Soviet Torpedo Boat D-3 Crew During the Siege of Leningrad, 1942

June 18, 2025 - Reading time: 3 minutes

The crew of Soviet torpedo boat D-3, commanded by Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir P. Gumanenko (right), during naval operations of the Baltic Fleet in the Siege of Leningrad.

Baltic Sea, 1942.
They were the wolves of the water — striking fast, striking hard, and vanishing into the gray Baltic mists.
This photo captures the crew of a Soviet D-3 class torpedo boat, under the command of Vladimir Polikarpovich Gumanenko, Hero of the Soviet Union (pictured on the right), during the fiercest months of the Siege of Leningrad.

The D-3 class boats, built mostly from wood and powered by aviation gasoline engines, were light and swift — and frighteningly vulnerable. A single shell or bomb could turn them into splinters and fireballs. And yet, they prowled the Gulf of Finland and beyond, launching torpedoes at German and Finnish naval targets, ferrying supplies, and performing hit-and-run raids along occupied coastlines.

Gumanenko was among the best. His boat earned a reputation for boldness and deadly precision. In the dark waters of the Baltic, while the city behind them starved under siege, these men fought with everything they had — guns, torpedoes, courage, and resolve.

This image isn’t just a group portrait. It’s a snapshot of defiance, of resourcefulness, of Soviet sailors keeping the lifelines open — and the enemy always guessing.

📷 Technical photo data:
📸 Photographer: Unknown Soviet Navy photographer
📅 Date: 1942
📍 Location: Baltic Sea, USSR