Submarine tiger shark. The largest submarine in the world
The largest Soviet submarine Akula, created as a symmetrical response to the United States after they created the Ohio submarine.
The largest nuclear submarine (NPS) is the Shark.
The goal of the developers was to create a ship even more powerful and significant in size than the American counterpart.
The real name of the submarine is “Project 941”, in the West it is called “Typhoon”, and the name “Shark” is explained by the fact that a drawing of a shark is placed on the side of the submarine (although it could only be seen until the ship was launched).
That is how L.I. called the new combat unit. Brezhnev, and later the image of a shark appeared on the uniform of the sailors who served on the submarine.
Shark is a nuclear submarine and is really impressive in size. Its length corresponds approximately to the length of two real football fields, and its height corresponds to a nine-story building. Displacement of the submarine - 48 thousand tons in the state of the submerged.
How and when did the largest submarine in the world appear
The creation of this powerful warship is associated with the period of the Cold War and the arms race. The Akula submarine was supposed to show the superiority of the Soviet navy over the western one. In 1972, scientists were given the task of creating a submarine more powerful, larger, more dangerous than the Ohio (USA).
Work on the Ohio began in the United States in the early 1970s; the submarine was planned to be armed with 24 Trident solid-propellant missiles with a range of more than 7 thousand km, i.e. intercontinental. It significantly exceeded everything that was in service with the USSR, because a huge (with a displacement of 18.7 thousand tons) submarine could launch missiles at a depth of up to 30 m and was quite fast - up to 20 knots.
The Soviet government set the designers the task of creating a Soviet missile carrier, even more powerful than the American one. This work was entrusted to the design bureau "Rubin", which at that time was headed by I.D. Spassky, and to the designer S.N. Kovalev, a leading specialist in this field; 92 submarines were created according to Kovalev's designs.
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Construction was started at the Sevmash enterprise in 1976; the first cruiser was launched in 1980, and it passed the tests even earlier than the Ohio, on which work began earlier.
In the entire history of the existence of the project, 6 Shark submarines were created, and the seventh, having already begun, was not completed due to the disarmament that had begun. Three of the existing submarines were disposed of with financial assistance from the United States and Canada, two did not have time to be disposed of and now the question is being decided what to do with them next, and one - Dmitry Donskoy - has been modified and is now in service.
Refitting Sharks is too expensive, costing as much as building two new modern submarines.
Design features of the submarine "Shark"
In connection with the need to equip the largest submarine in the world with solid-propellant missiles, designers faced difficult tasks. The missiles were too large and heavy, it was difficult to place them on a conventional cruiser, because even for loading massive weapons an innovative crane was required, and they were transported from them along specially laid rails.
And the capabilities of the shipbuilding plant were limited by the creation of ships that did not exceed the norms for the ship's draft.
The designers adopted a non-standard design solution: the cruiser was given the appearance, so to speak, of a catamaran for swimming under water. It does not consist of two buildings (external and internal), as usual, but five: two main and three additional.
The result is excellent buoyancy (40%).
Almost half of the ballast when the cruiser is under water is water. No matter how scolded the designers of the nuclear submarine for this! And “the victory of technology over common sense”, and “water carrier” (nickname of the submarine “Shark”), however, it is this feature that allows the cruiser to emerge, breaking through a 2.5-meter layer of ice, so that it can serve almost at the North Pole .
Inside the common body there are five more, two parallel; missile silos are unusually located: they are located in front of the wheelhouse; the mechanical, torpedo and control module are isolated and located in the gap formed by the main hulls, which makes the design safer.
This is also served by a couple of dozen waterproof compartments and two rescue chambers, which can fit the entire crew.
The outer steel hull is covered with special rubber for soundproofing and anti-location purposes, so that the submarine is difficult to detect.
Quite comfortable living conditions for the crew have been created on the huge submarine: cabins for small groups of sailors, comfortable cabins for officers, TVs, a gym, even a swimming pool, a solarium and a sauna, two mess rooms and a “living corner”.
Armament of the submarine
"Shark" is armed with two dozen R-39 "Variant" (these are ballistic missiles, each of them weighing 90 tons). There are also torpedo tubes (6 pieces) and MANPADS "Igla-1". Interestingly, even from a depth of up to 55 meters, a submarine can launch these missiles almost in one gulp.
Quite comfortable living conditions for the crew have been created on the huge submarine: the sailors live in small, for several people, cabins, while the officers occupy double cabins.
In addition to the gym and two cabins, there is a sauna and a small pool on board, there is even a solarium and a "living corner".
