Leitenant Ilin class Destroyer (1915)

The Lt. Ilin and Gavriil class were destroyer flotilla leaders for the Baltic Sea Fleet, created for the Imperial Russian Navy in World War I. These were part of the Novik-type destroyers, and an incremental evolution, near sisters of the Orfey class destroyer but from different yards, with slight detail changes. The Lt. Ilin were considered better ships overall and a total of twenty-two were ordered, laid down in 1913. They had a complicated history to say the least, some changing flags four times. #russkiyfot #russiannavy #sovietnavy #ww1 #blackseafleet #balticfleet #sovietdestroyer

Development

From 1910, the “Novik class” was started after the Russo-Japanese war, causing major reforms in the Navy and generating a new generation of large fleet destroyers. The Novik was for its type a grounbreaking design, much larger, faster and more powerful than its comporaries, a long range that could be assimilated to a flotilla leader, but could also underwent minelaying missions. Novik was noted by all admiralties with great interest. About fifty destroyers followed in construction up to 1916 in several sub-classes, most surviving the revolution, civil war, to be still active in 1941.

These follow-up improving on the basic recipe were the Derzki or Bespokoiny class with nine built for the black sea fleet, the Orfey class, improved for their armament as modified versions of Derzky-class, slightly larger and with triple torpedo tubes, an extra 102 mm (4 in) gun. Next came the last iteration, the Lt. Ilin-class, often assimilated to the Gavril and Orfey classes. Some sources states as many as nione sub-classes to the Novik, each time from their own yard and for tither the baltic or Black sea: The BESPOKOYNYY (1914), SCHASTLIVYY (1915), POBEDITEL (1915-1916), KAPITAN IZYLMETYEV (1916-1928), GAVRIIL (1916-1917), FIDONISI (1917-1925), IZYASLAV (1917-1927), GOGLAND and TENEDOS class.

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See WW1 Russian Destroyers.

The Derzki class was ordered under a program of “urgent reinforcement of the Black Sea Fleet” notably due to the absence of cruisers for scouting roles. They were built after a competion prewar, pitting Admiralty, Creighton & Co., Lange & Son, Metallichesky and Nevsky plus six foreign firms such as Vulkan. Putilov won that bid. Netx came the Baltic Fleet’s Orfey class designed as an improved Derzky class, and a bit larger, still with two two Curtis-AEG-Vulkan steam turbines. Initial characteristics aimed at a modified Bespokoiny class but with the armament of two 4in/60, and… twelve twin 18-inches TTs. The Putilov Yd design for the Black Sea was changed and reworked as a joint enteprise between Putilov, Metal Works and Russo-Baltic Yd. It was the Naval Staff that insisted to replace the twin torpedo tubes by four triple and rework the location of the 4-in gun. By December 1912 orders were placed for 22 ships of this new class in three yards but by August 1915 the gun armament was enlarged while in completion with three triple banks and four guns.

The final class was ordered in three groups at Putilov Yd, Petrograd: Kapitan Belli (29.10.15), Kapitan Izylmetev (4.11.14), Kapitan Kern (27.8.15), Kapitan I Ranga Miklucha-Maklai (27.8.15), Leitenant Dubasov (9.9.16) and Leitenant Ilin (28.11.14). BU incomplete 1923: Kapitan Konon-Zotoz, Kapitan Kroun of the Leitnant Ilin class.
-Metal Works, Petrograd, completed the Lt. Ilin (or “Orfej”) (5.6.15), Azard (5.6.16), Dema (4.11.15), Grom (5.6.15), Letun (4.11.15), Pobeditel (5.11.14), Samson (5.6.15), Zabijaka (5.11.14) seen in the previous post.
-Russo-Baltic Yd, Reval started the Gavriil (5.1.15), Konstantin 12.6.15), Vladimir (18.8.15). BU Incomplete: Mikhail, Mechislav, Sokol (another sub-class).

They were completed during 1915-17, forming the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Destroyer Flotillas. To make things easier, this post will focus on both the Lt. Ilin and Garvil classes, seen as a complement to the Orfey class seen earlier, but do note they were very close in design, if not quasi-identical. The differences will be stated below.

Part of the 1912 Programme, they were designated for the Baltic Fleet. The preliminary characteristics aimed at a modified Bespokoiny class with an armament Of 2-4in/60, 12-18in TT (6X2). The existing Putilov Yd design for the Black Sea destroyer was duly changed and offered as the common enterprise by the Putilov Yd, Metal Wks and Russo-Baltic Yd. This was accepted by the Naval Staff after double TT sets were replaced by 4 triple ones to avoid a blast effect from the after 4in gun on the aftermost TT. The orders were placed in December 1912 for 22 boats that were to be identical in appearance as the three vards decided to go on with the common working design. In August 1915 when some of the boats were fairly advanced the gun armament was enlarged by the Naval Staff simply by replacing one TT mounting with one (later 2) 4in/60 as a temporary measure to increase the firepower of the light forces until the Sverlana class cruisers were completed.

