Spanish ships in the Soviet fleet. "Ciudad de Ibiza" and others
"Ciudad de Ibiza" ("Bialystok")
In 1933, the Spanish shipyard Unión Naval de Levante (Valencia) delivered two identical cargo-passenger ships, "Ciudad de Ibiza" and "Ciudad de Tarragona," to the shipping company Compañía Trasmediterránea. The cost of building the former was 5,039,161 pesetas. The ships were intended for voyages between ports in the Spanish Levant and the Balearic Islands.
"Ciudad de Ibiza" on sea trials
Main performance characteristics of the motor ship "Ciudad de Ibiza"
Maximum length, m - 75,9
Length between perpendiculars, m - 72,0
Width is the greatest, m - 11,14
Fully loaded draft, m — 4,20
Displacement, t - 2292
Capacity, BRT - 1600
Deadweight, t — 700
Main engine power (Krupp Germania Werft AG diesel engines), hp — 2 x 750
Speed, knots — 12 at full load (up to 15,18 during tests with 50% load)
Ship power plant capacity, kW — 3 x 72
Passenger capacity, persons:
1st class - 38
Class II - 40
Class III - 28
Crew, pers. - 47
Number of cargo holds: 3
Volume of cargo holds, m³ — 1350
Fuel capacity, m³ — 110,6
Fresh water reserve, t - 150
Cruising range (speed 10,7 knots), miles - 4650.
The ship was divided into six compartments by five transverse watertight bulkheads. A double bottom ran almost the entire length of the hull. Passengers were accommodated in one-, two-, three-, four-, six-, and eight-berth cabins.
General arrangement plan of the "Ciudad de Ibiza" class ships (Revista de Ingenieria Naval, April de 1934)
1st Class Passenger Dining Room "Ciudad de Ibiza"
1st class cabin "Ciudad de Ibiza"
Smoking Lounge 1st Class “Ciudad de Ibiza”
In the engine room of the Ciudad de Ibiza
At the start of the Civil War, the ship was requisitioned by the Republican government. In August 1936, the "Ciudad de Ibiza" was sent to the colony of Equatorial Guinea, which was still under Republican control, but did not stay there for long.
Ibiza City before the Civil War
In 1937-1938, the ship made several voyages to the Black Sea ports of the USSR, transporting military cargo, Soviet military specialists, etc. In July 1938, the transport arrived in the Union for the last time, probably delivering Spanish children.
In total, approximately 34,000 refugees were transported from Spain to the USSR by ship, but almost all of them were from Cantabria and the Basque Country (Northern Front). No more than 4,000 made the southern route. Probably due to the practical impossibility of a return voyage, the ship, like several other "Spaniards," was bareboat chartered (i.e., leased without a crew) to the Black Sea Shipping Company under the name "Transport No. 4." After the collapse of the Republic, it was requisitioned and renamed "Bialystok" (probably not before September, when this Polish city became part of the Byelorussian SSR).
"Bialystok"
The vessel made ten-day voyages on the Crimean-Caucasian route, and on August 12, 1941, it was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet as a floating base for the 2nd Torpedo Boat Brigade. Later (from September 19, 1941), it was used as a medical transport. The transport's medical staff consisted of three doctors, ten nurses, and two orderlies.
The transport completed 19 evacuation flights from Odessa, Sevastopol, and the Kerch Peninsula, transporting a total of 5942 evacuees, 615 of whom were bedridden. The maximum number of people transported in a single flight was 611. The transport also delivered supplies to the defenders of these areas. weapon, ammunition, food and marching reinforcements.
On the night of June 17-18, 1942, the Belostok (commander Senior Lieutenant T.P. Rymkus) broke through to Sevastopol with a cargo of ammunition and provisions. It was the last transport vessel to reach the besieged city before its defense was completed. Subsequently, only warships were able to break through.
Late in the evening of June 18, the Belostok, having taken on board up to 800 wounded and evacuees, left Sevastopol for Tuapse under the protection of the base minesweeper T-408 Yakor and five sea hunters.
At 01:48 a.m. on June 19, 20 miles south of Cape Fiolent, the convoy was attacked by five (or, according to other sources, three) German torpedo boats based at Ak-Mechet. One of the torpedoes (from the German torpedo boat S-102, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Werner Töniges) pierced the vessel and quickly sank at coordinates 44°08' N, 33°35' E, at a depth of 230 meters. Escort ships managed to rescue 157 people; approximately 680 died, although these figures vary widely among sources.
"CIUDAD DE TARRAGONA" ("LVIV")
Undoubtedly, the most famous of the "Spaniards" was "Lvov", the only one to be awarded a government award - the Order of the Red Banner.
