DISPOSITION OF SOVIET NAVAL VESSELS IN THE BALTIC

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A006000720002-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Sequence Number: 2
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY USSR (Baltic)
SUBJECT Disposition of Soviet Naval Vessels
in the Baltic
This Document contains Information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title it, Sections TW and 794, of the U.S. Code, an
amended. Its transmission or revelation of Its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorised Vernon L prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form I. prohibited.
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 9 May 1955
NO. OF PAGES 9
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
A. Preliminary Remarks
The following is an evaluation of reports on observations of-Soviet naval ves-
sels made during the period from spring to late October 1954. The evaluation
'includes such vessels as were a hted once or several times and identi-
fied
B. Naval Forces
1. General Reviewl
The Soviet naval forces in the Baltic Sea form the Baltic Fleet with
Kronshtadt as main naval base, the Northern Baltic (4th) Fleet with
Reval (Tallinn) as its main naval base, and the Southern Baltic (8th)
Fleet , with Pillau (Balti*) as its naval base,
The Baltic Fleet consists of:
1 battleship,GANGUT (formerly OK?YABRSKAYA REVOLYUTS30
2 heavy cruisers, MAKSIM OORKT[and KIROV.
8 light cruisers (see list paragraph C, 3),;
35 to 40 modern destroyers;
100 large, medium-sized, and small-type submarines (see paragraph C, 5),
and a large number of small vessels for minesweeping duties, submarine-
chasing,and landing purposes.
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II. Detailed Informations
The list given below gives the various types oft vessels and the har-
bors which they use as bases. The main bases are underlined, while the
other harbors mentioned in the list are given according to the order of
sequence of the frequency of their calls at those harbors.
1.
The battleship
Kron stadt
2
Cruisers
Kronshtadt
.
Baltiysk
Liepaja
3.
Destroyers
! o sh
altlyak
s
Daugavgriva
Swinoujscie
now and then Liepaja
Riga/Ventspils
Baltiyak
5
PT boats
ou facie
.
Ventspils
Kronehtadt
6.
Submarine chasers
VVentsnils.
Kronshtadt
Swinoujscie
Liepaja
7.
Coastal minesweepers
Svinouisie/fagsnti
Ventspils
Tallinn
Kronshtadt
Ill. Increase in Number of New Vesala t
During the period under consideration, new vessels of all types, except
aircraft carriers, battleships and heavy cruisers, appeared in ever in-
creasing numbers replacing certain rather outmoded unite. According to
information available, new vessels added to the fleet between January
and late October 1954 included)
?t tk umber of nsiw vessels
Additum
Light cruisers 2 or 3 7 or 8
Modern destroyers 8 to 12 38 to 43
Submarines ?'-td-12 doubtful
(roughly estimated)
KRONSKTADT Class about 30 about 110 to 120
T-43 Class 10 to 3,5 between 40 and 50
For submarines, see paragraph C, 5.
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IV. Exercise Areas:
In most cases, exercises were held in the vicinity of the bases, and
sea areas remote from general traffic were- preferably used as exA,re-i'R
ground and were patrolled by guard vessels to keep off unauthorized
observers.
Exercise grounds were observed:
3.
1. In the Gulf of Finland:
a. Northeastern corner of the Gulf of Finland,
be Porkkala,
c. Northern exit of Muhu Bound
2. Eastern Part of the Baltic Sea:
The sea Areas off Ventspils and Liepaja were used for submarine exer-
cises. For large-scale exercises, the sea area west of the Gulf of
Finland as far as the Aaland Islands and the Isle of Gotland were used.
Other exercise grounds were supposed to exist in the area of:
a. Luga Bay (southern part of the Gulf of Finland)
be Koporia Bay (southern part of the Gulf of Finland).
a. Sea area off Ventspils
be Sea area off Liepaja
c. Gulf of Riga for s+"bmarines,
d. Sea area off Baltiy* including the Bay of Gdansk.
Central part of the Baltic Sea:
The sea area between Bornholm Island and Ruegen Island, and the
Gulf of Pomerania.
