MO-class small guard ship
| {{Infobox ship begin |sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=MO-4 small guard ship.JPG |Ship caption=The MO-4-type patrol boat {{Transliteration|ru|SKA-065}} during World War II }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Name=MO class |Builders= |Operators=* {{navy|Soviet Union|naval-1935}}
|Class before= |Class after={{sclass2|OD-200|submarine chaser|4}} |Subclasses=MO-1, MO-2, MO-3, MO-4, BMO |Cost= |Built range=1935–1945 |In service range= |In commission range= |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=350+ |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost= |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption=(MO-4 type) |Ship class= |Ship type=Patrol boat / submarine chaser |Ship tonnage= |Ship displacement=* {{convert|50.6|t|lk=in}} standard
|Ship length={{cvt|26.9|m|ftin|lk=in}} |Ship beam={{cvt|4.02|m|ftin}} |Ship height= |Ship draught={{cvt|1.35|m|ftin}} |Ship power={{convert|2550|PS|hp|lk=on}} |Ship propulsion=3 × GAM-34BS engines; three shafts |Ship speed={{convert|26|kn|km/h|lk=in}} to {{convert|27.4|kn|km/h}} |Ship range= |Ship endurance= |Ship test depth= |Ship boats= |Ship capacity= |Ship troops= |Ship complement=22 men |Ship crew= |Ship time to activate= |Ship sensors= |Ship EW= |Ship armament=* 2 × {{cvt|45|mm|in|adj=on}} 45 mm anti-aircraft gun (21-K) guns
|Ship armour= |Ship armor= |Ship aircraft= |Ship aircraft facilities= |Ship notes= }} |
The MO ({{langx|ru|МО}}, an initialism for {{langx|ru|Малый охотник|translit=Malyj okhotnik|translation=Small Hunter|label=none}}; nickname {{langx|ru|Мошка|translit=Moshka|lit=Midge|label=none|italic=yes}}) is a class of naval boats produced before and during World War II for the Soviet Navy and NKVD Border Troops. Their primary function originally was anti-submarine warfare. During the war they carried out many additional roles from supporting landing operations to escorting convoys. Over 350 boats were built.{{sfn|Military Ships of Russia|p=80}}
Background
In early 1930s, the main focus of Soviet shipbuilding was building small patrol ships and boats with various duties. Among them, a large part consisted of submarine hunter boats. The MO class was the first Soviet built submarine hunter boat class, with the abbreviation meaning "Small Hunter". Unlike torpedo boats, MO boats had no torpedo weapons, but instead had depth charge racks.{{sfn|Military Ships of Russia|p=80}}
Design history
=MO-1, MO-2 and MO-3 types=
The lead ship of the class was a {{convert|51|t}} border patrol boat {{Transliteration|ru|PK-139}}, which was given the class designation of MO-1 in 1935. The production series was a slightly faster boat, given the designation MO-2. Some 27{{sfn|Military Ships of Russia|p=80}} to 36{{cite web|title = Black Sea Fleet website, MO class (in Russian)|url = http://flot.sevastopol.info/ship/mo/mo4.htm}} boats of this class were built in 1935–1936. A slightly modified MO-3 was in limited production resulting in four boats built.{{sfn|Military Ships of Russia|p=80}}
=MO-4 type=
File:Модель судна МО-IV.JPG in the Naval Museum of the Northern Fleet in Murmansk]]
MO-4 was the most produced type of the class, with approximately 250 built. It was a slightly modified MO-2 variant, with a more vertical stern and slightly lower. It was designed at the Design Bureau of NKVD Maritime Border Guard Shipyard in Leningrad (from 1939 known as the NKVD's Factory No. 5, now the Almaz Shipbuilding Company). The boat had no armor and had a wooden structure, but consisted of nine sections isolated from each other, allowed to stay afloat even after suffering heavy damage. Three GAM-34BS gasoline engines had a power of {{convert|850|PS|hp|lk=on}} at 1,850 rpm or {{convert|675|PS|hp}} at 1,750 rpm. The main weapons of the boat were depth charges and 45 mm semi-automatic guns. The boats also had a pair of DShK heavy machine guns. MO-4 boats were built at several shipyards including Leningrad, Sosnovka and Astrakhan from 1937 to 1943.{{sfn|Military Ships of Russia|p=80}}
=BMO type=
File:BMO-class small guard ship (scheme) color.svg
In summer 1943, the Leningrad shipyards designed a new variant to remedy the MO-4's lack of armor. The letter B stood for {{Transliteration|ru|bronirovannyj}} ({{langx|ru|бронированный|lit=armored|links=no}}). The new boat was made of steel, with armor of up to {{convert|12|mm|in|abbr=on}} protecting the engine. One of the 45 mm guns was replaced with a 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K)#Naval version, which had higher performance in the anti aircraft role. 48 were built during the war and another 18 in the second half of 1945.[http://russ-flot.narod.ru/x-0013_BMO.htm охотник "БМО"]. Russ-flot.narod.ru. Retrieved on 2010-12-23.Chernyshev p. 199
Service history
