Floating battalion: on tanks in the Baltic Sea

53

Source: masterok.livejournal.com

Tanks and pontoons


В previous section stories it was about tank storage company and living conditions of the Estonian hinterland, who met a young graduate of the Omsk tank-technical school. This time we will talk about the third separate tank battalion, in which I continued to serve as the company’s deputy technical engineer in November 1968. It was a unique military unit in its own way. The fact is that the battalion was armed with medium, 36-tonne T-55 tanks, adapted through some design modifications to sailing on water.

On each tank, on the left and right sides, pontoons were hung, which were made of aluminum alloy and were not sealed, and their entire internal volume was filled with foam. The pontoons were equipped with gearboxes, through which the torque from the drive wheels of the tank was transmitted to the propellers located in the stern. The pontoons had additional fuel tanks, which, when pontooned, were connected to the tank's fuel system, thereby increasing the cruising range on the water. The capacity of each pontoon, if memory serves, was 550 liters.



The process of hanging pontoons on an armored vehicle was called pontooning. For this purpose, special "fangs" were welded to the tank in the front and rear of the hull, to which the pontoons were attached using hinged brackets. Moreover, the drive wheels of the tank were simultaneously connected to the pontoon gearboxes. And on the tower, special eyes were welded, to which a triangular bracket with a winch and a pulley was attached during the pontoon. With this device, the pontoon was raised from the ground to the required height to connect to the tank.

A wave-reflecting shield was attached to the pontoons in front of the tank. In addition, the combat vehicle was completely sealed with a special putty, with the exception of the turret hatch, on which a special box was installed, which allowed the commander to be in his hatch and not be afraid of being overwhelmed by the sea wave.

There was also a device consisting of a system of cables and blocks, which allowed the pontoons to be dropped from the driver's seat when leaving the water to land from the driver's seat, and the tank entered the battle.

It is known that the air for the engine of the tank enters through the louvers on the roof of the transmission compartment, and the exhaust gases come out of the pipe located at the level of the fenders. To isolate these places from water, a rectangular "basket" was installed above the roof of the transmission compartment, which had neither a bottom nor a roof. And a telescopic pipe was attached to the end of the exhaust pipe, and the exhaust came out vertically to a meter height. To prepare the tank for float, it took about an hour and a half, all exclusively by the crew.

ZIL-157 vehicles - truck tractors with special semi-trailers - arrived in the indicated area and dropped the pontoons in pairs so that the tank could drive between them. And the pontooning began.

Floating battalion: on tanks in the Baltic Sea
ZIL-157 with tank pontoons. Source: otvaga2004.ru

It is not hard to guess that the battalion for the transportation of pontoons had an automobile company in the state - the so-called company of floating vehicles, in abbreviated form - RPS. It consisted of 64 towing vehicles, two for each of the 31 tanks, and two spare.

In addition to combat, technical and material support units, the battalion also had a company of amphibious tanks - 31 PT-76 tanks.

On tanks to Sweden


What was the purpose of this 3rd OT, which in the garrison was simply called a floating battalion?

The battalion, having made a march by land, arrived at the indicated pontooning area, at some distance from the coast, hung the pontoons and entered the water. So the march on the water barrier began.

Theoretically, the fuel range could be enough to reach Finland or Sweden. The limitation was only in the height of the wave - when the sea was roughly 3 points, it was forbidden to go sailing.

The order of battle on the march looked like this: a company of amphibious tanks sailed in front of the column with the task of capturing a bridgehead on the enemy coast during landing and holding it until the main forces disembarked. Ahead, left and right, as well as behind, the battalion was covered by the ships of the Navy. By the way, the command of the Navy tried for a long time to "bargain" from the Ground Forces for our battalion, but something above "did not grow together."

It was not easy to march on the water.

The tank driver was sitting at the levers, not seeing anything, as the waves flooded the observation devices. And all the hope was in the commander, who controlled the actions of the driver via internal communication and had to have certain skills acquired in the process of training in driving lessons, first a single tank, then as part of a platoon, then as part of a company.

Controlling the tank was no different from moving on the ground: by tightening the right or left swing lever, the driver braked the corresponding track, and the opposite side "ran" in the direction of the turn.