Type of Ship Total Name
Number
1. Battleship 1 GANGATI
2. Heavy cruisers 2 KIROV
MAKSIM GORKIl'
(chart continued on next page)
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Bass
Special
Remarks
Kronshtadt
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Type of Ship Total
Number
3. Light cruisers
a. SVERDLOV 8
Class (10?)
b. Other types 1
Base Special
Remarks
ALEK3ANDR
NEVSICIY
AMIRAL
U3HAKOV
A] IRAL
"'AKAROV
(r-r-
NU UB G )
Baltiyek
Kronahtadt
N
Kronshtadt Training ship
It seems improbable that more than 9 cruisers of this type are on active duty
in the Baltic Sea; it remains, however, to be clarified whether this is actu-
ally the case or not.
The total number of 10 cruisers of this type is possibly_ -I, error
The whereabouts of cruiser CHKALOV of the
C:APAYFV Class was not determined. It is probable, however, that it is
still 1.n the Baltic Sea.
Type Total
Number
4. Destroyers
a. Si;')RYY Class 35
and 0-II
Class
(The group
arrangement
of the die-
tinguishing
numbers indi-
cates that the
respective vessels
presumably belong
to one and the
same flotilla.)
( Chart
continued on next page)
Base Special
Remarks
Kronshtadt
Gulf of
Finland
N
Balt?yuk' Gulf
of Danzig
Kronshtadt/ Gulf
of Finland
N
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I4rne Total
Number
Special
Remarks
Kronshtadt
n
9winou .jacte
Rica f auge.vgr iva
off Baltiysk
Kronshtadt
Kronshtadt
off Balti ysk
Kronshtadt
b. Latest type of 4 Kronshtadt/ Gulf
destroyer of Finland
undergoing
trials
The vessels mentioned under 4a are modern destroyers of the SKORYY and the 0-I1
Class, which were occasionally observed carrying out formation exercises, sometimes
with cruisers.
T+ im minnnmad that there still exist another 10 to 1 outmoded destroyers,
and which probably serve
training purposes.
Submarine ,
K. No clear picture of the total number, types
could be gained.
only a small---
percentage of the total of 80 to 90 submarines probably in existence, Kronshtadt
and Ventspils/Riga were previously believed to be the main submarine bases. Modern
snorkel-equipped submarines were met only occasionally, the malority of submarines
sighted up to now being o1:olete types as far as ocean use is concerned.
PT Boats
A total of 110 numbered PT boats was observed during the period, and the main bases
of about 60 PT boats could be determined. Swinoujaoie,with Sassnitz as secondary
harbor, is the main bass for three or four flotillas (about 30 boats), and is par-
ticularly suited as an advanced base. This is because of its short distance from
the entrance to the Baltic Sea, its favorable location for exercises, because of
the water depths for torpedo practice, and of its good shelter from westerly winds.
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Ventspils, which generally serves as a base for two flotillas (about 16
PT boats), is the second PT base, and numerous PT boats are permanently chock-
ed up and mothballed ashore.
One flotilla (8 boats) was iermanently stationed in Kronshtadt; in addition,
other PT boats continuously went to and left the shipyards available in this
district.
Another 20 PT boats were chocked up ashore in Daugavgriva.
Submarine Chases and Minesweepers,
a, 20LUXiIN Class:
fast minesweeper:
other three boats of this class were sighted
b. T-43 ClAUs
This type of submarine chaser , developed and improved on the TROUS1TADT
Class, has appeared in increasing numbers and is permanently gaining in
numerical strength. A total of 35 boats of this T-43 Class was defin-
itely stated to exist. Another twelve boats could not be definitely iden-
tified as T-43 boats,
For this reason~it is yet impossible to indicate their organi' ~.4 ^n iri 11U-
tillas and their' respective bases.
