The Orfey-class destroyers were built for the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. They were modified versions of the earlier destroyer and the s. These ships were larger, had triple torpedo tubes and an extra gun. One ship, Engels, was fitted with a recoilless rifle for testing in 1934. Fourteen ships were completed in 1914–1917 and fought in World War I and during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The survivors fought in World War II.
Built at the Putilov yard, St Petersburg
Ship | Launched | Fate | |
---|---|---|---|
Kapitan Belli renamed Karl Liebknecht | 29 Oct 1915 | Transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet. Broken up 1950s | |
Kapitan Izylmetev renamed Lenin | 4 Nov 1914 | Scuttled 24 June 1941 at Liepāja, Latvia while under repair | |
Kapitan Kern renamed Rykov | 27 Aug 1915 | Transferred to the Soviet Northern Fleet. Broken up 1950s | |
Kapitan Konon-Zotov | 23 Oct 1915 | Broken up incomplete 1923 | |
Kapitan Kroun | 5 Aug 1916 | Broken up incomplete 1923 | |
Kapitan I ranga Miklucha Maklai renamed Spartak (1917) renamed Vambola renamed Almirante Villar | 27 Aug 1915 | Captured by the British in 1918, given to the Estonian Navy and sold by the Estonians to Peru in 1933. Scrapped in 1954[1] | |
Lieutenant Dubasov | 9 Sep 1916 | Broken up incomplete 1923 | |
Lieutenant Ilin renamed Voikov | 28 Nov 1914 | transferred to the Soviet Pacific Fleet. Broken up 1950s |
Built at Metal Works, St Petersburg (Petrograd)
Ship | Launched | Fate | |
---|---|---|---|
Orfey | 5 Jun 1916 | Broken up 1929, after sustaining irreparable mine damage in 1917 | |
renamed Zinoviev in 1922 renamed Artem in 1928 | 5 Jun 1916 | Sank British submarine L55 during the Russian Civil War, sunk 28 August 1941 by mines | |
Desna renamed Engels | 4 Nov 1915 | Sunk 25 Aug 1941 by mines | |
Grom | 5 Jun 1915 | Sunk 14 Oct 1917, during the Battle of Moon Sound | |
Letun | 4 Nov 1915 | Broken up 1925, after sustaining irreparable mine damage in 1916, Mine was laid by | |
Pobiditel renamed Volodarski | 5 Nov 1914 | Sunk 28 August 1941 | |
Samson renamed Stalin | 5 Jun 1915 | transferred to the Soviet Pacific fleet via the Arctic in 1936, Broken up 1953 | |
Zabiyaka renamed Uritski | 5 Nov 1914 | transferred to the Northern Fleet, Sunk as a target during nuclear test in 1953 |
Built by Russo Baltic Yard, Reval
Ship | Launched | Fate | |
---|---|---|---|
5 Jan 1915 | Helped sink British submarine L55 and three British motor boats. Sunk by mines 21 October 1919 together with sister ships Konstantin and Svoboda during an attempted sortie to support Red Army forces defending Petrograd against the advance of Yudenich's White forces. The accompanying Azard managed to manoeuvre out of the minefield but 485 men were lost. | ||
Konstantin | 12 Jun 1915 | Sunk by mines 21 October 1919 in the same operation as Gavril. | |
Vladimir renamed Svoboda | 18 Aug 1915 | Sunk by mines 21 October 1919 in the same operation as Gavril. | |
Mikhail | 1916 | towed to Petrograd but broken up incomplete 1923 | |
Mechislav | 1916 | towed to Petrograd but broken up incomplete 1923 | |
Sokol | 1917 | towed to Petrograd but broken up incomplete 1923 |
. Naval Weapons of World War One: Guns, Torpedoes, Mines and ASW Weapons of All Nations: An Illustrated Directory. Seaforth . Barnsley, UK. 2011. 978-1-84832-100-7 . Norman Friedman.
. Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two. Naval Institute Press. Annapolis, Maryland. 2005 . Third Revised. 1-59114-119-2 . Jürgen Rohwer.