Monitors of the Khasan type (Project 1190) were a series of Soviet river monitors built in 1936–1942 to defend the lower Amur from a possible Japanese attack. Three vessels were built in all: Khasan, Perekop, and Sivash. They were built at the Gorky-based Krasnoye Sormovo Plant (Plant No. 112); the sections were then shipped by rail to Khabarovsk, where the vessels were laid down again at Plant No. 368.[1] The monitors served in the Soviet Navy from 1942 to 1960.[1]
Background to the creation
In the early 1930s, Komsomolsk-on-Amur was developing rapidly in the Far East, planned as a major industrial center. The physical and geographical conditions of the Tatar Strait and the lower Amur called for specialized vessels capable of defending the Far Eastern frontiers, engaging enemy ships, and striking shore targets. Western analogues were unsuitable: the British monitors of the Erebus type addressed too narrow a range of tasks, while the Finnish coastal defense ships of the "Väinämöinen" type, for all their seaworthiness and armored design, were too large for the full-flowing Amur. A hybrid of monitor and coastal defense ship was seen as the optimal solution.[1]
Construction
The development assignment was issued in March 1936; all three monitors were laid down at the Krasnoye Sormovo Plant on April 18, 1936. On March 2, 1938, the People's Commissar of the Navy approved changes to the design, which was already under construction: displacement increased, the number of main-battery turrets was reduced from four to three, and a twin 76-mm 39-K anti-aircraft mount appeared in place of the fourth turret.[1]
The hull had a flat-bottomed form with an icebreaker-style bow, reinforcements for navigation in ice, and a small forecastle that ensured seaworthiness up to Sea State 5–7. The framing was riveted, while the outer plating and deck were welded. Side height amidships was 4 m, initial metacentric height was 1.4 m; overall length was 88.03 m, beam 11.09 m, and draft 2.94 m.[2]
Construction proceeded slowly. B-28 turrets were originally planned, but because of the protracted design work and the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, only the lead ship, Khasan, was fitted with turrets of this type. For Perekop and Sivash, B-2-LMT turrets were manufactured in 1946, and these were later installed on Perekop as well.[1]
Khasan was launched on August 30, 1940[2], and entered service on December 26, 1942. Perekop entered service on October 7, 1943 — initially with shielded B-13-2s guns. Sivash was completed only after the war ended.[1]
Technical specifications and armament
The standard displacement of the monitors was 1,729 tons, and the full displacement was 1,900 tons. The power plant, built around 38-KR diesel engines, provided a speed of 15.4 knots and a range of 5,920 miles. The crew numbered 251.[1]
The main-caliber artillery consisted of six 130 mm guns in three twin-gun turrets. The anti-aircraft armament included four 76 mm guns (two twin mounts) and six 45 mm guns (three twin mounts), as well as ten 12.7 mm machine guns. The anti-submarine armament was 12 M-1 depth charges; the mine armament was 29 mines of the 1929 model. Armor: belt 37.5–75 mm, deck 20–40 mm, turrets 75 mm, conning tower 100 mm.[1]
The Role of the Krasnoye Sormovo Plant
All three monitors of the class were laid down at the Gorky-based Krasnoye Sormovo Plant, one of the country's leading shipbuilding enterprises. The plant carried out the initial construction of the hulls and main structures, after which the sections were sent by rail to the Far East for final assembly and completion at Plant No. 368 in Khabarovsk.[1] The scheme of "construction in the Volga Region, assembly at the place of service" was dictated by the need to deliver river warships to the Amur basin while bypassing sea routes.
Sources
- wiki.lesta.ru — Monitors of the Khasan Type
- weldingmuseum.com — August 30, 1940