Seventy-five years after the end of the Second World War the details of Soviet ships, their activities and fates remain an enigma to the West. In wartime such information was classified and after a brief period of glasnost (‘openness’) the Russian state has again restricted access to historical archives. Therefore, the value – and originality – of this work is difficult to exaggerate. It sees the first publication of reliable data on both the seagoing fleets and riverine flotillas of the Soviet Navy, listing over 6200 vessels from battleships to river gunboats, and mercantile conversions as well as purpose-built warships.

This third and final part of the series includes all the ships in naval service that were not frontline fighting vessels. Despite auxiliary status, these were not insignificant ships – indeed the icebreakers were the largest vessels built by the USSR before the war and carried so much prestige that every leading member of the Soviet regime wanted their name on one. Apart from the obvious fleet support types – oilers, tugs and depot ships – this volume also covers unsung heroes like the salvage fleet, highly significant in the 1930s for generating much-needed foreign currency and later essential to the war effort, allowing so many sunken Soviet warships to be returned to service. Another major feature of this volume is the first clear and comprehensive listing of ex-mercantile transport ships, their periods of service and ultimate fates. Even harbor service craft are included, right down to the humble ‘heaters’ that supplied warmth to icebound warships in the depth of the Russian winters.

This volume concludes with a number of important appendices on subjects like weaponry and a massive cross-referenced index that will allow readers to differentiate between ships of the same name and to track every name change.

This is undoubtedly one of the most important naval reference works of recent years and will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in warships, the Soviet Navy or wider maritime aspects of the Second World War. Furthermore, as recent Russian actions appear to revive Soviet-era aspirations, this book offers both new insights and valuable background of contemporary relevance.

