Brief Operational History

The Katyusha submarine was to be a replacement for the ill-fated Pravda class.  It was a large double hulled design with a long patrol range.  The boat was also very heavily armed, mounting ten torpedo tubes and two 100mm guns (that could be elevated up to 45 degrees for air defense).  The Katyusha could also carry 20 mines giving it even more capability.  It was even intended to operate a small floatplane (called an SPL - Samolet dlya Podvodnoi Lodki or small aircraft for submarines).  This aircraft was to be carried in a disassembled state until it was needed, then it would be flown to scout for targets.  After several test flights the aircraft idea was abandoned.

The first Katyusha class submarines were launched in 1938 and commissioned in 1940.  A total of eleven of these submarines were completed between 1938 and 1942.  They were designated K-1, K-2, K-3, K-21, K-22, K-23, K-51, K-52, K-53, K-55, and K-56.  A final submarine was left incomplete when the Germans invaded in 1941.  The active submarines would go on to see a great deal of action during the Great Patriotic War.  Six of the submarines operated in the Northern Fleet, and the remainder served in the Baltic.  

K-3 was located in the Baltic at the time of the invasion.  Like many Baltic submarines, it was transferred to the Northern Fleet by way of the White Sea Canal.  It laid mine fields off of Norway and made many (mostly) unsuccessful attacks on German shipping.  The submarine was sunk by German subchasers sometime in 1943.

Its sister ship K-21 met with greater success.  After being transferred to the Northern Fleet from the Baltic K-21 began laying minefields in German shipping areas.  The K-21 also participated in many raids against the Germans in Norway, and was even sent to sink the battlecruiser Scharnhorst.  The British fleet sank the Scharnhorst before the K-21 could reach it however.  

Five of the eleven Katyusha class submarines were lost during the war.  The surviving six would continue to serve with the Soviet navy well into the 1950's.  There had been plans to complete the incomplete Katyusha, but these plans were abandoned and the submarine was scrapped in 1949.  The last of the class to be withdrawn from service was the K-21.  In 1959 it was designated a  training submarine and permanently left at the Polyarnoye naval base.

Tactical Use and Limitations

The Katyusha was a long range attack submarine that was used to harass German shipping in both the Baltic Sea and Arctic Ocean.  When not on patrol the submarines were often tasked with mining ports or strategic sea lanes.

It was an excellent submarine design and was comparable to many German boats of the day.  Its heavy armament often allowed it to surface and destroy sub-chasers that attacked it.   Another advantage was the submarine's long range.  This allowed it to operate of the coast of Norway and menace German shipping in that region.  It was a very capable vessel that could perform a number of roles well.  

Like many early Soviet naval projects, the Katyusha never reached its design speed of 22.5 knots.  Its dive time of 50 seconds was also considered somewhat slow.  The greatest weakness of the class would not be found in the design of the boat, but rather the crews.  They were inexperienced and handled their boats poorly, perhaps contributing to the nearly 50% loss rate.

Deployment Chronology

Here you can see what submarines the Katyusha submarine replaced in front-line service and what submarines evolved later to fill its anti-ship role.  You can find out more about these boats if we have them on our site by clicking on the links below. 

Sources Cited

Here are some of the most informative sources that we have used in compiling this information for you.  We hope you can find them as useful as we have.

• The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World, by David Miller, published by Motorbooks International, Osceola, WI, 2002

• Submarines of the World, by John Ward, published by MBI Publishing Company, London, England, 2001

• Fleets of World War Two, by Richard Worth, published by Da Capo Press, Caimbridge, MA, 2001