The Ilin/Gavriil in action

A total of 14 destroyers in these three classes were completed during 1915-17 and they formed the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Destroyer Flotillas (renumbered 11th, 12th and 13th later on) during most of the war. Kapitan Izylmetev served with the Active Squadron in 1919, and was renamed Lemn on 31 December 1922. Kapian I Ranga Miklucha-Maklai (renamed Spartak 18 December 1918) served with the Active Squadron and was captured off Reval by 2 British destroyers and 2 cruisers after running aground during an escape attempt on 26 December 1918, presented to Estonia in February 1919 and commissioned. as Wambola (see under Estonia). Leitenant Thin served with the Active Squadron in 1919, being renamed Garibaldi on 3 July 1919, then Troiski 31 December 1922 and finally Voikov on 14 February 1928. The boats ordered in the Metal Works were launched in the Izhora Yd, a branch of this enterprise established in 1912, The hulls of Pobeditel and Zabiaka had to be towed to Petrograd for completion while the others were fitted locally.

Azard distinguished herself during sorties with the Active Squadron in 1919 encountering the British destroyer Walker (31 May) and helping sink the British submarine L 55, In October 1919 she steered clear of a minefield where 3 of her sisters were lost, Renamed Zinoviev on 31 December 1922 and again Artem in 1934. Samson participated in the Bolshevik Revolution and together with Desna and Pobeditel was laid up in 1919. The three were renamed Sralin, Engels and Volodarski on 31 December 1922 and were reactivated by 1925. Letun and Orfei were damaged on mines (7 November 1916) and autumn 1917 repectively and laid up subsequently.

Zabyaka was damaged on a mine on 24 December 1915 off Dagerort during a Baltic minelaying operation but was soon repaired and took part in the Bolshevik Revolution. Laid up in 1919 and renamed Uritski on 31 December 1922 she was reactivated in 1925. Gavrül, Konstantin and Vladimir (renamed Svoboda on 12 September 1917) served with the Acuve Squadron in 1919. The first one successfully escaped the British cruiser Cleopatra when screening 4 escaped minesweepers on 17 May 1919 out from Kronstadt. On 2 June her gunners hit the pressure hull of the British submarine L 5 and she sank with all hands in Petrograd Bay after her torpedoes had missed the destroyer.

Once again she had luck being missed by a torpedo fromCMB 24 and CMB 62 off Kronstadt, sinking her assaïlants a few minutes later. Svoboda was damaged by the British aircraft in Kronstadt later on. These three ships met a cruel end, being lost on a British minefield off Kronstadt with a total of only 25 survivors. Kapitan Belh and Kapitan Kern were completed by the Soviets in October 1927 and commissioned as Karl Libknecht and Rykov respectively, the latter became Valeryan Kubyshev c 1937. The 9 per cent complete Mechslav, Mikhal and Sokol were towed to Petrograd in October 1917 to avoid capture by the advancing Germans. Completion of the last pair was contracted to the Baltic Wks but did not happen.

Hull Design

As shown here, these ships had double the main transverse bulkheads like pre-1904 Russian destroyers, with 12 watertight sections, each with their own pumping systems, and individually compartmentalized boilers. The keel was created out of doubled 6mm steel sheets set at angles to each other, making for an “almost double hull”. The conning tower/bridge was made of half-inch ordnance steel sheets only protecting against splinter and small arms. The topside radio room (one 2 kW transmitter and two receivers) and two 45-cm searchlights were fed by a separate 10kW Penta kerosene dynamo protected centrally. All other systems were powered by two 20 kW turbo generators.

The hull of Lt. Ilin like all ships in her class was riveted, like the previous classes. The architecture and structural design was standard for turbine-powered destroyers, with distinctive, graceful hull lines and a silhouette bearing many similarities to British destroyers at the time, so they were still referred as “English-type” destroyers. Lt. Ilin and her sister had a normal displacement of 1,260 metric tons (1,240 long tons) and up to 1,568 t (1,543 long tons) fully loaded. She measured 98 meters (321 ft 6 in) long overall for a beam of 9.34 meters (30 ft 8 in), and draft of 3.3 meters (9 ft 10 in). This was comparable to the Derzki, at least shey shared the same overall lenght, slightly reduced beam at 9,30 meters but draught at 3,2 m mean. The biggest changes were in armament. Instead of five twin torpedo tubes that ate a lot of space, and three guns, they went for three triple banks and four main guns. However the fourth was placed in a very uncomfortable way, very close to the other stern gun. Overall, the ships ended better armed, but to the cost of a speed loss (from 36 knots on Novik down to 31 knots for them, 34 for the previous Derzki) and a bit less range as well.

