Soviet WWII motor torpedo boats

red navy Motor Launch MTB Sh4 Sch-4 Sh.4 photo ww2

Съветската малка лодка торпедо Ш4.
Soviet Motor torpedo boat Sh-4.

Soviet Navy used Motor torpedo boats (cutters) for many duties during the war, including a vital service as transport ships for ports under siege and landing boats for marines. Still some units saw an extensive fight on the naval clashes together with guard ships, they were the second main units (after submarines) used by the Soviet Navy.

Specifications of Soviet WW2 torpedo boats
Name	Sh-4	G-5	D-3 seria 1	D-3 seria 2	Komsomolets
Year	1928-1932	1933-1944	1940-41	1943-45	1945
Built	84 (5 series)	321 (8 series)	26	47	32
Lenght, m	18	19	21,6	21,6	18,7
Displacement, t	10	14,91 (VI seria) - 19,94 (XI seria)	31	32	17
engines	Two Right-Typhoon motors	Two GAM-34B 850 hp each (from IX seria - two motors 1000 hp each, XII seria - two motors 1150 hp each)	Three GAM-34BS 2550 hp total	Three Packard 3600 hp total	Two Packard 2400 hp total
Speed, knots	52	58	32	45	48
Range, miles	300	220	350 (550 econom.)		345
Armament	7,62-mm DA + Two 450-mm rear torpedo launchers	Two DA (ShKAS from X seria, one DShK from 1941) + Two 533-mm rear torpedo launchers; some upgun modifications	Two 12,7-mm DshK + Two 533-mm side torpedo launchers BS-7 + depth charge launcher (8 bombs BM-1)	Two 12,7-mm DshK + 20-mm or 25-mm cannon + Two 533-mm side torpedo launchers BS-7 + 1 depth charge launcher (8 bombs BM-1)	Two dual 12,7-mm + Two 533-mm pipe torpedo launchers BS-7 + Two depth charge launchers (6 bombs M-1)
Crew	6	6	9 + marines	11 + marines	7
Seaworthiness	3	4	6	6	4

The unique motor torpedo boat SM-3 is steel version of wooden D-3 (SM-3 did not got the "TK" number). This prototype was among the most active Soviet MTBs in Black Sea often fought together the first prototype of D-3 class (neither this boat received the “TK” number), together they fought against small crafts and together the torpedoed and sunk a German MFP craft.

SM3 prototype was among the most active Soviet MTBs in BlackSea often fought together D3s, together they fought against small crafts and together the torpedoed and sunk a german MFP craft

Big color photos of "Komsomoletz" MTB

Victories of the Soviet Motor Torpedo Boats

The most significant battles with major enemy warships (all occurred in Baltic):

Action of 27 September 1941
Result: German victory.
The first and only Soviet attempt to attack enemy cruisers. TK-67, TK-83, TK-111 and TK-164 (all of G-5 class) attacked the cruisers Emden and Leipzig. Torpedoes missed the targets and TK-83 was hit and sunk.

First Battle of Nerva Island
20 June 1944. Result: Soviet victory
Kriegsmarine sent the large fleet torpedo boats T-30 and T-31 (Elbing-class) to attack minor Soviet boats close Nerva Island in the Gulf of Finland. The Soviets had only ten MO-4 class boats and four MBK small gunboat: MO-106, MBK-503 and MBK-505 received damages but were not sunk. Soviet motor torpedo boats carried a counter-attack, two first waves of attacking boats were repelled (TK-53, TK-63, TK-101, TK-103 and TK-153) were damaged, but once again none was sunk), but the third attack was successful. TK-37 and TK-60 (of D-3 class) made a pincer attack and one of them struck the T-31 with torpedo, sinking the warship with heavy losses of lives (76 killed and 8 captured). T-30 retreated after having suffered minor damages due machine-guns (1 killed and 13 wounded).
The T-31 was the most significant ever warship sunk in surface battle by the Soviet Navy (could be classified as a destroyer or escort destroyer type).

Raid in the Danzic Bay
15 April 1945. Result: Soviet victory
Soviet navy started using in 1945 the new motor torpedo boats of Komsomolets Class, a pair of them (TK-131 and TK-141) were infiltrated deeply into the Danzic Bay and they managed to torpedo the modern German destroyer Z-34. The damage was so heavy that the unit was never repaired and when (after the War) was given to the USA, she was scrapped because the damage rather then repaired or used as target. The ship (a destroyer of large size and power) was the most significant warship disabled by the Soviet Navy in surface battle, even if she did not sunk differently from T-31.

Sowjetisches Schnellboot vom Typ D.3 des Zweiten Weltkrieges RKKF

The 533-mm torpedo at the D-3 boat.

Motoscafo Armato Silurante D3, seconda guerra mondiale

Soviet big motor torpedo boat D-3, Northern fleet.

Sh-4 Soviet Navy used Motor torpedo boats for many duties during the war, including a vital service as transport ships
for ports under siege and landing boats for marines. Still some units saw an extensive fight on the naval clashes

Soviet Motor torpedo boat Sh-4

MTB Sh4 Sch.4 wwII foto Patrol Torpedo boat

Red navy Motor torpedo boat Sh-4
Russisch klein Schnellboot vom Typ Sh.4

red fleet used MTBs for many duties during the war, including a vital service as transport ships for ports under siege and landing boats for marines. Still some units saw an extensive fight on the naval clashes, they were the second main units

red fleet used MTBs for many duties during the war, including a vital service as transport ships for ports under siege and landing boats for marines. Still some units saw an extensive fight on the naval clashes, they were the second main units

Russian little MTB of G-5 type
Sowjetisches Schnellboot vom Typ G.5 des Zweiten Weltkrieges

Russian fleet D3 gunboats ww2

Red navy D-3 warboats of WWII.

Motoscafo Armato Silurante (MAS-boot) foto WWII

Soviet military cutter at Black sea
Motoscafo Armato Silurante (MAS-boot), seconda guerra mondiale

American motor torpedo boat A-1 Vosper of Soviet navy (lend-lease)
Kuter torpedowy II wojna swiatowa

US motor Launch boats A2 Higgins of Soviet Northern fleet (lend-leased) Flottentorpedoboot

US motor Launch boats A2 Higgins of Soviet Northern fleet (lend-leased) Flottentorpedoboot

American lendleased motor launch torpedo boats A-2 Higgins of Red North fleet

Soviet WWII fleet

War is over

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