The difference was that the driver on the water could not see the road. Everything depended on the commander: how timely he would give the command to stop the turn, because water is not land, the movement of the tank will continue for some time in the direction of the turn. Hence the constant "yaw" along the course. It happened, albeit very rarely, that during a long voyage the driver could not withstand the load (stuffiness, pressure of a closed volume) - fainting also happened.

The average speed in second gear was 13 km / h. For comparison, the PT-76 amphibious tank could only sail at a speed of 11 km / h.

In addition to the usual march, firing at floating targets with combat shells was also practiced. For studies and training on the water, there was a water center, not so far from Klooga, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. And at a distance of several kilometers from our water center, the submarine base of Paldiski was visible, where we, the landings, were denied access.

Throughout the summer period, there were several tanks with suspended pontoons at the hydrodrome, on which training was practiced, and several driver mechanics led by an officer for their protection and maintenance. I happened to be on duty there several times. Resort, and more!


Source: starcom68.livejournal.com

Naturally, there was no time to be bored in a floating tank battalion: combat training, in fact, is twice as intense as usual. After all, naval training was also added to the land training.

By the way, for every day of training on the water, both officers and conscripts were entitled to additional sea rations, so to speak, enhanced nutrition. I remember that it included meat pâté and chocolate.

Tanks don't sink


My personal problem, as a technical engineer, was that I simply did not have a place afloat during the march. And I was at the stern of the last tank, exposed to the sun, wind and sea waves. But we usually did not swim for more than four hours, and I did not experience any misadventures in this regard during my service in the battalion. Usually the weather in the summer in the Baltic was good. And in bad and swimming was forbidden.

Tanks with pontoons were practically unsinkable, since on the water the pontoons' fastening to the tank was tightly wedged under the weight of the vehicle.

Senior comrades said that during the tests, somewhere in one of the northern seas, they placed three tanks in a line at an interval of a kilometer and detonated an atomic bomb at an altitude of 1 km (I do not remember how powerful it was). As a result, the tank in the center went under water, one of the outer tanks also went under water, but immediately surfaced, and the second outer tank lost one of the pontoons, but did not sink, but hung on the surviving pontoon.

What can not be said about the amphibious tanks PT-76 or "petas". The center of gravity of this tank was very unstable, and if it started to leak in the seals, and the drainage means could not cope, then the tank very quickly, especially when rolling, lost stability.

Further, the tank heeled aft, then took a position with the gun upward, and the car went to the bottom in a matter of minutes. On marches and exercises, this did not happen with me, but during the driving lessons at the vododrome one "petashka" sank. Fortunately, the depth in the bay was no more than three to five meters. Since all this happened not far from the coast, divers later hooked on the tank with a cable, and the tractor pulled it ashore.

It's funny, but the commander of a company of amphibious tanks, taking this opportunity, wrote off all the missing property in the company: they say, it sank along with the tank and became unusable.


Source: odetievbrony.ru

Sailing in the battalion was carried out every summer. Once, I remember, we landed at the Riga Training Center in Latvia.

And also in our battalion there was a post of deputy battalion commander for naval training. We called this position in abbreviated form as follows: "zamkomomorde".

It was occupied by the captain of the third rank Chumakov. He officially wore a navy uniform. I cannot describe the scope of his duties, I only remember that without his signature, the floatation was impossible. He was rude, straightforward, constantly smoked "Belomor" and regularly pestered the cute, curvy freelance typist Lyudochka.

One amusing incident is also connected with it.

Usually, during the voyage, he was on one of the escort ships, but one day he decided, so to speak, to feel the process from the inside. He swam in the stern of one of the tanks, when suddenly a wave came and drenched him ankle-deep. He took off his shoes and hung them on the stern basket to dry his socks and boots. The sun was shining, our captain of the third rank was overwhelmed and lost his vigilance. A sharp gust of wind blew off socks and one boot into the sea. When they went ashore, they heard a lot of things from him, which were never heard again in the future.

