Soviet submarine A-3

Soviet Submarine A-3 was a Soviet Submarine from the 1922 constructed A (AG) Class and served during World War II.[1]

History
 Soviet Navy
Name:  Soviet Navy A-3
Owner: Soviet Union Navy
Builder: Associated Factories And Shipyards Of Nikolayev
Laid down: 11 July 1921
Launched: 5 April 1922
Completed: May 1922
Acquired: 24 May 1922
In service: 24 May 1922
Out of service: 28 October 1943
Fate: Sunk by depth charges on 28 October 1943
General characteristics
Class and type: A (AG) class
Type: Submarine
Displacement: 520 t (512 long tons) submerged
Length: 46 metres (150 ft 11 in)
Installed power:
  • 960 nhp (surfaced)
  • 480 nhp (submerged)
Propulsion: Batteries and Diesel
Speed:
  • 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph) surfaced
  • 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) submerged
Complement: 32 crew
Armament:
Service record
Operations: 19 Patrols
Victories: 1 ship sunk

Construction

A-3 was ordered on 14 September 1916 by the Soviet Navy. She was constructed in 1922 as part of the A (AG) Class along with her four sister submarines at the Associated Factories And Shipyards Of Nikolayev shipyard. She was launched on 5 April 1922 and was completed on 24 May 1922. The ship was 46 metres (150 ft 11 in) long and was assessed at 520 t (512 long tons) when submerged. The engine was rated at 960 nhp when surfaced. She was also renamed a number of times to Ag-25, Pl-18 and Marxist before she gained her old name again.[1]

War career

A-3 became part of the Black Sea fleet of the Soviet Navy at the start of the Second World War. In total she made 19 war patrols during the conflict with some notable events. On 2 May 1942 the A-3 fired a few torpedoes at the German merchant ships Arkadia and Salzburg when she was near Odessa, yet no torpedoes hit their targets. On 29 May 1942 the A-3 successfully sank the Romanian merchant ship Sulina when she was off Odessa. On 11 May 1943 the A-3 fired two torpedoes at the German barges Mal 1, Mal 2, and Mal 3 when they were off Yalta, but failed to hit any of them. The following day while the submarine was near Crimea she mistakenly fired two torpedoes at the wreck of the Soviet transport ship Fabritsius which had been sunk by a German bomber on 2 March 1942.[2]

Sinking

Although the fate of the A-3 is still unsure, it is assumed that the submarine was sunk by depth charges on 28 October 1943 by the German auxiliary anti-submarine ship Shiff 19 at Karkinit Bay at 46°10′N 31°55′E with the loss of all 32 crew. The wrecks current condition is unknown.[3]


Ships sunk by A-3 [4]
Date Ship Flag Tonnage Notes
20 May 1942 Sulina 3495 GRT freighter (torpedo)
12 May 1943 Fabritsius 2366 GRT freighter (torpedo)
Total:3495 GRT

References
  1. "A-3". uboat.net. 1995. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  2. "Definitive list of Black Sea Fleet submarines". wio.ru. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  3. "A-3 (Ag) (+1943)". wrecksite.eu. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  4. "A-3 of the Soviet Navy - Submarine of the A (AG) class - Allied Warships of WWII". uboat.net. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
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