I am also very busy at the moment, so also quite shortly
As for the launch delay of two ships of "Tovarisch Krasin" type (VI series). If so I don’t know exactly reasons also. I couldn’t find any info in my literature sources, so I tried to find it using Russian sites, but almost all of them mention that Baltic Shipyard finished all planned timber ships of series V-bis and VI in 1933-1936. But may be your info is more correct.
As for the import of new and used overseas ships to USSR - do you know the exact amount of imported ships in 1920s-1930s? I only found that in 1941 USSR had large merchant sea fleet - near 700 ships.
Soviets had many shipyards and produced all types of merchant ships and ice-breakers. As I found several types of Soviet transport ships of 1930s got a highest register quality from British Lloyd. Me seems Soviets could produce all ships in all amounts they needed in 1930s. Of course, in 1920s after Russian Revolution and Civil war Soviet merchant fleet suffered of the great shortage of sea ships in good condition as the majority of native and foreign-built Russian vessels were destroyed, damaged or captured as well as some shipyards*, but since the end of 1920s the Soviet shipbuilding industry increased a lot. But indeed in middle 1930s a new large warship program started and many large shipyards intensified the development of cruisers, destroyers and submarines. May be this was the reason of purchases of some amount of used and new ships abroad (from US, Germany, Spain, UK, etc.)
*in the middle of 1920s USSR had 128 sea merchant ships (167.861 t total), mainly quite old - imported or built in Russia in the end of XIX - beginning of XX century. For example, in 1917 Russia had more then 500 sea merchant ships. Since the middle 1920s main shipyards were rebuilt and began to produce new ships: cargo ships, timber ships, refrigerators, tankers, passenger liners, ice-breaking ships and ice-breakers. Many types of civil ships were possible to reequip as military transports, hospital ships or submarine bases in the case of the war. Soviet shipyards received the orders to produce the ships according to the highest world standards (Tsarist Russia had also excellent shipbuilding traditions) as many new international routes were opened to increase the economy and prestige of the first socialist state.
I also tried to find some info about “Uritsky”, probably, being sunk in 1942. The problem is that this name is mentioned in the full list of Soviet medium and large merchant ships, were lost during WWII (I gave this list here in this thread). The list (the most full list, according to Soviet sources, is from the book “Ships of the Ministry of Sea Fleet, were lost during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, Moscow, GPINIIMT “Sojuzmorniiproekt”, 1989) contains no mistakes (or at least I still don’t find any of mistakes during my search).
In Internet I found the mention that one of the five German submarines, supported battleship “Admiral Scheer”, torpedoed steamer “Uritsky” at Kara Sea on 24 August 1942. In principle this seems possible as “Uritsky” was steamer indeed (Soviets produced mainly diesel-propelled ships, but the first Soviet transport ships of “Tovarisch Krasin”-type were steamers because of economic reasons as in 1920s they intended to transport cheap coal from UK to USSR on the return trip) and “Uritsky” of “Tovarisch Krasin”-type was indeed used as transport ship at North Sea Route in 1941-1942 (performed Lend-Lease navigations from San-Francisco and Seattle to Archangelsk and other Soviet Arctic ports, for example participated at so called expedition EON-18 ). So it was theoretically possible. But - there is no name “Uritsky” in the list of Soviet merchant ships torpedoed or sank by German submarines in the North - http://wunderwaffe.narod.ru/Magazine/MK/2003_N2/16.htm
Very probably you are right, as one source mention that "Uritsky" (used by DGMP) was scrapped in 1958.
Probably, the deadweight of that sunk (if so) “Uritsky” was relatively small, and I really think that was not a timber ship (military transport) of “Tovarisch Krasin” type, otherwise we could find more full info about the accident. During my searches I found that another ship “Uritsky” (not timber ship!) served at Caspian Sea and participated in rescue operation, when large (3110 t) towboat (served also as HQ ship) “Udarnik” was torpedoed by He-111 and sank.
Thanks for the info about small tug “Volodarsky” (that vessel had the same name as the ship of “Tovarisch Krasin” type), it was really destroyed by German bombers near Kerch port 27.10.1942. I`ve checked my sources and found the same info!
I am waiting the info about transport icebreaking ships of “Anadyr” type
Best regards, BIGpanzer
. In 1943 “Anadyr” could successfully avoid the attack of German submarine in Kara Sea.
. “Sakhalin” served as cargo-passenger ship (up to 542 passengers) at Far East, Pacific Ocean in 1930s. 12 January, 1933 the ship made the navigation from Vladivostok to Sakhalin with passengers, including the members of Kamchatka Drama Theatre and suddenly the strong fire onboard began. Three days crewmembers and passengers fought with fire, and only 15 January two ships (including “Sverdlovsk”) began the rescue operation under strong typhoon. “Sakhalin” was “famous” also as the ship, transported political prisoners inside the holds for construction the new Magadan port since February 1932, also the ship transported NKVD inspectors and the management of “Dalstroy” (Far East Construction Engineering Company). "Sakhalin" was given to Kamchatka steamship company in 1958.
