Don't touch me (floating battery). Dedicated to Victory Day

During the Great Patriotic War The USSR Navy included thousands of a wide variety of ships - battleships, cruisers, destroyers, boats, submarines, and numerous auxiliary vessels. However, today we decided to talk about perhaps the most unusual warships that were part of the Soviet fleet - the floating batteries “Don’t touch me!” and "Marat".

"Kings of the Seas" for the Soviet Navy

During the first half of the 20th century. "Dreadnoughts" were a symbol of the power of the world's leading fleets. Each major naval power built for its own navy the most powerful ships with strong weapons and the most advanced protection. It was not for nothing that such ships were called “kings of the seas,” because they could protect the interests of the country only by their existence. In the mid-30s. the world has begun new race naval weapons and the USSR did not stand aside. In our country in the late 30s. began large-scale construction of a huge navy, called the "great sea and ocean", but its construction stopped in June 1941.

The basis of the power of the Soviet fleet was supposed to be huge super-battleships, which were superior in their combat capabilities to ships of foreign fleets. In the USSR, two projects were created in parallel - type “A” (project 23, with a displacement of 35,000 tons with 406 mm artillery) and “B” (project 25, with a displacement of 26,000 tons with 305 mm artillery). It was planned to build 20 battleships: four large and four small for the Pacific Fleet, two large for the Northern Fleet, four small battleships for the Black Sea Fleet, and six more small battleships were to join the Baltic Fleet. The process of creating large ships was personally supervised by I.V. Stalin. The development took into account advanced foreign experience, primarily Italian, German and American. In 1937, Project “B” was recognized as “sabotage” and the Soviet shipbuilding industry was concentrated on preparing for the serial construction of Project 23 battleships. It was supposed to be a modern warship - the total displacement exceeded 67,000 tons, its greatest length was 269.4 m, maximum beam 38.9 m, draft 10.5 m, power plant more than 231,000 hp, speed about 29 knots, cruising range 7,000 miles (at 14.5 knots). In terms of armament (9x406 mm, 12x152 mm, 12x100 mm guns and 32x37 mm anti-aircraft guns) it was superior to all its “colleagues”, with the exception of the American Montana and the Japanese Yamato. The battleship had powerful armor and a mine protection system. Its crew consisted of 1,784 sailors. Before the start of the war, four battleships were laid down: “ Soviet Union"in Leningrad (plant No. 189), "Soviet Ukraine" in Nikolaev (plant No. 189), in Molotovsk (plant No. 402) construction began " Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Belarus". But none of them came into operation...

Creation of floating battery No. 3

In the exposition of the Black Sea Fleet Museum in Sevastopol, an entire hall is dedicated to the heroic 250-day defense of the city from German troops in 1941-1942. The sailors of the Black Sea Fleet and residents of the city accomplished many feats defending the Sevastopol borders. Numerous exhibits, photographs and wartime relics tell museum visitors about them. There is a small photograph among them, which means little to ordinary visitors. It is signed as follows: Lieutenant Commander S.A. Moshensky, commander of floating battery No. 3. What he became famous for, what kind of floating battery No. 3 was, what feats its crew performed is not specified. Unfortunately, there is no more information about this ship in the museum’s exhibition.

As already noted, at the end of the 30s. At the shipyards of the USSR, large-scale construction of battleships of the "Soviet Union" type was launched. This was preceded by colossal research and design work carried out by Soviet designers and engineers. Special attention They focused on the development of weapons and ship protection systems. Many experiments were carried out on the Black Sea to determine the optimal PMZ system (mine protection - in the terminology of that time). At the first stage, explosions were carried out on 24 large-scale compartments (on a scale of 1:5) with PMZ of seven various types. Based on the results of the experiments, it was concluded that the Italian and American systems protection. In 1938, the second stage of experiments took place in Sevastopol. As before, they were carried out on large-scale sections; 27 explosions were carried out. But this time, for the experiments, a huge full-scale compartment was built, on which the design of the PMZ system of the Project 23 battleship was completely reproduced. It had the shape of a rectangle, its dimensions were impressive - length 50 m, width 30 m, side height 15 m. Based on the results of these experiments, the commission determined that the maximum explosive power for the PMZ was 750 kg. After the tests were completed, the experimental compartment was used as a target for firing practice, and then it was laid up in one of the Sevastopol bays.

This is what the battleship "Soviet Union" should have looked like. Drawing by A. Zaikin

After the start of the war, Captain 2nd Rank G.A. became interested in the compartment. Butakov. He proposed to the command of the Black Sea Fleet to use it to create a floating artillery battery. According to his plan, the “square” was planned to be armed and anchored in the Belbek Valley area a few miles from Sevastopol. He was supposed to strengthen the air defense of the Main Fleet Base and secure the approaches to it from the sea. According to intelligence data, a German landing was expected in the Crimea, and the floating battery was supposed to prevent this. Black Sea Fleet Commander F.S. Oktyabrsky supported the report of G.A. Butakova, People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov approved this idea. In July 1941, work began on the installation of general ship systems and the installation of weapons on the “square” (as the compartment was called in documents). Work on the project was led by engineer L.I. Ivitsky. Living quarters, a galley, a radio room, warehouses and cellars were equipped inside. A conning tower, rangefinders and two searchlights were installed on the deck of the former compartment. 2x130-mm guns were delivered from the arsenal, which were equipped with “diving” shells designed to combat submarines. They were supplemented by 4x76.2 mm anti-aircraft guns, 3x37 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, and 3x12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns. The crew of the floating battery consisted of 130 people, 50 of them were called up from the reserves, the rest were recruited from all the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. The workers attached a davit to the side of the “square,” but the boat was not found. But the workers found a huge Admiralty anchor in the warehouses of the plant and transferred it to the battery. Old-timers claimed that he was from the battleship Empress Maria. On August 3, 1941, the naval flag was raised on a separate floating battery No. 3. By order of the Black Sea Fleet commander dated August 4, she was included in the Guard of the Water District of the Main Base. The crew of the floating battery, led by Senior Lieutenant S.Ya. Moshensky began his service.

Battle path "Don't touch me!"

On August 9, tugs moved the floating battery to Belbeks Bay. It was fenced off from the threat of attacks from the sea by several rows of anti-submarine nets, and from the shore it was covered by coastal batteries. The Empress Maria's anchor held the square firmly in place. Numerous firing exercises, crew survivability training and various exercises immediately began on the ship. In the summer of 1941, Luftwaffe raids on Sevastopol were an infrequent occurrence. Basically, German planes were engaged in reconnaissance of military targets and laying magnetic mines. Only occasionally were ships in the port bombed. Several times the floating battery was attacked by German planes, but their attacks were successfully repelled. The batteries covered with fire the ships that were entering Sevastopol. The situation changed radically at the end of October 1941 after the Wehrmacht broke through into Crimea. German units began the assault on Sevastopol. The 250-day defense of the city began. The Germans captured all Crimean airfields and now the flight time of their bombers to Sevastopol was only 10-15 minutes. Raids on the city and port became daily. The main forces of the fleet went to the Caucasus. At the end of October, two 130-mm guns, which were urgently needed for the land front, were dismantled from the “square.” They also removed all the ammunition of the “one hundred and thirty”, except for the “diving” shells, and the gun crews. As a result, the ship's crew was reduced to 111 people.