The commander's seat in the wheelhouse can only be used by the captain; even Defense Minister P. Grachev, who visited the submarine in 1993 and violated tradition, was unanimously condemned by all those present.
Rocket torpedoes "Waterfall" or "Shkval"
Story
The performance specification for the design was issued in December 1972, and S. N. Kovalev was appointed chief designer of the project. The new type of submarines was positioned as a response to the US construction of Ohio-class SSBNs (the first boats of both projects were laid almost simultaneously in 1976). The dimensions of the new ship were determined by the dimensions of the new solid-propellant three-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles R-39 (RSM-52), with which it was planned to arm the boat. Compared with the Trident-I missiles, which were equipped with the American Ohio, the R-39 missile had the best characteristics of the flight range, throwable mass and had 10 blocks against 8 for the Trident. However, at the same time, the R-39 turned out to be almost twice as long and three times as heavy as its American counterpart. To accommodate such large missiles, the standard SSBN layout did not fit. On December 19, 1973, the government decided to start work on the design and construction of a new generation of strategic missile carriers.
In total, it was planned to build 12 boats of project 941 "Shark", then the series was reduced to 10 boats. However, only 6 such boats were laid down, launched and put into operation, from 1981 to 1989. The planned seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth ships were never laid down; for the seventh, hull structures were being prepared (see below), and the remaining three boats of the series generally remained at the stage of preliminary preparation for construction.
The construction of "9-story" submarines provided orders for more than 1000 enterprises of the Soviet Union. Only at Sevmash, 1219 people who participated in the creation of this unique ship received government awards.
For the first time, Leonid Brezhnev announced the creation of the Shark series at the XXVI Congress of the CPSU, saying:
| The Americans created a new submarine "Ohio" with missiles "Trident-I". We also have a similar system - "Typhoon". |
Brezhnev specifically called the "Shark" "Typhoon" in order to mislead Cold War opponents.
To ensure reloading with missiles and torpedoes, in 1986, a diesel-electric transport-missile carrier "Alexander Brykin" of project 11570 was built with a total displacement of 16,000 tons, it took on board up to 16 SLBMs.
On September 27, 1991, during a training launch in the White Sea on the TK-17 Arkhangelsk, a training rocket exploded and burned out in the mine. The explosion blew off the cover of the mine, and the warhead of the rocket was thrown into the sea. The crew was not injured during the incident; the boat was forced to stand up for a small repair.
In 1997, the Northern Fleet underwent tests, during which a salvo launch of 20 R-39 missiles was carried out from the TK-20, the crew under the command of Captain 1st Rank A. S. Bogachev.
Design
Ship device
Both main strong hulls are interconnected by three transitions through intermediate strong capsule compartments: in the bow, in the center and in the stern. The total number of watertight compartments of the boat is 19. Two pop-up rescue chambers, designed for the entire crew, are located at the base of the wheelhouse under the retractable devices fencing.
Robust hulls are made of titanium alloys, light - steel, covered with non-resonant anti-radar and soundproof rubber coating with a total weight of 800 tons. According to American experts, soundproofing coatings are also provided on the durable hulls of the boat.
The ship received a developed cruciform stern plumage with horizontal rudders placed directly behind the propellers. The front horizontal rudders are retractable.
In order for the boats to be able to carry out duty at high latitudes, the felling fence is made very strong, capable of breaking through ice 2-2.5 m thick (in winter, the ice thickness in the Arctic Ocean varies from 1.2 to 2 m, and in some places reaches 2.5 m). From below, the ice surface is covered with growths in the form of icicles or stalactites of considerable size. When surfacing, the submarine cruiser, having removed the bow rudders, slowly presses against the ice ceiling with a specially adapted nose and a wheelhouse fence, after which the main ballast tanks are blown sharply.
Power point
The main nuclear power plant is designed according to the block principle and includes two water-cooled reactors on thermal neutrons OK-650 with a thermal power of 190 MW each and a shaft power of 2 × 50,000 l. With. , as well as two steam turbine installations, located one at a time in both strong hulls, which significantly increases the survivability of the boat. The use of a two-stage system of rubber-cord pneumatic damping and a block layout of mechanisms and equipment made it possible to significantly improve the vibration isolation of the units and, thereby, reduce the noise of the boat.
Two low-speed, low-noise, seven-blade fixed-pitch propellers are used as propellers. To reduce the noise level, the propellers are installed in annular fairings (fenestrons).
The boat has reserve means of propulsion - two DC electric motors of 190 kW each. For maneuvering in cramped conditions, there is a thruster in the form of two folding columns with 750 kW electric motors and rotary propellers. Thrusters are located in the bow and stern parts of the ship.
