Underwater plane. Submarine aviation. A Brief History of the Flying Submarine Project

The aircraft detects the enemy from the air and delivers a disorienting strike. Then, having moved away from the line of sight, the car lands on the water and in a minute and a half plunges to a depth of several meters. The target is destroyed by an unexpected torpedo strike. In case of a miss, the device rises to the surface in two minutes and takes off to repeat the air attack. A combination of three such vehicles creates an impenetrable barrier for any enemy ship. This is how designer Boris Petrovich Ushakov saw his flying submarine

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Flight-tactical characteristics of LPL Crew: 3 people. // Take-off weight: 15,000 kg // Flight speed: 100 (~200) knots. (km/h) // Flight range: 800 km // Ceiling: 2500 m // Number and type of aircraft engines: 3 x AM-34 // Takeoff power: 3 x 1200 hp // Max. add. excitement during takeoff/landing and diving: 4−5 points // Underwater speed: 4−5 knots // Dive depth: 45 m // Cruising range under water: 45 miles // Underwater endurance: 48 hours // Propeller motor power: 10 hp // Dive duration: 1.5 min // Ascent duration: 1.8 min // Armament: 18-in. torpedo: 2 pcs. coaxial machine gun: 2 pcs.

Donald Reid's winged submarine Commander-2 Developed with the participation of the US Navy in 1964, this submarine in the form in which it is depicted in the diagram and drawing never existed in reality.

Aircraft-submarine Conveir, 1964: this project could have become one of the most successful in the development of cruise submarines, if not for the resistance of US Senator Allen Elender, who unexpectedly closed the funding

The unmanned aircraft-submarine The Cormorant, developed by Skunk Works (USA) and tested as a full-size model in 2006. All details about this project are hidden under the heading “top secret”

Of course, such a project could not fail to appear. If there is an amphibious vehicle, why not teach a plane to dive under water? It all started in the 30s. Second-year cadet at the Higher Naval Engineering School named after. F.E. Dzerzhinsky (Leningrad) Boris Petrovich Ushakov embodied on paper the idea of a flying submarine (LPL), or, rather, an underwater aircraft.

In 1934, he provided a voluminous folder of drawings along with a report to the department of his university. The project “walked” through the corridors, departments and classrooms of the school for a long time, and was classified as “secret”; Ushakov more than once modified the design of the submarine in accordance with the comments received. In 1935, he received three copyright certificates for various components of his design, and in April 1936 the project was sent for consideration to the Scientific Research Military Committee (NIVK, later TsNIIVK) and at the same time to the Naval Academy. A detailed and generally positive report on Ushakov’s work, prepared by Captain 1st Rank A.P., played a major role. Surin.

Only in 1937, the project was endorsed by the NIVK professor, head of the department of combat tactics, Leonid Egorovich Goncharov: “It is advisable to continue the development of the project in order to reveal the reality of its implementation,” the professor wrote. The document was also studied and approved by the head of the NIVK, military engineer of the 1st rank, Karl Leopoldovich Grigaitis. In 1937-1938, the project nevertheless continued to “walk” along the corridors. Nobody believed in its reality. At first he was included in the work plan of department “B” of the NIVK, where, after graduating from college, Ushakov entered as a military technician of the 1st rank, then he was excluded again, and the young inventor continued his work on his own.

Airplane aquarium

The aircraft-submarine gradually acquired its final appearance and "stuffing". Externally, the device looked much more like an airplane than a submarine. An all-metal machine weighing 15 tons with a crew of three people was theoretically supposed to reach speeds of up to 200 km/h and have a flight range of 800 km. Speed under water is 3-4 knots, diving depth is 45 m, swimming range is 5-6 km. The aircraft was to be powered by three 1000-horsepower AM-34 engines designed by Alexander Mikulin. Superchargers allowed the engines to perform short-term boosts with an increase in power up to 1200 hp.

It is worth noting that at that time AM-34s were the most promising aircraft engines produced in the USSR. The design of the 12-cylinder piston power unit largely anticipated developments aircraft engines well-known companies“Rolls-Royce”, “Daimler-Benz” and “Packard” - only the technical “closeness” of the USSR prevented Mikulin from gaining worldwide fame.

