"Minoga" - the submarine of Tsarist Russia

The experience of the Russo-Japanese War with submarines showed, that small-displacement submarines could only be used in coastal areas. Therefore, the General Staff of the Navy concluded, that the Navy needed two types of submarines: coastal submarines with a displacement of 100-150 tons, and cruiser submarines for operations on the far seas, with a displacement of 350-400 tons. In 1905, I. G. Bubnov developed two submarine projects with a displacement of 117 and 400 tons. The submarines, built according to these projects, were later named "Minoga" (small) and "Akula" (large). The Naval Technical Committee (MTK) called both submarines "experimental, the construction of which should contribute to the independent development of domestic submarine construction." The design of the submarine "Minoga" was approved by the Ministry of the Sea on September 20, 1905, and the order for its building was issued to the Baltic Shipyard on February 9, 1906. The keel of "Minoga" was laid in the second half of September 1906. The St. Petersburg-based L. Nobel firm was ordered to build two marine-type diesel engines, each of which would develop 120 h. p. The submarine was launched on October 11, 1908. On October 23, 1908, "Minoga" entered the Sea Channel for the first time, powered by one of the diesel engines (the second had not yet been delivered). Acceptance tests were carried out in October, and on October 31, the Naval Technical Committee recommended, that "Minoga" be put into operation. The first commander of the submarine "Minoga" was Lieutenant A. V. Brovtsyn. On March 23, 1913, "Minoga" sailed from Libau on a practical trip. During a test dive, water entered the "Minoga" through a half-open ventilation valve and it sank at a depth of 30 meters. After rescue operations and pumping out the water, "Minoga" was towed to the port and refitted. It participated in the First World War, made 14 combat voyages and tried to attack enemy ships several times. In 1918, after repairs at the Baltic Shipyard, it was transported by rail to Saratov, from where it reached Astrakhan under its own power, where it participated in the Civil War. On November 10, 1918, it was transferred to the Astrakhan Territory Military Fleet (ATF AK), from June 31, 1919 belonged to the Volga-Caspian Military Flotilla, and from July 5, 1920 - to the Caspian Sea Naval Forces. On November 21, 1925, it was transferred to OFI for scrapping.

A very interesting prototype: "Minoga" - the first Russian submarine with a diesel engine. Maximum level of detailization, and in some places You can choose both a simplified and a more complex assembly version. From the edition You can assemble one of three versions of the submarine of different service periods: the beginning of its service in 1909, in the pre-war period in 1909-1913 and after modernization in 1914-1917. Where necessary, double-sided printing was used, there is a considerable supply of colors, kielblock details. Both the text (in Russian) and graphic instructions are quite voluminous, detailed and easy to read. The model is suitable for modelers of any experience, but we recommend, that beginners (who have glued a few simple models) and modelers with little experience work under the supervision of a more experienced colleague, take Your time, and use all your patience, diligence, and care.