Habitability
The crew is placed in conditions of increased comfort. The boat has a lounge for relaxation, a gym, a swimming pool measuring 4 × 2 m and a depth of 2 m, filled with fresh or salty outboard water with the possibility of heating, a solarium, a sauna sheathed with oak boards, a “living corner”. The rank and file is accommodated in small cockpits, the command staff - in two- and four-bed cabins with washbasins, TVs and air conditioning. There are two wardrooms: one for officers, the other for midshipmen and sailors. Sailors call Shark-class submarines "floating" Hilton "".
Environment regeneration
In 1984, for participation in the work on the creation of TPKSN pr. 941 "Akula" FSUE "Special Design and Technology Bureau for Electrochemistry with a Pilot Plant" (until 1969 - the Moscow Electrolysis Plant) was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
Armament
The main armament is the D-19 missile system with 20 R-39 "Variant" three-stage solid-fuel ballistic missiles. These missiles have the largest launch weight (together with the launch container - 90 tons) and length (17.1 m) of the SLBMs adopted for service. The combat range of the missiles is 8300 km, the warhead is divided: 10 individually guided warheads of 100 kilotons of TNT each. Due to the large dimensions of the R-39, the Akula project boats were the only carriers of these missiles. The design of the D-19 missile system was tested on the BS-153 diesel submarine, specially converted according to project 619, which was based in Sevastopol, but they were able to place only one mine for the R-39 on it and limited themselves to seven launches of throw models. The launch of the entire Akula missile ammunition load can be carried out in one salvo with a small interval between the launch of individual missiles. The launch is possible both from the surface and from the underwater positions at depths up to 55 m and without restrictions due to weather conditions. Thanks to the shock-absorbing rocket-launch system ARSS, the launch of the rocket is carried out from a dry mine using a powder pressure accumulator, which makes it possible to reduce the interval between launches and the level of pre-launch noise. One of the features of the complex is that with the help of ARSS, rockets are suspended at the mouth of the mine. When designing, it was planned to place an ammunition load of 24 missiles, but, by decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, Admiral S. G. Gorshkov, their number was reduced to 20.
In 1986, a government decree was adopted on the development of an improved version of the missile - R-39UTTKh Bark. In the new modification, it was planned to increase the firing range to 10,000 km and implement a system for passing through the ice. The rearmament of the missile carriers was planned to be carried out until 2003 - the expiration date of the warranty resource of the produced R-39 missiles. In 1998, after the third unsuccessful launch, the Ministry of Defense decided to stop work on the 73% ready complex. To develop another solid-propellant SLBM Bulava was instructed to develop the Topol-M "land" ICBM. ()
Air defense is provided by eight sets of Igla-1 MANPADS.
The missile carriers of the Shark project are equipped with the following electronic weapons:
Comparative evaluation
It should be noted that the Ohio, unlike Russian submarines, are designed for combat duty in the open ocean in relatively warm latitudes, while Russian submarines are regularly on duty in the Arctic, while being in the relative shallow water of the shelf and, in addition, under a layer of ice, which has a significant impact on the design of boats. For U.S. Navy submariners, swimming in shallow water under the Arctic ice is considered very risky.
The predecessors of the "Sharks" - submarines of projects 667A, and their modifications, due to increased noise, were nicknamed by the American military "roaring cows", their combat duty areas were located off the coast of the United States - in the coverage area of powerful anti-submarine formations, in addition, they had to overcome NATO anti-submarine line between Greenland, Iceland and the UK.
In the USSR and Russia, the ground-based Strategic Missile Forces make up the bulk of the nuclear triad. According to Lieutenant General of the Strategic Missile Forces Lev Volkov:
After the adoption of strategic submarines of the Akula type into the combat structure of the USSR Navy, the United States agreed to sign the SALT-2 treaty proposed by it, and the United States also allocated funds under the Joint Threat Reduction program for the disposal of half of the Sharks while simultaneously extending the service life of their American "peers" until 2023-2026.
