Soviet minelayers and cruiser submarines

The reading follows the evolution from Soviet Series II and Series XIII minelaying submarines into a much larger cruiser-submarine concept. The projected boat combined two deck guns, ten 533 mm torpedo tubes with 24 torpedoes, mine capacity, a surface speed above 20 knots, a 15,000-mile range, and 50-day endurance. Plans called for a substantial series rather than a single experimental hull, although only part of the program was completed. The discussion then turns to very small APS and Pygmy test submarines carrying 450 mm torpedoes. Their development faced a different constraint: promising tests could end abruptly when the responsible designer was arrested during the purges.