This ship was the same type as the "Ciudad de Ibiza" described above, and its Spanish fate was similar. In July 1938, it made its final journey from Republican Spain to Odessa, carrying evacuated children. It was transferred to the Black Sea Shipping Company under the name "Transport No. 4," and in October 1939, it was renamed "Lvov." The vessel served as a cargo and passenger carrier on the Crimean-Caucasian Line.
On July 8, 1941, he was mobilized and transferred to the Black Sea the fleet As a floating base for the 7th Division of the 2nd Submarine Brigade, which was based first in Balaklava and, from November 1941, in Ochamchire. The floating base was armed with one 76-mm, four 45-mm, two 20-mm guns, one 12,7-mm, and eight 7,62-mm machine guns.
Lvov - a floating submarine base
On December 12, 1941, the Lvov was reclassified as a medical transport (not to be confused with a hospital ship, as this changes its status under the Hague Convention) and transferred to the Black Sea Fleet's medical service. The ship's medical staff consisted of five doctors, 12 nurses, and 15 orderlies. During the war, the ship made 35 evacuation flights from Sevastopol, the Kerch Peninsula, and between ports on the Caucasus coast, evacuating 12431 people, including 6070 (48,8%) bedridden wounded and sick. The maximum number of people evacuated in a single voyage was 616.
The Lvov delivered reinforcements, weapons, ammunition, and food to the front, completing 125 such trips. During one December 1941 trip, the Lvov delivered 16 train cars of food to besieged Sevastopol, and on January 4, 1942, it transferred units of the 386th Rifle Division there. Having evaded an attack by two German torpedo bombers, the Lvov delivered 362 soldiers, 20 aircraft engines, 150 aviation mines, 200 tons of other ammunition and 60 tons of food.
Lviv in 1944
During the war, the transport was put on alert 325 times, attacked by over 900 Nazi aircraft, and evaded 730 bombs and 26 torpedoes. Lvov's anti-aircraft gunners shot down and damaged several enemy aircraft.
"Lvov" off the coast of Crimea during the war
Thus, during one of its March 1942 voyages, en route to Sevastopol, the ship was subjected to ten enemy air raids over the course of two and a half hours. And on April 19, in Novorossiysk, the vessel was again attacked by a large group of enemy aircraft. But this time, too, the ambulance remained operational, despite damage to its auxiliary machinery and a loss of electrical power. Emergency response teams selflessly fought to maintain survivability and repaired the damage within minutes.
On September 24 and 25, the Lvov was attacked again by 22 Junkers fighters near Pitsunda and Khosta. The 116 bombs dropped on the ship caused a fire, and water began leaking through shrapnel holes in the hull, destroying all the lifeboats. The commander was forced to run the ship aground, and the following day, the rescue ship Mercury refloated the vessel and towed it to Poti and later to Batumi for repairs. Repairs were completed by January 27, 1943.
"Lviv" - damaged by a German aerial bomb
And on February 18, the skill of the commander (Captain 3rd Rank V.N. Ushakov) again saved the ship. For two hours, the Lvov successfully evaded successive attacks by five German torpedo boats, which launched ten torpedoes at the transport.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on May 31, 1943, for bravery displayed in battles against the Nazi invaders and for the valor and courage of its crew, the ambulance transport Lvov was the only one of the mobilized vessels of the People's Commissariat of the Navy to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner. During the war, seventeen crew members were killed and forty-five were wounded.
In 1946, the Lvov was returned to the Black Sea Shipping Company. After repairs in 1946-1947, the vessel returned to the Odessa-Batumi route under the command of Captain A. V. Vorozhbiev, and later, M. I. Grigor. In 1952, after another overhaul, it was transferred to the Azov State Shipping Company. From then on, it began serving the Zhdanov-Sochi passenger route, and from 1955, the Odessa-Zhdanov-Sochi route. The Lvov departed Odessa on its final voyage on October 11, 1964, and visited all the Black Sea ports where it had served during the war.
Lviv in 1950
Lviv in 1962
The veteran vessel spent the final years of its life in Kherson, where it served as a floating restaurant and hotel, and then, for over a decade, as a stationary training vessel for the local KYM (Young Sailors' Club). Gradually, the vessel's hull deteriorated completely, and in the early 80s, it was deemed unsafe for use as a training vessel. Abandoned, the vessel sank at its pier. It was later raised and towed to Mykolaiv for scrapping.
"Lviv" in Kherson (circa 1963)
"JUAN SEBASTIÁN ELCANO" ("VOLGA")
The Juan Sebastián Elcano was one of a trio of nearly identical transatlantic liners (the Juan Sebastián Elcano, Magallanes, and Marqués de Comillas) built for Compañía Trasatlántica Española in 1928. They were also classified as auxiliary cruisers (cruceros auxiliares), which they could have used during the war.