The head of the Northern Fleet Operations Directorate, V. Lebedko, in 1982, after switching to the TK-208, described the Shark as follows:
Quote from the news release of the Central Design Bureau MT "Rubin" on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the commissioning of the first heavy cruiser:
| 941 "Shark" | "Ohio" | 667BDRM "Dolphin" |
"Vanguard" | "Triumph" | 955 Borey | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance | ||||||
| Years of construction | - | - | - | - | - | - (plan) |
| Years of service | - present | - present | - present | - present | - present | - present |
| Built | 6 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Displacement (t) surface / underwater |
23 200 / 48 000 | 16 746 / 18 750 | 11 740 / 18 200 | 15 130 / 15 900 | 12 640 / 14 335 | 14 720 / 24 000 |
| Number of missiles | 20 R-39 | 24 Trident II | 16 R-29RMU2 | 16 Trident II | 16 M45 | 16 Mace |
| Cast weight (kg) | 2550 | 2800 - ? | 2800 - ? | 2800 - ? | ? | 1150 |
| range (km) | 9300 | 7400 - 11300 | 8300 - 11547 | 7400 - 11300 | 6000 | 9300 |
Representatives
It was originally planned to build 10 boats of this project, however, under the OSV-1 agreement, and due to a number of financial and political problems, the series was limited to six ships (the seventh ship of the series, the TK-210, was dismantled on the slipway, and the last three boats of the series generally remained on pre-construction stage).
| Name | Head No. | Bookmark | Launching | Commissioning | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" |
711 | 17.06.1976 | 29.09.1980 | 12.12.1981 26.07.2002 |
Modernized according to project 941UM. Re-equipped for the new Bulava SLBM. |
| TK-202 | 712 | 22.04.1978 (01.10.1980) | 23.09.1982 (24.06.1982) | 28.12.1983 | In 2005, cut into metal with US financial support. |
| TK-12 Simbirsk |
713 | 19.04.1980 | 17.12.1983 | 26.12.1984 15.01.1985 | In 1998 he was expelled from the Navy. 07/26/2005 delivered to Severodvinsk for disposal under the Russian-American program "Cooperative Threat Reduction". Recycled. |
| TK-13 | 724 | 23.02.1982 (05.01.1984) | 30.04.1985 | 26.12.1985 (30.12.1985) | On June 15, 2007, the American side signed a contract for disposal. On July 3, 2008, recycling began in the docking chamber on Zvyozdochka. In 2009 it was cut into metal. |
| TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" |
725 | 24.02.1985 | 08.1986 | 06.11.1987 | Due to the lack of ammunition in 2006, it was put into reserve. Withdrawn from the fleet. Disposal will start after 2020. |
| TK-20 Severstal |
727 | 06.01.1987 | 07.1988 | 04.09.1989 | Due to the lack of ammunition in 2004, it was put into reserve. Withdrawn from the fleet. Disposal will start after 2020. |
| TK-210 | 728 | - | - | - | Not pledged. The hull structures were being prepared. Dismantled in 1990. |
| TK-? | n/a | - | - | - | Not pledged. |
| TK-? | n/a | - | - | - | Not pledged. |
| TK-? | n/a | - | - | - | Not pledged. |
All 6 TRPKSNs built were based in the Northern Fleet in Zapadnaya Litsa (Nerpichya Bay), 45 km from the border with Norway.
Disposal
In accordance with the OSV-2 strategic arms limitation treaty, and also due to the lack of funds to maintain boats in combat-ready condition (for one heavy cruiser - 300 million rubles a year, for
The construction of the Project 941 Akula heavy nuclear-powered strategic missile cruisers (Typhoon international classification) was a kind of response to the construction of US nuclear submarines of the class " Ohio", armed with 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
In the USSR, the development of a new class submarine project began later than the Americans. The designers faced a difficult technical task - to place on board 24 missiles weighing almost 100 tons each. After many studies, it was decided to place the missiles between two strong hulls. As a result, the first submarine "Shark" was built in record time - in 5 years.
In September 1980, unusually large soviet submarine as high as a nine-story building and almost two football fields long, he touched the water for the first time. Delight, joy, fatigue - the participants of that event experienced different feelings, but they all had one thing in common - pride in a great common cause. Mooring and sea trials were carried out in record time. The tests took place not only in the White Sea, but also in the area of the North Pole. During the period of rocket firing, there were no failures in work. During construction nuclear submarines class " Typhoon"The latest advances in the creation of shipborne electronic equipment and noise reduction were applied. Submarines of this project are equipped with a pop-up rescue chamber designed for the entire crew.
heavy nuclear missile cruiser of strategic purpose "Akula"
Interestingly, the total underwater displacement submarine "Shark"» is about 50,000 tons. Moreover, exactly half of this weight is ballast water, which is why it was dubbed the "water carrier". This is the price, not fully thought out for the Russian submarine fleet, of the transition from liquid hot to solid fuel. As a result, the project Shark" became the largest submarine in the world and listed in the Guinness Book of Records. For the construction of nuclear submarines at the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise, a new workshop was specially built - the largest covered boathouse in the world. The first submarine of project 941 code "TK-208" was laid down at the shipyard of a shipbuilding enterprise in 1976, launched on September 23, 1980, and entered service at the end of 1981. Then five more submarines were built, and one of them was nuclear submarine « Dmitry Donskoy». nuclear submarine"TK-210" laid down in 1986 was never put into operation and dismantled in 1990 due to the high cost of the project.
