Soviet Ship losses in the Black sea in WW II/GPW

[James A Pratt III]

I am looking for some more info on Soviet mostly merchant ship losses in the Black Sea in WW II/GPW

The Luftwaffe made the following ship claims:

30 Oct 41 III/StG 77 Im Hafen Noupatoria 2 ships sunk I have the merchant ship Uralles sunk off Evpatoria on 29 oct 41 by aircraft could the dates be wrong?

30 Oct 41 III/KG 51 Im Hafen Kertsch 2 ships sunk and 2 damaged

15 Jan 43 4(F)/122 claims a R-boot Gelendshik or Gelendzhik

1 mar 44 Kerch Straits 5 boats destroyed?

2 mar 44 Kerch Straits 2 ferries sunk ?

Any more info on the following Merchant ships ect sunk in the Black sea on these dates I got this info from a post on this site

30 Sep 41 Pugachev
17 Oct 41 Leningrad
27 Oct 41 Delegat
27 Oct 41 Volodarsky (tug)
4 Nov 41 Rot-Front
5 Nov 41 Rabotnik
19 Nov 41 Maykop
26 Dec 41 Fanagaria (tug)
26 Dec 41 Voroshilov
27 Dec 41 Penay
31 Dec 41 Krasnogiraneets

[igorr]

URALLES was sunk on 30.10.41 in 13.25msk on Eupatoria road by air strike. Also sunk was watchboat Nr. 045.
No ships was sunk or damaged in Kertch that day.
15.1.43 3 Ju.88 bombs aerodrome of Gelendzik not ships
No data about ships sunk or damaged 1-2.3.44 perhaps some little fishing boats

[taurus]

I am looking for some more info on Soviet mostly merchant ship losses in the Black Sea in WW II/GPW

The Luftwaffe made the following ship claims:

30 Oct 41 III/StG 77 Im Hafen Noupatoria 2 ships sunk I have the merchant ship Uralles sunk off Evpatoria on 29 oct 41 by aircraft could the dates be wrong?

30 Oct 41 III/KG 51 Im Hafen Kertsch 2 ships sunk and 2 damaged

15 Jan 43 4(F)/122 claims a R-boot Gelendshik or Gelendzhik

1 mar 44 Kerch Straits 5 boats destroyed?

2 mar 44 Kerch Straits 2 ferries sunk ?

Any more info on the following Merchant ships ect sunk in the Black sea on these dates I got this info from a post on this site

30 Sep 41 Pugachev
17 Oct 41 Leningrad
27 Oct 41 Delegat
27 Oct 41 Volodarsky (tug)
4 Nov 41 Rot-Front
5 Nov 41 Rabotnik
19 Nov 41 Maykop
26 Dec 41 Fanagaria (tug)
26 Dec 41 Voroshilov
27 Dec 41 Penay
31 Dec 41 Krasnogiraneets

Hi,
Here is the complete list from the handbooks:

"Потери боевых кораблей и катеров ВМФ СССР в период ВОВ"
"Losses of warships and boats of the USSR Navy during the Second World War"
Handbook published in 1994.

"Суда Министерства Морского флота, погибшие в период Великой Отечественной войны 1941-1945 гг."
"Vessels of the Ministry of the Navy that died during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945".
Handbook published in 1989.

http://www.navy.su/other/lost/index.htm

[James A Pratt III]

I have a list of Soviet ships hit by Italian MAS during WW II

Black Sea
night 9/10 Jun 42 merchant ship Abkhazia damaged MAS 571 sunk by Ltn Klein I/KG 100 the next day No other accounts say the Italians hit this ship
19 Jun 42 Sub SHSH 214 sunk MAS 571
2 Aug 42 Cruiser Molotov Italians say hit by MAS 569 Germans and Soviets say the MASs missed and it was hit by an aircraft torpedo from 6/KG 26

