G-5 class motor torpedo boat
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | |
| Preceded by: | Stalnoy-class motor torpedo boat |
| Succeeded by: | D3-class motor torpedo boat |
| Subclasses: | Series 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 |
| Built: | 1933–1941 |
| In commission: | 1934–late 1950s |
| Completed: | about 300 |
| Lost: | 73 |
| Preserved: | 1 |
| General characteristics (Series 10) | |
| Type: | Motor torpedo boat |
| Displacement: | 16.26 tonnes (16.00 long tons; 17.92 short tons) (standard) |
| Length: | 18.85–19.1 m (61 ft 10 in–62 ft 8 in) overall |
| Beam: | 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 0.82 m (2 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 53 knots (61 mph; 98 km/h) |
| Complement: | 6-7 |
| Armament: |
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| Notes: | 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) of fuel |
The G-5 was a Soviet motor torpedo boat built before and during World War II. Approximately 300 were built, of which 73 were lost during the war. Four were exported to the Spanish Republican Navy during the Spanish Civil War and others were transferred to North Korea after the war. Three were captured by the Finns, but only two were used before all three had to be returned to the Soviets after the Moscow Armistice in 1944.
The G-5 class was an improved and enlarged version of the Sh-4-class motor torpedo boats which were derived from a design by Andrei Tupolev, the noted aircraft designer. It was intended to use Soviet-built engines and carry larger torpedoes than its predecessor. A prototype was designed and built by TsAGI (Russian: Центра́льный аэрогидродинами́ческий институ́т or "Tsentralniy Aerogidrodinamicheskiy Institut", the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute) in 1932–33. As its intended engines were not yet available two 1,000 bhp (750 kW) Isotta-Fraschini engines were imported from Italy. Unarmed, and with a partial fuel load, it achieved a maximum speed of 63.5 knots (73.1 mph; 117.6 km/h) during its trials in the Black Sea during 1933 and the decision was made to place it into production.
The G-5 was a single-step, hydroplaning design with a whaleback upper hull. It was mainly built from duralumin which saved a significant amount of weight, but greatly complicated its use in service because of duralumin's susceptibility to galvanic corrosion in salt water. One captured Soviet torpedo boat commander said that G-5s could only be kept in the water for 5–7 days during the summer and 10–15 days during the winter before it had to be removed from the water and treated with anti-corrosion measures. The hull was divided into three compartments by two transverse bulkheads. The superstructure was very small to reduce top-heaviness, and crewmembers could not stand up inside it.
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