dates of laying, launching and commissioning of Project 941 submarines
Design submarine project 941 made according to the "catamaran" type: two separate strong hulls are located in a horizontal plane parallel to each other. In addition, there are two separate sealed capsule-compartments - a torpedo compartment and a control module located between the main buildings in the diametrical plane, in which there is a central post and an electronic weapons compartment located behind it. The missile compartment is located between the pressure hulls at the front of the ship. Both cases and capsule-compartments are interconnected by transitions. The total number of watertight compartments is nineteen. The compartment of the central post and its light fencing are shifted towards the stern nuclear submarine. Robust hulls, the central post and the torpedo compartment are made of titanium alloy, and the lightweight hull is made of steel (a special hydroacoustic rubber coating is applied to its surface, which increases stealth submarines). Submarine "Shark""has a developed fodder plumage. The front horizontal rudders are located in the bow of the hull and fold. The cabin is equipped with powerful ice reinforcements and a rounded roof, which serves to break the ice during ascent.
For the crew of the boat, conditions of increased comfort have been created. The officers were placed in relatively spacious two- and four-bed cabins with washbasins, televisions and air conditioning, and sailors and foremen - in small cockpits. Submarine « Shark” received a gym, a swimming pool, a solarium, a sauna, a lounge for relaxation, a “living corner” and other premises.
According to the domestic press, the existing plans for the development of Russia's strategic nuclear forces provide for the modernization Project 941 nuclear submarines with the replacement of the D-19 missile system with a new one. If this is true, submarine "Shark""has every chance of remaining in service until 2010. In the future, it is possible to re-equip part of the project 941 into transport nuclear submarines designed for the transportation of goods on transpolar and cross-polar routes, the shortest route linking Europe, North America and other countries. The cargo compartment built instead of the missile compartment will be capable of receiving up to 10,000 tons of cargo.
largest submarine in the world photo
nuclear submarine "Shark" in the parking lot
on a barrel
submarine "Shark" in combat campaign
Submarine "Shark" on the surface
Russia can no longer afford to maintain the world's largest Project 941 submarines. This is not only too expensive, but also completely pointless - these nuclear submarines do not have weapons destroyed under an agreement concluded with the United States. The tester of the missile system of the boat told why he still considers this decision to be wrong.
The two largest nuclear submarines in the world, Severstal and Arkhangelsk (Project 941 Akula), will be withdrawn from the Russian Navy by the end of this year and disposed of by 2018, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
“By the end of 2013, these boats, based in Severodvinsk, will be withdrawn from the Navy, and then enterprises will begin to dispose of them. Until 2018, maximum until 2020, this process will need to be completed,” the source said.
These "Sharks", according to him, are outdated, and it is more expensive to re-equip them. As for the third boat of this class, modernized and repaired, it will be used to test new weapons in the coming years. We are talking about "Dmitry Donskoy", on which the Bulava rocket was tested.
A representative of the Zvyozdochka Ship Repair Center explained that three boats of this project have already been disposed of: the first in 2007 at Sevmash, the second in 2008 under a contract with Sevmash at Zvyozdochka, and the third - in the same place in 2009. So far, there is no specific information about Severstal and Arkhangelsk at the shipyard.
The dismantling of all nuclear submarines in Russia is financed partly by state order, partly by logistical assistance from 23 donor countries under the Global Partnership international program. Submarines of the 941st project were disposed of with financial assistance from the United States and Canada. It is worth noting that at the time of disposal, these were one of the most modern nuclear submarines of the Russian Navy.
“The fundamental decision to decommission these submarines was made back in the early 2000s,” Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the Russian Navy Main Staff, told ITAR-TASS. - It was based on the fact that after the loss of industrial cooperation with Ukraine, the Sharks were left without their main weapons - R-39 missiles (RSM-52 under international treaties), which were produced there. After a comprehensive analysis of the situation, it was decided to switch from Ukrainian missiles to domestic "Maces", created for the new Project 955 missile carriers of the "Borey" class. This decision was forced, but taking into account the need to prevent the country from becoming dependent on another state in the strategic sphere, then we had no choice.”