It seems, however, rather certatn, that 25 of these boats are mainly sta-
ti~,ned in the Gulf of Finland
Seven boatel were stationed in Liepaja and probably
cooperated with the submarines stationed there.
c. K ON'SHTADT Cues i
This class, too, was observed in tnoroasing numbers and sAeme intended to
replace events ' the entirely outmoded boats of the 301 Class .
a total of 98 vessels were clearly ident-
ified as KHONSF ADT-Class boats. Another 20 vessels,
could not be definitely made out as tc
their typs.. enormous concentration of these vessels, Yc::~cc:i
can serve as submarine chasers, was observed in Ventspils harbor ^nd the
adjacent waters, since Ventspils harbor is also used as a base f-,r 7uzb-
marines carrying out exercises in these waters. More than 50 percent
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observed in or off Ventspils throughout the
Minesweepers
gh
Only fourteen Minesweepers. were observed, most of
them in the Gulf of Finland possibly stationed .n Tallinr)during the per-
t
Minesweepers) were observed at var-
ious places and ports of t Baltic 3*a.
In this connection, it is interesting to nots that, according to information
available, a total of six vessels of this type was delivered to mania
during the summer of 1954. (They could have rAaohed their destination in
the Black Sea only by way of the canal system.)
C. 101 ._92M ?
a total of 124 of these vessels
the remainder must be considered doubtful.
was observed. were definitely ma a out as vessels of this class, while
Swinoujscie and Sassnits were the most frequented ports from which the swept
channels in the Day of Pomerania were permanently checked and widened.
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Other bases included Ventspils, Tallinn, and Kronshtadt/Leningrad.
301-boats 321 through 325 were temporarily or permanently placed at
the disposal of the Polish Navy in September 1954.
R Landinc* Craft
Soviet landing craft were sighted only twice and in small numbers. At the close
of World War II..the Soviet Navy had a total of about 90 vessels of this type,
;'I . w~r ",,)oty or Land-Lease units.)
landing ships participated in a convoy exercise in the waters of the Bay
0 omerania held in July 1954.
Landing ships) were met in the waters off Porkkala.
Conglusion.
The incorporation of an increasing number of new vessels of the types described in the
foregoing paragraphs is characteristic of the development during the period,in compar-
ison to the previous situatio.i. This increase, however, has by no means created an
arminG? situation, although to Soviet naval potential has been raised at least in
that a considerable increase co" the light-cruiser category is concerned. On the other
17-MI, conF-lering the old age of the Soviet war fleet, the replacement of outmoded
vessels with nodern types must be considered quite a natural and unavoidable measure
which" compared to other standards, was overdue for a fleet meant to be a useful in-
strument of war.
As to the individual training of vessels and the r! )peration of homogeneous or mixed
groups of ships, it is inferred from previous reports, that only vsr. plain and simple
tasks were assigned to the individual shins or groups of ships participating in the ex-
ercises hold close inshoref~and even then not too frequently. It is believed that the
present stj,ndard of effici3noy of the Soviet fleet. to particular the cooperation of
combined units, is crmparatively ) m.
Information about the Soviet submarine force is still quite unsatisfactory. Even such
ordinary and well-known harbors as Tallinn, Bnltiechport, Paldieki, Liepa~ia, and 9altiysk/
Kalinin,-Tad were more or lees inaccessible. Despite this fact, b6' far more reports
w-nil.d have been received if the number of modern submarines had actually increased to
any -:oteworthy extent. Although modern submarines mainly move under wA+er, a much larg?-
^r number of such submarines would necessarily, have been observed undergoing test runs
or maki.na basic training cruises. Taking as a basis of calculation a total force of
250 to 300 submarines (in all Soviet naval districts) and an average life of ten years
per submarine, the minimum number of submarines to be replaced each year would he 25
to 30 boats without raising the present
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total of 250 to 300 submarines. There is no indication that more than a yearly total
of 25 to 30 submarines can be built, at least not in Baltic sti.ipyards in which 50 per-
cent of the Soviet shipbuilding capacity is concentrated. Since, however, the cruiser
1-"-l1-n7 ^rogram seems to be nearing its end phase, more shipbuilding facilities will.
be ava,_lable for the construction of submarines in the future and this will result in
further development of the Soviet submarine force.
Comment: The OxTYABRSKAYA REVOL!UTSIYA is an old battleship of the
GANGUT-Class, and vas itself the ex,GKUU T.
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