Soviet submarine S-2

S-2 was a Soviet S-class submarine. In early 1940, it entered Swedish territorial waters in the Sea of Åland where it hit a Swedish naval mine, and sank on January 2, 1940 with the loss of all 50 crew members.

S-2 (as seen at the hull) and famous commander of S-13 on a Moldovan stamp
History
Soviet Union
Name: S-2
Commissioned: 23 September 1936
Fate: Mined in Sea of Åland, January 2, 1940
General characteristics
Class and type: S-class attack submarine
Displacement:
  • 840 tonnes (surfaced)
  • 1050 tonnes (submerged)
Length: 77.8 m
Beam: 6.4 m
Draught: 4.4 m
Propulsion:
  • 2 × diesels (2000 hp)
  • 2 × electric motors (550 hp)
  • 2 × propeller shafts.
Speed:
  • 19.5 knots (36 km/h) surfaced
  • 9 knots (16.7 km/h) submerged
Range:
  • 9800 miles (10.4 knots) surfaced
  • 148 miles (3 knots) submerged
Test depth: 100 m
Complement:
  • 8 officers
  • 16 non-coms and
  • 21 ratings
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • 2 × periscopes
  • Mars-12 microphone system
  • Sirius communication system
  • ASDIC (on some boats)
Armament:

Wreck discovery

A search for the submarine wreck was begun in April 1999[1] by a team of divers from Sweden and Åland. According to the Military Archives of Sweden, the submarine hit the mine in Swedish territorial waters, but the Finnish archives specify the sinking occurred on Finnish territorial waters. The uncertainty of position necessitated a prolonged search. The diving team finally discovered the wreck inside Swedish territorial waters. One member of the diving team, Ingvald Eckerman, is a grandson of J. A. Eckerman who, as the lighthouse-keeper of the lighthouse at Märket, witnessed the submarine sinking in 1940.[2]

The wreck was emptied of munitions during the summer of 2012.[3]

References
  1. "Sovjetiskt ubåtsvrak hittat (Soviet submarine wreck found)". Svenska Dagbladet web site (in Swedish). June 9, 2009.
  2. Long-lost World War II sub found off Swedish coast. CNN. 9 June 2009.
  3. Ahvenanmeren venäläissukellusvene tyhjennetään räjähteistä. Ilta-Sanomat, 25 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-25.



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