"Don't touch me!" fights with German planes. Rice. A. Lubyanova

At the beginning of November there were severe storms. Their strength was such that the huge anchor could not hold the floating battery in place. The waves began to bring her closer to the shore, which was now occupied by German troops. It was decided to change the parking place of the “square”. On November 11, tugs moved the floating battery to Cossack Bay and sank it on the shallows, now it was not afraid of storms. The new combat mission that the command set for the crew was the defense of the military airfield at Cape Khersones. It remained the last Soviet airfield in Crimea. All aviation of the Sevastopol defensive region was based on its field. Raids on the Khersones airfield became more frequent. On the afternoon of November 29, 1941, the anti-aircraft gunners of the floating battery managed to win their first victory. They shot down a Bf-109. On December 17, the Germans launched a new assault on Sevastopol. Throughout the day, the batteries had to repel raids on the airfield. At the same time, a Ju-88 was shot down. From that day on, the combat score of the anti-aircraft gunners began to grow - while defending the airfield, they shot down 22 German aircraft. The winter assault was successfully repelled, but raids on the city continued. The Germans did not forget about the airfield. They tried to stop the action Soviet aviation, and in the stories of our pilots the help of the floating battery was constantly mentioned: “The floating battery put up a curtain... “Don’t touch me!” cut off the German..." On January 14, 1942, anti-aircraft gunners shot down another Ju-88, on March 3, a Non-111. On March 19, writer Leonid Sobolev visited the batteries. He spent the whole day on the “square”, talked with the commander and crew. He wrote about this in the essay “Don’t touch me!” In March, the battery commander, Senior Lieutenant S.Ya. Moshensky, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, he became a lieutenant commander, and other crew members also received awards for downed aircraft.

In May 1942, the raids on the city intensified, the Germans began preparing for a new assault and sought to neutralize the Soviet pilots. In this they were greatly hindered by the accurate fire of the anti-aircraft gunners of floating battery No. 3, which the Black Sea sailors began to call “Don’t touch me!” On May 27, anti-aircraft gunners managed to shoot down two Me-109s at once.

Floating battery No. 3 “Don’t touch me!” in Cossack Bay, spring 1942. The photo was taken from a Soviet plane

Commander of floating battery No. 3, Lieutenant Commander S.Ya. Moshensky

The Germans launched a new assault on the city and concentrated on the Crimean airfields large number airplanes. They had multiple superiority in aviation, but Soviet aviators managed to strike at the enemy, and this was largely due to the crew of the floating battery. On June 9, three Ju-88s replenished his combat account, on June 12, Bf-109, and on June 13, Ju-88. The battery interfered with the actions of enemy aircraft and the German command decided to put an end to it. On June 14, the “square” was attacked by 23 Ju-87s, 76 bombs were dropped, but they failed to achieve direct hits. Due to close explosions of aerial bombs, the searchlight was damaged, shrapnel cut off the davit, and three sailors were wounded. While repelling this raid, the sailors shot down two Ju-87s. In the afternoon, the attacks continued; a German battery opened fire on the “square”. New raids followed. By this time, the defenders of Sevastopol were experiencing great difficulties due to a lack of ammunition. During the period between the assaults, the SOR command failed to create sufficient stocks of ammunition in warehouses and now shells had to be saved. WITH Mainland ammunition was now delivered by ship, but there was still a catastrophic shortage. The Germans created huge reserves of ammunition, shells and cartridges they did not spare. Their aircraft dominated the Sevastopol skies. June 19 on “Don’t touch me!” Another raid was carried out. This was the 450th German air attack on the battery, whose crew was now at the guns day and night. Its fate was decided due to a lack of ammunition for the guns. The German pilots managed to break through to the battery. At 20.20 one of the bombs hit the left side of the “square”, the second exploded right at the side. The force of the explosion scattered every living thing on the deck. The crews were killed and wounded anti-aircraft guns and machine guns, a fire started in the aft cellar, the fire approached the “diving” shells, but it was extinguished. The battery commander and 28 other crew members were killed. 27 sailors were wounded, and boats immediately brought them to shore. By evening, the crew managed to put into operation a 37-mm machine gun and two DShK machine gun, but there was no ammunition for them on the ship. On June 27, 1942, the crew of the floating battery was disbanded. The sailors were sent to fight on land positions, the wounded were taken to Mainland ships of the Black Sea Fleet breaking through to Sevastopol. After the fall of the city, German soldiers examined with interest the huge building “Don’t touch me!”, standing on the sandbank off the shore of Cossack Bay.

The floating battery hull on the shallows in Cossack Bay, July 1942.

The battleship "Marat" from the Leningrad sea canal fires at German troops, September 16, 1941. Fig. I. Dementieva

A few words must be said about the commander of the floating battery “Don’t touch me!” Captain-Lieutenant Sergei Yakovlevich Moshensky. He was born in Zaporozhye. He worked at a factory as an electrician and graduated from the workers' school. In 1936 he was called to serve in the navy. A Komsomol member with completed secondary education was sent to a two-year command staff course. Upon completion, he received the rank of lieutenant and was sent to serve as commander of the first main battery tower on the battleship Paris Commune. Before the start of the war, S.Ya. Moshensky completed a one-year advanced training course for Navy command personnel in Leningrad, specializing in air defense battery commander. He was married, the family was expecting their first child. After the start of the war, the pregnant wife was evacuated from Sevastopol. S.Ya. was in command for ten months. Moshensky floating battery, every day he risked his life for the freedom of his homeland. He died there without ever seeing his daughter, who was born in the evacuation. He is buried in Kamyshovaya Bay, but the exact burial place, unfortunately, is unknown.

Battleship "Marat" After Tsushima, the revival of the navy began in our country. The most powerful ships of the Russian Imperial Navy were the four Sevastopol-class battleships - Gangut, Poltava, Sevastopol and Petropavlovsk. The Bolsheviks managed to preserve three of them; they formed the basis of the power of the revived workers' and peasants' fleet. By the beginning of the war, the USSR Navy included “Marat” and “ October Revolution"on the Baltic, "Paris Commune" on the Black Sea. Another battleship, the Frunze (formerly Poltava), was never restored after a small fire that occurred in 1919. The Navy leadership repeatedly proposed restoring it as a battleship, battle cruiser, monitor, floating battery, and even an aircraft carrier. In the 20s Dozens of similar projects were developed, but, unfortunately, none of them were ever implemented. The mechanisms from the Frunze were used as spare parts for the repair of other battleships. “Petropavlovsk” was renamed “Marat” in March 1921. In 1928-1931 it has undergone modernization. The battleship was the flagship of the MSBM. His biography was not without an emergency - on August 7, 1933, due to a prolonged shot, a fire occurred in the Ns2 tower, killing 68 sailors. On July 25, 1935, the Marat rammed the B-3 submarine during an exercise. The most notable event in his peaceful life became a visit to England in May 1937. The battleship took part in the naval parade on the Spithead roadstead in honor of the coronation of King George V. Soviet sailors proved themselves at this show with best side. Both battleships were part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet squadron. The ship took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, it fired at Finnish coastal batteries. In May 1941, the LFTI winding was installed on the battleship - Marat became the first Soviet ship to receive protection from magnetic mines. It was commanded by Captain 2nd Rank P.K. Ivanov.

The Marat explosion in Kronstadt on September 23, 1941. A column of smoke rose to a height of about a kilometer. The photo was taken from a German plane

"Marat" standing at the pier of Ust-Rogatka at the end of September 1941. A frame from a German aerial photograph. The arrow shows the location of the explosion. There is a rescue ship at the side, fuel oil is still leaking from the damaged tanks

The ship met the beginning of the war in Kronstadt. That day, anti-aircraft gunners opened fire on a reconnaissance aircraft. Over the summer and autumn, 653 sailors from the Marat went to fight in marines. Summer 1941 German offensive developed rapidly, and already on September 9, the battleship, located in the Leningrad sea canal, began to fire at German units that were on the immediate approaches to Leningrad. Every day, the Marat sailors helped the soldiers of the 8th and 42nd armies defend their positions. With their fire they held back the enemy and prevented Wehrmacht units from launching an assault on the “cradle of the revolution.” During these days, the battleship fired 953 305-mm shells. It was the fire of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet ships that prevented the enemy from successfully completing the offensive and capturing the city. The German command gave the order to destroy the battleship, which was disrupting the offensive plans with its shelling. Aviation and artillery were used against him. On September 16, 1941, Marat received ten 150-mm shells and four direct hits from 250-kg bombs. 24 sailors were killed and 54 were wounded. A number of the battleship failed auxiliary mechanisms, the fourth main battery turret was damaged, the aft group of 76-mm anti-aircraft guns and the bow battery of 37-mm anti-aircraft guns ceased to operate. These hits significantly weakened the ship's air defense capabilities and played a fatal role in the history of the Marat.

