Tuman (Soviet patrol boat)
Encyclopedia
The Tuman was a Soviet patrol boat that achieved lasting fame in a battle fought in arctic waters in 1941.
The Tuman was built in 1931 in the Free City of Danzig
(now Gdańsk
) as a seagoing fishing trawler, with a displacement of 1,218 tons, a length of 55 metres (180.4 ft) and width of 9 metres (29.5 ft), a speed of 9 knots, and a range of 4500 miles.
On October 19, 1939, just before the commencement of the Soviet-Finnish War, the trawler was called into the navy as DC-10 (Patrol Ship Number 10.) In a list made on March 4, 1940 it is listed in the category of escort ships. It was provided with an armament of 2 general-purpose 45mm guns, 2 light (7.62 mm caliber
) machine guns, and depth charge
s.
On August 4, 1941, the ship was on patrol under the command of Lieutenant L. Shestakov on the line Tsyp-Navolok -- Kildin Island
when it encountered three German destroyers
. The ship reported this sighting to Northern Fleet
Command, which fulfilled its mission instructions.
The Tuman then laid down a smoke screen and began evasive action. The German destroyers, which had a massive superiority in armament, closed to within 5 mile
s and begin hitting the craft. The Tuman sustained eleven direct hits from 5-inch (127-mm) shells and the captain and commissar
were killed. Damage to the aft
gun prevented the Tuman from returning fire. The German fire shot the ship's flag from the mast, but a wounded sailor (K. D. Semenov) and the senior radio operator (V. K. Blinov) raised it again.
Opening late due to poor interoperability, fire from Soviet shore batteries drove off the German destroyers. Together with the smoke screen, this allowed the lives of 37 of the 52 crew members to be saved from the Tuman, which sank. That evening, surviving crewmen were presented with tributes from the workers of Murmansk
.
To this day, Russian naval vessels passing Kildin Island dip their flags and sound a long blast on their horns in tribute when passing over the site where the Tuman sank, at 69°33′06"N 33°40′20"W. A capsule of seawater from this point was embedded in the giant statue Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War
.
The Tuman was built in 1931 in the Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
(now Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
) as a seagoing fishing trawler, with a displacement of 1,218 tons, a length of 55 metres (180.4 ft) and width of 9 metres (29.5 ft), a speed of 9 knots, and a range of 4500 miles.
On October 19, 1939, just before the commencement of the Soviet-Finnish War, the trawler was called into the navy as DC-10 (Patrol Ship Number 10.) In a list made on March 4, 1940 it is listed in the category of escort ships. It was provided with an armament of 2 general-purpose 45mm guns, 2 light (7.62 mm caliber
7.62 mm caliber
7.62 mm caliber is a nominal caliber used for a number of different cartridges. Historically, this class of cartridge was commonly known as .30 caliber, the Imperial unit equivalent, and was most commonly used for indicating a class of full power military main battle rifle cartridges...
) machine guns, and depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s.
On August 4, 1941, the ship was on patrol under the command of Lieutenant L. Shestakov on the line Tsyp-Navolok -- Kildin Island
Kildin Island
Kildin is a small Russian island in the Barents Sea, off the Russian shore and about 120 km from Norway. Administratively, Kildin belongs to the Murmansk Oblast of the Russian Federation....
when it encountered three German destroyers
German World War II destroyers
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the German Navy, the Kriegsmarine, had 21 destroyers . These had all been built in the 1930s, making them modern vessels...
. The ship reported this sighting to Northern Fleet
Northern Fleet
The Red Banner Northern Fleet is a unit of the Russian Navy that has access to the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and is responsible for the defense of northwestern Russia. It was established in 1937 as part of the Soviet Navy...
Command, which fulfilled its mission instructions.
The Tuman then laid down a smoke screen and began evasive action. The German destroyers, which had a massive superiority in armament, closed to within 5 mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s and begin hitting the craft. The Tuman sustained eleven direct hits from 5-inch (127-mm) shells and the captain and commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
were killed. Damage to the aft
Aft
Aft, in naval terminology, is an adjective or adverb meaning, towards the stern of the ship, when the frame of reference is within the ship. Example: "Able Seaman Smith; lay aft!". Or; "What's happening aft?"...
gun prevented the Tuman from returning fire. The German fire shot the ship's flag from the mast, but a wounded sailor (K. D. Semenov) and the senior radio operator (V. K. Blinov) raised it again.
Opening late due to poor interoperability, fire from Soviet shore batteries drove off the German destroyers. Together with the smoke screen, this allowed the lives of 37 of the 52 crew members to be saved from the Tuman, which sank. That evening, surviving crewmen were presented with tributes from the workers of Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
.
To this day, Russian naval vessels passing Kildin Island dip their flags and sound a long blast on their horns in tribute when passing over the site where the Tuman sank, at 69°33′06"N 33°40′20"W. A capsule of seawater from this point was embedded in the giant statue Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War
Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War
Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War , commonly called Alyosha is a monument in Murmansk, Russia to Soviet soldiers, sailors, and airmen of World War II .-Description:...
.