Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Submarine

Soviet submarine V-4

U-class submarine

Displacement
540 long tons (549 t)
Length
58.22 m (191 ft)
Beam
4.9 m (16.1 ft)
Speed
11.3 knots (20.8 km/h, 12.9 mph)
Complement
27

Service

  1. Royal Navy as HMS Ursula20 December 1938 — 26 June 19441,760 days of the war
  2. Soviet Navy as V-426 June 1944 — 1950433 days of the war
U-class submarine Particulars
Name
HMS V-4
Builder
Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down
19 February 1937
Launched
16 February 1938
Commissioned
20 December 1938
Fate
Returned to UK, early 1950 and scrapped May 1950 (1950)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
540 long tons (549 t)
Displacement, submerged
730 long tons (742 t)
Length
58.22 m (191 ft)
Beam
4.9 m (16.1 ft)
Draught
4.62 m (15.2 ft)
Speed
11.3 knots (20.8 km/h, 12.9 mph)
Complement
27

HMS V-4 was a U-class submarine built for the Royal Navy. Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness laid her keel on 19 February 1937. Launched on 16 February 1938, she entered service on 20 December 1938.

53 ships of the class were built.

The boat displaced 540 long tons surfaced and 730 long tons submerged. She measured 58.2 m (191 ft) long with a beam of 4.9 m (16 ft). Her designed speed was 11.2 knots, and she carried a complement of 27.

She served with the Royal Navy as HMS Ursula until 26 June 1944. She then passed to the Soviet Navy, serving as V-4 from 26 June 1944. She was in commission for 2,193 days of the Second World War.

She was broken up for scrap in 1950.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 2 shaft diesel-electric
  • 2 Paxman Ricardo diesel generators + electric motors
  • 615 hp / 825 hp
Armament
  • 4 bow internal 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 2 external
  • 10 torpedoes
  • 3 anti-aircraft machine guns

Sister ships

28 more in the class

Sources