File:Катер "морской охотник" Северного флота бомбит глубинными бомбами немецкую подводную лодку.jpg
MO-class boats carried out a very large number of duties during the war, serving in all fleets. Their duties included patrolling naval bases perimeter, hunting submarines, escorting convoys, laying and disarming mines, supporting amphibious landings and fighting small enemy ships. Some distinguished individual boats are listed below.{{sfn|Military Ships of Russia|p=80}}
=''MO-103''=
This is one of the most famous {{nowrap|MO-4}}-type boats. On July 30, 1944 she sank the {{ship|German submarine|U-250||6|up=yes}} in shallow waters of the Baltic Sea. The commander of U-250 and five crewmen survived and were captured. The submarine was raised by Soviet forces in early September and moved to Leningrad. To the delight of the engineers, the submarine had intact secret acoustic torpedoes on board.{{sfn|Military Ships of Russia|p=80}}{{cite web
|url= http://www.uboat.net/boats/u250.htm
|title=U-250
|work=German U-boats of WWII
|publisher=Uboat.net
|accessdate=21 December 2010
}}
=''MO-144''=
The MO-4-type boat was earlier named {{Transliteration|ru|MO-113}}. Sank the {{ship|German submarine|U-679||6|up=yes}} on January 9, 1945 in the Baltic Sea.{{cite web
|url= http://www.uboat.net/boats/u679.htm
|title=U-679
|work=German U-boats of WWII
|publisher=Uboat.net
|accessdate=21 December 2010
}}
=''MO-65''=
The MO-4-type boat was earlier known as {{Transliteration|ru|PK-125}} (while serving in the NKVD Border Troops), {{Transliteration|ru|SKA-074}} and {{Transliteration|ru|SKA-065}} (while serving in the Soviet Navy). The boat was mobilized by the Black Sea Fleet during the Great Patriotic War and it was named the "Guards Boat" on July 25, 1943 for distinguished services in battle (Commanding Officer, Senior Lieutenant Pavel Sivenko, received a lot of Soviet military decorations and was also awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal of the United States).{{cite journal
|last=Zaytsev
|first=Yuriy M.
|date=August 2019
|script-title=ru:Советские военные моряки и флотские лётчики — кавалеры американских наград
|trans-title=Soviet naval officers and naval pilots, holders of US decorations
|url=https://history.ric.mil.ru/Stati/item/238046/
|script-journal=ru:Военно-исторический журнал
|trans-journal=Military Historical Journal
|type=Preprint
|language=ru
|number=8 #712
|pages={{nowrap|32–41}}
|issn=0321-0626
|access-date=June 21, 2024
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130190047/https://history.ric.mil.ru/Stati/item/238046/
|archive-date=November 30, 2021
}} Survived until the end of the war and was returned to the NKVD Border Troops in July 1945.{{cite book
|last=Chernyshev
|first=Alexander A.
|year=2013
|script-title=ru:Морская гвардия Отечества
|series=Морская летопись
|language=ru
|location=Moscow
|publisher=ООО "Издательство "Вече"
|pages={{nowrap|226–228}}
|isbn=978-5-4444-0938-1
}}
=''SKA-084''=
The MO-4-type boat was earlier named {{Transliteration|ru|PK-148}} (while serving in the NKVD Border Troops). She was mobilized by the Black Sea Fleet during the Great Patriotic War. The boat destroyed two enemy patrol boats and one aircraft during wartime. The boat also escorted a total of 184 ships on convoying missions and removed 20 sea mines during mine sweeping missions. {{Transliteration|ru|SKA-084}} was the first boat in the Soviet Navy to have the naval {{convert|82|mm|in|abbr=on}} Katiusha variant installed. Sunk by artillery fire on September 11, 1943 near Novorossiysk.{{cite web
|url=https://www.kchf.ru/ship/mo/pk148.htm
|script-title=ru:Морской охотник "ПК-148" Черноморского флота
|website=Kchf.ru
|language=ru
|access-date=June 21, 2024
|url-status=live
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607124512/https://www.kchf.ru/ship/mo/pk148.htm
|archive-date=June 7, 2023
}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
Further reading
- {{cite book
|script-title=ru:Боевые корабли России
|trans-title=Military Ships of Russia
|publisher = Parus
|year = 1996
|isbn = 5-89410-001-1
|language=ru
|ref={{harvid|Military Ships of Russia}}}}
- {{cite book
|author = Чернышев И. П. [Chernyshev I. P.]
|script-title=ru:О друзьях-товарищах
|url = http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/chernyshov_ip/21.html
|publisher = Лениздат
|year = 1981
|isbn =
|language=ru}}
- {{cite book
|author1 = Сорокин А. И. [Sorokin A. I.]
|author2 = Краснов В. Н. [Krasnov V. N.]
|script-title=ru:Корабли проходят испытания
|url = http://militera.lib.ru/tw/sorokin_krasnov/index.html
|publisher = Судостроение
|year = 1985
|isbn =
|language=ru}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{cite web
|title = Black Sea Fleet website
|url = http://flot.sevastopol.info/
|language=ru}}
{{WWII Soviet ships}}