Inside, the plane had six sealed compartments: three for engines, one for living quarters, one for the battery and one for the 10 hp electric propulsion motor. The living compartment was not a pilot's cabin, but was used only for scuba diving. The pilot's cabin flooded during the dive, as did a number of leaky compartments. This made it possible to make part of the fuselage from lightweight materials not designed for high pressure. The wings were completely filled with water by gravity through scuppers on the flaps to equalize the internal and external pressure.

The fuel and oil supply systems were turned off shortly before full immersion. At the same time, the pipelines were sealed. The aircraft was covered with anti-corrosion coatings (varnish and paint). The dive took place in four stages: first, the engine compartments were battened down, then the radiator and battery compartments, then the control switched to underwater, and finally, the crew moved into the sealed compartment. The aircraft was armed with two 18-inch torpedoes and two machine guns.

On January 10, 1938, the project was re-examined by the second department of the NIVK. Nevertheless, everyone understood that the project was “crude” and huge amounts of money would be spent on its implementation, and the result could be zero. The years were very dangerous, there were massive repressions, and it was possible to fall under the hot hand even for accidentally dropping a word or using the “wrong” surname. The committee put forward a number of serious comments, expressing doubts about the ability of Ushakov’s plane to take to the skies, catch up with a departing ship under water, etc. To divert attention, it was proposed to make a model and test it in a pool. There are no further mentions of the Soviet aircraft-submarine. Ushakov worked for many years in shipbuilding on ekranoplanes and ships on air wings. All that was left of the flying boat were diagrams and drawings.

Engine under the hood

A project similar to Ushakov’s in the USA appeared many years later. As in the USSR, its author was an enthusiast whose work was considered crazy and unrealizable. A fanatical designer and inventor, electronics engineer Donald Reid has been developing submarines and creating their models since 1954. At some point, he came up with the idea of building the world's first flying submarine.

Reid collected a number of models of flying submarines, and when he was convinced of their performance, he began assembling a full-fledged device. To do this, he mainly used parts from decommissioned aircraft. Reid assembled the first copy of the Reid RFS-1 aircraft-submarine by 1961. The aircraft was registered as aircraft number N1740 and was powered by a 65-horsepower 4-cylinder Lycoming aircraft engine. In 1962, the RFS-1 aircraft, piloted by Donald's son Bruce, flew 23 m above the surface of the Shrewsbury River in New Jersey. Immersion experiments could not be carried out due to serious design flaws.

To turn the plane into a submarine, the pilot had to remove the propeller and cover the engine with a rubber cap, working on the principle of a diving bell. An electric motor with a power of 1 hp was located in the tail. (for moving underwater). The cabin was not pressurized - the pilot was forced to use scuba gear.

A number of popular science magazines wrote about Reid's project, and in 1964 the US Navy became interested in it. In the same year, the second copy of the boat was built - Commander-2 (the first received the “military” name Commander-1). On July 9, 1964, the plane reached a speed of 100 km/h and completed its first dive. In the first model of the aircraft, during a dive, the remaining fuel from the tanks was pumped out into a reservoir, and water was pumped into the tanks to make the structure heavier. Thus, RFS-1 could no longer take off again. The second modification was supposed to lose this drawback, but it didn’t come to that, since the entire structure would have to be redesigned. After all, fuel tanks were also used as diving tanks.

However, the design turned out to be too low-power and light to be used for military purposes. Soon the Navy leadership lost interest in the project and curtailed funding. Until his death in 1991, Reid tried to “promote” his project, but was never successful.

In 2004, his son Bruce wrote and published the book "Flying Submarine: The Story of the Invention of Reid's RFS-1 Flying Submarine." The RFS-1 aircraft itself is kept at the Pennsylvania Aviation Museum.

However, some sources claim that Reid's project has progressed. The US Navy decided to build the "Airship" - a twin-fuselage aircraft capable of diving under water. Allegedly, in 1968, at the World Industrial Exhibition, this plane made a spectacular landing on the water, and then dived and surfaced. However, the official program of that year's exhibition (held in San Antonio) did not include a demonstration of the aircraft-submarine. Further traces of this design are lost under the heading "secret".

