Soviet cruiser Krasnyi Krym
Encyclopedia
Krasnyi Krym ( - Red Crimea) was a light cruiser
of the Soviet Navy
. She was laid down in 1913 as Svetlana for the Imperial Russian Navy
, the lead ship of the . She was built by the Russo-Baltic Yard in Tallinn
, Estonia and launched in 1915. Her hull was evacuated to Petrograd when the Germans approached the port in late 1917 and laid up incomplete during the Russian Revolution
. The ship was completed by the Soviets in 1926. During World War II
she supported Soviet troops during the Siege of Odessa, Siege of Sevastopol, and the Kerch-Feodosiya Operation in the winter of 1941—42. Krasnyi Krym was awarded the Guards
title on 18 June 1942. The ship was reclassified as a training ship in November 1954 before being scrapped in July 1959.
to St. Petersburg in November 1917 she was about 90% complete and the Soviets expected to commission her in 1919, but she was laid up incomplete due to the disruptions of the Russian Civil War
. It wasn't until November 1924 that work recommenced on her and she was renamed Profintern on 5 February 1925. She was completed in October 1926, but she had to return to the dockyard to remedy numerous problems and wasn't commissioned until 1 July 1928.
Profintern was completed to nearly her original design, but was modified to handle aircraft by adding cranes on either side of the middle funnel and a parking area was built for them between the central and rear funnels, although no catapult
was ever fitted. Her original internal torpedo tubes were replaced by two triple 450 millimetres (17.7 in) torpedo tubes mounted on the deck abaft the rear funnel. And her original four 38-caliber 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) anti-aircraft guns
were replaced by nine 30-caliber 3 inches (76.2 mm) Lender AA guns.
Initially based in the Baltic she was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet
in 1929, arriving on 18 January 1930, together with the battleship Parizhskaya Kommunna
. She was extensively overhauled in the late 1930s where her aircraft equipment was removed and she was fitted with new fire control equipment. The ship was given three Italian Minizini twin-gun 50-caliber 100 millimetres (3.9 in) anti-aircraft
mounts, one was placed on the forecastle, in front of the forward 130 mm (5.1 in)/55 B7 Pattern 1913
gun and the other two on each side of the quarterdeck. Four single mounts for the semi-automatic 45 millimetres (1.8 in) 21-K gun
were fitted as well as seven 12.7 millimetre (0.5 in) AA machine guns. At some point she exchanged her 21-K AA guns for ten single mounts for the naval version of the 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K). Profintern was renamed Krasnyi Krym on 31 October 1939
and escorted convoys bringing the 157th Rifle Division into Odessa during the month of September 1941. She also transported two battalions of the 3rd Marine Regiment from Sevastopol
in a successful amphibious assault behind Romanian lines to destroy Romanian coastal batteries near Fontanka and Dofinovka. She escorted convoys from 3—6 October that evacuated the 157th Rifle Division from Odessa to Sevastopol. During the Siege of Sevastopol, the ship provided gunfire support and evacuated cut-off troops from elsewhere in the Crimea into Sevastopol and brought in reinforcements from Caucasian ports. She helped to transport the 388th Rifle Division from Novorossisk and Tuapse
to Sevastopol between 7 and 13 December and the 354th Rifle Division between 21 and 22 December, bombarding German position in the interim.
During the Kerch-Feodosiya Operation, Krasnyi Krym sailed into the harbor of Feodosiya on 29 December 1941 and disembarked reinforcements and provided gunfire support for Soviet troops already ashore. She was hit eleven times by Axis artillery and mortar fire in retaliation. Between 15 and 21 January 1942 she landed the bulk of the 266th Mountain Regiment at Sudak
and reinforced them with 1576 troops of the 544th Rifle Regiment between 23 and 26 January. During the following months Krasnyi Krym brought in reinforcements for the garrison of Sevastopol and evacuated the wounded, sometimes bombarding German positions enroute, her last such mission being on 3 June 1942, after the Germans had already launched the attack that would force the city to surrender in July. She was awarded the Guards
title on 18 June in recognition of her performance.
