Submarines: Som Class

[Brian James]

Russian Som Class Submarine Peskar pictured on the Libava Canal (Latvia), c1905...They were a series of 6 Submarines built for the Imperial Russian Navy in 1904–1907. They were designed by the Electric Boat Company, Groton and ordered in the 1904 emergency programme at the time of the Russo-Japanese War. Five boats were built at Nevski Shipyards, St. Petersburg and were designed to be transportable by train. The first boat, Som, was originally Fulton, an experimental Submarine that was the prototype for USS Plunger and subsequent Plunger Class Submarines. The vessel was sold and delivered from the US to Russia in sections and re-assembled in St. Petersburg.