To be continued ...
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53 comments
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  1. +20
    9 December 2021 06: 24
    Thanks to the author for the interesting reading. good
    1. +16
      9 December 2021 06: 46
      Quote: faiver
      Thanks to the author for the interesting reading.
      Moreover, with a description of a rare animal - the floating T-55!
      Yeah Tanks with pontoons were practically unsinkable, since on the water the pontoons' fastening to the tank was tightly wedged under the weight of the vehicle. rather carefully to the crew, the vaunted Americans, for example, did not bother with safety on the water:

      They also fenced off with tarpaulin! : sail the crew, shake with horror at every close break. laughing
      1. +11
        9 December 2021 09: 44
        Quote: Vladimir_2U
        vaunted Americans, for example, did not bother with safety on the water

        ))
        Yes, I must say, the task in front of 741 TB on Day-D was suicidal - to go to the beach for 10 minutes before the first wave of infantry.
        True, the Xi company never made it to Omaha Beach, drowning in full force (16 "Donald Dacians"). But the conditions were not ideal either - the excitement critical for DD and 5 thousand. yards from the coastal edge instead of the required 4. Moreover, the crews added the ammunition load by one and a half times, increasing the weight.
        But in general, these two systems - pontoon and screen - I would not compare.
        Here, probably, the Germans are closer with their opposed "deuce" and "Prague",


        and the Japanese with a double-float "ka-mi".
        But the German tank shoes for the Sea Lion were late, but "ka-mi", like, in the Philippines, fought with the use of its waterfowl functionality.
        1. +1
          9 December 2021 09: 50
          Quote: Ashes of Klaas
          But in general, these two systems - pontoon and screen - I would not compare.
          How not to compare? The task is one - to enable the medium tank to reach the enemy coast! But the Americans won! They did it cheaply! laughing
          1. +2
            9 December 2021 10: 42
            Quote: Vladimir_2U
            But the Americans won!

            well, actually, the DD system is more British than American.
            1. +1
              9 December 2021 11: 26
              Quote: Ashes of Klaas
              well, actually, the DD system is more British than American. wink

    2. +19
      9 December 2021 07: 06
      I join - it's interesting to read! Although with tanks, as they say, "and did not stand next to", but still we are all a little tankers
      - Yes, Lucy, all the men are like tanks - wherever the cannon looks at them, the tower will go there!
      1. +17
        9 December 2021 07: 32
        Wow! And I, on the contrary, am a tanker and have heard / seen documentaries about these pontoons. But the fact that battalions were formed from such tanks - I found out only today!
        Thank you author!
        1. +16
          9 December 2021 08: 57
          The Soviet army was strong, there was something to rely on.
  2. +9
    9 December 2021 06: 50
    "Further, the tank heeled aft"
    There is no roll to the stern, there is a trim
    :)

    The article is interesting. Thanks.
    1. +10
      9 December 2021 09: 57
      Your comment has been accepted.
      Thank you!
  3. +6
    9 December 2021 07: 12
    were manufactured aluminum alloy and were not airtight, and their entire internal volume was filled with foam... The pontoons were equipped with gearboxesthrough which the torque from the driving wheels of the tank transmitted to propellersplaced in the stern. The pontoons had additional fuel tanks, which, when pontooned, were connected to the tank's fuel system, thereby increasing the cruising range on the water.

    in the battalion for the transportation of pontoons, there was an automobile company in the state - the so-called company of amphibious vehicles, in abbreviated form - RPS. She counted 64 towing vehicles, two for each of the 31 tanks, and two spare.

    Yes, in a country that has been under sanctions for its entire existence. I wonder how many such battalions were there? And there were enough funds.
    1. -1
      9 December 2021 09: 05
      Quote: NDR-791
      were made of aluminum alloy .. Yes, in a country that has been under sanctions for its entire existence.