1960s underwater rock

In April 1945, a man named Houston Harrington suddenly appeared on the horizon, applying for a patent “Combination of Airplane and Submarine.” The patent was received on December 25, but the matter did not go any further. Harrington's submarine looked very beautiful, but nothing is known about its flight data or underwater performance. Harrington subsequently became famous in the United States as the owner of the Atomic-H record label.

Another patent for a similar design was received in the USA in 1956. It was created by the American Donald Doolittle (together with Reid). This design was based not on an airplane, but on a submarine. Movement underwater was traditionally provided by an electric motor, but flight was carried out using two jet engines.

In 1964, Conveir proposed to the US Air Force the development of a small aircraft-submarine. Documents were presented - drawings, diagrams and even some fantastic “photographs”. Conveir received from the Bureau of Naval Weapons technical task, which included a speed of 280−420 km/h, a diving depth of 460 m, a flight range of 555−955 km, etc. Despite the clearly inflated requirements, the contract was concluded.

The project implemented Reid's idea of using fuel tanks as diving tanks, but the fuel was not drained, but entered into other special tanks - to better distribute the load under water. The living compartment and engine compartment were sealed, and the remaining parts of the submarine were filled with water. In the manufacture of the submarine, it was planned to use ultra-light and ultra-strong materials, including titanium. The team consisted of two people. Several models were produced and successfully tested.

The denouement came unexpectedly: in 1966, the famous Senator Allen Elender, head of the Senate Armaments Committee, openly ridiculed the project and ordered development to be stopped. A full-size sample was never produced.

Border under lock and key

Inventors are in no hurry to create Vehicle for two environments. The main problem is the high difference in density between air and water. While an airplane should be as light as possible, a submarine, on the contrary, tends to be heavier to achieve maximum efficiency. It is necessary to create completely different aerodynamic and hydrodynamic concepts for water and air. For example, the wings that support a plane in the air only get in the way underwater. The strength of the structure also plays a big role and makes the boat-plane heavier, since such a unit must withstand very high pressure water.

The Cormorant project, developed by Skunk Works, is an unmanned aerial vehicle powered by two jet engines. "Cormorant" can be launched from special underwater carriers - Ohio-class submarines. The Cormorant's underwater range is very small - only enough to get to the surface, and then, after completing the surface mission, return to the carrier. Underwater, the drone's wings are folded and do not interfere with movement.

The plane's body is made of titanium, there are no voids (they are filled with a foam-like material), and the body geometry resembles a cross between a seagull and a Stealth.

Tests of individual Baklan systems were carried out, its reduced model was tested, as well as a full-scale model, devoid of some structural elements. But since 2007, there has been virtually no information about the development of the Cormorant, probably falling under the classic “top secret” classification.

Hangar on I-400

Seaplane Seiran M6A1, based on Japanese submarine aircraft carriers of the I-400 type

The Japanese navy of World War II had large submarines capable of transporting up to several light seaplanes (similar submarines were also built in France). The planes were stored folded in a special hangar inside the submarine. The takeoff was carried out in the surface position of the boat, after the aircraft was taken out of the hangar and assembled. On the deck in the bow of the submarine there were special short launch catapult skids, from which the plane rose into the sky. After completing the flight, the plane splashed down and was removed back to the boat hangar.

In September of the year, a Yokosuka E14Y aircraft, taking off from the I-25 boat, raided the territory of Oregon (USA), dropping two 76-kilogram incendiary bombs, which were supposed to cause extensive fires in forests, which, however, did not occur and the effect was negligible. But the attack had a great psychological effect, since the method of attack was not known [ ] . This was the only time the continental US was bombed during the entire war.

