Soviet submarine Shch-421

Shch-421 was a Shchuka-class submarine of the Soviet Navy. She served in the Northern Fleet during World War II. She was led by commander Nikolai Lunin, before he was replaced by his second-in-command Fyodor Vidyayev.

Shch-421 was of X series.
History
Soviet Union
Name:	Shch-421
Laid down:	20 November 1934
Launched:	12 May 1935
Commissioned:	5 December 1937
Fate:	Scuttled on sea on 9 April 1942
General characteristics
Class and type:	Shchuka-class submarine, Type X[1]
Displacement:	577 tons surfaced 704 tons submerged
Length:	57.00 m (187 ft 0 in)
Beam:	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in)
Draught:	3.78 m (12 ft 5 in)
Propulsion:	2 shaft diesel electric, 1,020 kW (1,370 bhp) diesel, 600 kW (800 bhp) electric
Speed:	12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) on the surface; 6.3 knots (11.7 km/h; 7.2 mph) submerged
Range:	6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph)
Test depth:	91 m (300 ft)
Complement:	38
Armament:	4 × bow torpedo tubes 2 × stern torpedo tubes (10 torpedoes) 2 × 45 mm (1.8 in) semi-automatic guns

Service history

The submarine operated in the Northern Fleet and made torpedo attacks during 1941 and 1942, missing multiple targets and sinking one. On 8 April 1942 the submarine suffered heavy damage in a minefield: with no more power and close to enemy shores, the crew built a sail out of the canvas cover and managed to move away from the dangerous area. ShCh-421 was then found by the Soviet submarine K-22. All crew was taken onboard K-22 and the crippled submarine was sunk with a torpedo.

Ships sunk by Shch-421[2]

Date	Ship	Flag	Tonnage	Notes
5 February 1942	Konsul Schulte		2,975 GRT	freighter(torpedo)
Total:			2,975 GRT

References

1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Shch (Scuka) class". Uboat. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
2. "ShCh-421 of the Soviet Navy - Submarine of the ShCh (Scuka) class - Allied Warships of WWII". Uboat.net. Retrieved 15 September 2018.