 April 1918, raised by the Finns, scrapped in 1929)
Black Sea Fleet
(fell into German and later British hands, scuttled 24 April 1919 in Sevastopol. Later raised by the Soviets and renamed A-5) (interned with Wrangel's fleetWrangel's fleet
Wrangel's Fleet, the last remnant of the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy, existed from 1920 until 1924. This squadron was a "White" unit during the Russian Civil War...
in 1921 at Bizerta and eventually scrapped) (later A-1; scuttled June 1942 in Sevastopol) (later A-2) (later A-3; lost 28 October 1943) (later A-4)