Japan

Project J-1M - “I-5” (1 reconnaissance seaplane, launch from water)
Project J-2 - “I-6” (1 reconnaissance seaplane, launched from a catapult)
Project J-3 - “I-7”, “I-8” (-//-)
project 29 type “B” - 20 pieces (-//-)
... type “B-2” - 6 pcs (-//-)
... type “B-3” - 3 pieces (the boats had hangars, but never carried aircraft - they were converted to “Kaiten”)
Project A-1 - 3 pieces (1 reconnaissance seaplane, launched from a catapult)
Type I-400 - 3 pieces (3 Aichi M6A Seiran seaplanes)
Type "AM" - 4 pieces (2 seaplanes of the Seiran bomber) 2 not completed.

The last two types were intended for attacks on the Panama Locks, but about them combat use there is no information about aircraft carriers.

Great Britain

After the loss of the heavily armed boat HMS M1 (English) and restrictions on submarine armament introduced by the Washington Naval Agreement in 1922, the remaining M-class submarines were converted for other purposes. The HMS boat M2 was equipped with a waterproof hangar and a steam catapult and was adapted for take-off and landing of small seaplanes. The submarine and its aircraft could be used for reconnaissance purposes in the vanguard of the fleet. The M2 sank near Portland and the British Navy abandoned submarine aircraft carriers.

France

The submarine Surcouf, built in 1930, died in 1942. It was equipped with a light seaplane in the hangar for reconnaissance service and fire adjustment of the submarine's main caliber - 203 mm guns.

USSR

In 1937, at TsKB-18, under the leadership of B. M. Malinin, the development of submarines of the XIV bis series (project 41a) was carried out, which were planned to be equipped with the Hydro-1 seaplane (SPL, Aircraft for the Submarine), developed at OKB N.V. Chetverikov in 1935. The hangar on the boat was designed to be 2.5 meters in diameter and 7.5 meters in length. The plane had a flight weight of 800 kg and a speed of up to 183 km/h. Preparing the aircraft for flight should have taken about 5 minutes, folding after the flight - about 4 minutes. The project was not implemented.

Present tense

In modern submarine shipbuilding, underwater aircraft are not used. In the USSR, a project was developed for the Ka-56 Osa reconnaissance helicopter, adapted for transportation in a torpedo tube. The project did not go into production due to the lack of suitable rotary engines in the USSR.

In the USA, UAVs are being developed for submarines, in particular those being withdrawn from combat service strategic missile carriers type "Ohio", having 24 missile silos with a diameter of 2.4 m each.

More than a third of all losses submarine fleet The Third Reich in World War II had to rely on air attacks. PWhen enemy aircraft appeared, the boat had to urgently dive and wait out the danger in the depths. If there was no time left to dive, the submarine was forced to take on a battle, the outcome of which, however, was not always predetermined. An example is the incident in the Atlantic on January 6, 1944, when, northeast of the Azores, the submarine U 270 was attacked by a very unusual submarine hunter.

The struggle of two elements

During World War II, anti-submarine aircraft became German submarines the most dangerous enemy. According to the famous German historian Axel Niestlé, during the “Battle of the Atlantic”, out of 717 combat German submarines lost at sea, the Allied anti-aircraft aviation accounted for 245 sunk submarines. It is believed that 205 of them were destroyed by shore-based aircraft, and the remaining 40 were attributed to carrier-based aircraft. Death from air strikes ranks first on the list of causes of losses for the German submarine fleet, while PLO ships sank only 236 submarines. Another 42 submarines were sunk to the bottom through the joint efforts of ships and aircraft.

A common sight in the Atlantic during war is a submarine attacked by an aircraft. In the photo, U 118 is under fire from the Avengers from the aircraft carrier Baugh on June 12, 1943 - on this day the boat will be sunk by them

However, hunting German submarines from the air was not easy or safe, and the Allies lost more than 100 aircraft during the war in such attacks. The Germans, quickly realizing the threat of Allied air attacks, constantly improved the protection of their submarine ships, strengthening anti-aircraft artillery and installing detection and direction finding equipment for aircraft using radar.

Of course, the most reliable way for a submarine to survive a meeting with an aircraft was to evade combat. At the slightest threat of attack from the air, the boat had to urgently dive and wait out the danger at depth. If there was no time left to dive, the submarine was forced to take on a battle, the outcome of which, however, was not always predetermined. An example is the incident in the Atlantic on January 6, 1944, when, northeast of the Azores, the submarine U 270 was attacked by a very unusual submarine hunter.

