Sevastopol | People's Red Navy

Often referred to as the Red Fleet (Russian: Красный флот), the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of conflicts. When Germany invaded in June 1941 and initially captured millions of soldiers, many sailors and naval guns were detached to reinforce the Red Army; these reassigned naval forces had especially significant roles on land in the battles for Odessa, Sevastopol, Stalingrad, Novorossiysk, Tuapse, and Leningrad. The composition of the Soviet fleets in 1941 included: 3 battleships, 7 cruisers 59 destroyers 218 submarines, 269 torpedo boats, 22 patrol vessels, 88 minesweepers, 77 submarine-chasers, and a range of other smaller vessels.