The World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Soviet submarine L-3 belonged to the L-class or Leninets

Leninets class submarine

The Leninets or L-class were the second class of submarines to be built for the Soviet Navy. They were minelaying submarines and were based on the British L-class submarine, HMS L55, which was sunk during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. Some experience from the previous...

 class of minelayer

Minelayer

Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...

 submarines. It had been named Bolshevik and later Frunzenets, before it was decided that submarines should stop having names and carry numbers instead.

Under Captain of the 3rd Rank Vladimir Konovalov

Vladimir Konovalov

Rear Admiral Vladimir Konstantinovich Konovalov, Владимир Константинович Коновалов was a Soviet Navy distinguished submarine commander during World War II....

, L-3 was one of the most successful Soviet submarines of World War II. On 16 April 1945, it sank the German refugee transport "Goya"

Goya (ship)

The Goya was a German transport ship sunk by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea, near the end of the Second World War, while carrying wounded Wehrmacht troops and civilians who were fleeing the advance of Soviet forces. Most of the crew and passengers died...

, an event that (if calculated by loss of life) is deemed to be one of the worst marine disaster ever, when 6,000 to 7,000 people died in the icy waters of the 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...

.

After the dismantling of the submarine, part of it was used as the monument in Liepāja

Liepaja

Liepāja ; ), 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...

, though the monument was relocated to Moscow in 1995. Today, the conning tower of L-3 is on display in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 as a monument in Park Pobedy ("Victory Park") at Poklonnaya Gora

Poklonnaya Hill

Poklonnaya Gora is, at 171.5 metres, one of the highest spots in Moscow. Its two summits used to be separated by the Setun River, until one of the summits was razed in 1987...

museum.