“Now this fundamental decision has been finalized; to be honest, this has long been expected. After all, there are limiting capabilities of the state, there is an industry that leaves much to be desired, which cannot ensure the aimless costly preservation of unarmed Project 941 Akula-class cruisers. If you already choose one of the two possible options, then it is better to have Boreas with our Maces, although, taking into account the work on their creation that began more than 10 years ago, they are already morally and physically obsolete compared to today afternoon," the admiral said. “It is especially noticeable that our submarines lag behind the American ones in equipping them with modern radio-electronic equipment. American submarines are far superior in electronics to ours, so a significant number of electronic boards and circuits installed on Russian submarines, even strategic ones, are produced abroad, in particular in the West,” Kravchenko noted.
He said that, as expected, the submarine cruiser Dmitry Donskoy, which remains in the Navy as a test ship, modernized at Sevmash according to project 941U, capable of carrying Bulava missiles on board, after completing its tasks and producing enough for " Boreev" of the number of Bulava missiles will be included in the grouping of naval strategic nuclear forces of the Northern Fleet.
“Of course, the feeling of regret of military sailors, and especially submariners, who want as many submarines as possible in the fleet, is understandable. However, information about the uniqueness of our "Sharks" and their superiority over the American boats of the "Ohio" class in operations in the northern latitudes is somewhat exaggerated, "said the admiral.
“Yes, our Sharks broke through 2.5-meter-thick ice in the Arctic in order to form polynyas for rocket firing across the North Pole. They did this due to the increased strength of the felling fence while quickly blowing through the tanks of the main ballast. But it is not true that American "strategists" patrolled only in the middle and southern latitudes. They, like our missile carriers, also operated in the Arctic Ocean under the ice, but they broke them not with a cutting fence, but with a particularly strong bow in order to form the same openings for missile launches, ”explained Kravchenko.
Project 941 Shark heavy missile strategic submarines (NATO classification Typhoon) are the largest nuclear submarines in the world. Developed in TsKBMT "Rubin" (St. Petersburg). The first ship of this type was laid down at Sevmash in 1976 and entered service in 1981. Six ships were built. Crew - 160 people, hull length - about 173 meters, width - 23.3 meters, draft - more than 11 meters, shaft power - 100 thousand horsepower. The main armament is the D-19 missile system with 20 R-39 Variant three-stage solid-fuel ballistic missiles. The Sharks also carried the Waterfall missile torpedoes. Air defense was provided by eight sets of Igla-1 MANPADS.
Last year, the US embassy in Moscow announced that Russia and the US had completed the elimination of an entire class of ballistic missiles, including the RSM-52. “As part of a 12-year project, 78 RSM-52 missiles were destroyed,” the embassy noted.
“The boat is huge, unique. This is recognized by everyone all over the world. No wonder it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. She has great potential. And with its huge dimensions - 48 thousand tons of displacement - this boat is very maneuverable in a submerged position, - said Rear Admiral Vyacheslav Apanasenko, former head of the Navy's missile and artillery weapons department, who was awarded the Order of the Red Star for testing the missile system for boats 941 project. She has a very original idea. This is the latest development of the Rubin general designer Sergey Nikitich Kovalev. There, the missile silos are located outside the strong hull, that is, between two strong hulls in the water.
The boat could serve for a very long time. There are many novelties in the struggle for survivability. The cabin of the boat is surrounded by a hemispherical belt. These are two large pop-up chambers, into which the entire personnel goes, and they safely emerge from great depths - up to 600 meters.
“These boats were designed to last 30 years,” he continued. - As experience shows, if 30 years of operation are laid, it will last 50 years, such a reliable and strong construction. It was planned that the D-19 missile system standing on it would be replaced by the new advanced D-19UTTKh complex (with improved performance characteristics, according to NATO classification - RSN-52-Variant) in the same dimensions, weighing 92 tons with new equipment. It was a missile of the 21st century, no missile defense existed for it at all, the firing range was almost one and a half times greater than that of the current Bulava. There were only three launches, two of which were completely unsuccessful and one partially unsuccessful. In all three cases, we quickly found failures. In my opinion, there was just sabotage, or at least negligence. This was the reason that the then Minister of Defense Igor Sergeyev, in order to please the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, ordered to close this case and instructed them to make the Bulava. I was the only one who did not sign the act, despite the threats, I said: if we do not make this missile, our six missile carriers will be useless. They persuaded me that we would re-equip these missile carriers with the Bulava, and even installed an experimental shaft for testing the Bulava on the converted boat Dmitry Donskoy. But then, on the sly, this idea was eliminated. ”
Rear Admiral gave an example that testifies to the reliability of this type of ships. “We went to sea to shoot. And due to erroneous actions, the rocket exploded at launch right at the exit from the mine. It was an old rocket, fired under a recycling program. An explosion on a submarine in the surface position, burning solid fuel rained down, rubber on the submarine caught fire. Division commander Vladimir Ivanov ordered an urgent dive. The boat has sunk. Everything went out. They surfaced. And all the damage was only that it was necessary to paint the lid of the mine, where everything was on fire. With a liquid-propellant rocket, everything would be completely different, ”he said.