Now for the details:
The Lt. Ilin class on average displaced 1,260t, but the Rykov and Karl Libknekht are later rated at 1,720t standard, and fully loaded, if the average was 1,450t, the Rykov and Karl Libknekht rose to 2,020t in 1941. In size, they measured 98 m in lenght overall and 9.34 m in beam, and 3.9 in draught but again, Rykov and Karl Libknekht draught reached 4 meters due to the greater displacement.

The Gavril class Displaced 1,260 tonnes as well as standard, for a full displacement of 1,450t, and measured the same, 98 meters long overall for 9.34 meters in beam and 3.9 meters in draught.
Most of the changed went indeed to the armament.

Powerplant

The Lt. Ilin class had like the Orfey class a more powerful machinery in the same hull essentially, a bit wider but with a greater draught. They accomodated all (Orfey, Ilin and Garvil) two Brown-Borveri (Ilin) or AEG (Gavril) steam turbines, each driving a triple bladed bronze fixed pitch propeller. Steam was generated by four Vulkan boilers at a working pressure of 17 standard atmospheres (1,723 kPa; 250 psi). The result was a total output projected to be 32,000 metric horsepower (24,000 kW), a far better output than the Derzki. The intended contracted top speed was optimistically setup at 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) but on trials light load, and forced draft. The reality was quite diappointing, and on sea trials, they only reached 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph). Their fuel oil capacity was between 159–350 t (156–344 long tons) for a range of 1,680 nautical miles (3,110 km; 1,930 mi) at 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph).

Armament

The Ilin and Gavriil originally had two 102-millimeter/60 (4-in) Pattern 1911 Obukhov guns, at the forecastle and stern, completed by two 7.62 mm (0.3 in) Maxim machine guns on pintle mounts. Their real strenght layed in an unprecedented arsenal of twelve 450-millimeter (17.7 in) torpedo tubes in six double mounts. The Naval General Staff changed this to clean up the deck and get a heavier punch, four triple mounts as they became available in 1914. Some experience, with a duel between Novik and two German destroyers in August 1915, led to swap the rearmost torpedo mount for two 102 mm guns at the stern while under construction.

The latter seen from the side looked close together, and amazingly they were. They were not placed in echelon to avoid too much interference as it would ahave been advisable, all were on the centerline. This made operation of the stern guns truly problematic. Pobeditel and Zabiyaka however were completed earlier, before the change, and sported the 1914 original specification of two guns and four triple torpedo mounts. There was on the late ships one mount between the forward funnels and two mounts aft of the rear funnel. Grom and Lt. Ilin were modified while fitting out in early 1916 but they had three reload torpedoes to make for the loss of a bank. Letun, Azard, Desna, and Samson had however no reloads.

102 mm L/60 Guns

The main guns consisted in three, not four (on Novik) 102 mm (4 inches) L/60 Obukhov cannons. These 4″/60 (10.2 cm) Pattern 1911 coincided with the Novik class. They were placed in the axis, one forward and the remaining three aft, alternating with the torpedo tubes banks. They had a high-mounted pivots for good elevation, but no gun shield. Each ship stowed 150 rounds per gun.
Performances of these were as follows:
-Shell Obukhovsky 38.58 lbs. (17.5 kg) HE mod 1911
-Unitary cartridge 30 kg including the 17.5 kg shell
-Brass cartridge case containing a 7.5 kg charge
-Elevation Rate 3 degrees per second
-Train 360 degrees at 3 degrees per second
-Gun recoil 28 inches (71 cm)
-Muzzle velocity 823 m/s.
-Range at 30 degrees 16,800 yards (15,360 m).
-Rate of fire 12 rounds per minute.
More on Navweaps

These were rapid-fire guns, provided with 160 unitary artillery rounds per barrel (HE) for a grand total of 640 shells aboard. In 1941 this was increased to 810 rounds. Cartridges were stored in two artillery cellars. There was a feed system upwards using two elevators driven by electric motors (with manual backup), which was quite modern for a destroyer at the time.
Many more shells were made available on the long run as these guns were widepsread and still used in WW2: HE mod 1915 and mod 1911, FRAG mod 1915, HE mod 1907, Shrapnel, Star Shell, Diving shell (for ASW use), Incendiary shell.

In addition they had two and up to four 7.62-mm Maxim liquid-cooled machine guns installed on pedestals on the bow bridge, and upper deck aft, near the galley. Total boxed ammunition and belts totalled 810 rounds per Machine Gun.

For night fighting, these ships were equipped with a combat 60 cm Sperry searchlight, to illuminate targets. For fire control there was a single manual Barr and Strood 9-foot (base 2,745 mm) coincidence rangefinder installed on the bridge providing data. They were no longer coordinated by a single Geisler-type fire control system but now by a 2.7-meter (9 ft) Barr and Stroud rangefinder in top if the bridge (and two 60-centimeter (24 in) searchlights). They communicated data on four sets of data display of the guns with bells and howlers to signal a shot or a volley.