The battleship was sent to Kronstadt for repairs, and on September 18 it arrived at the Ust-Rogatka pier. He did not stop firing at the enemy; 89 305 mm shells were fired. German aircraft continued to monitor the ship, and a new plan destruction of the battleship. 1000 kg RS-1000 armor-piercing bombs were delivered to the airfield in Tirkovo from Germany. The Soviet command did not have reserves to strengthen the air defense of the base, because everything was thrown into the defense of Leningrad. This is how one of the sailors described the situation: “The enemy flies impudently, but we only have anti-aircraft guns, and they don’t shoot well. And there are only six fighters. Not anymore. All naval aviation works in the interests of the front near Leningrad.” Now the main target of Luftwaffe attacks were ships in Kronstadt. On September 21, 22 and 23, a series of massive raids were carried out on Kronstadt. The anti-aircraft gunners of the battleship Marat and the few air defense forces of Kronstadt were unable to repel the simultaneous attack of several groups of Ju-87s. At 11.44 on September 23, the battleship was attacked by Stukas. The first 1000 kg bomb fell next to the left side of the battleship. The huge ship tilted to starboard. At that moment, a 1000-kg armor-piercing bomb hit the Marat’s bow. It pierced the armor, exploded inside the ship and caused the detonation of the ammunition of the first main battery turret. There was a huge explosion. The flames consumed the battleship's superstructure, it was torn away from the hull and thrown towards the pier. The fragments from the explosion scattered throughout the Middle Harbor of Kronstadt. A column of smoke enveloped the Ust-Rogatka pier; it rose to a height of about a kilometer. 326 sailors died, incl. commander and commissar of the ship. The Marat's hull landed on the harbor's soil. It was badly destroyed and ceased to exist as a warship. This is how one of the eyewitnesses described this disaster: “I clearly see how a huge foremast with gangways, deckhouses, bridges and platforms, completely dotted with figures in white sailor’s robes, slowly separates from the ship, does not fall very quickly to the side, and then separates into pieces and crashes into the water... Just below the mast, the gun turret also slowly rose, its three 12-inch guns break off and also fly into the water. The bay seems to be boiling from the mass of red-hot steel thrown into it...”

This is what the Marat’s bow looked like after the explosion from the top of the second smoke chamber. pipes. In the foreground is the roof of the second tower. The gun barrels of the first main caliber turret are clearly visible, lying on the remains of the bow

Floating battery "Petropavlovsk" in Kronstadt, 1943. Its hull is painted to look like a breakwater for camouflage. Additional 37-mm anti-aircraft guns mounted on the stern and lined with bales of cotton are clearly visible

Concrete slabs removed from the Kronstadt embankments were laid on the deck of the Petropavlovsk as additional protection from the fire of German large-caliber batteries

The combat path of the floating battery "Marat"

Immediately after the explosion on the Marat, the crew began to fight for survivability; the Marat crew managed to prevent the flooding of the remaining compartments of the ship. Sailors from other ships came to their aid. The explosion broke the battleship's hull in the area of frames 45-57, about 10,000 tons of water entered the hull, the surface part of the hull in the area of the bow superstructure was destroyed, the bow main gun tower, the foremast with the conning tower, the superstructure and the first chimney ceased to exist. Many of the ship's life support systems have failed. The hull of the battleship lay on the ground, but due to the shallow depths in the harbor it did not sink; the side continued to protrude 3 m out of the water. The Marat sailors managed to land the ship on an even keel and soon work began to restore its combat effectiveness. They were assisted by the rescue ships “Signal” and “Meteorite” and EPRON divers. This is how one of the sailors described the situation on the ship: “When I boarded the battleship, the deck was already tidy, everything was lying and standing in its place. And only when I approached the second tower, I found myself on the edge of an abyss - here the deck broke off... There was simply no further ship. I was standing over a vertical wall. It seemed like you were seeing a cross-section of the ship. And ahead is the sea...”

The third and fourth main battery towers were not damaged in the explosion; the second main battery tower needed repairs. It was decided to use the ship as a non-self-propelled floating battery. To do this, it was necessary to raise the hull from the bottom of the harbor and restore the combat effectiveness of the artillery. The new commander of the ship was Captain 3rd Rank V.P. Vasiliev, the crew consisted of 357 people. The 120-mm guns were removed from it, three batteries were formed and sent to the ground front. On October 31, the third and fourth towers opened fire on German positions. The Germans fired at the revived ship with large-caliber artillery. They fired aimed fire at a stationary target. To protect against hits, granite slabs 32-45 cm thick were laid on the deck of the floating battery, and armor plates were placed in the area of the boiler room. On December 12, the first firefight with the enemy took place. A German battery from the village of Bezobotny fired 30 280-mm shells at the ship. Three shells hit the floating battery, after which the German battery was suppressed by the fire of the Marat. On December 28, 1941, the floating battery again fought an artillery duel with a 280-mm railway artillery battery located at the New Peterhof station. 52 shells were fired at the Marat, four of which hit the ship. He received significant damage, but did not stop firing and suppressed the battery. A German shell sunk the auxiliary vessel "Aquarius" standing alongside, which provided heating for the floating battery. By January 1, 1942, the size of the Marat crew increased to 507 people. In January 1942, the floating battery was fired at eight times, 85 shells of 150-203 mm caliber were fired at it, but there were no hits. At the stern were installed 3x37-mm anti-aircraft guns on land installations. To protect them from fragments, they were fenced with cotton bags. Later, several more anti-aircraft guns were installed on the ship. On October 25, the floating battery held another artillery duel with a German battery. 78 280-mm shells were fired at Marat, four of them hit the deck of the ship, but did not cause significant damage. The additional “booking” helped. Throughout the winter, spring and summer of 1942, work continued to restore the combat effectiveness of the second tower. On October 30, its tests were successfully completed and it entered service. On this day, she fired 17 shells at German positions. On November 6, 29 280-mm shells were fired at the ship, only one hit the ship. The boiler was disabled, a number of mechanisms were damaged, two sailors were killed and six were wounded. Another artillery duel took place on December 30, 1942.

Part of the battleship's foremast, thrown several tens of meters away from the ship by the force of the explosion. It was raised and placed on the wall of the Kronstadt harbor

Floating battery "Petropavlovsk" at the Ust-Rogatka pier, 1943. Frame from German aerial photography

On May 31, 1943, “Marat” was returned to its original name “Petropavlovsk”. On December 2, 1943, an artillery duel with a German battery took place. She became the last one, because... our troops were preparing to lift the blockade of Leningrad. The Petropavlovsk guns were used by the command to shell German positions in January 1944 during the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsk operation to completely lift the blockade of Leningrad. The last shots fired at the enemy by the guns of the floating battery "Petropavlovsk" were fired in June 1944 during the Vyborg offensive operation, which ended the battle for Leningrad. During the Second World War, the ship conducted 264 live firings and fired 1,971 305-mm shells at the enemy.

Memory

After the liberation of Sevastopol, the hull of floating battery No. 3 continued to stand on the shallows in Cossack Bay. At the end of the 40s. it was picked up and towed to Inkerman for dismantling. About the feat of the crew “Don’t touch me!” gradually began to be forgotten. Only in the meager lines of the official chronicle of the war was the unprecedented feat of its crew recorded: “During the defense of Sevastopol, units and ships guarding the water area shot down 54 enemy aircraft. Of these, 22 aircraft were shot down by floating battery No. 3.” Only from the essay by writer Leonid Sobolev “Don’t touch me!”, the story “ Mysterious island” by children's writer Oleg Orlov, several articles in newspapers and magazines, Soviet readers could learn about this unique ship. Moscow journalist Vladislav Shurygin played a major role in preserving the memory of floating battery No. 3. For many years he collected materials about the military path of “Don’t touch me!”, met with veterans, and worked in archives. In 1977, with his help, a meeting of veterans of the floating battery was organized in Sevastopol. In 1979, he wrote the book “Iron Island,” which told about the feat of the crew of the floating battery and its commander S.Ya. Moshensky. Thanks to these people, the feat of the sailors of floating battery No. 3 was not forgotten. Unfortunately, neither a monument nor a memorial sign has been erected in Sevastopol dedicated to the heroic deeds of the crew of the floating battery “Don’t touch me!”

