{{Short description|Latvian class of submarine}} {{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image=Shadowgraph Ronis class submarine.svg |image_caption=Scheme of ''Ronis''-class submarine }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/class overview |name=''Ronis'' class |builders= |operators=* {{navy|Latvia}} * {{navy|Soviet Union}} |subclasses= |cost= |built_range=1925–1926 |in_service_range= 1926–1941 |in_commission_range= |total_ships_building= |total_ships_planned= |total_ships_completed=2 |total_ships_canceled= |total_ships_active= |total_ships_laid_up= |total_ships_lost=2 |total_ships_retired= |total_ships_preserved= }}
|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |class= |type=Diesel/electric-powered coastal submarine |tonnage= |displacement=* {{convert|390|LT|t}} surfaced * {{convert|514|LT|t}} submerged |length= {{convert|55.0|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |beam={{convert|4.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |height= |draught={{convert|3.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |power= |propulsion=*2 shafts, * 2 Sulzer diesels, {{convert|1300|bhp|abbr=on}} * 2 electric motors {{convert|700|shp|abbr=on}} |speed=*{{convert|14|kn|km/h|0}} surfaced * {{convert|9|kn|km/h|0}} submerged |range= |endurance= |test_depth={{convert|160|ft|m|abbr=on}} |complement=27 |sensors= |armament=*6 × {{convert|21|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes (2 bow, and 2 × twin external turnable) *1 × {{convert|75|mm|abbr=on|0}} main deck gun *2 × 7.62 mm machine guns |armour= |notes= }} }} The '''''Ronis''-class submarines''' were built for the Latvian Navy in France in 1925. They were acquired by the Soviets in 1940 following the annexation of Latvia by the Soviet Union. They were scuttled in Liepāja in June 1941 as the Germans were about to capture the port. The hulls were raised in 1942 and scrapped.
==Design== [[File:'Ronis' ja 'Spidola' Tallinna sadamas 1927.jpg|thumb|''Ronis'' and ''Spīdola'' in the port of Tallinn (1927)]] The boats were small coastal submarines built to a French design (''Loire-Simonet'').{{sfn|Chesneau|1980|p=353}} Ronis means "seal" in the Latvian language, Spīdola is a character from the Latvian language poem ''Lāčplēsis''.{{sfn|Groos|2017|p=42}} The submarines were {{convert|55.0|m|ftin|abbr=on}} long overall with a beam of {{convert|4.8|m|ftin|abbr=on}} and a draught of {{convert|3.6|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The vessels of the class displaced {{convert|390|LT|t}} surfaced and {{convert|514|LT|t}} submerged. The submarines had a dived depth of {{convert|160|ft|m}}. They had a complement of 27 officers and ratings.{{sfn|Chesneau|1980|p=353}}
The ''Ronis''-class submarines were propelled by two shafts driven by two Sulzer diesel engines for travel on the surface, rated at {{convert|1300|bhp|lk=in}} and two electric motors {{convert|700|shp|lk=in}} for subsurface movement. The submarines had a maximum speed of {{convert|14|kn|km/h|0|lk=in}} surfaced and {{convert|9|kn|km/h|0}} submerged. They were armed with six {{convert|21|in|mm|0|adj=on}} torpedo tubes with two located in the bow, and four situated in two twin external turnable mounts. The ''Ronis'' class was also armed with one {{convert|75|mm|adj=on|0}} main deck gun and two {{convert|7.62|mm|in|abbr=on|2}} machine guns.{{sfn|Chesneau|1980|p=353}}
==Ships== {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Ship ! Builder ! Laid down ! Launched ! Commissioned ! Fate |- | ''{{Ill|Ronis (submarine)|lt=Ronis|lv|Ronis (zemūdene)}}'' | Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, Nantes | rowspan=2 | 1925 | 1 July 1926 | rowspan=2 | 1927 | Scuttled 24 June 1941 |- | ''{{Ill|Spīdola (submarine)|lt=Spīdola|lv|Spīdola (zemūdene)}}'' | Ateliers et Chantiers Augustin Normand, Le Havre | 6 October 1926 |Scuttled 24 June 1941 |}
==Service history== The two submarines were ordered in 1925 as part of the expansion of the nascent Latvian Navy which was first suggested in 1923.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Latvia and Estonia are building modern submarines |url=https://militaryheritagetourism.info/en/military/stories/view/3?0 |access-date=2022-04-15 |website=militaryheritagetourism.info}}</ref> Constructed in France, the submarines were part of the navy's plan to guard Latvia's coastlines. With the onset of the Great Depression, the Latvian Navy comprised just the two submarines and two minesweepers acquired in the 1920s, although Latvia had planned to buy two more submarines of higher tonnage.<ref name=":0" />
In 1940 Latvia was occupied by the Soviet Union and the Latvian Navy was incorporated into the Soviet Navy's Baltic Fleet in August 1940, retaining their original names. During World War II, the ''Ronis''-class submarines participated in operations in the Baltic Sea.{{sfn|Chesneau|1980|p=353}}
Both submarines were sent to Liepāja in 1941 where they were scheduled to overhaul in July. However, with the Germans approaching the city, the Soviets were forced to blow up and scuttle the ''Ronis''-class submarines on 24 June 1941 to prevent their capture.{{sfn|Chesneau|1980|p=353}} Liepāja was captured on 29 June by the Germans.{{sfn|Groos|2017|p=144}}
== Citations == {{reflist}}
==References== * {{cite book |editor-last=Chesneau |editor-first=Roger |year=1980 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=Greenwich, UK |isbn=0-85177-146-7}} * {{cite book |last=Groos |first=Poul |year=2017 |orig-year=2014 |title=The Naval War in the Baltic 1939–1945 |publisher=Seaforth Publishing |location=Barnsley, UK |isbn=978-1-5267-0003-2}}
==Further reading== * {{cite book |first=Vladimir |last=Yakubov |first2=Richard |last2=Worth |name-list-style=amp |title=Raising the Red Banner: The Pictorial History of Stalin's Fleet 1920–1945 |year=2008 |publisher=Spellmount |location=Staplehurst |isbn=978-1-86227-450-1}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20020625051948/http://www.sovboat.ru/ship/ronis.php3 page on Ronis in Russian Language] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20020626055209/http://www.sovboat.ru/ship/spidola.php3 page on Spidola in Russian Language]
{{WWII Soviet ships}}
Category:Naval ships of Latvia Category:Submarine classes Category:Military history of Latvia Category:Foreign submarines of the Soviet Navy Category:World War II submarines of the Soviet Union Category:France–Latvia relations Category:French submarines in foreign service