Torpedoes

The class was initially designed with four twin, later three triple torpedo launchers on the centerline. These were 1908 and 1912 models (45-08 and 45-12). In 1915, the 45-15 torpedo was developed, and in 1938, the 45-36N torpedo was accepted into service.

-The 45-12 torpedo, 5.58 m x 0.45 m or 18 inches diameter, weighing 810 kg, and carrying a 100 kg warhead of TNT. Range was 5 km at 30 knots. First Russian torpedo with a “wet heating” system. Designed by the Fiume plant, it was produced at Obukhov and Lessner plant.

These new triple-tube 450 mm torpedo tubes Model 12 were already above average destroyer armament in 1909, less so in 1915. On the previous design, the admiralty already wanted triple tubes, but they were dropped due to stability issues. No spare torpedoes were provided. These were Whitehead models propelled using compressed air. The tube from Putilov lacked rigidly however and needed fastening, with the impossibility of target tracking, lacking the appropriate clutch in the gear train and with a slow mechanical rotation, plus an issue in the charger shutter, never fixed.

M1912 Mines

The Lt. Ilin class were designed as “active minesweepers”, able to perform a rapid minelaying directly into the path of an underway enemy battle formation, even under fire. Their speed was still their best asset, but dropping mines at 30 knots was especially risky if the stern wake was not well managed. The risk of a premature detonation especially with contact mines was real due to turbulences. The mines werre stacked on two long rail tracks on either side of deck aft, starting at the forecastle. This made up for small 80 mines or 50 larger, dropped on sloped lips at 20° which protruded overboard by 1.5 m. However even this configuation only allowed minelaying at below 24 knots.

For ASW warfare, they were given in WW1 ten 10 depth charges of the types 4V-B or 4V-M on two five-charge racks at the stern. They were replaced in the interwar by more advanced BB-1 and BM-1, respectively 8 and 20, stored between racks, manually dropped overboard or using carts tailored to support 4 large or 5 small depth charges.

⚙ Lt. Ilin class specifications
Displacement	1,260 t (1,240 long tons) standard, 1,570 long tons (1,543 t) full load
Dimensions	98 x 9.34 x 3.3 m (321 ft 6 in x 30 ft 8 in x 9 ft 7 in)
Propulsion	2 shafts steam turbines (variable), 4 Normand boilers, 32,000 shp (24 MW)
Speed	31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)
Range	1,680 nmi (3,110 km; 1,930 mi) at 21 knots
Armament	4x 102 mm, 3×3 533mm TTs, 2 LMGs, 80 mines, see notes.
Crew	150

Vickers 2-pdr “pom-pom”

This enlarged machine gun fired a 2-pound (0.91 kg) shell at 300 rounds per minute over 6,300 m (6,900 yd) in ceiling at the elevation of +45°.

76 mm Lender Gun

The Lender guns had a muzzle velocity of 588 m/s (1,930 ft/s) for a range of 6,100 m (6,700 yd) at 65°. They fire a much more beefier 6.5-kilogram (14 lb) shell designed to explose at a preset altitude. Its practical rate of fire howver was down to 10–12 rounds per minute. Originally it was derived from a 76 mm divisional gun M1902 to fire in balloons. Called the “lender” it was converted as a high angle gun by FF Lender and prodyced at the Putilov plant from 1914 to 1934. The mount weighted 1,300 kg (2,900 lb). They ended on all interwar Russian cruisers as well.

63 mm/38 OSZ pattern 1916

The Pattern 1916 gun fired a 4.04-kilogram (8.9 lb) shell at a velocity of 686 m/s (2,250 ft/s) and to a range of 6,804 metres (7,441 yd) for an elevation of 75°. It had the best shell velocity performances but was still limited for AA fire but doubled well as a rapid fire anti-ship gun. The mount weighted 2,866 lbs. (1,300 kg). They were designed by OSZ early in the war with a vertical sliding-breech, but by the fall of November 1916 only twenty had been built, twenty more were started. Overall it was unsuccessful, being semi-automatic with shells having a small lethal radius. The Lender gun was considered more effective.

WW2 Modifications

There is scarce details about the modenrizaiton details, but most were unde roverhaul and modernization in 1941. Karl Libnecht (ex-Kapitan Belli) spent four years in drydock opr at berth for example, between 1940 and 1944. When recommissioned, she had had her anti-aircraft armament enhanced: The Lender AA gun and M-1 LMG were removed, four 70-K light guns and two DShK and Browning anti-aircraft machine guns were added. A Dragon-128s sonar and a Type 291V radar were installed as well.

Livery and general appearance:

The Kalinin, with her wartime default grey livery

Valerian Kuybyshev in her northern fleet camouflage in 1942. She had a hard time until 1945 battling Luftwaff raids and chasing U-Boats during the artic convoy campaign. This livery mixed black, light blue, medium blue-grey over the original light grey in straight lines.