Juan Sebastián Elcano undergoing sea trials, 1927
This steam turbine ship was built at the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval Sestao shipyard. During sea trials conducted on May 24, 1928, it reached a speed of 16,10 knots (versus 15 knots contractually), with an output of 7792 horsepower and a daily fuel consumption of 83 tons.
Main performance characteristics of the turboprop ship "Juan Sebastián Elcano"
Maximum length, m - 145,13
Width is the greatest, m - 17,14
Fully loaded draft, m — 7,88
Displacement, t - 13173
Capacity, BRT - 9964
Deadweight, t — 6200
Main engine power (GTZA), hp — 2 x 4145
Cruising speed, knots - 14,4 (during testing - up to 16,10)
Passenger capacity, persons:
1st class - 149
Class II - 53
Class III - 43
Emigrant class - 528
Crew, pers. - 260
Number of cargo holds: 4
Fuel capacity, m³ — 1090.
Architecturally, it was a twin-screw, two-masted, twin-funneled, six-deck vessel with a vertical stem and a conventional stern with a cleat; the hull was divided by nine transverse bulkheads into watertight compartments. The cargo handling arrangement consisted of cargo booms and 14 steam winches.
A view of the cargo winches and booms of the Juan Sebastián Elcano
The main propulsion plant consisted of two Curtiss-Parsons turbo-gear units, manufactured in Spain under license, and five steam boilers with an operating pressure of 25,2 kg/cm², running on liquid fuel and coal.
The Juan Sebastián Elcano GTZA during factory testing
On July 7, 1928, the liner departed on its maiden voyage on the Spain-Cuba-USA route: Barcelona-Valencia-Alicante-Cádiz-Las Palmas-Santa Cruz de Tenerife-Santa Cruz de la Palma-Santiago de Cuba-Havana-New York. In 1929, the Juan Sebastián Elcano began operating on a new route between ports in Spain, Venezuela, Colombia, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Curaçao.
1st Class Hall "Juan Sebastián Elcano"
2rd Class Dining Hall "Juan Sebastián Elcano"
3rd Class Dining Hall "Juan Sebastián Elcano"
1st Class Music Salon "Juan Sebastián Elcano"
2nd Class Lobby "Juan Sebastián Elcano"
In June 1934, the ship was "mobilized" to participate in naval maneuvers in the Western Mediterranean. On board were officials, journalists, and government guests. The performance of the Juan Sebastián Elcano's crew during the maneuvers was highly praised by the President of the Republic and the Minister of the Navy.
On July 18, 1936, when an anti-government rebellion broke out in Spain, the liner was in the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico. On August 15, it returned to Barcelona, where it was requisitioned by the government of the Republic on October 16. Until October 24, the Juan Sebastián Elcano was used to accommodate refugees. On January 15 of the following year, the ship departed on its maiden voyage to the Soviet port of Odessa. There, it loaded wheat, cotton, and military supplies, delivering them to Barcelona on February 20. On its second voyage, coal and military supplies were delivered from Odessa to Valencia.
On July 19, 1937, the "Juan Sebastián Elcano" arrived in Odessa from Cartagena with a cargo of fruit and lead. On the return voyage, the ship was supposed to transport aircraft engines and other cargo. However, it never returned to Spain. As mentioned above, the "Cabo San Agustín" was the last "Y" to leave the USSR for Spain (on July 30, 1937) via the southern route. Shipping on this route was discontinued due to a complete blockade by Franco's forces and the Italians.
Subsequently, the vessel, renamed "Volga," was used by the Black Sea Shipping Company for coastal shipping on the Black Sea. After the fall of the Spanish Republic, it was requisitioned and transferred to the Navy for use as a training ship for the Black Sea Naval Academy. On June 24, 1941, the ship was reclassified as a floating base of the 1st Submarine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet, based in Sevastopol. It was armed with two 76,2mm, three 45mm guns, and five 12,7mm DShK machine guns.
The Volga floating base during the war
A Volga in Sevastopol after WWII
On November 2, the fleet commander ordered the relocation of the brigade command and submarines to Poti. That same day, the 1st Brigade headquarters moved from the shore headquarters to the Volga, and just half an hour later, an air raid destroyed the shore headquarters. As darkness fell, the Volga submarine base and the 1st Brigade's submarines departed Sevastopol, heading for Poti. In July 1944, the Volga was transferred to Novorossiysk and then returned to Sevastopol. In 1947, she was reclassified as a training ship. During repairs, a single smokestack was installed in place of the two old ones, and one boiler room was converted into a classroom. The ship conducted training cruises between Sevastopol and Batumi. In 1968, the vessel was cut up for scrap in Inkerman.
