Photo of the MO-4 boat No. 203 RKKF

The original and rather rare photo is in very good condition. A gelatin print. The reverse side is clean. The size is 83*122 mm. Guarantee of authenticity.

During the interwar period, submarines were actively developing in all countries and it was necessary to look for effective ways to combat the threat from underwater. In the USSR, in 1931, they began designing a small submarine chaser of the MO-2 type. Moreover, it was created as a single type of small warship; in peacetime, it was supposed to perform tasks of protecting the state border, and in wartime it was supposed to operate as part of fleets. Another condition was the possibility of transporting the hull of the boat by rail. About 30 boats were built, but during testing and operation, their numerous design flaws were revealed. Construction was stopped, and in 1936 work began on a new small hunter type MO-4. It took into account the shortcomings of its predecessor, and the designers managed to create a successful ship that proved itself to be the best during operation. The hull of the boat was built of first-class pine and had good survivability. With its small size, it received powerful weapons, could be used for trawling (equipped with a snake trawl or a boat paravan trawl) and minesweeping. Six mines of the R-1 type were taken on board, either four mod. 1908, or two mod. 1926, or four mine defenders. To search for submarines, a Poseidon sound direction finder was installed on Okhotniki, and since 1940, the Tamir sonar station. Three gasoline engines GAM-34BS (850 hp) each were simple and reliable in operation. They provided the boat with a high speed, 30 seconds after receiving the order, it could give a low speed, and after 5 minutes it could be full. The small hunter had good maneuverability and sufficient seaworthiness (up to 6 points). His appearance was distinguished by the dynamism of his form, lightness and swiftness of movement. The habitability of the MO-4 improved: the entire crew received sleeping places, all living quarters had ventilation and heating, and a cabin and galley were placed on the boat. Tests conducted on the Black Sea in 1936-37 did not reveal any serious flaws in the design of the MO-4, and construction of a large series for the Navy and NKVD soon began. Serial construction of boats was launched at the Leningrad NKVD plant No. 5. Before the start of the war, 187 boats were built on it.: 75 MO joined the fleets and flotillas, 113 became part of the NKVD Border Guard. Some of the small hunters who joined the Red Banner Baltic Fleet (KBF) took part in the Soviet-Finnish "winter" war. The maritime border guards had to explore the maritime borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which became part of the USSR in 1940. After the outbreak of the war with Germany, the serial construction of the MO-4 type was carried out at several factories in the country.: №5, №345, №640, Astrakhan shipyard of the Narkomrybprom and the Moscow shipyard of the Narkomrech-fleet. Despite all the difficulties, 74 MO-4 type boats were built during the difficult war years.