Krasnyi Krym and the destroyer Nezamozhnik evacuated 2000 men from Novorossisk to Batumi
between 9—12 August, a regiment of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division on 12—13 August and a further 1850 men and 60 tons of supplies on 16—17 August 1942. Between 8—11 September Krasnyi Krym and several destroyers ferried the 137th and 145th Rifle Regiments along with the 3rd Naval Rifle Brigade from Poti
to Tuapse
and Gelendzhik
. Between 20 and 23 October Krasnyi Krym, her half-sister Krasny Kavkaz, and three destroyers ferried 12,600 men of the 8th, 9th and 10th Guards Infantry Brigades from Poti to Tuapse to reinforce the defenses there. Krasnyi Krym, two destroyers and a number of minesweepers transported the 9th Mountain Rifle Division from Batumi
to Tuapse from 1—10 December 1942. On the night of 4 February 1943 the Soviets made a series of amphibious landings to the west of Novorossisk, behind German lines. Krasnyi Krym, Krasny Kavkaz, and three destroyers provided fire support for the main landing, but the Soviet troops there were wiped out by 6 February, although one secondary landing was successful. The loss of three destroyers attempting to interdict the German evacuation of the Taman Bridgehead on 6 October 1943 caused Stalin
to forbid the deployment of large naval units without his express permission and this meant the end of Krasnyi Kryms active participation in the war.
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
of the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
. She was laid down in 1913 as Svetlana for the Imperial Russian Navy
Imperial Russian Navy
The Imperial Russian Navy refers to the Tsarist fleets prior to the February Revolution.-First Romanovs:Under Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, construction of the first three-masted ship, actually built within Russia, was completed in 1636. It was built in Balakhna by Danish shipbuilders from Holstein...
, the lead ship of the . She was built by the Russo-Baltic Yard in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia and launched in 1915. Her hull was evacuated to Petrograd when the Germans approached the port in late 1917 and laid up incomplete during the Russian Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. The ship was completed by the Soviets in 1926. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she supported Soviet troops during the Siege of Odessa, Siege of Sevastopol, and the Kerch-Feodosiya Operation in the winter of 1941—42. Krasnyi Krym was awarded the Guards
Guards unit
Guards units are elite units and formations in the armed forces of the former Soviet Union, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. These units were awarded Guards status after distinguishing themselves in service, and are considered to have elite status. The Guards designation originated during the...
title on 18 June 1942. The ship was reclassified as a training ship in November 1954 before being scrapped in July 1959.
Service history
When Svetlana was towed from TallinnTallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
to St. Petersburg in November 1917 she was about 90% complete and the Soviets expected to commission her in 1919, but she was laid up incomplete due to the disruptions of the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
. It wasn't until November 1924 that work recommenced on her and she was renamed Profintern on 5 February 1925. She was completed in October 1926, but she had to return to the dockyard to remedy numerous problems and wasn't commissioned until 1 July 1928.
Profintern was completed to nearly her original design, but was modified to handle aircraft by adding cranes on either side of the middle funnel and a parking area was built for them between the central and rear funnels, although no catapult
Aircraft catapult
An aircraft catapult is a device used to launch aircraft from ships—in particular aircraft carriers—as a form of assisted take off. It consists of a track built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in...
was ever fitted. Her original internal torpedo tubes were replaced by two triple 450 millimetres (17.7 in) torpedo tubes mounted on the deck abaft the rear funnel. And her original four 38-caliber 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) anti-aircraft guns
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
were replaced by nine 30-caliber 3 inches (76.2 mm) Lender AA guns.
Initially based in the Baltic she was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
in 1929, arriving on 18 January 1930, together with the battleship Parizhskaya Kommunna
Sevastopol (1911 ship)
Sevastopol was the first ship completed of the s of the Imperial Russian Navy, built before World War I. The Ganguts were the first class of Russian dreadnoughts. She was named after the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. She was completed during the winter of 1914–15, but was not ready...
. She was extensively overhauled in the late 1930s where her aircraft equipment was removed and she was fitted with new fire control equipment. The ship was given three Italian Minizini twin-gun 50-caliber 100 millimetres (3.9 in) anti-aircraft
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
mounts, one was placed on the forecastle, in front of the forward 130 mm (5.1 in)/55 B7 Pattern 1913
130 mm/55 B7 Pattern 1913
The 130mm/55 B7 Pattern 1913 naval gun was a 5.1-inch naval gun used predominantly on ships of the Imperial Russian Navy and later by the Soviet Navy. It was manufactured mainly by the Obukhov State Plant in St. Petersburg, as well as under licence by Vickers Limited in Great Britain...