The floating battery "Petropavlovsk" fires at German positions during the Krasnoselsko-Ropshin operation, January 1944.

Marat was luckier. After the war, several projects were developed to restore the ship as a battleship (using the fate of the Frunze hull), but they were never implemented. "Petropavlovsk" was used as a training and artillery ship. In 1947-1948 At the dock, work was carried out to completely separate the remains of the bow from the hull. On November 28, 1950, the former Marat was reclassified as a non-propelled training ship and renamed Volkhov. On September 4, 1953, he was removed from the lists of the fleet. The hull of the former battleship was cut into needles only in the early 60s. Veterans of the Marat decided to perpetuate the memory of the ship. In 1991, they unveiled a memorial sign on the Ust-Rogatka pier. In the same year they decided to create a museum dedicated to combat path battleship We managed to find a small room for him at the Nevsky Polytechnic Lyceum. The museum contains a diorama “Reflection of the September 1941 assault on Leningrad by ships of the Red Ban Baltic Fleet squadron,” various photographs and exhibits. In 1997 they managed to publish the collection “Valleys from the Neva”. It includes memories of veterans of the Baltic Fleet squadron, including the Marat sailors. The museum continues its activities to this day.

"Petropavlovsk" in Kronstadt, Navy Day, July 1944. The minesweeper "TSCH-69" stands at the side of the ship.

Non-self-propelled training ship "Volkhov" in Kronstadt, early 50s.

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During the Great Patriotic War, the USSR Navy included thousands of a wide variety of ships - battleships, cruisers, destroyers, boats, submarines, and numerous auxiliary vessels. However, today you will learn about perhaps the most unusual warships that were part of the Soviet fleet - the floating batteries “Don’t touch me!” and the battleship "Marat"

During the first half of the 20th century. "Dreadnoughts" were a symbol of the power of the world's leading fleets. Each major maritime power built the most powerful ships with the strongest weapons and the most advanced protection for its navy. It was not for nothing that such ships were called “kings of the seas,” because they could protect the interests of the country only by their existence. In the mid-30s. A new naval arms race began in the world and the USSR did not stand aside. In our country in the late 30s. began large-scale construction of a huge navy, called the "great sea and ocean", but its construction stopped in June 1941.

During the development, advanced foreign experience was taken into account, primarily Italian, German and American. In 1937, Project “B” was recognized as “sabotage” and the Soviet shipbuilding industry was concentrated on preparing for the serial construction of Project 23 battleships. It was supposed to be a modern warship - the total displacement exceeded 67,000 tons, its greatest length was 269.4 m, maximum beam 38.9 m, draft 10.5 m, power plant more than 231,000 hp, speed about 29 knots, cruising range 7,000 miles (at 14.5 knots). In terms of armament (9x406 mm, 12x152 mm, 12x100 mm guns and 32x37 mm anti-aircraft guns) it was superior to all its “colleagues”, with the exception of the American Montana and the Japanese Yamato. The battleship had powerful armor and a mine protection system. Its crew consisted of 1,784 sailors. Before the start of the war, four battleships were laid down: “Soviet Union” in Leningrad (plant No. 189), “Soviet Ukraine” in Nikolaev (plant No. 189), in Molotovsk (plant No. 402) construction began on “Soviet Russia” and “Soviet Belarus” " But none of them came into operation...

This is what the battleship "Soviet Union" should have looked like. Drawing by A. Zaikin

Creation of floating battery No. 3

As already noted, at the end of the 30s. At the shipyards of the USSR, large-scale construction of battleships of the "Soviet Union" type was launched. This was preceded by colossal research and design work carried out by Soviet designers and engineers. They paid special attention to the development of weapons and ship protection systems. Many experiments were carried out on the Black Sea to determine the optimal PMZ system (mine protection - in the terminology of that time). At the first stage, 24 large-scale compartments (on a scale of 1:5) with PMZ of seven different types were detonated. Based on the results of the experiments, it was concluded that the Italian and American defense systems are most effective. In 1938, the second stage of experiments took place in Sevastopol. As before, they were carried out on large-scale sections; 27 explosions were carried out. But this time, for the experiments, a huge full-scale compartment was built, on which the design of the PMZ system of the Project 23 battleship was completely reproduced. It had the shape of a rectangle, its dimensions were impressive - length 50 m, width 30 m, side height 15 m. Based on the results of these experiments, the commission determined that the maximum explosive power for the PMZ was 750 kg. After the tests were completed, the experimental compartment was used as a target for firing practice, and then it was laid up in one of the Sevastopol bays.

Floating battery No. 3 “Don’t touch me!” in Cossack Bay, spring 1942. The photo was taken from a Soviet plane

In July 1941, work began on the installation of general ship systems and the installation of weapons on the “square” (as the compartment was called in documents). Work on the project was led by engineer L.I. Ivitsky. Living quarters, a galley, a radio room, warehouses and cellars were equipped inside. A conning tower, rangefinders and two searchlights were installed on the deck of the former compartment. 2x130-mm guns were delivered from the arsenal, which were equipped with “diving” shells designed to combat submarines. They were supplemented by 4x76.2-mm anti-aircraft guns, 3x37-mm anti-aircraft machine guns, and 3x12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine guns. The crew of the floating battery consisted of 130 people, 50 of them were called up from the reserves, the rest were recruited from all the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. The workers attached a davit to the side of the “square,” but the boat was not found. But the workers found a huge Admiralty anchor in the warehouses of the plant and transferred it to the battery. Old-timers claimed that he was from the battleship Empress Maria. On August 3, 1941, the naval flag was raised on a separate floating battery No. 3. By order of the Black Sea Fleet commander dated August 4, she was included in the Guard of the Water District of the Main Base. The crew of the floating battery, led by Senior Lieutenant S.Ya. Moshensky began his service.

Battle path "Don't touch me!"

German units began the assault on Sevastopol. The 250-day defense of the city began. The Germans captured all Crimean airfields and now the flight time of their bombers to Sevastopol was only 10-15 minutes. Raids on the city and port became daily. The main forces of the fleet went to the Caucasus. At the end of October, two 130-mm guns, which were urgently needed for the land front, were dismantled from the “square.” They also removed all the ammunition of the “one hundred and thirty”, except for the “diving” shells, and the gun crews. As a result, the ship's crew was reduced to 111 people.

"Don't touch me!" fights with German planes. Rice. A. Lubyanova

Throughout the day, the batteries had to repel raids on the airfield. At the same time, a Ju-88 was shot down. From that day on, the combat score of the anti-aircraft gunners began to grow - while defending the airfield, they shot down 22 German aircraft. The winter assault was successfully repelled, but raids on the city continued. The Germans did not forget about the airfield. They tried to interfere with the actions of Soviet aviation, and in the stories of our pilots the help of the floating battery was constantly mentioned: “The floating battery put up a curtain... “Don’t touch me!” cut off the German..."

On January 14, 1942, anti-aircraft gunners shot down another Ju-88, on March 3, a Non-111. On March 19, writer Leonid Sobolev visited the batteries. He spent the whole day on the “square”, talked with the commander and crew. He wrote about this in the essay “Don’t touch me!” In March, the battery commander, Senior Lieutenant S.Ya. Moshensky, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, he became a lieutenant commander, and other crew members also received awards for downed aircraft.

Commander of floating battery No. 3, Lieutenant Commander S.Ya. Moshensky

After the start of the war, the pregnant wife was evacuated from Sevastopol. S.Ya. was in command for ten months. Moshensky floating battery, every day he risked his life for the freedom of his homeland. He died there without ever seeing his daughter, who was born in the evacuation. He is buried in Kamyshovaya Bay, but the exact burial place, unfortunately, is unknown.

Moshensky's letters remain:
“I’m sending you money, letters for a trip to Tashkent and a certificate. You need to be there until the end of the war days. Before it's too late, while the front is still far away, leave. Verochka, just don’t worry, react calmly to everything, remember that you can’t stay here, think about your life and our future person. to you in Central Asia It will be calmer, don’t think about me. If you are far away, it will be easier for me to fight, but I will still have to fight hard. After the war, I will try to find you as soon as possible, but I don’t know what will happen before the end of the war.”