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Dedication
• Copyright
• Contents
  • 22. Staff & communication ships and boats
  • 23. Dispatch ships
  • 24. Surveying vessels
    • 24.1. Naval constructions
    • 24.2. Conversions
      • 24.2.1. Naval conversions
      • 24.2.2. Mercantile conversions
    • 24.3. Surveying boats
    • 24.4. Naval pilot boats
    • 24.5. Lightships
  • 25. Salvage vessels
    • 25.1. Naval construction
    • 25.2. EPRON mobilised fleet
      • 25.2.1. Salvage vessels
      • 25.2.2. Salvage tugs
    • 25.3. Conversions
    • 25.4. Salvage depot ships
      • 25.4.1. Naval conversions
      • 25.4.2. Mercantile conversions
    • 25.5. Diving tenders
    • 25.6. Firefighting vessels
  • 26. Depot ships
    • 26.1 Naval constructions
      • 26.1.1 War prizes
        • 26.1.1.1. Romania, 1944
    • 26.2. Naval conversions
    • 26.3. Lend-Lease
    • 26.4. Mercantile conversions
      • 26.4.1. Spanish Civil War remnants, 1939
      • 26.4.2. War prizes
        • 26.4.2.1. Poland, 1939
        • 26.4.2.2. The Baltics, 1940
        • 26.4.2.3. Southeast Europe, 1944
        • 26.4.2.4. Germany, 1944
  • 27. Training ships
    • 27.1. Naval constructions
      • 27.1.1. War prizes – bulgaria, 1944
    • 27.2. Mercantile conversions
      • 27.2.1. Spanish Civil War remnants, 1939
      • 27.2.2. War prizes
        • 27.2.2.1. Finland, 1940
        • 27.2.2.2. The Baltics, 1940
        • 27.2.2.3. Romania, 1944
  • 28. Sanitary transport ships
    • 28.1. Seagoing ships
      • 28.1.1. Spanish Civil War remnants, 1939
      • 28.1.2. War prizes
        • 28.1.2.1. Finland, 1940
        • 28.1.2.2. Estonia, 1940
    • 28.2. Inshore and riverine ships
      • 28.2.1. War prizes
        • 28.2.1.1. Estonia, 1940
        • 28.1.2.1. Romania, 1940
  • 29. Icebreakers
    • 29.1. Icebreakers of the line
    • 29.2. Seagoing icebreakers
      • 29.2.1. Former Russian
      • 29.2.2. Gift of Canada
      • 29.2.3. Lend-Lease
      • 29.2.4. War prizes: Estonia, 1940
    • 29.3. Icebreaking transports
    • 29.4. Harbour icebreakers
  • 30. Transport ships
    • 30.1. Seagoing ships
      • 30.1.1. Former Russian
      • 30.1.2. The NEP fleet
      • 30.1.3. Purchases & recoveries
      • 30.1.4. New construction
      • 30.1.5. Lend-Lease
      • 30.1.6. Spanish Civil War remnants, 1939
      • 30.1.7. War prizes
        • 30.1.7.1. Finland, 1940
        • 30.1.7.2. The Baltic States, 1940
        • 30.1.7.3. Germany, 1941–1945
    • 30.2. Inshore vessels
      • 30.2.1. The Northern Fleet
      • 30.2.2. The Baltic Fleet
        • 30.2.2.1. War prizes: Estonia, 1940
      • 30.2.3. The Black Sea Fleet
        • 30.2.3.1. List of the Black Sea Fleet inshore transportation craft
          • 30.2.3.1.1. Schooners and seiners
          • 30.2.3.1.2. Motorboats
      • 30.2.4. The Pacific Fleet
    • 30.3. Riverine vessels
      • 30.3.1. The Amur Flotilla
      • 30.3.2. The Volga Flotilla
      • 30.3.3. The Danube Flotilla
  • 31. Oilers
    • 31.1. Tankers
      • 31.1.1. Former Russian ships
      • 31.1.2. Purchases
      • 31.1.3. Miscellaneous
      • 31.1.3. New constructions
      • 31.1.4. Conversions
      • 31.1.5. Lend-Lease
    • 31.2. Floating oil reservoirs
  • 32. Water carriers
    • 32.1. Russian naval constructions
    • 32.2. Conversions
  • 33. Tugs
    • 33.1 Seagoing and coastal tugs
      • 33.1.1. The Northern Fleet and the White Sea Flotilla
      • 33.1.2. The Baltic Fleet and the Lagoda and Onega Flotillas
      • 33.1.3. The Black Sea Fleet and the Azov Flotilla
      • 33.1.4. The Pacific Fleet
    • 33.2. Riverine tugs
      • 33.2.1. Oil carriers (tugs)
      • 33.2.2. General purpose tugs
  • 34. Experimental and special purpose vessels
  • 35. Cable layers
  • 36. Harbour vessels
    • 36.1. Heaters
    • 36.2. Guardships
    • 36.3. Floating workshops
    • 36.4. Floating docks
    • 36.5. Hulks
    • 36.6. Floating degaussing stations
    • 36.7. Mooring vessels and Dredgers
    • 36.8. Miscellaneous
  • 37. Ex-enemy ships acquired after the end of hostilities
  • 38. Armament and sensors
    • 38.1. Artillery and machine guns
      • 38.1.1. Heavy calibre guns
      • 38.1.2. Medium calibre guns
      • 38.1.3. Light calibre guns
      • 38.1.4. Light calibre QF guns
      • 38.1.5. Tank turret guns
      • 38.1.6. Automatic aa guns
      • 38.1.7. Machine guns
    • 38.2. Torpedo weapons
      • 38.2.1. Torpedoes
      • 38.2.2. Torpedo-tubes
    • 38.3. Anti-submarine weapons
      • 38.3.1. Depth charges
      • 38.3.2. Thrower
    • 38.4. Rockets
      • 38.4.1. Projectiles
      • 38.4.2. Launchers
    • 38.5. Mine warfare
      • 38.5.1. Mines
        • 38.5.1.1. Moored mines for surface vessels
        • 38.5.1.2. Moored mines for submarines
        • 38.5.1.3. Sweep obstructors
      • 38.5.2 Sweeps
        • 38.5.2.1. Wire sweeps
        • 38.5.2.2. Magnetic sweeps
        • 38.5.2.3. Electromagnetic sweeps
        • 38.5.2.4. Acoustic sweeps
        • 38.5.2.5. Paravanes
    • 38.6. Sensors
      • 38.6.1. Radars
      • 38.6.2. Sonars
      • 38.6.3. Hydrophone listening gears
      • 38.6.4. Submarine periscopes
  • 39. Project numbers
    • 39.1. Central register of Peoples’ Commissariats of the Heavy Industry
    • 39.2. Register of Peoples’ Commissariats of the River Fleet
      • 39.2.1. Register of the design bureau of the Leninskaia kuznitsa Yd (No 300) at Kiev
      • 39.2.2. Rechsudoproekt (TsKB-50) numbers
    • 39.3. Register of the NKVD
  • 40. Enemy losses of warships inflicted by ships of the Soviet Navy
  • 41. Afterword
  • 42. Alterations & Additions
  • 43. Future updates