Preparing the Fortress Mk.IIA bomber of the Royal Air Force Coastal Command for departure. Noteworthy is the memorable late version of camouflage, characteristic of Coastal Command aircraft - with camouflaged upper surfaces, the side and lower surfaces were painted white

In the summer of 1942, the British received 64 four-engine Boeing B-17s under Lend-Lease. Having had negative experience using the Flying Fortresses over Europe as a daylight bomber (20 early B-17Cs reached the UK back in 1941), they immediately assigned the new machines to RAF Coastal Command. It should be noted that in the UK, all American aircraft had their own designations, and by analogy with the B-17C, called Fortress Mk.I, the newly received 19 B-17F and 45 B-17E received the names Fortress Mk.II and Fortress Mk.IIA, respectively . In January 1944, both British Fortress squadrons, 206 and 220, were consolidated into 247 Coastal Air Group and were based at Lagens airfield on the island of Terceira in the Azores archipelago.

"Seven" vs. "Fortress"

After the disbandment of the German Borkum group (17 units) operating against allied convoys in the North Atlantic, three boats from its composition were to form one of the small groups called Borkum-1. It also included the above-mentioned U 270 of Oberleutnant zur See Paul-Friedrich Otto. The boats of the new group were supposed to take a position northwest of the Azores, but this particular area was within the operational area of the 247th Air Group.

Bombers from Coastal Command's 247th Air Group are scattered across an airfield in the Azores.

On the afternoon of January 6 at 14:47, the Fortress with tail code “U” (serial number FA705) of Flight Lieutenant Anthony James Pinhorn from the 206th Squadron took off to search for and destroy enemy submarines. The plane did not return to base. The last message from him came at 18:16, after which the crew no longer contacted us. What happened to him? Entries from the surviving combat log of U 270 can tell about this.

On the evening of January 6, at 19:05, an airplane was spotted from a boat on the surface at a distance of 7,000 meters; the Vantse and Naxos electronic intelligence stations did not warn of its approach. The alarm was declared and anti-aircraft guns were prepared for battle. A few minutes later, the plane passed over the boat from the stern, but did not drop bombs, only firing at it from the tail turret. The shots from the “Fortress” did not harm U 270, which fired barrage from anti-aircraft guns. The plane repeated the approach, firing from machine guns, but again the bombs were not dropped. This time the aim was more accurate - the boat received several holes in the wheelhouse, its anti-aircraft gunners hesitated, and the plane avoided being hit.

U 270 crew officers on the bridge. In a white cap is the commander of the boat, Oberleutnant zur See Paul-Friedrich Otto. Visible on the horizon is an 85-meter-high monument to the memory of German sailors who died in the First World War. world war, installed on the coast in Laboe (neighborhood of Kiel)

Five minutes later, the “Fortress” attacked the “seven” for the third time from the stern. This time the “flaks” opened barrage fire in time, but the plane stubbornly walked straight towards the anti-aircraft guns. This was not in vain for him - the Germans managed to hit the right plane, and the engine closest to the fuselage caught fire. While passing over the boat, the plane dropped four depth charges set at shallow depth. The Seven made a sharp turn to port, and the bombs exploded approximately 30 meters from the bow of the boat. After a short period of time, the British plane, engulfed in flames, fell about 300 meters from U 270. The Germans did not find anyone at the crash site - the entire crew of the “Fortress” was killed. For this reason, the description of the battle exists only from the German side.

Recklessness vs recklessness?

The crew of the submarine acted harmoniously and courageously in a difficult situation; competent actions in controlling the boat and conducting anti-aircraft fire helped the Germans not only survive, but also destroy a dangerous enemy. However, despite the fact that the winners are not judged, it can be said that the commander’s decision not to dive was wrong, since at least 6 minutes passed from the moment the plane was discovered until its first attack. The boat emerged victorious from the battle, but received serious damage from bomb explosions and machine-gun fire and was forced to interrupt the voyage and return to base. One way or another, the crew of the British aircraft completed their main combat mission - albeit at such a high cost.