“Verochka, what’s wrong with you? I sent you many letters in different ways, telegrams, wrote with and without stamps, through military field mail, in Krasnodar region and Chirchik, but received nothing from you. If you are still in Tikhoretsk, move away and make an effort to save the child. If I die, know that I was not a coward in the face of the enemy, I did not bend my head during the bombings.”

The floating battery stood three hundred meters from the shore, but during the nine months of his stay on it, Lieutenant Commander Moshensky only left the ship once to receive the Order of the Red Banner at headquarters.

From Moshensky’s letter: “I live like a fighter. I hasten to share my joy with you: I have been awarded the Order of the Red Banner. I never thought that I would have such an honor, but yesterday I found out about it, they say that I beat the Germans well, and for this they were awarded ... "

“The tenth month of the war is already coming to an end. How much has been experienced! I may not be destined to see anything else, but that’s because my comrades and I are taking the fire upon ourselves. I really want to live, but I can’t stay alive, hiding from the enemy, not crushing him, not destroying him, you know. Inaction, cowardice for myself is a shame, it’s a shame to live as such a person, I’d rather die than think about another life. I remember every minute that the more fascist planes shot down, the closer our victory... So we sent another fascist vulture to the bottom of the sea.”

The commander of the floating battery died on June 19, 1942, when the battery almost ran out of shells. All that remained were cartridges for machine guns and several clips for anti-aircraft machine guns.

At 20.20 one of the bombs hit the left side of the “square”, the second exploded right at the side. The force of the explosion scattered every living thing on the deck. The crews of anti-aircraft guns and machine guns were killed and wounded, a fire started in the aft cellar, the fire approached the “diving” shells, but it was extinguished. The battery commander and 28 other crew members were killed. 27 sailors were wounded, and boats immediately brought them to shore. By evening, the crew managed to commission a 37-mm machine gun and two DShK machine guns, but there was no ammunition for them on the ship. On June 27, 1942, the crew of the floating battery was disbanded. The sailors were sent to fight on land positions; the wounded were taken to the mainland by ships of the Black Sea Fleet, which were breaking through to Sevastopol.

After the fall of the city, German soldiers examined with interest the huge building “Don’t touch me!”, standing on the sandbank off the shore of Cossack Bay.

The floating battery hull on the shallows in Cossack Bay, July 1942.

For ten months of heroic watch, the sailors of Lieutenant Commander S.Ya. Moshensky repelled 450 air attacks (on average 1-2 attacks every day). This "square" is the strangest warship in the Navy. There is no mention of it in any naval reference book, although this particular ship holds a unique combat record. They shot down the most fascist planes - 22 in ten months (on average 2-3 planes every month).

For 16 downed planes, the pilots were given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Not a single ship of ours has achieved more than the floating battery “Don’t touch me.”

Displacement 3494 t; length 69.4 m, beam 16.1 m, draft 4.9 m; steam engine power 1632 hp. With.; travel speed 8 knots. Armament: 12 203 mm, 2 152 mm and 2 63 mm landing guns. Crew 394 people.

By the way, “Don’t touch me” is the name of the armored coastal defense battery of the Black Sea Fleet late XIX century which in 1891 - 1892, commanded by captain 1st rank V.F. Dubasov, hero Russian-Turkish war 1877-1878 At that time, he was a lieutenant in the fleet, awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree, the golden saber “For Bravery” and granted the title of adjutant of the emperor. Since 1897, Vice Admiral Dubasov commanded the squadron Pacific Ocean, and in 1905, by appointment of the emperor, he became Moscow Governor-General with the rank of Adjutant General.

Moscow and the fate of the Russian fleet, Archival documents and historical essays. M., 1996, 415 p.

Only from the essay by the writer Leonid Sobolev “Don’t touch me!”, the story “The Mysterious Island” by the children’s writer Oleg Orlov, and several articles in newspapers and magazines could Soviet readers learn about this unique ship. Moscow journalist Vladislav Shurygin played a major role in preserving the memory of floating battery No. 3. For many years he collected materials about the military path of “Don’t touch me!”, met with veterans, and worked in archives. In 1977, with his help, a meeting of veterans of the floating battery was organized in Sevastopol. In 1979, he wrote the book “Iron Island,” which told about the feat of the crew of the floating battery and its commander S.Ya. Moshensky. Thanks to these people, the feat of the sailors of floating battery No. 3 was not forgotten.

"Kings of the Seas" for the Soviet Navy

This is what the battleship "Soviet Union" should have looked like. Drawing by A. Zaikin

The basis of the power of the Soviet fleet was supposed to be huge super-battleships, which were superior in their combat capabilities to ships of foreign fleets. In the USSR, two projects were created in parallel - type “A” (project 23, with a displacement of 35,000 tons with 406 mm artillery) and “B” (project 25, with a displacement of 26,000 tons with 305 mm artillery). It was planned to build 20 battleships: four large and four small for the Pacific Fleet, two large for the Northern Fleet, four small battleships for the Black Sea Fleet, and six more small battleships were to join the Baltic Fleet. The process of creating large ships was personally supervised by I.V. Stalin. During the development, advanced foreign experience was taken into account, primarily Italian, German and American. In 1937, Project “B” was recognized as “sabotage” and the Soviet shipbuilding industry was concentrated on preparing for the serial construction of Project 23 battleships. It was supposed to be a modern warship - the total displacement exceeded 67,000 tons, its greatest length was 269.4 m, maximum beam 38.9 m, draft 10.5 m, power plant more than 231,000 hp, speed about 29 knots, cruising range 7,000 miles (at 14.5 knots). In terms of armament (9x406 mm, 12x152 mm, 12x100 mm guns and 32x37 mm anti-aircraft guns), it was superior to all its “colleagues”, with the exception of the American “Montana” and the Japanese “Yamato”. The battleship had powerful armor and a mine protection system. Its crew consisted of 1,784 sailors. Before the start of the war, four battleships were laid down: “Soviet Union” in Leningrad (plant No. 189), “Soviet Ukraine” in Nikolaev (plant No. 189), in Molotovsk (plant No. 402) construction began on “Soviet Russia” and “Soviet Belarus” " But none of them came into operation...

Creation of floating battery No. 3

In the exposition of the Black Sea Fleet Museum in Sevastopol, an entire hall is dedicated to the heroic 250-day defense of the city from German troops in 1941-1942. The sailors of the Black Sea Fleet and residents of the city accomplished many feats defending the Sevastopol borders. Numerous exhibits, photographs and wartime relics tell museum visitors about them. There is a small photograph among them, which means little to ordinary visitors. It is signed like this - captain-lieutenant S.A. Moshensky, commander of floating battery No. 3. What he became famous for, what kind of floating battery No. 3 was, what feats its crew performed, is not specified. Unfortunately, there is no more information about this ship in the museum’s exhibition.

As already noted, at the end of the 30s. At the shipyards of the USSR, large-scale construction of battleships of the "Soviet Union" type was launched.

This was preceded by colossal research and design work carried out by Soviet designers and engineers. They paid special attention to the development of weapons and ship protection systems. Many experiments were carried out on the Black Sea to determine the optimal PMZ system (mine protection - in the terminology of that time). At the first stage, 24 large-scale compartments (on a scale of 1:5) with PMZ of seven different types were detonated. Based on the results of the experiments, it was concluded that the Italian and American defense systems are most effective. In 1938, the second stage of experiments took place in Sevastopol. As before, they were carried out on large-scale sections; 27 explosions were carried out. But this time, for the experiments, a huge full-scale compartment was built, on which the design of the PMZ system of the Project 23 battleship was completely reproduced. It had the shape of a rectangle, its dimensions were impressive - length 50 m, width 30 m, side height 15 m. Based on the results of these experiments, the commission determined that the maximum explosive power for the PMZ was 750 kg. After the tests were completed, the experimental compartment was used as a target for firing practice, and then it was laid up in one of the Sevastopol bays.

