Attempts to build a ship capable of sailing underwater began in Russia long before the 20th century, even under Peter I. But the first submarine that became part of the Russian Navy is officially considered the destroyer Dolphin, constructed in 1901 in St. Petersburg. Its authors were engineers and mechanics Ivan Bubnov, Ivan Goryunov and Mikhail Beklemishev.
Figure of da vinci
Historians claim that the initiator of the idea of building an underwater ship is the famous Italian inventor Leonardo da Vinci. However, he did not bring his promising project to completion. Moreover, da Vinci completely destroyed all shipbuilding drawings and drawings, fearing the consequences of the participation of such a boat in a possible submarine warfare.
It is difficult to say how the next invention of the great Leonardo could be called. But then again, thanks to historians, it is precisely known that the number 1 submarine of the Russian Navy had three names at once. The first of these was the result of the joint efforts of Russian engineers Ivan Bubnov, Ivan Goryunov and Mikhail Beklemishev in July 1901 on the eve of the start of construction of the submarine at the shipyard in St. Petersburg.
The official commissioning of the submarine, originally named "Torpedo boat No. 113", occurred in March 1902. The commander of the boat was appointed one of the creators - captain of the first rank and future general Mikhail Beklemishev. After that, the destroyer, as the submarines were then called, was enlisted in the lists of the Russian Navy at number 150. And from May 31, 1904, the first Russian submarine began to be called the Dolphin.
"Dolphin" is almost invisible
The fate of the debut Russian submarine with internal combustion engines cannot be called happy. Already on June 8, 1903, during the initial sea trials, the Dolphin, along with the chief designer Ivan Bubnov, almost fell to the bottom of the Neva on board. And a little over a year later, on June 16, 1904, the panic of the crew caused not only a new unplanned flooding of the vessel, but also the death of a third of its sailors.
The participation of the destroyer in the Russo-Japanese war was almost formal, limited to 17 days at sea and participation in combat patrols. However, there were also no casualties: during a random explosion, one of the sailors was killed. More tragic was the short stay of "Dolphin" in Murmansk. Another gross error of the crew led to the fact that on April 26, 1917, the boat sank right at the home port, after which it was permanently excluded from the lists of the Navy.
And already under the Soviet regime, in 1920, it was not only completely decommissioned, but also sent for scrap. By the way, a year earlier in Petrograd, Ivan Bubnov himself died of typhus. In addition to Dolphin, this outstanding Russian shipbuilder, mechanic and mathematician managed to design three dozen similar submarines. Including "Shark", "Bars", "Killer Whale", "Lamprey", "Walrus" and others.
