Soviet submarine L-3

55.7271360°N 37.4989882°E / 55.7271360; 37.4989882

L-3 Memorial
History
NameL-3 Фрунзенец (Frunzenets)
Launched8 August 1931
Decommissioned15 February 1971
FateBroken up, with conning tower preserved as a memorial
General characteristics
Displacement
  • 1,200 tons surfaced
  • 1,335 tons submerged
Length81 m (265 ft 9 in)
Beam7.5 m (24 ft 7 in)
Draft4.08 m (13 ft 5 in)
Propulsion
  • Diesel-electric
  • 2 × diesels (1,600 hp total)
  • 2 × electric motors (1,250 hp total)
  • 2 shafts
Speed
  • 14 knots (26 km/h) surfaced
  • 9 knots (17 km/h) submerged
Range
  • 7,400 nmi (13,700 km) at 9 kn (17 km/h) surfaced
  • 154 nmi (285 km) at 3 kn (5.6 km/h) submerged
Complement53
Armament
  • 1 × 100 mm (3.9 in) L/68 gun
  • 1 × 45 mm (1.8 in) gun
  • 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern)
  • 12 × torpedoes
  • 14 × mines
Service record
Part of: Baltic Fleet
Commanders: Vladimir Konovalov (1943–1945)
Victories: German transport ship Goya (1945)

The World War II Soviet submarine L-3 belonged to the L-class or Leninets class of minelayer submarines. It had been named Bolshevik and later Frunzenets, before it was decided that submarines should stop having names and carry numbers instead.[1]

Under Captain of the 3rd Rank Vladimir Konovalov, L-3 was one of the most successful Soviet submarines of World War II. On 16 April 1945, it sank the German refugee transport MV Goya, an event that (if calculated by loss of life) is deemed to be one of the worst marine disasters ever, when 6,000 to 7,000 people died in the icy waters of the Baltic Sea.

After the dismantling of the submarine, part of it was used as the monument in Liepāja, though the monument was relocated to Moscow in 1995. Today, the conning tower of L-3 is on display in Moscow as a monument in Park Pobedy ("Victory Park") at Poklonnaya Gora museum.[2]

Ships sunk by L-3[3]
Date Ship Flag Tonnage Notes
1 October 1941 Kaija Latvia 1876 GRT freighter (mine)
19 November 1941 Henny Nazi Germany 764 GRT freighter (mine)
22 November 1941 Uno Sweden 430 GRT tanker (mine-unconfirmed)
26 November 1941 Engerau Nazi Germany 1142 GRT freighter (mine)
18 August 1942 C.F. Liljevalch Sweden 5492 GRT freighter (torpedo)
25 August 1942 Franz Bohmke Nazi Germany 210 GRT freighter (mine)
17 November 1942 Hindenburg Nazi Germany 7880 GRT freighter (mine)
9 December 1942 Edith Bosselmann Nazi Germany 952 GRT freighter (mine)
5 February 1943 Tristan Nazi Germany  ? GRT freighter (mine – probably)
5 February 1943 Grundsee Nazi Germany 866 GRT freighter (mine – probably)
30 March 1943 U-416 Nazi Germany 769 GRT submarine (mine – later recovered)
20 November 1944 T-34 Nazi Germany 1294 GRT large torpedo boat (mine)
29 January 1945 Henry Lutgens Nazi Germany 1141 GRT merchant (mine)
23 March 1945 M-3138 Nazi Germany 112 GRT auxiliary minesweeper (mine)
30 March 1945 Jersbek Nazi Germany 2804 GRT merchant (mine – possibly)
17 April 1945 Goya Nazi Germany 5230 GRT transport ship (torpedo)
Total:30,965 GRT

Mines laid by L-3 also damaged the German sailing vessel Albert Leo Schlageter (1634 GRT) and the German icebreaker Pollux (4191 GRT).[4]

L-3 is the twelfth-highest-scoring Soviet submarine (not counting ships sunk by mines she laid), with 10,722 GRT sunk.

Trivia

In the book and subsequent film The Hunt for Red October, the fictional Soviet Alfa class nuclear-powered attack submarine is named the V.K. Konovalov.

References
  1. "National Submarine Fleet Encyclopedia". Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  2. "Poklonaya Gora state museum". Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  3. "L-3". Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  4. "L-3". Retrieved 6 October 2014.
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