The training ship Volga in Batumi, 1950
Training ship "Volga", 1955
"Volga" in Balaklava, 50s
"MAR BLANCO" ("EAGLE")
In 1920, two identical steamships, the Mar Caribe and the Mar Blanco, were built for the Spanish shipping company Compañía Marítima del Nervión at the Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval Sestao shipyard. The ships were intended to transport baled cotton from ports in the Gulf of Mexico to ports in the Mediterranean.
General arrangement plan of the steamship "Mar Blanco"
Main performance characteristics of the steamship "Mar Blanco"
Maximum length, m - 113,3
Length between perpendiculars, m - 109,0
Width is the greatest, m - 14,6
Fully loaded draft, m — 7,0
Capacity, BRT - 5152
Deadweight, t — 5500
Power of main steam engines, hp — 2500
Speed, knots - 11
Number of cargo holds: 5.
Mar Caribe, sister ship of Mar Blanco, 1920s
Architecturally, it was a single-screw, three-island (forecastle, midships, and poop), two-masted vessel. The hull had a double bottom throughout and was divided into compartments by six transverse watertight bulkheads. Cargo was stowed in five cargo holds with tweendecks.
The main power plant, manufactured by the English firm JG Kincaid & Co. Ltd (Glasgow), consisted of a triple-expansion steam engine and three coal-fired water-tube boilers with a working steam pressure of 12,7 kg/cm².
The ship primarily sailed between Mediterranean ports (primarily Spanish) and Gulf of Mexico ports (USA and Cuba). On October 31, 1936, it was requisitioned by the Republic's authorities. It was involved in the delivery of military supplies from the USSR. Thus, in January 1937, during the so-called second series of deliveries from the USSR, this steamship carried important military cargo: 30 I-15 fighters, 32 76,2mm cannons, 30 million 7,62mm rounds of ammunition, approximately 25 Mosin rifles, and 32 76,2mm shells.
In 1938, the ship remained in the USSR, and after the collapse of the Spanish Republic, it became part of the Black Sea Shipping Company under the name "Orel." It operated cabotage voyages on the Black Sea. According to some sources, after the outbreak of war, it was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet for transport.
On June 30, 1941, the Oryol was scuttled along with the steamships Pskov, Peter the Great, Oryol, Plekhanov, and Voykov to create a barrier at the entrance to the port of Odessa. After the city was occupied by enemy troops, Romanian rescuers raised the ship in 1943 and towed it to Constanta for repairs. The Francoist Spanish embassy in Bucharest attempted to secure the return of the Isla de Gran Canaria (Pskov) and Mar Blanco (Oryol), but in 1944, during the retreat of German troops, the ships were again scuttled. After the war, the ship was again raised from the seabed by Soviet salvage services and towed to the USSR. Some sources claim that the ship was repaired and incorporated into the Black Sea Shipping Company, but the author was unable to find it in the post-war lists of Black Sea Shipping Company vessels. It is possible that it was scrapped for scrap metal.
"ESSEQUIBO" ("NEVA")
Soviet and Russian sources persistently claim that the submarine tender Neva was none other than the former Spanish passenger liner Essequibo, acquired by the USSR in 1935. However, Essequibo was never owned by any Spanish company! Built in 1914 for the renowned British company Royal Mail Steamship Co., it operated between Europe and South America. In 1922, it was sold to its subsidiary, the Pacific Steam Navigation Company, which in turn sold Essequibo to the USSR in 1935. Many authors were likely confused by the ship's "Spanish" name, but it actually comes from the name of a South American river.
БИБЛИОГРАФИЯ
1. Yunovidov A.S. Defense of Odessa. 1941. The First Battle of the Black Sea. "Veche" Publishing House, 2011
2. Kuznetsov N.G. On a Distant Meridian: Memories of a Participant in the National Revolutionary War in Spain. Moscow, 1988
3. Shirokorad, A.B. Torpedo Bombers in Combat. They were called "suicide bombers." Moscow, 2006
4. Azarov I.I. Besieged Odessa. Moscow, 1962
5. Maciej S. Sobański. Schnellbooty. Wydawnictwo “OW”, 2011
6. Botadura del “Ciudad de Tarragona”. Ingeneria Naval, Diciembre 1932
7. Buques a motor “Cabo San Agustín” y “Cabo Santo Tomé”. Ingeneria Naval, Abril 1932
8. La maquinaria e instalaciones del buque a motor “Ciudad de Ibiza”. Ingeneria Naval, Marzo, Abril 1933
9. Los buques a motor “Ciudad de Ibiza” y “Ciudad de Tarragona”. Ingeneria Naval, Abril 1934
10. Marinos españoles en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Revista General de Marina, Enero-Febrero 2013
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