The famous German submariner Heinz Schaffer, in his memoirs, mentioned the tactics chosen by the commander of the U 445 boat on which he served when meeting with the plane:

“To increase readiness to repel aircraft raids, a siren was installed on the boat. It was turned on using a button located on the bridge next to the bell button. The decision on which signal to give - a bell to announce an emergency dive or a siren to announce an air raid raid - was made by the watch officer. A right or wrong decision meant a choice between life and death.

When an enemy aircraft could be detected in a timely manner, that is, at a distance of over four thousand meters, an urgent dive signal had to be given. The boat managed to dive to a depth of fifty meters before the plane approached the dive point and dropped bombs. If the top watch detected the plane at shorter distances, the attempt to dive almost inevitably led to the death of the boat.

The pilot of the aircraft, without being exposed to fire, could descend to a minimum altitude and carry out precise bombing at the stern of the boat, which was still on the surface or at a shallow depth. Therefore, if the aircraft was detected late, it was necessary to take the fight while remaining on the surface. In the zone of enemy air dominance, after the first plane that discovered the boat, reinforcements arrived, and attacks followed one after another. For this reason, there has always been a great temptation to avoid combat with aircraft by urgently diving, even in risky cases.”

If we rely on this tactic, then the commander of U 270, Paul-Friedrich Otto, had more time than the commander of U 445 left himself for a safe dive, but decided to take the fight. Probably, the commander of U 270 was confident in himself and his crew to take such a risk - perhaps completely unfounded. The boat paid for the victory over the British “Fortress” with serious damage to all bow torpedo tubes and the bow main ballast tank. On the way back to the base, she did not give more than 10 knots under diesel engines and upon arrival in Saint-Nazaire she was docked for two months of repairs.

The boat's anti-aircraft artillery is ready to fire. Two pairs of 20-mm anti-aircraft machine guns and a 37-mm gun are visible

A few words about the crew of the deceased bomber. There is no doubt that the long-range American bombers B-17 and B-24, supplied to the British, had good survivability, but they also had disadvantages that were fundamental for battles with submarines bristling with anti-aircraft guns. During the attack, the heavy bomber did not have sufficient maneuverability and was a good target for anti-aircraft gunners. If the boat could, with its maneuvers, bring the plane under its guns, then it was met with a barrage of lead - the pilots had to have enough courage to head straight for the anti-aircraft guns. There is a known case when a boat, attacked by two Liberators at once, held out against them for two hours. They even fired at the planes from a 105-mm deck gun, preventing them from accurately approaching the target and dropping bombs. It seems that in this case the pilots simply did not dare to climb directly onto the anti-aircraft gun barrels, but the crew of the “Fortress” that died in the battle with the U 270 turned out to be not timid. Three visits directly to the stern of the boat, where one or two twin 20-mm anti-aircraft guns and one 37-mm anti-aircraft gun were installed in the “winter garden”, can be called a feat.

The question remains why the British crew did not drop bombs on the first approach to the Otto submarine. Perhaps the reason was a malfunction of the bomb bays, but one cannot exclude the fact that Flight Lieutenant Pinhorn wanted to suppress enemy anti-aircraft points with machine-gun fire, and then drop bombs freely. However, the fire from the B-17 machine guns was ineffective - the boat did not suffer any casualties in the crew. Probably, dropping bombs in the first rounds could have been more effective, but, alas, history does not know the subjunctive mood.

Ground personnel from 53 Squadron Coastal Command unload 250kg depth charges before attaching them to the Liberator. This is exactly the aircraft that fell victim to the U 270 anti-aircraft gunners on the night of June 13-14, 1944

In conclusion, I would like to mention that the entire “Fortresses” of the Royal Air Force Coastal Command scored 10 victories over German submarines, and they sank another submarine together with other types of aircraft. Already in April of the same 1944, the 206th squadron was re-equipped with the Liberators, which were more common in the Coastal Command, which had an advantage over the Fortresses in flight duration and bomb load.