gun and the other two on each side of the quarterdeck. Four single mounts for the semi-automatic 45 millimetres (1.8 in) 21-K gun
45 mm anti-aircraft gun (21-K)
The 45 mm anti-aircraft gun was a Soviet design adapted from the 45 mm anti-tank gun M1937 . This was a copy of a German weapon designed by Rheinmetall that was sold to the Soviets before Hitler came to power in 1933 that had been enlarged to in increase its penetrating power...
were fitted as well as seven 12.7 millimetre (0.5 in) AA machine guns. At some point she exchanged her 21-K AA guns for ten single mounts for the naval version of the 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K). Profintern was renamed Krasnyi Krym on 31 October 1939
World War II
Krasnyi Krym provided gunfire support to Soviet forces defending OdessaOdessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
and escorted convoys bringing the 157th Rifle Division into Odessa during the month of September 1941. She also transported two battalions of the 3rd Marine Regiment from Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
in a successful amphibious assault behind Romanian lines to destroy Romanian coastal batteries near Fontanka and Dofinovka. She escorted convoys from 3—6 October that evacuated the 157th Rifle Division from Odessa to Sevastopol. During the Siege of Sevastopol, the ship provided gunfire support and evacuated cut-off troops from elsewhere in the Crimea into Sevastopol and brought in reinforcements from Caucasian ports. She helped to transport the 388th Rifle Division from Novorossisk and Tuapse
Tuapse
Tuapse is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. It serves as the administrative center of Tuapsinsky District, although administratively it is separate from it...
to Sevastopol between 7 and 13 December and the 354th Rifle Division between 21 and 22 December, bombarding German position in the interim.
During the Kerch-Feodosiya Operation, Krasnyi Krym sailed into the harbor of Feodosiya on 29 December 1941 and disembarked reinforcements and provided gunfire support for Soviet troops already ashore. She was hit eleven times by Axis artillery and mortar fire in retaliation. Between 15 and 21 January 1942 she landed the bulk of the 266th Mountain Regiment at Sudak
Sudak
Sudak or Sudaq is a small historic town located in Crimea, Ukraine situated to the west of Feodosiya and to the east of Simferopol, the capital of Crimea...
and reinforced them with 1576 troops of the 544th Rifle Regiment between 23 and 26 January. During the following months Krasnyi Krym brought in reinforcements for the garrison of Sevastopol and evacuated the wounded, sometimes bombarding German positions enroute, her last such mission being on 3 June 1942, after the Germans had already launched the attack that would force the city to surrender in July. She was awarded the Guards
Guards unit
Guards units are elite units and formations in the armed forces of the former Soviet Union, Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. These units were awarded Guards status after distinguishing themselves in service, and are considered to have elite status. The Guards designation originated during the...
title on 18 June in recognition of her performance.
Krasnyi Krym and the destroyer Nezamozhnik evacuated 2000 men from Novorossisk to Batumi
Batumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
between 9—12 August, a regiment of the 32nd Guards Rifle Division on 12—13 August and a further 1850 men and 60 tons of supplies on 16—17 August 1942. Between 8—11 September Krasnyi Krym and several destroyers ferried the 137th and 145th Rifle Regiments along with the 3rd Naval Rifle Brigade from Poti
Poti
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the west of the country. Built near the site of the ancient Greek colony of Phasis, the city has become a major port city and industrial center since the early 20th century. It is also...
to Tuapse
Tuapse
Tuapse is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. It serves as the administrative center of Tuapsinsky District, although administratively it is separate from it...
and Gelendzhik
Gelendzhik
Gelendzhik is a resort town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the Gelendzhik Bay of the Black Sea, between Novorossiysk and Tuapse . Greater Gelendzhik sprawls for along the coastline and covers an area of 122,754 ha...
. Between 20 and 23 October Krasnyi Krym, her half-sister Krasny Kavkaz, and three destroyers ferried 12,600 men of the 8th, 9th and 10th Guards Infantry Brigades from Poti to Tuapse to reinforce the defenses there. Krasnyi Krym, two destroyers and a number of minesweepers transported the 9th Mountain Rifle Division from Batumi
Batumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
to Tuapse from 1—10 December 1942. On the night of 4 February 1943 the Soviets made a series of amphibious landings to the west of Novorossisk, behind German lines. Krasnyi Krym, Krasny Kavkaz, and three destroyers provided fire support for the main landing, but the Soviet troops there were wiped out by 6 February, although one secondary landing was successful. The loss of three destroyers attempting to interdict the German evacuation of the Taman Bridgehead on 6 October 1943 caused Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
to forbid the deployment of large naval units without his express permission and this meant the end of Krasnyi Kryms active participation in the war.