The Soviet Navy
From 1946 to 1959

Submarines of the Post-war era
(Statistics as of 1950)

The post-war Soviet submarine fleet was a mix of indigenous designs and those captured from other nations.  German and Italian boats had excellent performance when compared with the Soviet boats - many of which had been designed in the late 1930's.  The Estonian submarine 'Lembit' fell into Soviet hands when the Red Army overran that country during the war and served with the Soviet navy for several years.

These fleet dispositions would change dramatically over the course of the decade as the Soviets embarked on a huge submarine building program.  Many of the newer submarines that replaced the ones listed below would serve until the end of the Soviet era.