The Lt. Ilin and Gavril classes in service

Kapitan Belli (renamed later Karl Libknekht) was laid down at Putilov, St. Petersburg on 15 July 1913, launched on 10 October 1915 but not completed in wartime. Instead, she was completed on 3 August 1928 long after being transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet. Construction was indeed suspended and the ship mothballed but by October 1919, she integrated the Petrograd internal defense system, still incomplete, damaged in the 1924 flood, when she was tossed from her moorings and driven aground near Lisii Nos. Next summer she was refloated, towed to the Severnaya Verf for completion and entered service on August 3, 1928. She was used for training and July 26 to October 19, 1933, she sailed through the White Sea-Baltic Canal to join the Northern fleet. In February 1938 she evacuated I. D. Papanin’s expedition and coordinated other rescue ships and the SSSR-V6 airship. From November 29 to December 1, 1939, took part in the winter war against Finland, covering the 14th Army at Rybachy and Sredny. In March 1940 she took part in the recovery of Shch-421 near Kildin.

On October 29, 1940 she entered the drydock at Krasnaya Kuznitsa shipyard for a major overhaul, turbines and auxiliary machinery removed and sent to A. A. Zhdanov No. 190 for complete overhaul. She was commissioned only after the Siege was lifted on November 9, 1944. She wa sused for convoy escort, detecting U-Boats at several occasions, attacked, but without kill. On April 23, 1945, for three hours, she chased as depth charged a submarine that eventually surfaced and finished off by guns. It was according to Soviet sources U-286 was sunk. Modern historians alleged this was instead U-997 but the attack likely failed. Postwar due to her poor condition she was mostly used for local training until decommissioned on October 1, 1953, but used in September 21, 1955 in a nuclear weapons test near Novaya Zemlya at 1,600 meters from the epicenter. She only had minor damage, but badly irradiated and leaking, she was towed aground, stricken on December 30, 1955, sunk to be used under the floating pier in Belushya Bay.

Kapitan Izylmetev (named in honor of Rear Admiral Ivan Izylmetyev, but renamed Lenin in Boshevik service) was laid down on 18 June 1913 at Putilov NyD (On that day, six destroyers of the Lieutenant Ilyin class were simultaneously laid down at the Putilov Shipyard), launched on 21 October 1914 and completed on 10 July 1916. In July 1916, she entered service with the Baltic Fleet. On September 12-16 she laid minefields in the Irben Strait. By October 18-19 she laid another minefield with Novik, Orfey, Desna, and Letun near the island of Saaremaa. From the 12th to 19th October 1917 she took part in the Battle of Moonsund. Until 1920 she was in the active detachment of the Red Baltic Fleet. In May 1919 her crew was detached to try to break the attack of General Yudenich’s White Guard troops on Petrograd. The sailor detachments were later awarded many medals and honors. In October she brought artillery cover in support of the second line of defense of Petrograd. By the spring of 1921, she started an overhaul at Putilov. In 1921–1922 exercises, her crew was congratuletd for its training (“best ship in the Baltic Fleet”). On December 31, 1922 she was renamed “Lenin”. On January 21, 1924 she took part in the funeral salute og his namesake statesman in Kronstadt. From July 20 to 27, 1925, she was part of the first Soviet overseas training cruise for the Baltic Squadron led by M.V. Frunze on the battleship Marat.

In December 1939 (winter war), Lenin was attached to the escort of the battleships Marat and Oktyabrskaya Revolyutsiya firing on Finnish heavy coastal batteries near Vyborg. Later due to difficult ice conditions, she provided artillery support along the coast of the Gulf of Finland and landing operations. Postwar she was taken in hands for a major overhaul at Tosmare shipyard, which she defended on June 22-24 1941. On the night of June 24-25 to avoid captured she was ordered to be scuttled, blown up by order of the shipyard’s command. Her crew formed a local defensive unit, and armed trained remaining shipyard personnel. Under commmand of Sr. Lt. A. I. Maisky and Political commissar N. I. Kachurin, they occupied the eastern defensive line near the cadet battalion, Air Defense School. But Liepaja was surrounded and very few defenders managed to break out. The destroyer was later raised by the German Navy, examined, then sank in the harbor. She was raised again for BU in 1953.

Kapitan Kern (later Rykov, then Valerian Kuybyshev) was initially laid down at Putilov NyD on 21 November 1913 , launched on 10 October 1915, suspended, only completed on 15 October 1927.
Construction was indeed suspended, the ship mothballed. He initial name honored Captain 2nd Rank G. F. Kern, commander of the destroyer Gromkiy at the Battle of Tsushima. Completion resumed until December 1924 and after commission on March 31, 1925, she was renamed Rykov (for Alexei Rykov). In 1937 after Stalin’s purge and Rykov’s arrest, she was renamed again Valerian Kuybyshev in honor of the Russian revolutionary, Red Army officer, and prominent Soviet politician. On August 18-23, 1929 she travelled to Germany and Lithuania with Lenin and visited Pillau. From May 18 to August 5, 1933 with the destroyer Uritsky she sailed through the White Sea-Baltic Canal to the Northern Flotilla, a separate destroyer division Northern Fleet. In 1938 she started her major overhaul modernization at Krasnaya Kuznitsa, Arkhangelsk. On December 1, 1939 with Grozny, she took part in the capture of Petsamo.

