Submarine D-2 "Narodovolets"

On November 26, 1926, the USSR Council of Labor and Defense approved the military shipbuilding program for 1926-1932, which, in addition to the construction of surface ships, provided for the building of 12 submarines of various types.

On March 5, 1927, at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad, the first Soviet submarine was laid down — the lead submarine "Dekabrist" (from August 21, 1934 — D-1). At the same time, construction began on "Narodovolec" (from August 21, 1934, D-2) and "Krasnogvardeyets" (from August 21, 1934, D-3). The first rivet in the bottom plate of the lead submarine D-1 was hammered in by S.M. Kirov. On November 3, 1928, the "Dekabrist" submarine was launched, and on May 19, 1929, the "Narodovolec" submarine was launched. In April 1927, at the shipbuilding plant in Nikolaev, three more submarines of the "D" type were laid down. These ships were built according to a design developed under the leadership of the talented designer B. M. Malinin (1889-1949) and formed the first series of Soviet submarines. Malinin was one of the few engineers who personally participated in submarine construction even before the revolution. Based on this experience and extremely scarce theoretical data, Malinin and a group of designers began developing design materials for the construction of the first Soviet submarines. A total of 6 submarines of the "Dekabrist" type were built.

The tactical and technical elements of the first Soviet submarines were at a high level and were not inferior to foreign ones, and in some respects even surpassed them. The new submarines underwent very rigorous testing, and on October 12, 1931, "Narodovolec" joined the Navy. In 1933, the White Sea–Baltic Canal was commissioned. The opening of navigation on this largest waterway in our country (length 226 km) allowed the transfer of some ships from the Baltic Sea to the Northern maritime theater. In accordance with the order of the People's Commissar of Defense dated April 15, all three "D" type submarines were transferred to the North, where they became the first submarines of the young Northern military flotilla. On August 5, 1933, all three submarines were included in this flotilla.

In 1939, the famous Soviet pilot V.K. Kokkinaki made a nonstop flight from Moscow across the North Atlantic to the USA on the "Moscow" aircraft. To support this flight, the Northern Fleet command allocated submarines Shch-402, Shch-403, Shch-404, and D-2. During this mission, submariners ventured into high latitudes, using the experience of D-3 ("Krasnogvardeyets"). For mastering the northern maritime theater, a large group of Northern Fleet personnel was awarded orders. The commander of D-2, L.M. Raisner, was awarded the Order of Lenin. Before the Great Patriotic War, on September 22, 1939, D-2 returned to Leningrad for major repairs and modernization and in August 1941 was included in the Baltic Fleet. The crew met the Great Patriotic War at the Baltic Shipyard. The submariners shared the hardships of the blockade winter of 1941-1942 with the people of Leningrad. Under the command of Captain 3rd Rank R.V. Lindenberg, the submarine made its first combat patrol from September 23 to November 4, 1942, and on the very next day got caught in an anti-submarine net. They gave full speed ahead while simultaneously blowing the main ballast tanks. The submarine surfaced but did not escape the net. For two nights (diving during the day to avoid detection), the emergency crew cut steel cables in rough, cold weather. The work was led by Captain-Lieutenant S.N. Bogorad (later commander of Baltic Shch-310, Hero of the Soviet Union). D-2 broke through into the Southern Baltic, torpedoed and sank the transport "Jakobus Fritzen" (4090 GRT) near the island of Bornholm, and five days later attacked a convoy that included two railway ferries carrying Wehrmacht soldiers. One of these ferries, "Deutschland" (2972 GRT), was seriously damaged, with over 600 soldiers and officers killed. The submarine was pursued by anti-submarine ships, and 48 depth charges were dropped on it over four hours, but D-2 safely returned to Leningrad, where it was greeted by the Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov himself. In total, the submarine carried out 12 torpedo attacks and sank four enemy transports. During the war, D-2 completed 4 combat patrols.

After the war, D-2 continued to serve in the Baltic. In the postwar period, in 1953-1954, the submarine participated in tests of microclimate systems. This was a unique experiment related to the creation of the first Soviet nuclear submarine of project 627. The nuclear power plant allowed a significant increase in the duration of autonomous underwater navigation. However, this created the problem of ensuring the habitability of the ship — creating conditions to maintain the health and efficiency of the crew.

In June 1956, the submarine was withdrawn from the combat fleet, disarmed, and converted into a training station for survivability training (UTS-6). In this new role, D-2 was successfully used until 1987, providing submariners with training in firefighting and water damage control, as well as techniques for escaping from a sunken submarine.

In 1989, the USSR government adopted a special decree to create a memorial complex dedicated to the heroes-submariners of the Great Patriotic War, scientists, designers, and shipbuilders. This memorial complex was developed based on the D-2 submarine. The technical documentation for the restoration work was developed by the Central Design Bureau of Marine Technology FSUE "CDB MT Rubin," and the main volume of restoration and repair work was carried out by the Baltic Shipbuilding Plant. The scientific development of the exhibition project and its architectural and artistic design were carried out by staff of the Central Naval Museum.

Unlike similar memorial submarines of the Pacific and Northern Fleets, it was decided to restore the equipment, instruments, and mechanisms (some of which are operational) in the compartments as they were during the submarine's combat service. The only exception was the battery wells, from which the batteries were removed, and the wells were used to house the exhibition.

Among museum ships in Russia and other countries, the D-2 "Narodovolec" submarine holds a special place. This is noted by numerous visitors and foreign specialists. The uniqueness of the submarine lies in the fact that during its construction at the Baltic Shipyard (1927-1931), there was no electric welding, so now one can see the riveted strong hull. Virtually all units and assemblies (including the diesel engine from the German company MAN) have been recreated, allowing visitors to feel the conditions in which Soviet submariners lived and served. Most visitors, of course, are struck by the terrible, as they say, cramped and unsuitable living conditions of the submarine's compartments.

On September 2, 1994, the naval flag was solemnly raised again on the D-2 ("Narodovolec") submarine, and the museum exhibition was opened. The branch of the Central Naval Museum on the D-2 "Narodovolec" submarine is not only a bearer of naval combat history — it is also a cultural center. For example, the shore building of the memorial complex, where the control post and engineering support are located, has a conference hall.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-2_«Narodovolec»
https://morskoesobranie.ru/article/10b231/podvodnaya-lodka-d-narodovolets