“After they weren’t upgraded to Bulava, they became useless,” says Rear Admiral Apanasenko. - We tried to make submarine tankers out of them, but for some reason Gazprom refused this, the state and private firms refused, and the remaining boats live out their lives. This is a pain and a loss for the state. In my opinion, you can try to save them at least for history.
The reason why the boats were not upgraded for the Bulava is the expert believes that there are problems with testing this missile and the long period of its development. “Officially there was no Bulava. It is not even now - it has not been adopted for service, there is a whole bunch of flaws. And Project 955 boats are already under construction: “Yuri Dolgoruky” is sailing, two more are on the way, but there are no missiles for them. And so it would be six more boats. It is unprofitable for the state to spend money on re-equipping these boats for a complex that is not yet underway. Imagine - they will re-equip 941 projects, and then they will say: "Mace" does not fly. The mistake was initially laid down in the fact that they refused to continue testing the D-19UTTH. Until the end of the tests of this rocket, then there were no more than two years. And then now these boats would be armed, ”the Rear Admiral concluded.
Dear comrades, surely many of you have visited naval saloons, climbed the uncomfortable trembling gangways to the decks of huge ships. We wandered around the upper deck, examining the missile launchers, sprawling radar branches and other fantastic systems.
Even such simple things as the thickness of the anchor chain (each link is about a pood weight) or the sweeping radius of the ship's artillery barrels (the size of a more summer cottage "six acres") can cause sincere shock and bewilderment in an unprepared layman.
The dimensions of ship mechanisms are simply Huge. Such things are not found in ordinary life - we learn about the existence of these cyclopean objects only during a visit to the ship on the next Navy Day (Victory Day, during the days of the St. Petersburg International Naval Salon, etc.).
Indeed, from the point of view of a single person, small or large ships do not exist. Marine equipment is striking in its dimensions - standing on the pier next to a moored corvette, a person looks like a grain of sand against the backdrop of a huge rock. A "tiny" 2500-ton corvette looks like a cruiser, and a "real" cruiser is generally paranormal in size and looks like a floating city.
The reason for this paradox is obvious:
An ordinary four-axle railway wagon (gondola car), loaded to the brim with iron ore, has a mass of about 90 tons. Very bulky and heavy piece.
In the case of the 11,000-ton missile cruiser Moskva, we have only 11,000 tons of metal structures, cables and fuel. The equivalent is 120 railway wagons with ore, densely concentrated in a single array.
Anchor of the submarine missile carrier pr. 941 "Shark"
How does water hold THIS?! The conning tower of the battleship New Jersey
But the cruiser "Moskva" is not the limit yet - the American aircraft carrier "Nimitz" has a total displacement of more than 100 thousand tons. Truly great is Archimedes, whose immortal law keeps these giants afloat!
A big difference
Unlike surface ships and vessels that can be seen in any port, the submarine component of the fleet has an increased degree of stealth. it is difficult to see even when entering the base - largely due to the special status of the modern submarine fleet.
Nuclear technologies, danger zone, state secret, objects of strategic importance; closed cities with a special passport regime. All this does not add popularity to the "steel coffins" and their glorious crews. Nuclear-powered boats quietly nest in the secluded coves of the Arctic or hide from prying eyes on the coast of distant Kamchatka. Nothing is heard about the existence of boats in peacetime. They are not suitable for naval parades and the notorious "flag display". The only thing these sleek black ships can do is kill.
Baby C-189 against the backdrop of "Mistral"
What does "Baton" or "Pike" look like? How big is the legendary "Shark"? Is it true that it does not fit in the ocean?
It is quite difficult to find out this question - there are no visual aids in this regard. Museum submarines K-21 (Severomorsk), S-189 (St. Petersburg) or S-56 (Vladivostok) are half a century old "diesels" of the Second World War and do not give any idea about the real size of modern submarines.
The reader will surely learn a lot of interesting things from the following illustration:
Comparative sizes of silhouettes of modern submarines on a single scale
The thickest "fish" is a heavy strategic missile submarine.
Below is an American Ohio-class SSBN.
Even lower is the underwater "aircraft carrier killer" of project 949A, the so-called. "Baton" (it was to this project that the deceased "Kursk" belonged).