In the summer 1941 she was part of the 1st Destroyer Squadron with Uritsky and Karl Liebknecht. On June 23 she mistakenly fired on Soviet SB bombers. Between late June and early July she brought fire support for the 14th Army, escorted troopships to Motovsky Bay and Titovka Bay. On June 30 while in a fire support mission with Uritsky, she was attacked by sixteen Ju-88s and battled them for two hours for no damage, but five sailors wounded by a near-miss. On July 13 with Uritsky, Gromky, Gremyashchiy, and Stremitelny she sortied to intercept German destroyers which sank Passat and RT-67, but missed them. On August 4, she escorted the British submarine HMS Tigris to Polyarny. On August 14, she laid mines in Zubovskaya Bay. On August 25, with Uritsky, she guarded the floating base Maria Ulyanova, hit by a torpedo from U-571, repelling Luftwaffe attacks. On September 9 she battled an air raid on Iokanga. October 4-12 saw her dry-docked in Laisk drydock. On October 14 she was sent to Molotovsk to have her hull demagnetized with a coil permanently attached. From November 21 it was over but she was captive due to the ice conditions, leaving the White Sea with an icebreaker.

From January 17 to February 4, 1942, Kuibyshev was drydocked again to have ice protection installed (extra hull fittings). On February 23, while escorting a convoy to ​​Veshnyak Island, she struck a mine with her starboard paravane, just 7-10 meters from the ​​frames 50-60. The concussion shook her auxiliary systems, gyrocompass and magnetic compasses as well as the gun No.1 first AA gun. Three boilers resisted though. She carried out her mission after summary repairs. From March 4 to May 3 she was repaired at Sevmorput shipyard in Rost. On May 27, Kuibyshev, Grozny, and Sokrushitelny joined Convoy PQ-16, taking place on May 28, and two days later, repelled Luftwaffe raids. She was detached to look for the ace Boris Safonov, shot down in battle, but renounced after a two-hour search. On July 8 she departed to meet convoy PQ-17 but while back two days later, she was attacked by the Luftwaffe (no damage). In the evening after refueling she returned at sea to join Uritsky and Grozny for a patrol from Cape Svyatoy Nos to the 72nd parallel, and from Cape Kanin Nos to Novaya Zemlya. On July 12 she spotted four empty lifeboats. On July 22 while off Cape Kanin Nos, she spotted at last five British and one Soviet transpor and escorted them to Solombala. On September 17-19, she escorted convoy PQ-18 at ​​Cape Kanin Nos, and repelled Luftwaffe attacks for two hours. On October 3 with Grozny she reached Yugorsky Shar but her add-on ice plating was torn off by waves and she also lost her anti-mine winding. She met Baku and Razumny, Razyaryonny and proceeded to the Far East via the Northern Sea Route. On November 20-24 she assisted the destroyer Sokrushitelny in force 9, then 11 gale. 176 men were transferred o, board. 4 died of hypothermia, nine drowned without being lifted up. From November 25 to December 8 she had repairs.

On March 8, 1943 with Uritsky, she met the submarines S-55 and S-56 making also their passage from the Pacific. On July 24, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. In August-September she was overhauled at Plt. No. 402 Severodvinsk, half her boiler tubes were replaced, AA reinforced (two Oerlikons added), Dragon-128s sonar and degaussing windings installed. Until mid-1944 she remained in convoy escort and on June 6, was refitted at SRZ-35 Rostov until April 6, 1945. Her last mission was with the Allied convoy JW-66 on April 25. In 1947 she tested a new stabilizer system, with steerable lateral rudders and she ended as a target ship in the Novaya Zemlya test of September 21, 1955, scrapped in Arkhangelsk 1957–1958.

Kapitan Konon-Zotov was laid down on 21 November 1913 at Putilov. She was launched on 10 October 1915 but never completed, broken up in 1923.

Kapitan Kroun was laid down on 15 November 1914 at Putilov, launched on 23 July 1916, never completed, broken up.

Kapitan I ranga Miklucha Maklai was renamed by the Soviets after captured Spartak. She was originally laid down at Putilov on 23 October 1914, launched on 14 August 1915 and completed on 12 December 1917, so under Bolshevik control as “Spartak”. Captured by the British in 1918, she was given to the Estonian Navy and renamed Wambola. The latter lacked the resources to keep her maintained and she was sold by the Estonians to Peru in 1933. Renamed Almirante Villar in Peruvian service, she had another long career, until Scrapped in 1954, as the last surviving destroyer of that type.