As for the fate of U 270, on her next trip she scored another victory over the aircraft. This happened on the night of June 13-14, 1944 in the Bay of Biscay, when the boat's anti-aircraft gunners shot down the Liberator of the 53rd Squadron of the Royal Air Force, squadron leader John William Carmichael. U 270 found its destruction on August 13, 1944. The submarine was attacked by a Sunderland flying boat from the 461st Australian Squadron while it was evacuating people from Lorient and had 81 people on board including the crew. Lieutenant Commander Otto survived the death of his boat, as he had previously gone to Germany to receive the new “electric boat” U 2525. According to the authoritative website uboat.net, he may be alive to this day.

A painting by British artist John Hamilton depicts an attack by an anti-submarine Sunderland. The 461st Australian Squadron sank 6 German submarines using these vehicles.

pilot Flight Lieutenant Anthony James Pinhorn
co-pilot Flight Officer Joseph Henry Duncan
Navigator Flight Sergeant Thomas Eckersley
Flight Officer Francis Dennis Roberts
Warrant Officer Ronald Norman Stares
Warrant Officer 1st Class Donald Luther Heard
Warrant Officer 1st Class Oliver Ambrose Keddy
Sergeant Robert Fabian
squadron navigator, Flight Lieutenant Ralph Brown (was not part of the crew).

List of sources and literature:

NARA T1022 (captured documents of the German fleet)
Franks N. Search, Find and Kill – Grub Street the Basemenе, 1995
Franks N. Zimmerman E. U-Boat Versus Aircraft: The Dramatic Story Behind U-Boat Claims in Gun Action with Aircraft in World War II – Grub Street, 1998
Ritschel H. Kurzfassung Kriegstagesbuecher Deutscher U-Boote 1939–1945, Band 6. Norderstedt
Busch R., Roll H.-J. German U-boat Commanders of World War II – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1999
Wynn K. U-Boat Operations of the Second World War. Vol.1–2 – Annopolis: Naval Institute Press, 1998
Blair S. Hitler's U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942–1945 – Random House, 1998
Niestlé A. German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction – Frontline Books, 2014
Shaffer H. The last campaign of U-977 (translated from German by V.I. Polenina) - St. Petersburg: “Wind Rose”, 2013
http://uboatarchive.net
http://uboat.net
http://www.ubootarchiv.de
http://ubootwaffe.net

In many textbooks you can find mention of the appearance in 1963 of an unidentified flying object off the coast of California, USA. This fact cannot be refuted, since this is practically the only case in humanity when the appearance of a UFO was filmed.

But for many years, it remained a mystery what this mysterious object was and for what purpose it appeared off the coast of the United States. Today, in the era of declassification of CIA and KGB documents, we can say with confidence that there are real grounds to assert that the object that rose from under the water and soared into the air did not come from distant space, but is of entirely terrestrial origin. But is it?

Donald Reid's winged submarine Commander-2
Developed with the participation of the US Navy in 1964, this submarine in the form in which it is depicted in the diagram and drawing never existed in reality.

The first evidence that the object seen and filmed has a completely earthly origin can be found in the report of Richard Colen, who at that time worked as a deputy sheriff of the local police. That day he was on duty and in his report to management indicated that he managed not only to carefully examine the object, but also to film it. “This is definitely not a UFO. Outwardly, it is very similar to an airplane, so we can confidently say about its earthly origin,” Colin writes in the report.

Only after footage with sensational content spread all over the world, and Colin’s report only supplemented them, did the United States government put forward an official version of the appearance of an unidentified flying object. “A UFO off the coast of California is nothing more than an example of the secret developments of Soviet designers, and it was this device that the USSR military tested off the island of Catolina,” the White House press service said in response to numerous questions from journalists.

Charles Brown, an employee of the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations in 1965-1983, said the following: “In my opinion, this says only one thing - are we really behind the USSR in science? No, I do not think so. Maybe in this case we are witnessing an oversight or shortcoming of intelligence? I am sure of this." From the words of a person who took an active part in the investigation of the mysterious incident, we can conclude that in the United States at that time everyone was sure that the appearance of the object was the machinations of the USSR, and the main blame for the appearance of the Soviet object on its own shores was assigned to the intelligence department .

