“EASILY TRANSPORTED PROPERTY”

 

Not ready for war were also domestic developments. Perhaps the most interesting of them and the most promising in specific settings near the blockade of Port Arthur was truly a mysterious mini-submarine “Peter Cat”. Her fate is shrouded in mystery. It was created by two true descendant of the legendary mechanics Kulibina: inventor Lieutenant E. V. Kolbasiev and naval engineer N. N. Kuteinikov. First in the beginning of the XX century, developed the project, and the second in 1901 built a 15-metre boat in the workshops of the port of Kronstadt. The secrecy was kept full, so that the finished “product” allegedly even did not enter the fleet! Meanwhile, Kuteinikov introduced an extremely useful industrial innovation, which is so no one then and not know. (In the years of the world war, the Germans “invented” it again.) We are talking about the way housing Assembly of separate finished sections. “Peter Cat” there were nine of them, and the biggest weight was barely over half a ton. Sections fastened together by bolts in just six hours. In the end, the boat turned out very transportable: after dismantling all the compartments were placed on the same railway platform or in the standard freight car. In fact, Russia was able to gain extremely promising subversive weapon. Such a submarine could even bring on a merchant ship closer to the enemy base, collect in a special compartment in the night and gently lowered into the water to attack. (After all, the weight of the boat does not exceed 20 tons, one fifth of which was accounted for by the batteries.) No wonder the project was interested in the well-known innovator, and the “marine commando” in the Russian-Turkish war Admiral S. O. Makarov; perhaps he even took part in the development – due to the truly draconian secrecy any documents left.

 

Looked the boat is simple and rational: the long flat sides of the cylinder with a very small cutting and horizontal rudders at both ends. A highlight of the project was the means of movement. Kolbasiev decided to use a small low-noise motors (only six pieces), each of which rotates its own shaft and screw. The idea is that this design promised excellent maneuverability without any vertical control surfaces; it was enough to change the speed of the corresponding motor. But in fact, the submarine was “super maneuverable” is any random speed change (inevitable when powered by the then batteries) have led to the fact that “Peter the Cat” was off course. Oh, and most importantly: the range of stroke in a total inability to load your batteries in the campaign, it is not hard to figure out was no good.

 

However, for the waters of Port Arthur, this collapsible (and cheap) “saboteur” with two 380-mm torpedoes could be very useful. You might expect that she was sent to the far East, fortunately, it was the only car. According to most sources, it did so. But then the mystery becomes too dense: in one of the memories of the port Arthur seafarers ‘ says nothing about the mysterious boat. Historians usually point out that it flooded before the surrender of the fortress. Curious if, according to the testimony of a prominent scientist and shipbuilder A. N. Krylov, he personally saw “Cat” in 1907 in the remote Sevastopol. And before that, in 1902 in the capital. Rather, instead of the Far East mini-submarine was sent to the Black sea, where she then sunk into obscurity aura of its secrecy. In any case, the development Kolbasiev was very interesting, but it is possible and promising.

 

And yet our far East received their current mini-submarine. However, of foreign origin. Her “parent” was the Spanish engineer Raymondo Lorenzo d Aquila-Mangostin, whose name is often pronounced in the French style as d Equilio. Not surprising when you consider that he began his career as a Spanish grandee (he bore the title of Marquis) in France. And continued in Germany, where in 1902 and created the baby “Forelle”, built a year later, already then famous firm of Krupp. We will tell you more about it in the history of the German “U-boats”; meanwhile, it is important that the baby (a displacement of even a little less than “Peter the Cat”) has attracted the attention not only of Kaiser Wilhelm and his naval Minister Tirpitz, but also attracted the representatives of Russia, is feverishly seeking worldwide suitable underwater vessels for its fleet.

 

 

 

 

Here, patrons d Aquila, the owners of the company Krupp, made “knight’s move”, promising to give a beautiful toy if the Russian sailors will make an order for the more serious of the submarine. I must say that Germany had just begun to create their own regular submarine fleet, just in time to start construction of its first officially commissioned submarine (of course, Krupp), as broke the far East fire. Russia believed then the German Empire, if not quite an ally, as well as favorably situated to her power. Concerns remain “against the insidious samurai” without your underwater weapons demanded quick action. But it took more than three months of approvals and negotiations, and only at the end of may 1904, Krupp had signed a contract for the supply of three submarines of the same project that their own firstborn, “U-1”. Please presented “Forelle”, our side was in a hurry so much that even did not provide penalties for failure to comply with the terms of the contract! But testing of the finished boat was to be held at the beginning of 1905. Then they were supposed to be disassembled and transported by rail to Russia, where the submarine was waiting for a new and latest build that was supposed to spend a few months. It was believed that the “fish” (the boat called fish “Carp”, “Flounder” and “Carp”) could even keep up on the war.

