K-21 submarine

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K-21 submarine

Post by shipstamps » Fri Oct 17, 2008 4:43 pm


The submarine depict on this stamp issued by Russia is most probably the K-21 one of the Katjusa class of which 12 were built.
10 December 1937 laid down under yard No 196 by Sudomekh (Leningrad) shipyard.
16 August 1939 launched as K-21.
Displacement 1.480/2.095 tons, length 97.70m.
Power 8.400 hp surfaced, 2.400 hp submerged, speed 22.5 knots, submerged, 10 knots submerged.
Armament 8 torpedo tubes, four bow, four stern, carried 22 torpedoes. 2 – 10cm, 2 – 4.5cm guns.
Crew 65.
03 February 1941 commissioned in the Red Banner Fleet in the Baltic.

22 June 1941 under command of Captain-Lieutenant A Zhukov, when war started between the Soviet Union and Germany, transferred from the Baltic via the White Sea-Baltic cannel to North Russia.
28 August 1941 she arrived at Molotovsk (Severodvinsk).
17 September 1941 joined the Northern Navy, and after a training period she arrived at Polyamy on 24 October 1941.
23 October 1941 was she detected by the German submarine U-576 in the approaches to the White Sea.
09 November 1941 on patrol off Hammerfest, she fires two torpedoes on a merchant ship, both torpedoes miss their targets.
11 November 1941 the Norway freighter BESSHEIM (1.774), under German control is mined and sunk, with the loss of five lives off Hammerfest in position 70 39N, 23 38E. The mine was laid by the K-21.
12 November 1941 she detected an enemy convoy, she attacks the German auxiliary patrol vessel V6109 (NORDWIND) at 14.20 hours with three torpedoes in position 70 43N 24 04 E, but all torpedoes miss target.
14.29 She fires two torpedoes at an other merchant ship of approx. 5000 gross, but this also were misses.
Then she was pursued by enemy escorts, 8 depth-charges were dropped, damaging a fuel tank of the K-21. She returned to her base for repair.

08 January 1942 on patrol between Loppen Island and Sere Island.
13 January 1942 she fired two torpedoes at the German freighter FECHENHEIM in position 70 50N 23 50W, both shots miss target.
04 March 1942 she sank the Norwegian fishing vessel F223N (15 ton) by two shots of her 10cm guns.
Command was taken over by Captain N.A. Lunin.
From 11 till 14 March 1942 took part in the rescue operations to help SHCH-420, she delivered 8 tons of fuel and 120 litres of diesel oil to SHCH-402 on 13 March.
31 March 1942 she attacked a German convoy off the Syltefjord, and fired some torpedoes on the German freighter ADMIRAL KARL HERING but all torpedoes missed.

05 July 1942 she fired four stern torpedoes at the German battleship TIRPITZ off Ingø Island in position 71 22N 24 04E, but again the torpedoes miss their target.
09 July 1942 the German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ 1110 (527 GRT) is mined and sunk off the Mageröysund, the mine was laid either by the K-21 or the K-3.
16 August 1942 she lays a minefield in Lopphavet.
19 August 1942 fires four torpedoes at the French freighter under German control SÉVRE (5.089 grt) and two small escorts in Lopphavet in position 70 27N 21 39E, again all torpedoes missed their target.

23 October 1942 The K-21 was awarded the Red Banner Award.

12 February 1943, when on a passage to her patrol position, a fire broke out in her 5th compartment, which was extinguished by the crew within 4 hours. K-21 was thereafter unable to dive, and explosions were placed by the crew to sink her when needed. Damage was repaired by the crew, when the submarine was on the surface, 17 February repairs completed, and the K-21 proceeded to her patrol area.

19 February 1943 she landed a recon group in the corresponding area.
20 February 1943 at 02.55 detected a submarine, and tried to ram her, but the submarine dived before.

02 April 1943 arrived at her combat mission area, but returned to base for repair on her fin, which was damaged during undocking at her berth.
03 April 1943 lightly damaged by a near miss bomb when under repair in dock at Roste.

.12 April 1943 she shelled Norwegian fishing vessels during two hours, fired 44 10cm shells, sinks the FROCY and the HAVEGGA and OISTEIN were damaged, 7 men from SKREIN were captured and the SKREIN abandoned.
The K-21 sailor A.Labutin was washed overboard and captured by the seine-netter BAREN.

27 June 1943 she came at her patrol area, but short circuit in her starboard electric engine forced her back to base for repair.
After repair she returned back to her patrol area, but on 26 June 1943 due to stern diving planes trouble, after she had made a crash-dive, she returned to Polyamy base for repair.

23 December 1943 Lunin was relieved by Z.Arvanov.

10 April 1944 she laid mines.

Since 15 April 1945 under repair and refit.
11 September 1954 stricken from Navy list, and reequipped into a recharge station.
24 July 1983 after repair in Polyamy, she became a memorial submarine and a branch of the North Navy in Sveromorsk.
2007 Still there.

On Russia 2007

Source: http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5126.html http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=126564

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