After the start of the war, Captain 2nd Rank G.A. became interested in the compartment. Butakov. He proposed to the command of the Black Sea Fleet to use it to create a floating artillery battery. According to his plan, the “square” was planned to be armed and anchored in the Belbek Valley area a few miles from Sevastopol. He was supposed to strengthen the air defense of the Main Fleet Base and secure the approaches to it from the sea. According to intelligence data, a German landing was expected in the Crimea, and the floating battery was supposed to prevent this. Black Sea Fleet Commander F.S. Oktyabrsky supported the report of G.A. Butakova, People's Commissar of the Navy N.G. Kuznetsov approved this idea. In July 1941, work began on the installation of general ship systems and the installation of weapons on the “square” (as the compartment was called in documents). Work on the project was led by engineer L.I. Ivitsky. Living quarters, a galley, a radio room, warehouses and cellars were equipped inside. A conning tower, rangefinders and two searchlights were installed on the deck of the former compartment. 2x130-mm guns were delivered from the arsenal, which were equipped with “diving” shells designed to combat submarines. They were supplemented by 4x76.2 mm anti-aircraft guns, 3x37 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, and 3x12.7 mm anti-aircraft machine guns. The crew of the floating battery consisted of 130 people, 50 of them were called up from the reserves, the rest were recruited from all the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. The workers attached a davit to the side of the “square,” but the boat was not found. But the workers found a huge Admiralty anchor in the warehouses of the plant and transferred it to the battery. Old-timers claimed that he was from the battleship Empress Maria. On August 3, 1941, the naval flag was raised on a separate floating battery No. 3. By order of the commander of the Black Sea Fleet dated August 4, it was included in the Guard of the Water District of the Main Base. The crew of the floating battery, led by Senior Lieutenant S.Ya. Moshensky began his service.

"Don't touch me!" fights with by German planes. Drawing by A. Lubyanov

Battle path "Don't touch me!"

On August 9, tugs moved the floating battery to Belbek Bay. It was fenced off from the threat of attacks from the sea by several rows of anti-submarine nets, and from the shore it was covered by coastal batteries. The “Empress Maria”’s yakser firmly held the “square” in place. Numerous firing exercises, crew survivability training and various exercises immediately began on the ship. In the summer of 1941, Luftwaffe raids on Sevastopol were an infrequent occurrence. Basically, German planes were engaged in reconnaissance of military targets and laying magnetic mines. Only occasionally were ships in the port bombed. Several times the floating battery was attacked by German planes, but their attacks were successfully repelled. The batteries covered with fire the ships that were entering Sevastopol. The situation changed radically at the end of October 1941 after the Wehrmacht broke through into Crimea. German units began the assault on Sevastopol. The 250-day defense of the city began. The Germans captured all Crimean airfields, and now the flight time of their bombers to Sevastopol was only 10-15 minutes. Raids on the city and port became daily. The main forces of the fleet went to the Caucasus. At the end of October, two 130-mm guns, which were urgently needed for the land front, were dismantled from the “square.” They also removed all the ammunition of the “one hundred and thirty”, except for the “diving” shells, and the gun crews. As a result, the ship's crew was reduced to 111 people.

At the beginning of November there were strong storms in the Black Sea. Their strength was such that the huge anchor could not hold the floating battery in place. The waves began to bring her closer to the shore, which was now occupied by German troops. It was decided to change the parking place of the “square”. On November 11, tugs moved the floating battery to Cossack Bay and sank it on the shallows, now it was not afraid of storms. The new combat mission that the command set for the crew was the defense of the military airfield at Cape Khersones. It remained the last Soviet airfield in Crimea. All aviation of the Sevastopol defensive region was based on its field. Raids on the Khersones airfield became more frequent. On the afternoon of November 29, 1941, the anti-aircraft gunners of the floating battery managed to win their first victory. They shot down a Bf-109. On December 17, the Germans launched a new assault on Sevastopol. Throughout the day, the batteries had to repel raids on the airfield. At the same time, a Ju-88 was shot down. From that day on, the combat score of the anti-aircraft gunners began to grow - while defending the airfield, they shot down 22 German aircraft. The winter assault was successfully repelled, but raids on the city continued. The Germans did not forget about the airfield. They tried to interfere with the actions of Soviet aviation, and in the stories of our pilots the help of the floating battery was constantly mentioned: “The floating battery put up a curtain... “Don’t touch me!” cut off the German..." On January 14, 1942, anti-aircraft gunners shot down another Ju-88, on March 3, a Non-111. On March 19, writer Leonid Sobolev visited the batteries. He spent the whole day on the “square”, talked with the commander and crew. He wrote about this in the essay “Don’t touch me!” In March, battery commander Senior Lieutenant S.Ya. Moshensky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, he became a lieutenant commander, and other crew members also received awards for downed planes.

Floating battery No. 3 “Don’t touch me!” in Cossack Bay, spring 1942. The picture was taken from a Soviet plane.

The floating battery hull on the shallows in Cossack Bay, July 1942.

The Germans launched a new assault on the city and concentrated a large number of aircraft on the Crimean airfields. They had multiple superiority in aviation, but Soviet aviators managed to strike at the enemy, and this was largely due to the crew of the floating battery. On June 9, three Ju-88s replenished his combat account, on June 12, Bf-109, and on June 13, Ju-88. The battery interfered with the actions of enemy aircraft, and the German command decided to do away with it. On June 14, the “square” was attacked by 23 Ju-87s, 76 bombs were dropped, but they failed to achieve direct hits. Due to close explosions of aerial bombs, the searchlight was damaged, shrapnel cut off the davit, and three sailors were wounded. While repelling this raid, the sailors shot down two Ju-87s. In the afternoon, the attacks continued; a German battery opened fire on the “square”. New raids followed. By this time, the defenders of Sevastopol were experiencing great difficulties due to a lack of ammunition. In the period between the assaults, they were now delivered by ship, but they were still sorely lacking. The Germans created huge reserves of ammunition, shells and cartridges they did not spare. Their aircraft dominated the Sevastopol skies. June 19 on “Don’t touch me!” Another raid was carried out. This was the 450th German air attack on the battery, whose crew was now at the guns day and night. Its fate was decided due to a lack of ammunition for the guns. The German pilots managed to break through to the battery. At 20.20 one of the bombs hit the left side of the “square”, the second exploded right at the side. The force of the explosion scattered every living thing on the deck. The crews of anti-aircraft guns and machine guns were killed and wounded, a fire started in the aft cellar, the fire approached the “diving” shells, but it was extinguished. The battery commander and 28 other crew members were killed. 27 sailors were wounded, and boats immediately brought them to shore. By evening, the crew managed to commission a 37-mm machine gun and two DShK machine guns, but there was no ammunition for them on the ship. On June 27, 1942, the crew of the floating battery was disbanded. The sailors were sent to fight on land positions; the wounded were taken to the mainland by ships of the Black Sea Fleet, which were breaking through to Sevastopol. After the fall of the city, German soldiers examined with interest the huge building “Don’t touch me!”, standing on the sandbank off the shore of Cossack Bay.

The commander of floating battery No. 3 is captain-lieutenant S.Ya. Moshensky

A few words must be said about the commander of the floating battery “Don’t touch me!” Captain-Lieutenant Sergei Yakovlevich Moshensky. He was born in Zaporozhye. He worked at a factory as an electrician and graduated from the workers' school. In 1936 he was called to serve in the navy. A Komsomol member with completed secondary education was sent to a two-year command staff course. Upon completion, he received the rank of lieutenant and was sent to serve as commander of the first main battery tower on the battleship Paris Commune. Before the start of the war, S. Ya. Moshensky completed a year-long advanced training course for Navy command personnel in Leningrad, specializing in air defense battery commander. He was married, the family was expecting their first child. After the start of the war, the pregnant wife was evacuated from Sevastopol. S.Ya. was in command for ten months. Moshensky floating battery, every day he risked his life for the freedom of his homeland. He died there without ever seeing his daughter, who was born in the evacuation. He is buried in Kamyshovaya Bay, but the exact burial place, unfortunately, is unknown.

The battleship "Marat" from the Leningrad sea canal fires at German troops, September 16, 1941. Drawing by I. Dementyev.