      Well, don't exaggerate the colors)
      1. +1
        9 December 2021 09: 30
        Quote: Ashes of Klaas
        Well, don't exaggerate the colors)

        And I'm not thickening about then, about now. Then, with all the inconveniences, every state thief knew the length of the leash. Now there is no such thing - enrich yourself !!! And the fact that this is done at the expense of the state does not bother anyone. But it does not allow to develop normally.
        1. 0
          9 December 2021 10: 50
          Quote: NDR-791
          Then, with all the inconveniences, every state thief knew the length of the leash. Now there is no such thing - enrich yourself !!! And the fact that this is done at the expense of the state does not bother anyone.

          well, I don’t argue here.
  4. +8
    9 December 2021 07: 39
    The article is very interesting and informative. If my father knew about them, then he would definitely have submitted a report for translation ...
  5. +8
    9 December 2021 07: 50
    Respect to the author. I look forward to continuing.
    1. +13
      9 December 2021 08: 19
      Yes, here it is just right to open a separate section, which used to be a "smoking room" And what - the tankers, pilots, infantry gathered and talked about their own. I’m wondering when a sailor will write his memoirs - we also have something to discuss and remember - the fleet is generally the most (well, yes, now, like a sandpiper about a swamp, not without it), a cheerful type of troops! A good deed has recently taken place - it's interesting to read!
  6. +3
    9 December 2021 09: 14
    A company of such tanks on the bank of the Bug River to Batka Lukashenka. And what will the Poles sing then ...
    1. +1
      9 December 2021 16: 55
      Quote: avia12005
      A company of such tanks on the bank of the Bug River to Batka Lukashenka. And what will the Poles sing then ...

      yes they will not sing anything. They will take selfies against the background of these shushpants. The width of the Bug is 50 meters in total, the photo norms will be obtained
  7. +14
    9 December 2021 09: 26
    The topic is interesting, it has the right to be implemented today. In 2010, I was lucky to have a personal conversation with the main developer of these floating facilities - Leonid Fedoseev. I also restored an old film about these boats, and, with the permission of Leonid Fedorovich, posted it on the Internet. On YouTube: https://youtu.be/dlWoZnXiZaI
    1. +21
      9 December 2021 09: 28
      Checked out link:
    2. -5
      9 December 2021 13: 42
      Quote: Bush
      The topic is interesting, it has the right to be implemented today.

      Is a pontoon-hung tank a good idea?
    3. +2
      9 December 2021 17: 59
      Do you live in Nizhny Novgorod?
  8. +6
    9 December 2021 09: 32
    the battalion also included a company of amphibious tanks - 31 PT-76 tanks

    This is a typo - there cannot be a 31 tank in a company - either 13 or 10
    1. +10
      9 December 2021 09: 56
      Thanks for the amendment! Indeed, there are 10 tanks in the company. I'm sorry about the annoying typo.
  9. Naz
    +7
    9 December 2021 10: 17
    Thank you, informative.
  10. TEM
    +6
    9 December 2021 10: 47
    Thank you for your service to the Motherland! Thanks for the kind memory!
    If only they didn't raise a howl about the threat to their safety in Sweden and Finland !!!
  11. +1
    9 December 2021 18: 41
    The company commander, who wrote off the missing property on the drowned man, is fine, but he is not the first and far from the last, but our BTGr (and in all other units I also think it was), almost all of them wrote off the one that fell into the Ural gorge from the RMO and the burnt BMP was written off by almost all the property of the unit, and "accidentally" according to all the books of F26, the commanders of these units had received a whole mountain of all kinds of rubbish from other colleagues the day before :)
    1. +5
      9 December 2021 19: 37
      almost all the property of the unit was written off for one that fell into the Ural gorge from the RMO and the burned down BMP,

      "I threw three portions of shish kebab into the abyss ..."
  12. 0
    9 December 2021 22: 01
    The idea is original, but very much in the forehead. The design turned out to be cumbersome and clearly flimsy. You can still believe in the allowable 3 points of excitement, but 4-5 points, as in the video from the comments, is sheer fantasy. The body of the pontoons is aluminum, breaking off the pontoon (even partially) on the waves is a trifling matter. And what's the point that the pontoon itself doesn't sink? The tank will go under the water.
    1. +2
      10 December 2021 22: 06
      But something did not break off.
      1. 0
        10 December 2021 22: 49
        Quote: Fedorov Fedor
        But something did not break off.

        Because in fresh weather, it was prudent to cancel classes. For lakes, bays and estuaries, where even a small amphibious assault ship is difficult to drag - an excellent idea! But in the open sea on such a pontoon it is better not to meddle.