18 Jun 42 claim to sink 2 Soviet launches no Soviet losses in the above source MAS 570 571
1 Jul 42 claim to sink a patrol boat and rescue 15 Soviet POWs MAS 570, 572, 573 no Soviet losses in the above.
13/14 mar 43 claimed to damage 2 Soviet patrol boats MAS 568 570
19 Apr 43 claim shot up 2 armored gunboats MAS 567,568,569,572
21 Apr 43 claim damaged 2 Soviet MTBs MAS 567 569

Lake Lagoda
15 Aug 42 claimed to have sunk Soviet gunboat Bira no record in above MAS 527
27 Aug 42 claimed to have torpedoed a large barge MAS 528
1 Sep 42 engaged 2 Soviet patrol boats
28/29 Sep 42 encountered a Soviet gunboat and tug towing a barge no damage either side

any info to add on these losses or actions

[James A Pratt III]

In post made on 12oclockhigh.net it seems the Abkhazia was not hit by the MAS 571

as for the gunboat Bira the ship was sunk by a mine in the Baltic on 23 Aug 1942

[lupodimare89]

Greetings,

night 9/10 Jun 42 merchant ship Abkhazia damaged MAS 571 sunk by Ltn Klein I/KG 100 the next day No other accounts say the Italians hit this ship

No torpedoing by Italians (MAS-573 claimed the hit). MAS-570 apparently strafed Soviet minesweeper T-410 Vzryv, part of convoy on 10/Jun.

19 Jun 42 Sub SHSH 214 sunk MAS 571

Fully confirmed, submarine was at the moment the top-scoring Soviet sub in Black Sea (1 Italian tanker + 5 schooners). Sub was sailing with people evacuated from Sevastopol and there were many casualties with 2 survivors (captured by italians). One of the 2 confirmed Soviet. subs sunk by Italians (the other being ShCh-203 torpedoed and sunk by CB-4: italian sources often adds at least other 2 sinking with great mix-up and confusions of names, but they were actually torpedo-duds hits of CB-3 versus L-5 and CB-2 versus M-31).

2 Aug 42 Cruiser Molotov Italians say hit by MAS 569 Germans and Soviets say the MASs missed and it was hit by an aircraft torpedo from 6/KG 26

Italian authors are adamant in claiming the torpedoing, even if the debate (there was one lengthy on tsushima.su) is likely destined to be inconclusive. MAS-568 is attributed the hit, the boat itself received some minor splinters during the action with the commander slightly wounded. One He-111 was lost that night (4./KG26, serial 4816) according the Soviet reconstruction shot down just after launching the torpedo leaving no survivors: possibly the plane was alone but there are missing Luftwaffe documents and the Kriegsmarine ones doesn't provide extra info. For years the Italian authors claimed that Krasny Krym was the target, and that the leader destroyer Kharov was allegedly damaged by launch of depth-charges at close distance (no damage at all).

18 Jun 42 claim to sink 2 Soviet launches no Soviet losses in the above source MAS 570 571

18/19 June were an extremely eventful dates. During this fight, MAS-571 commander was mortally wounded. Before this fight, also MTSM-208 and MTSM-209 engaged something and one boat (not sure which one) suffered some light hits.
Combined, Italians also reported 2 WIA (Excluding the commander).
Also, the Italian midget-submarine CB-2 had a surface meeting (on morning of day 18, so before the MAS skirmishes) with two small boats (carrying Soviet "scouts" - sort of coast-raiders commandos and infiltrators) and got some bullet-hits on the tower. Interestingly, they identified the sub. as Italian causing a good deal of anticipation-guessing from the Soviets about risks of a growing Italian presence in Black Sea on the level of the Spanish Civil War (but Italians never dispatched large warships or standard subs).
At one point i believed the Italians engaged the two unique long-range motor torpedo boat D-3 and SM-3 (the two boats often acted together): they attacked Yalta later during the night between 18 an 19 June and SM-3 suffered 2 KIA and 2 WIA from German coast defense. Before their raid, Soviet Pe-2 bombers also raided the harbor, damaging the very same CB-2 (returned to base) and CB-3. According a recent Italian text i read, CB-3 also got a splinter-hit from one m.t.b torpedo that exploded nearby. It's still possible that D-3 and SM-3 engaged the MAS themselves because the two small boats should were going back to base in the morning of 18, just maybe did not properly identified them. Interestingly, D-3 was the lead-ship/prototype of its class (and for this reason retained this uncommon designation rather than TK-number), while SM-3 was the sole unit of a "rival" wood-built variant never produced. D-3 was also the sole responsable of the biggest Soviet success scored against Italian war crafts on sea in Black Sea, having torpedoed and sunk (full-loss) CB-5 during harbor raid.