More in detail: She was formally commissioned on December 12, 1917 and stationed in Helsinki, taking part in the “Ice Cruise”. On November 29, 1918 she wa spart of the Active Detachment and on December 25 renamed Spartak, taking part in the Reval raid under CO F.F. Raskolnikov. Next she sailed to Nargen Island, shelled it on December 26 and captuted a Finnish steamship, sent to Kronstadt with a prize crew. Soon however she spotted the smoke of approaching vessels, identified as a British detachment (Light cruisers HMS Calypso, Caradoc, two destroyers). Spartak started her retreat but with her machinery in poor condition despite frantic efforts of her stokers and mechanics she lost the pursuit. The British all along fired spasmodically to intimate her to stopn but Spartak fired back from her stern guns (no hits).

She eventually ran aground at Karadimulsei Bank and her packicking crew lowered the flag. Avtroil which followed Spartak, was also captured. On February 3–5, 1919 her crew was made prisoner, and left on Naissaar Island. Some were later judged by the Estonian Naval Court. They were towed to Reval (now Tallinn), transferred to the Estonian Navy on January 3, 1919 as Wambola. After repairs she operated with the RN, shelling Red Army pillboxes and troops. After the Civil War ended and Treaty of Tartu, she was used for training until placed in reserve in 1933. On June 30, she was sold to Peru as Almirante Villar, departing in September 1933 and arriving in July 1934. Villars took part in the Peru-Ecuador war of July 1941, and on the 25th duelled with the Ecuadorian gunboat Abdon Calderon in the Hambeli Strait. She was decommissioned on September 15, 1954.

Leytenant Dubasov was laid down at Putilov NyD on 15 July 1913, launched after much delays in 27 August 1916 but never completed. She was broken up in 1923.

Leytenant Ilin (Named in honor of Lieutenant D.S. Ilyin, a hero of the Battle of Chesma in 1770) was the first built of Putilov Yard, laid down on 18 June 1913, launched on 15 November 1914 (hence the class name) and completed on 30 November 1916. In World War I she took part in the Battle of Moonsund ​​in 1917 and the “Ice Campaign” as part of the Baltic Fleet in 1918. She was involved in the Civil War. Her crew swapped after October 1917 to the Bolsheviks, she was renamed Garibaldi later, by July 3, 1919. She was mothballed, then recommissioned into the new Soviet Navy in April 21, 1921, still the Baltic Fleet, but on December 31, 1922, she was Renamed again Trotsky. From November 15, 1924 to June 8, 1926, and again in 1933–1934 she was in overhaul. In between she had been renamed Voikov (in honor of P. L. Voikov) in February 14, 1928. On July 2, 1936, together with her near-sister Stalin, as part of “Special Purpose Expedition No. 3” under command of Otto Schmidt, she departed Leningrad for Vladivostok via the White Sea and Baltic Canal, following the the Northern Sea Route. The expedition also included the icebreaker Fyodor Litke, icebreaker Krasin, the tankers Lokbatan and Maikop, and the passenger transport ship Anadyr. On October 17, 1936, she arrived in the Far East and joined the Pacific Fleet, covering 7,000 nautical miles in a single voyage.

From the summer of 1941 and was with Germany she was not involved, being part of the Pacific fleet. However the latter kept a watchful eye on Japanese activities since the border war of 1939.
In 1944–1945, Voikov was modernized, rearmed at Voroshilov Dalzavod No. 202. Voikov, under command of Captain 3rd Rank A. N. Abyzov, was modbilized in August 1945 for the war with Japan. On August 9, 1945, she was part of the 1st Submarine Brigade, Pacific Fleet and on the 14th, she departed Vladivostok escorting the landing craft TDS-03 carrying seven T-26 tanks and two vehicles for the landing at Seishin (Chongjin). Two days later she shelled several targets there, pumelling isolated Japanese groups designated by the infantry. On the 21st she covered the Soviet landing of the Genzan landing force taking the port of Genzan (Wonsan) and escorted them back to Vladivostok. On September 17, Voikov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for her crew’s actions in these operations. On June 17, 1949, she was decommissioned and on the 23, transferred to Vladivostok DOSFLOT, used as training ship, the fully recommissioned in February 26, 1953 but converted to the floating barracks “PKZ-52”, changing name a last time. On May 30, 1956, she was decommissioned for good and from August 28, 1956, handed over to the navy department tasked or recycling and scrapping.