History of the battleship "Marat"

After Tsushima, the revival of the navy began in our country. The most powerful ships of the Russian Imperial Navy were the four Sevastopol-class battleships - Gangut, Poltava, Sevastopol and Petropavlovsk. The Bolsheviks managed to preserve three of them; they formed the basis of the power of the revived workers' and peasants' fleet. By the beginning of the war, the USSR Navy included “Marat” and “October Revolution” in the Baltic, and “Paris Commune” on the Black Sea. Another battleship, the Frunze (formerly Poltava), was never restored after a small fire that occurred in 1919. The Navy leadership repeatedly proposed restoring it as a battleship, battle cruiser, monitor, floating battery, and even an aircraft carrier. In the 20s Dozens of similar projects were developed, but, unfortunately, none of them were ever implemented. The mechanisms from the Frunze were used as spare parts for the repair of other battleships. “Petropavlovsk” was renamed “Marat” in March 1921. In 1928-1931 it has undergone modernization. The battleship was the flagship of the MSBM. His biography was not without an emergency - on August 7, 1933, due to a prolonged shot, a fire occurred in tower No. 2, killing 68 sailors. On July 25, 1935, the Marat rammed the B-3 submarine during an exercise. The most notable event in his peaceful life was a visit to England in May 1937. The battleship took part in a naval parade on the Spithead roadstead in honor of the coronation of the ship George V. Soviet sailors proved themselves to be the best at this show. Both battleships were part of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet squadron. The ship took part in the Soviet-Finnish war of 1939-1940, it fired at Finnish coastal batteries. In May 1941, the LFTI winding was installed on the battleship - Marat became the first Soviet ship to receive protection from magnetic mines. It was commanded by Captain 2nd Rank P.K. Ivanov.

The Marat explosion in Kronstadt on September 23, 1941. A column of smoke rose to a height of about a kilometer. The photo was taken from a German plane.

The ship met the beginning of the war in Kronstadt. That day, anti-aircraft gunners opened fire on a reconnaissance aircraft. Over the summer and autumn, 653 sailors from the Marat went to fight in the Marine Corps. In the summer of 1941, the German offensive developed rapidly, and already on September 9, the battleship located in the Leningrad sea canal began to fire at German units that were on the immediate approaches to Leningrad. Every day, the Marat sailors helped the soldiers of the 8th and 42nd armies defend their positions. With their fire they held back the enemy and prevented Wehrmacht units from launching an assault on the “cradle of the revolution.” During these days, the battleship fired 953 305-mm shells. It was the fire of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet ships that prevented the enemy from successfully completing the offensive and capturing the city. The German command gave the order to destroy the battleship, which was disrupting the offensive plans with its shelling. Aviation and artillery were used against him. On September 16, 1941, Marat received ten 150-mm shells and four direct hits from 250-kg bombs. 24 sailors were killed and 54 were wounded. A number of auxiliary mechanisms on the battleship failed, the fourth main battery turret was damaged, the aft group of 76-mm anti-aircraft guns and the bow battery of 37-mm anti-aircraft guns ceased to function. These hits significantly weakened the ship's air defense capabilities and played a fatal role in the history of the Marat.

"Marat" standing at the pier of Ust-Rogatka at the end of September 1941. A frame from a German aerial photograph. The arrow shows the location of the explosion.
A rescue ship is standing alongside, and fuel oil is still leaking from damaged tanks.

The battleship was sent to Kronstadt for repairs, and on September 18 it arrived at the Ust-Rogatka pier. He did not stop firing at the enemy; 89 305 mm shells were fired. German aviation continued to monitor the ship, and a new plan was developed to destroy the battleship. 1000 kg RS-1000 armor-piercing bombs were delivered to the airfield in Tirkovo from Germany. The Soviet command did not have reserves to strengthen the air defense of the base, because everything was thrown into the defense of Leningrad. This is how one of the sailors described the situation: “The enemy flies impudently, but we only have anti-aircraft guns, and they don’t shoot well. And there are only six fighters. Not anymore. All naval aviation works in the interests of the front near Leningrad.” Now the main target of Luftwaffe attacks were ships in Kronstadt. On September 21, 22 and 23, a series of massive raids were carried out on Kronstadt. The anti-aircraft gunners of the battleship Marat and the few air defense forces of Kronstadt were unable to repel the simultaneous attack of several groups of Ju-87s. At 11.44 on September 23, the battleship was attacked by Stukas. The first 1000 kg bomb fell next to the left side of the battleship.

This is what the Marat’s bow looked like from the top of the second chimney after the explosion. In the foreground is the roof of the second tower.
The gun barrels of the first main caliber turret are clearly visible, lying on the remains of the bow.

The huge ship tilted to starboard. At that moment, a 1000-kg armor-piercing bomb hit the Marat’s bow. It pierced the armor, exploded inside the ship and caused the detonation of the ammunition of the first main battery turret. There was a huge explosion. The flames consumed the battleship's superstructure, it was torn away from the hull and thrown towards the pier. The fragments from the explosion scattered throughout the Middle Harbor of Kronstadt. A column of smoke enveloped the Ust-Rogatka pier; it rose to a height of about a kilometer. 326 sailors died, incl. commander and commissar of the ship. The carat's hull landed on the harbor's soil. It was badly destroyed and ceased to exist as a warship. This is how one of the eyewitnesses described this disaster: “I clearly see how a huge foremast with gangways, deckhouses, bridges and platforms, completely dotted with figures in white sailor’s robes, slowly separates from the ship, does not fall very quickly to the side, and then separates into pieces and crashes into the water... Just below the mast, the gun turret also slowly rose, its three 12-inch guns break off and also fly into the water. The bay seems to be boiling from the mass of hot steel thrown into it...”

Floating battery "Petropavlovsk" in Kronstadt, 1943. Its hull is painted to look like a breakwater for camouflage.
Additional 37-mm anti-aircraft guns mounted on the stern and lined with bales of cotton are clearly visible

The combat path of the floating battery "Marat"

Concrete slabs removed from the Kronstadt embankments were laid on the deck of the Petropavlovsk.
as additional protection against fire from German large-caliber batteries

Part of the battleship's foremast, thrown several tens of meters away from the ship by the force of the explosion. It was raised and placed on the wall of the Kronstadt harbor

52 shells were fired at the Marat, four of which hit the ship. He received significant damage, but did not stop firing and suppressed the battery. A German shell sunk the auxiliary vessel "Aquarius" standing alongside, which provided heating for the floating battery. By January 1, 1942, the size of the Marat crew increased to 507 people. In January 1942, the floating battery was fired at eight times, 85 shells of 150-203 mm caliber were fired at it, but there were no hits. At the stern were installed 3x37-mm anti-aircraft guns on land installations. To protect them from fragments, they were fenced with cotton bags. Later, several more anti-aircraft guns were installed on the ship. On October 25, the floating battery held another artillery duel with a German battery. 78 280-mm shells were fired at Marat, four of them hit the deck of the ship, but did not cause significant damage. The additional “booking” helped. Throughout the winter, spring and summer of 1942, work continued to restore the combat effectiveness of the second tower. On October 30, its tests were successfully completed, and it entered service. On this day, she fired 17 shells at German positions. On November 6, 29 280-mm shells were fired at the ship, only one hit the ship. The boiler was disabled, a number of mechanisms were damaged, two sailors were killed and six were wounded. Another artillery duel took place on December 30, 1942.

Floating battery "Petropavlovsk" at the Ust-Rogatka pier, 1943. Frame from German aerial photography

On May 31, 1943, “Marat” was returned to its original name “Petropavlovsk”. On December 2, 1943, an artillery duel with a German battery took place. She became the last one, because... our troops were preparing to lift the blockade of Leningrad. The Petropavlovsk guns were used by the command to shell German positions in January 1944 during the Krasnoselsko-Ropshinsk operation to completely lift the blockade of Leningrad. The last shots fired at the enemy by the guns of the Petropavlovsk floating battery were fired in June 1944 during the Vyborg offensive operation, which ended the battle for Leningrad. During the Second World War, the ship conducted 264 live firings and fired 1,971 305-mm shells at the enemy.

The floating battery "Petropavlovsk" fires at German positions during the Krasnoselsko-Ropshin operation, January 1944.