1 Jul 42 claim to sink a patrol boat and rescue 15 Soviet POWs MAS 570, 572, 573 no Soviet losses in the above.

Also present MTSM-216 (MAS-571 sometimes also included, but seems mistake). This was infact the only confirmed surface success of Italian (all Ladoga claims are denied).
Identity of the craft it's unclear, she was found by Italians already grounded. It was mentioned SKA-021 as possibility but while also stranded she was herself evacuated by fellow SKA-0101. So the destroyed boat was maybe an ex-civilian motorboat (this happened during the fall of Sevastopol).

13/14 mar 43 claimed to damage 2 Soviet patrol boats MAS 568 570

MAS-568, MAS-569, MAS-570 and MAS-572 had a skirmish with Soviet motor torpedo boats TK-54, TK-84, TK-104 and TK-124. No damage or casualties on both sides. Some italian sources claim TK-94, but she sunk by German coast artillery on different location

19 Apr 43 claim shot up 2 armored gunboats MAS 567,568,569,572

I believed they engaged TK-125 and the patrol boat n°75: that received damage only by colliding themselves while evading enemy fire, but seems they actually engaged German R-boats on the night between 19 and 20 April (It was already 20). There were other skirmishes reported on 19 April, but without damage or casualties reported, so it was likely an uneventful fight like many others in Black Sea.

21 Apr 43 claim damaged 2 Soviet MTBs MAS 567 569

That was a confused clash between MAS-566, MAS-567 and MAS-569 vs Soviet m.t.b. TK-73 and TK-93. MAS-556 received an unexploded torpedo hit but it's unclear who launched it. No damages on soviets.

----------------
An unclear yet weird event.
A German report of 1 March 1943 say that four Italian MAS were "followed" by Soviet MTBs believing to be on the route of friendly units, Italian MAS simply speed-up going away. Soviets reports the incident for 28 February, stating it was one boat from the two pair TK-65, TK-115, or TK-23, TK-53. The four Soviet boats all re-entered to base.


-------------
Ladoga Lake:

15 Aug 42 claimed to have sunk Soviet gunboat Bira no record in above MAS 527

MAS-528 and MAS-527 attacked "Nora" and "Selemdzha" (both Bira-class), followed by sub.chasers/patrolboats MO-199, MO-202 and MO-209. Torpedo missed/exploded on bottom giving impression of success. "Selemdzha" got 1 WIA by Italian strafing, while MAS-527 got herself a direct hit but managed to return to base.

27 Aug 42 claimed to have torpedoed a large barge MAS 528

MAS-528 and MAS-527 engaged gunboat "Sheksna". No torpedo hit (likely similar happening as previous fight, torpedo explosion confused for hit).

1 Sep 42 engaged 2 Soviet patrol boats

MAS-529 alone enaged MO-201, MO-213 and MO-215, suffered a direct hit but managed to escape. Finnish G.50 aircrafts strafed the Soviets causing 6 WIA.

28/29 Sep 42 encountered a Soviet gunboat and tug towing a barge no damage either side

MAS-528 and MAS-529 attacked gunboat "Lachta", no effect on both sides.

During the Battle of Sukho on 22 October 1942 MAS-528 alone was on sea to provide distant conver to the Germans flotilla, but did not engage the Soviets.

as for the gunboat Bira the ship was sunk by a mine in the Baltic on 23 Aug 1942

Bira was never sunk, it was Amgun (same class) that sunk by mine in Baltic on 1944 (recovered to be scrapped). Of the same class, Kama was temporarily sunk by German aircrafts in Baltic in 1943, while Olyokma was the only loss of the class occurred in Ladoga Lake: sunk by German air raid in 1941.