        All in all, a great addition to the army pontoon park. But you shouldn't cross the Baltic on it.
  13. +6
    9 December 2021 23: 02
    I have already left a commentary on the first article, since I served in the Klooga garrison for 8 years, and had the opportunity to observe the activities of the sailing battalion under discussion until it was liquidated in 1980 and the sending of officers and soldiers along with tanks to Afghanistan. that the purpose of the battalion is to strike a bridgehead captured on the coast by an enemy amphibious assault. In other words, the battalion went far out to sea, and then attacked from the sea the bridgehead occupied by the enemy. On the site "classmates" there is a group "We are from Klooga."
    1. +2
      10 December 2021 22: 08
      Great! Under the command of Romanenko, I had the honor to serve. Honestly, not everything worked out for him. And I will definitely visit the site!
  14. +2
    10 December 2021 18: 20
    Very interesting article! I didn't even imagine that ordinary ones are not floating! - tanks are able to float. Thank you, Fedor Uvarovich! good hi
  15. 0
    10 December 2021 23: 39
    Damn, but an interesting article. The author is an absolute plus ... "There is much in the world, friend
    Horatio, which our wise men never dreamed of. "It's time to think about creation
    history of his military service.
    and Moiseev. About how Moiseev and a couple of Major Generals gave me a path in the snow
    conceded, speaking of strategic. But I was light cable coils, automatic
    on the shoulder, with a TA-57 telephone, and a coil of heavy cable on the other shoulder is hung,
    like a Christmas tree with toys. "Comrades generals, let me go through" ...
  16. +2
    11 December 2021 15: 37
    Thanks again, it was interesting! Only correctly Paldiski, without "b", if you let the young man correct you)))
    1. +1
      11 December 2021 23: 24
      B40-60, or even 70, wrote both Paldiski and Paldiski
      1. 0
        12 December 2021 00: 23
        In the 18th century, the Swedes wrote Rogervik))
        1. +1
          12 December 2021 00: 26
          Well, I'm talking about a later time. I myself found a double spelling on the documents
  17. +1
    11 December 2021 17: 35
    Archival photos of the same tank floating battalion in Kloog. Source: group in "Odnoklassniki" "We are from Klooga"




  18. 0
    11 December 2021 22: 11
    Yes, very interesting. And where was the landfill in Latvia? Tanks entered the water in Saulkrasti, dispersed the rest for several days and ruined the beach.
  19. 0
    11 December 2021 22: 13
    Interestingly, and the respected author knows that a couple of years ago, 2 T-55s with PST 63 rested peacefully at the bottom of the Gulf of Finland, not far from the town of Loksa.? The pontoons were in holes, as seen from small-caliber cannons, and the tanks themselves had no hatch covers.
    1. +1
      11 December 2021 23: 34
      Interestingly, and what for .. put me a minus? And most importantly, for what? For the truth or for stupidity?
    2. +1
      12 December 2021 18: 46
      No, the author does not know about it.
      1. 0
        14 December 2021 07: 56
        And they are there. Just thought to ask, are these targets or what?
  20. -1
    15 December 2021 14: 50
    It turns out that in other branches of the military, and not only in the Air Force, the service was interesting! Didn't know about it. Thanks for the informative article!
    ps Why did you write WAS? It seems to me that the service in the SA was not like the current one.
    1. 0
      10 January 2022 05: 49
      Quote: your vsr 66-67
      It turns out that in other branches of the military, and not only in the Air Force, the service was interesting!

      And someone minus without explaining the reasons - probably a very unhappy SA deserter / evader.
  21. 0
    24 December 2021 10: 20
    Extremely interesting! Usually, in the literature, there are only hints of such craft. Thanks! We look forward to continuing!
  22. 0
    3 January 2022 01: 15
    hi In the Russian magazine "Popular Mechanics" (in my opinion, back in the "zero" years) there was an article about these pontooned T-55s, with a spectacular design on the cover.
    Somewhere I had this magazine (if I find it, I will write the issue here and for what year).
  23. 0
    14 February 2022 17: 17
    Thanks to the author for the information provided good
  24. 0
    19 February 2022 14: 40
    Thanks to the author!

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