In turn, the USSR reacted extremely calmly to all statements of the US government. Did not have public speaking there were no ultimatums to refute the versions put forward by a political opponent; everything indicated that all statements from overseas had absolutely nothing to do with the Soviet Union. The information that our country is secretly developing completely new submarines was neither confirmed nor denied by the country's top leadership.

And now, when a significant part of the Soviet military archives was declassified and became available for review, researchers were able to establish that the mysterious object that American sailors encountered in the waters of the Pacific Ocean could indeed be the latest development Soviet designers.

Back in the 30s of the twentieth century, Soviet designers tried to build a unique design - a flying submarine (LPL).

The chief designer of the unique technical specifications military facility was Vasily Ushakov - a talented Soviet designer, whose name is associated great amount development of marine technical equipment for both military and civilian purposes. According to the designer's idea, the LPL should be shaped like an airplane, the body of which is made of a super-strong alloy. The LPL was supposed to rise to a height of up to 800 meters and, with the help of three engines, reach speeds of up to 300 km/h. It was assumed that the LPL would be able to travel vast distances by air, and then dive back into the water in a given square. Especially for this purpose, the designers provided hermetically sealed compartments to hide the engines. It took only 90 seconds to switch from flight mode and landing on water to complete immersion of the LPL.

“According to Ushakov’s plan, his Submarine“, taking into account the fact that the plane flies faster,” says Konstantin Kulagin, an expert historian of the USSR and Russian Navy, “it must surface and instantly change position by air, which is extremely beneficial in confrontation with the enemy fleet.”

At the same time, Russian historians do not believe in the version that it was Ushakov’s submarine that surfaced off the coast of California in 1963. First of all, they point to the fact that there is no evidence that such a device was ever launched. It is obvious that Vasily Ushakov’s grandiose project remained a project on paper.

But if in the USSR they were never able to build aircraft, capable of launching from under water, then American designers coped with this task, and, we must admit, very successfully.

In 1975, the American concern Lockheed Martin introduced the world's first flying submarine. The newest ship Carmoran was capable of taking off into the air from a depth of 150 meters and accelerating to 400 km/h and at the same time, thanks to the Stealth system, remaining invisible to enemy radars. Thanks to its extremely low weight, the LPL performs maneuvers in the air that are beyond the capabilities of even modern conventional fighters. Carmoran's main task is to conduct reconnaissance and transmit data to the main ship or the main command center. To conduct reconnaissance, an unmanned vessel has all the necessary technical means, from video cameras to radio signal interceptors.

Today, the American LPL Carmoran is the only one in the world, but science does not stand still, and perhaps in the near future similar devices will appear in service with the Russian army. Or maybe they already exist?

Submarine aircraft carrier- British submarine aircraft carrier H.M.S. M2 ... Wikipedia

Hydrofoil submarine- Underwater plane Deep Flight 2 before diving (small hydrofoils are visible on the sides) Underwater plane is a small submarine or bathyscaphe with hydrofoils, using them like a penguin, for swimming, not flying. Underwater... ... Wikipedia

Flying submarine- Project LPL Ushakov Flying submarine is an aircraft that combines the ability of a seaplane to take off and land on water and the ability of a submarine to move underwater. Since the requirements... ... Wikipedia

Submarine museums and monuments

P. boat- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarine (class of ship)- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarines- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarine- Russian nuclear submarine of the "Shark" type ("Typhoon") A submarine (submarine, submarine, submarine) a ship capable of diving and operating underwater for a long time. The most important tactical property of a submarine is stealth... Wikipedia

Submarine- This term has other meanings, see Submarine (meanings) ... Wikipedia

Books

Military equipment, Chukavin A.A.. Book " Military equipment"will tell and show how the missile forces are structured: Topol-M, the command post of the missile regiment, the launching position of silo-based ballistic missiles;... Buy for 256 rubles
Military technology, Kostrikin P. (ed.). The book “Military Equipment” will tell and show how the missile forces are structured: Topol-M, the command post of the missile regiment, the launching position of silo-based ballistic missiles;…

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