Gavriil was laid down at Russo-Baltic Yd, Reval on 8 December 1913, launched on 5 January 1915 and completed on 7 October 1916. She took part in the Battle of Moon Sound in October–November 1917. With the October Revolution her crew sided with the Bolsheviks and she entered the Active Squadron in 1919, limited by the lack of fuel. On 18 May 1919, she was escorting four minesweepers from Kronstadt when they were surprised by the British cruiser HMS Cleopatra, flagship, Rear Admiral Walter Cowan. Cleopatra was escorted by HMS Shakespeare, Scout and Walker, starting a pursuit of the Russian ships. Gavriil’s skiper decided to engage them to allow the slower minesweepers to escape. Damaged by near misses she lacked the range but ultimately, the British broke off the engagement due to their proximity to Russian minefields and shore batteries. On 2 June 1919, Gavriil and Azard were engaged by the British destroyers HMS Vivacious and Voyager across a minefield. Both sides broke off. The same happened on 4 June, with the same Versatile, Vivacious and Walker, but the Russians had a support of the battleship Petropavlovsk. The British submarine L55 attempted a torpedo attack, but broke surface, was hit by Gavriil and sunk likely after stricking a mine, with all hands.

On 9 June 1919, Gavriil and Azard attacked British ships off Kronstadt, firing 80 shells at Versatile, Vivacious and Walrus and retired. On 13 June, the forts of Krasnaya Gorka and Grey Horse (Petrograd Bay) revolted against the Bolsheviks. On 16 June they were shelled to submission by the Red Fleet. On 17/18 August 1919, seven British Coastal Motor Boats attacked Kronstadt and Gavriil anchored near the entrance was targeted by CMB24. The torpedo ran too deep however, passing underneath. Gavriil’s return fire sank CMB24. Meanwhile the CMB sank Pamiat Azova and damaged Andrei Pervozvanny. On 21 October 1919, Gavriil, Azard, Konstantin and Svoboda left Kronstadt to lay a minefield in Koporye Bay to stall naval support for Estonian troops underway to Petrograd. They ran into a British minefield and Gavriil in the lead struck a mine at 05:48, sank in twenty minutes. Konstantin and Svoboda were sunk soon after but Azard escaped. Only 25 men were rescued total.

Konstantin was laid down on 24 November 1913 at Russo-Baltic Yd, Reval, launched on 5 August 1915 and completed on 6 May 1917. The ship was taken over by the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution later that year. Konstantin had the same career as her sister Gavriil and was sunk in 1919 in a British minefield during their intervention in the Russian Civil War.

Vladimir was laid down the same day as Konstanti at Russo-Baltic Yd, Reval on 24 November 1913. She was launched a bit later than her sister on 18 August 1915 but completed much later on 9 October 1917. Before she taken over by the Soviets, still under construction, she was renamed Svoboda on 30 August 1917, as part of the Baltic Fleet. Her crew joined the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution. Her career was overly similar to her sisters and she was sunk on 21 October 1919 in a British minefield during their intervention in the Russian Civil War.

Mikhaïl was laid down on 15 November 1915 at Russo-Baltic Yd, launched on 18 May 1916. Never completed. Towed to Saint Petersburg, but broken up incomplete, 1923

Mechislav (ex-Leytenant Lombard) was laid down at Reval on 14 August 1915, launched on 3 September 1917. Towed to Saint Petersburg, BU incomplete, 1923

Sokol was laid down on 7 January 1915 at Reval, launched on 4 June 1917 but never completed and towed to Saint Petersburg, BU incomplete in 1923.

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Books

Chernyshov, A. A. “Noviks.” The Best Destroyers of the Russian Imperial Fleet. Moscow: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2007
Verstyuk, A. N., Gordeev, S. Yu. Ships of the Mine Divisions. From “Novik” to “Gogland”. Moscow: Voennaya kniga, 2006
Zablotsky, V. P., Levitsky, V. A. The First “Noviks” of the Black Sea Fleet. Lt. Iliny-class Destroyers // Maritime Campaign: Journal. Moscow, 2008.
Breyer, Siegfried (1992). Soviet Warship Development: Volume 1: 1917–1937. London: Conway Maritime Press.
Budzbon, Przemysław (1985). “Russia”. In Gray, Randal (ed.). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1906–1921. NIP
Budzbon, Przemysław (1980). “Soviet Union”. In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1922–1946.
Budzbon, Przemysław; Radziemski, Jan & Twardowski, Marek (2022). Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939–1945. Vol. I NIP
Campbell, John (1985). Naval Weapons of World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.
Friedman, Norman (2011). Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations. Seaforth Publishing.
Halpern, Paul G. (1994). A Naval History of World War I. NIP
Hill, Alexander (2018). Soviet Destroyers of World War II. New Vanguard. Vol. 256. Osprey Publishing.
Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two NIP
Watts, Anthony J. (1990). The Imperial Russian Navy. London: Arms and Armour.

Links

navypedia.org (archive): Gavriil
navypedia.org (archive): kapitan izylmetyev
kchf.ru
ru.wikipedia.org/ Ilin
Ilin-class_destroyer
Gavriil-class_destroyer
navycollection.narod.ru
navycollection.narod.ru
navycollection.narod.ru