 

But as you know, practice often differs from theory, and military shipbuilding that gives a huge number of examples. Was no exception and the German order. The boat was ready only by August 1905, long after the Tsushima disaster. Therefore, our Marine Ministry refused to deliver them by rail and offered to drive to Libau by sea, having at the same time, so to speak, the final test in the working environment. However, to experience until there was nothing. Russian officials carefully watched the construction of the German prototype, which was not an example of faster, noticed useful innovations and began to insist on their implementation in the “export version”. Interestingly, this did not stop then to blame Krupp in that he used a “customized” Russian boats as prototypes and the results of tests made changes in the national project, although the situation was just the opposite.

 

The Germans, however, rested not in a hurry to make a pretty costly improvements to existing ships, citing a signed contract. So, the “carp” left the bow (he only) torpedo tube, the outer end is tilted down. This feature is characteristic of surface destroyers (torpedo smoothly entered the water, not flopping on its surface), was totally unnecessary for shooting under water, and the Germans for their submarines have been abandoned. But the design of the Russian boat did not make the corresponding change.

 

The parties ‘ struggle proceeded with variable success for nearly two years. In the end, our Committee under the leadership of captain 1st rank M. I. Beklemishev was able to insist on the fact that a considerable number (about 60) claims to be resolved in Russia, but by German companies. Compromise was not a complete victory, but to delay the process of building a boat then it does not make any sense: on the stocks as Germany and other powers already laid much more advanced units. In the end, the last building the tests took place only in the summer of 1907, and in early autumn, all three submarines proceeded to the Baltic to Libau, entering into the Training squad of scuba diving. The head of the Commission has received invaluable experience which enabled him later to become a designer of submarines.

 

But “Forelle” had already long been in the Russian fleet; moreover, her age was coming to an end. But it is ripe just “for lunch.” In June 1904 “mobile protective pontoon”, as for reasons of secrecy referred to German gift arrived by railway from Kiel to Libau. As the boat Kolbasiev, equilibra “German” could be transported on a single platform. In the comfortable carriage of the same train went experts “Krupp”, whose task was to teach “these Russian” submarine case.

 

 

 

 

The boat even almost not been renamed: instead of “Forelle” they called it over in Russian-“the Trout”. Mastered the submarine very quickly, and in August of the same year, the boat has already sent to the far East. Unfortunately, not in Port Arthur, whose fate was considered solved and in Vladivostok, where it was at the end of September. And in next month’s “gift” has already sailed in the waters of the port. Great result, if you remember all the other attempts at the commissioning of submarines, steadily hopeless ending a delay to the end of the war and beyond – for years.

 

Of course, the military value of the Trout was from the start and then remained low. The only engine, as in “Peter the Cat”, the electric motor – could not deliver either high speed (not exceeding 3-4 knots), nor acceptable range (the boat could go 20 miles under that above the water). However, the psychological effect of its possible presence (something about “gift from the Krupp”, which can be easily transfer by rail, reached, apparently, Japan) was not zero. The Japanese sailors were very afraid of underwater threats, not allowing himself to stop for long for the bombardment of Vladivostok and hurriedly departed, quickly making his case. Some historians believe that the opportunity to get the torpedo out of the water saved the city from siege and fate of Port Arthur, but this is undoubtedly a very strong exaggeration. And after the end of hostilities purely experimental “Trout” was completely lost on the background of a much more perfect samples of submarines, with immeasurably increased performance and capabilities. Lost so much that disappeared and actually. Her final fate remains unknown; most likely, a small boat just quietly dismantled for the metal in a couple of years after the war.

 

What, to the “carp”, they are also likely to have been experimental, though the quality of German construction expected was high. Some innovations proved very successful, for example, 6 transverse bulkheads, dividing the hull on 7 insulated compartments, made of submarine for that time, literally unique in survivability. Looked promising in itself polutorakratnoe scheme; as well as “looked” kerosene engines Kerting – German “know-how” of the time. However, not all engineering solutions were successful. Ballast tanks were located almost equally as inside the pressure hull and outside it. While the latter was filled with water by gravity, and very slowly, which had a severe impact in case of a fast dive. Already in Russia they had to redo it. And internal, on the contrary, it was impossible to blow air under high pressure; they had to empty the pumps, respectively, also at a snail’s pace. Therefore, for the emergency ascent was intended as a throwback to the past century – 4 heavy drop keel in the lower part of the body. Only now their impact was extremely unfortunate that, as we shall see, affected subsequently. The list of “childhood diseases” can be continued on several pages: the cabin is isolated from the pressure hull and internal bulkheads are recent and have not been tested for leaks. To balance the boat in the horizontal plane provided the only bow differentone tank, so the steering had all the time diving under water to be active by its mechanisms, especially at the time of release of the torpedo. Another failed idea was the filling of free space between a light and strong body tube, which, in theory, was to provide full safety against buoyancy. But, again, trivial tube were swollen in water, its specific gravity greatly increased, and as a result the boat again acquired a negative buoyancy.

However, it is easy to remember that disadvantages of various kinds had the major competitors – submarine “from Holland”. And the Russian Navy turned out to be quite useful to have the opportunity to practice “feel” the products of various schools of underwater shipbuilding.