Russian destroyer Desna
| History | |
|---|---|
| Russian Empire | |
| Name | Desna |
| Builder | Metal Works, Petrograd |
| Laid down | 15 June 1915 |
| Launched | 22 October 1915 |
| Completed | 12 August 1916 |
| Fate | Joined the Bolsheviks, October 1917 |
| Soviet Union | |
| Acquired | October 1917 |
| In service | 21 April 1921 |
| Renamed | Engels, 31 December 1922 |
| Fate | Sunk by naval mine, 24 August 1941 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class & type | Orfey-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 1,260 t (1,240 long tons) |
| Length | 98 m (321 ft 6 in) |
| Beam | 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 2.98 m (9 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2 steam turbines |
| Speed | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
| Range | 1,680 nmi (3,110 km; 1,930 mi) at 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Complement | 150 |
| Armament |
|
Desna (Десна) was one of eight Orfey-class destroyers built for the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I. Completed in 1916, she served with the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the Battle of Kassar Wiek during the defense of the West Estonian Archipelago in October 1917 when the Germans invaded them (Operation Albion). Her crew joined the Bolshevik Red Fleet during the October Revolution.
The destroyer was renamed Engels (Энгельс) in 1922. She played a minor role during the Winter War of 1939–1940. When the Axis powers invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa), the ship participated in the early stages of the Gulf of Riga campaign. Bomb damage forced Engels to withdraw to Tallinn, Estonia, in August for repairs and she was tasked to escort an evacuation convoy from Tallinn to Kronstadt later that month. The ship ran into a minefield en route and sank after hitting mines on 24 August.