Soviet submarine K-56 (1940)

The K-56 was a Soviet Navy K-class (Katyusha) submarine of Project 41, built during the pre-World War II period. These submarines were designed as long-range cruisers intended to operate in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The K-56 was laid down in 1938 at the Krasnoye Sormovo Factory No. 112 in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) and commissioned in 1940 into the Baltic Fleet.

During the early stages of the Great Patriotic War (World War II), K-56 participated in combat operations against German forces in the Baltic Sea. Details about her specific wartime patrols and successes are relatively limited and often contested due to the chaotic nature of the conflict and the Soviet Union's wartime secrecy. Information on specific enemy ships sunk or damaged by K-56 remains scarce and often difficult to verify from independent sources.

The K-class submarines were known for their large size, powerful armament, and long range. They were equipped with torpedo tubes, deck guns, and mines. However, they were also relatively slow and difficult to maneuver compared to smaller submarine designs.

Following the war, K-56 continued to serve in the Soviet Navy. She underwent modernization and refitting at various points in her career. She was eventually decommissioned and scrapped, like many other Soviet submarines of that era, as newer, more advanced designs entered service. Specific dates for her decommissioning and scrapping can vary depending on sources, but it is generally accepted that she served for a considerable period post-war before being removed from service. The K-56 represents a significant type of submarine deployed by the Soviet Union during and after World War II, embodying the Soviet naval strategy of projecting power on the high seas.