shipyard as yard number 1515, launched in 1943 and commissioned on 16 June 1944. After working up, the boat was deployed to support German forces operating in the Baltic. She was one of the escorts for the heavy cruiser as the latter ship supported a German counterattack against advancing Soviet forces near Cranz, East Prussia, on 29–30 January 1945. Together with a pair of destroyers, T33 bombarded Soviet positions near Kolberg from 11 to 18 March to cover the evacuation of the city. The boat screened evacuation convoys from Hela, to friendly territory in early April. On 10 April, T33 towed the destroyer after she had been badly damaged by a mine. On 5 May, she helped to ferry 45,000 refugees from East Prussia to Copenhagen, Denmark, and returned to help transport 20,000 more to Glücksburg, Germany, on the 9th. T33 was allocated to the Soviet Union when the Allies divided the surviving ships of the Kriegsmarine amongst themselves in late 1945, and was assigned to the Baltic Fleet on 5 November. She was taken over by a Soviet crew on New Year's Day 1946, who raised the Soviet naval jack aboard her four days later. Renamed Primerny on 13 February 1946, the newly reclassified destroyer joined the North Baltic Fleet two days later. She served with the latter until 30 November 1954, when she was removed from combat duty and converted into a floating barracks before being renamed PKZ-63 on 28 December. The vessel was transferred for scrapping on 9 November 1956, which was carried out by the Main Directorate for the Procurement, Processing and Sale of Secondary Ferrous Metals at Tallinn during 1957 and 1958. Notes Citations References External links T33 at german navy.de Primerny photo gallery on navsource.narod.ru Type 39 torpedo boats 1943 ships Ships built by Schichau Ships built in Elbing