Memory

After the liberation of Sevastopol, the hull of floating battery No. 3 continued to stand on the shallows in Cossack Bay. At the end of the 40s. it was picked up and towed to Inkerman for dismantling. About the feat of the crew “Don’t touch me!” gradually began to be forgotten. Only in the meager lines of the official chronicle of the war was the unprecedented feat of its crew recorded: “During the defense of Sevastopol, units and ships guarding the water area shot down 54 enemy aircraft. Of these, 22 aircraft were shot down by floating battery No. 3.” Only from the essay by the writer Leonid Sobolev “Don’t touch me!”, the story “The Mysterious Island” by the children’s writer Oleg Orlov, and several articles in newspapers and magazines could Soviet readers learn about this unique ship. Moscow journalist Vladislav Shurygin played a major role in preserving the memory of floating battery No. 3. For many years he collected materials about the military path of “Don’t touch me!”, met with veterans, and worked in archives. In 1977, with his help, a meeting of veterans of the floating battery was organized in Sevastopol. In 1979, he wrote the book “Iron Island,” which told about the feat of the crew of the floating battery and its commander S.Ya. Moshensky. Thanks to these people, the feat of the sailors of floating battery No. 3 was not forgotten. Unfortunately, in Sevastopol there is neither a monument nor a memorial sign dedicated to the heroic deeds of the crew of the floating battery “Don’t touch me!”

"Petropavlovsk" in Kronstadt, Navy Day, July 1944. The minesweeper "TSCH-69" stands at the side of the ship.

Marat was luckier. After the war, several projects were developed to restore the ship as a battleship (using the fate of the Frunze hull), but they were never implemented. "Petropavlovsk" was used as a training and artillery ship. In 1947-1948 At the dock, work was carried out to completely separate the remains of the bow from the hull. On November 28, 1950, the former Marat was reclassified as a non-propelled training ship and renamed Volkhov. On September 4, 1953, he was removed from the lists of the fleet. The hull of the former battleship was cut into needles only in the early 60s. Veterans of the Marat decided to perpetuate the memory of the ship. In 1991, they unveiled a memorial sign on the Ust-Rogatka pier. In the same year, they decided to create a museum dedicated to the battleship’s military journey. We managed to find a small room for him at the Nevsky Polytechnic Lyceum. The museum contains a diorama “Reflection of the September 1941 assault on Leningrad by ships of the Red Ban Baltic Fleet squadron,” various photographs and exhibits. In 1997 they managed to publish the collection “Valleys from the Neva”. It includes memories of veterans of the Baltic Fleet squadron, including the Marat sailors. The museum continues its activities to this day.

Alexey Tsarkov
specially for the magazine "Weapons"
The article uses photographs from the author's collection,
collections of A.G. Kuzenkova and A.B. Tameeva.
Non-self-propelled training ship "Volkhov" in Kronstadt, early 50s.

Vessel class and type Armored floating battery(With February 1 1892 - coastal defense battleship; With March 11 1895 derived from combat personnel Baltic Fleet and was used as blocker at the Fleet Mine School) Removed from the fleet September 2 1905(excluded from the fleet lists September 29 1905; With 1908 and until drowning in The Great Patriotic War on Neve, used as a dry cargo non-self-propelled barge)

"Don't touch me"- armored floating battery (coastal defense battleship) Russian imperial fleet.

Story

The Russian naval department decided to leave the onboard battleships with full sailing equipment and with armor of moderate thickness, and for the attack and defense of ports and harbors to build coastal defense battleships capable of carrying the most heavy guns and the thickest armor. Since the primary task for Russia was coastal defense, the main emphasis of the shipbuilding program was on coastal defense battleships.

Construction in 1861 small armored boat "Experience" showed that the factories Tsarist Russia were unable to fulfill the requirements of the maritime department. Therefore, the first Russian battleship is a floating battery “ Firstborn"- was built in England. Its construction was used to train Russian engineers and craftsmen sent to England for this purpose.

The “Don’t touch me” battery was already built in Russia, at the Galerny Island shipyard in St. Petersburg under a contract with the English manufacturer Charles Mitchell. The Naval Ministry has undertaken to arrange for Galerny Island boathouse with all the equipment, a warehouse for storing materials, workshops with machines driven by a steam engine, furnaces, forges, steam movable cranes, railways and gas lighting. Many Russian engineers and craftsmen took part in the construction of the shipyard and the construction of the Don’t Touch Me battery. The ship's engineer A. Kh. Sobolev was appointed to supervise the construction from the Shipbuilding Technical Committee. A steam engine from the Humphreys plant (England, 1858) and four used steam boilers were removed from the screw ship Constantine. The repair of the steam engine was carried out by the St. Petersburg plant of Berda.

July 10 1862- the battery was included in the lists of ships of the Baltic Fleet
January 15 1863- laid down on the boathouse of Galerny Island in St. Petersburg (officially November 9, 1863)
June 11 1864- launched and towed in a floating dock to Kronstadt for completion.
July 6 1865- entered into service
February 1 1892- reclassified as a coastal defense battleship of the 2nd rank
c March 11 1895- used as a blocker at the Baltic Fleet Mine School
September 2 1905- disarmed and handed over to the Kronstadt military port for storage
September 29 1905- excluded from the lists of ships of the Baltic Fleet
26 August 1908- sold to a private company for use as a dry-cargo non-self-propelled barge.
After civil war and the nationalization of the fleet was transferred NKPS for work in the Petrograd sea trade port
June 24 1925 purchased by the Leningrad Metal Plant.
during the Great Patriotic War sank on the Neva in Leningrad
V 1950 picked up by ACC KVMK and handed over to Glavvtorchermet for cutting into metal.

Accidents

During its service, the floating battery “distinguished itself” in several accidents. IN 1869 "Don't touch me" collided with semi-armored frigate"Petropavlovsk", and in 1883 seriously damaged the Norwegian ship Hayden.

Design

On the Don't Touch Me battery, the slope of the sides started from the battery deck. The battery had massive armored rams stems in the bow and stern, the sternpost also served to protect the rudder and propeller.

The battery body had one bottom, and the space between the floras was filled as ballast with a solution of cement and sand. The steering frame, fore and stern posts were made forged, the keel sheets were made of 28.5 mm iron, the frames were made of 10.5 mm iron with a width of 254 mm. The sheathing of the sides, 16.5 mm thick under water and 13.5 mm above water, was secured using angle iron. Three continuous decks - upper, battery and living quarters - were laid on top of 10.8 mm beams, reinforced with solid forged pillars. The hull was divided into seven compartments by waterproof bulkheads 13.5 mm thick, reaching to the battery deck.

To avoid significant roll on the battery, bilge keels were used, first used on ships Russian fleet. Such keels, 6.1 m long and 305 mm wide, were installed on the “Don’t Touch Me” battery during the construction process. Special tanks were placed in the side compartments. When filling these tanks, the battery was further deepened by 305 mm, thereby reducing the affected surface.

Armor protection

The "Don't touch me" armor protection completely covered the freeboard and dropped approximately 1.2 m below the waterline. The thickness of the forged iron armor is 114 mm in the middle and 102 mm at the ends. Teak lining for armor - 254 mm (on steep sides it is reinforced to 457 mm). The living and upper decks were covered with pine boards on top of 6.5 mm iron sheets, and the battery deck was covered with 102 mm oak boards. The armor was attached to the hull with through bolts with a diameter of 36.1 mm and rested on a special protrusion in the frames. On the battery deck, the armor had gun ports with a clear height of 864 mm. The round conning tower was protected by 114 mm plates. The living and upper decks were covered with pine boards on top of 6.5 mm iron sheets, and the battery deck was covered with 102 mm oak boards. On the Don't Touch Me, 25.4 mm iron sheets were placed on the beams of the lower deck above the cruise chambers and bomb magazines to protect against overhead shots.

Touch Me Not had a three-bladed propeller. Batteries with their full contours at average draft from 4.4 to 4.6 m and moderate power, the vehicles had poor driving performance.

Armament

Initially, the battery was supposed to be equipped with 24 smoothbore guns. Two guns were located on turntables on the upper deck, the rest were in a closed battery. Factory

Don't touch me (floating battery). Dedicated to Victory Day

Story

Accidents

Design

Armor protection

Armament

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