Soviet destroyer Redky (1941)

Redky was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers (officially known as Project 7) built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Originally named Pylky, she was renamed Redky before completion in 1942, and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet.

Aerial view of sister ship Razumny, March 1944
History
Soviet Union
Name	Redky
Ordered	2nd Five-Year Plan
Builder	Shipyard No. 198 (Andre Marti (South)), Nikolayev Shipyard No. 199, Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Laid down	28 September 1936 17 November 1938
Launched	28 September 1941
Completed	29 November 1942
Renamed	TsL-38, 18 April 1958
Reclassified	As a target ship, 18 April 1958
Stricken	17 February 1956
Fate	Sold for scrap, 26 February 1962
General characteristics (Gnevny as completed, 1938)
Class & type	Gnevny-class destroyer
Displacement	1,612 t (1,587 long tons) (standard)
Length	112.8 m (370 ft 1 in) (o/a)
Beam	10.2 m (33 ft 6 in)
Draft	4.8 m (15 ft 9 in)
Installed power	3 water-tube boilers 48,000 shp (36,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines
Speed	38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph)
Range	2,720 nmi (5,040 km; 3,130 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement	197 (236 wartime)
Sensors & processing systems	Mars hydrophone
Armament	4 × single 130 mm (5.1 in) guns 2 × single 76.2 mm (3 in) AA guns 2 × single 45 mm (1.8 in) AA guns 2 × single 12.7 mm (0.50 in) AA machineguns 2 × triple 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes 60–96 mines 2 × depth charge racks, 25 depth charges

Design and description

Having decided to build the large and expensive 40-knot (74 km/h; 46 mph) Leningrad-class destroyer leaders, the Soviet Navy sought Italian assistance in designing smaller and cheaper destroyers. They licensed the plans for the Folgore class and, in modifying it for their purposes, overloaded a design that was already somewhat marginally stable.^[1]

The Gnevnys had an overall length of 112.8 meters (370 ft 1 in), a beam of 10.2 meters (33 ft 6 in), and a draft of 4.8 meters (15 ft 9 in) at deep load. The ships were significantly overweight, almost 200 metric tons (197 long tons) heavier than designed, displacing 1,612 metric tons (1,587 long tons) at standard load and 2,039 metric tons (2,007 long tons) at deep load. Their crew numbered 197 officers and sailors in peacetime and 236 in wartime.^[2] The ships had a pair of geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller, rated to produce 48,000 shaft horsepower (36,000 kW) using steam from three water-tube boilers which was intended to give them a maximum speed of 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph).^[3] The designers had been conservative in rating the turbines and many, but not all, of the ships handily exceeded their designed speed during their sea trials. Others fell considerably short of it, although specific figures for most individual ships have not survived. Redky reached 37.4 knots (69.3 km/h; 43.0 mph) during her trials in 1942. Variations in fuel oil capacity meant that the range of the Gnevnys varied between 1,670 to 3,145 nautical miles (3,093 to 5,825 km; 1,922 to 3,619 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Redky herself demonstrated a range of 3,040 nmi (5,630 km; 3,500 mi) at that speed.^[4]

As built, the Gnevny-class ships mounted four 130-millimeter (5.1 in) B-13 guns in two pairs of superfiring single mounts fore and aft of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by a pair of 76.2-millimeter (3 in) 34-K AA guns in single mounts and a pair of 45-millimeter (1.8 in) 21-K AA guns^[5] as well as two 12.7-millimeter (0.50 in) DK or DShK machine guns. They carried six 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes in two rotating triple mounts; each tube was provided with a reload. The ships could also carry a maximum of either 60 or 95 mines and 25 depth charges. They were fitted with a set of Mars hydrophones for anti-submarine work, although they were useless at speeds over 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph).^[6] The ships were equipped with two K-1 paravanes intended to destroy mines and a pair of depth-charge throwers.^[7]

Construction and service

Major components for the ship that became Redky were laid down at Shipyard No. 198 (Andre Marti South) in Nikolayev on 28 September 1936 as yard number 328 and were then railed to Shipyard No. 199 at Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Siberia, for completion where the ship was laid down again on 17 November 1938 as Pylky. She was renamed Redky on 25 August 1940 and was launched on 28 September 1941 before she was commissioned on 29 November 1942.^[8]