A multi-purpose Russian nuclear submarine of project 971 (code ) lurked in the lower left corner.
And the smallest of the boats shown in the illustration is the modern German diesel-electric submarine Type 212.
Of course, the greatest interest of the public is associated with the "Shark" (it is also "Typhoon" according to NATO classification). The boat is really amazing: the length of the hull is 173 meters, the height from the bottom to the roof of the cabin is equal to a 9-storey building!
Surface displacement - 23,000 tons; underwater - 48,000 tons. The figures clearly indicate a colossal reserve of buoyancy - more than 20 thousand tons of water are pumped into the ballast tanks of the boat to submerge the Shark. As a result, the "Shark" received the funny nickname "water carrier" in the Navy.
For all the seeming irrationality of this decision (why does the submarine have such a large reserve of buoyancy ??), the “water carrier” has its own characteristics and even advantages: in the surface position, the draft of the monstrous monster is slightly larger than that of “ordinary” submarines - about 11 meters. This allows you to go to any base, without the risk of running aground, and use all the available infrastructure for servicing nuclear submarines.
In addition, a huge reserve of buoyancy turns the Shark into a powerful icebreaker. When blowing through the tanks, the boat, according to the law of Archimedes, “rushes” up with such force that even a 2-meter layer of arctic ice, strong as a stone, will not stop it. Due to this circumstance, the "Sharks" could carry out combat duty in the highest latitudes, up to the regions of the North Pole.
But even in the surface position, the Shark surprises with its dimensions. How else? - the largest boat in world history!
You can admire the shark view for a long time:
"Shark" and one of the SSBNs of the 677 family
The boat is just huge, there is nothing more to add here
Modern SSBN project 955 "Borey" against the backdrop of a gigantic "fish"
The reason is simple: two submarines are hidden under a light streamlined hull: "Shark" is made according to the "catamaran" scheme with two durable hulls made of titanium alloys. 19 isolated compartments, duplicated by a power plant (each of the robust buildings has an independent nuclear steam generating plant OK-650 with a thermal power of 190 MW), as well as two pop-up rescue capsules designed for the entire crew ...
Needless to say - in terms of survivability, safety and ease of placement of personnel, this floating Hilton was out of competition.
Loading a 90-ton "kuzkina mother". In total, the boat's ammunition included 20 R-39 solid-propellant SLBMs
"Ohio"
No less surprising is the comparison of the American submarine missile carrier "Ohio" and the domestic TPKSN of the "Shark" project - it suddenly turns out that their dimensions are identical (length 171 meters, draft 11 meters) ... while the displacement differs significantly! How so?
There is no secret here - "Ohio" is almost twice as wide as the Soviet monster - 23 versus 13 meters. Nevertheless, it would be unfair to call the Ohio a small boat - 16,700 tons of steel structures and materials inspire respect. Underwater displacement "Ohio" is even greater - 18,700 tons.
Carrier killer
Another underwater monster, whose displacement surpassed the achievements of the Ohio (surface displacement - 14,700, underwater - 24,000 tons).
One of the most powerful and advanced boats of the Cold War. 24 supersonic cruise missiles with a launch weight of 7 tons; eight torpedo tubes; nine isolated compartments. The working depth range is more than 500 meters. Underwater speed over 30 knots.
In order to accelerate the “baton” to such speeds, a two-reactor power plant was used on the boat - uranium assemblies in two OK-650 reactors burn with terrible black fire day and night. The total energy output is 380 megawatts - enough to provide electricity to a city for 100,000 inhabitants.
"Baton" and "Shark"
Two "batons"
But how justified was the construction of such monsters to solve tactical problems? According to a popular legend, the cost of each of the 11 built boats reached half the cost of the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov! At the same time, the "loaf" was focused on solving purely tactical tasks - the destruction of AUGs, convoys, disruption of enemy communications ...
Time has shown that multi-purpose nuclear submarines are the most effective for such operations, for example ...
« Pike-B"
A series of Soviet nuclear multi-purpose boats of the third generation. The most formidable underwater weapon before the advent of American nuclear submarines of the Seawolf type.
But, you do not think that "Pike-B" is so small and frail. Size is a relative value. Suffice it to say that the baby does not fit on the football field. The boat is huge. Surface displacement - 8100, underwater - 12,800 tons (on the latest modifications, it increased by another 1000 tons).
This time, the designers got by with one OK-650 reactor, one turbine, one shaft and one propeller. Excellent dynamics remained at the level of the 949th "loaf". A modern sonar system and a luxurious set of weapons appeared: deep-sea and homing torpedoes, Granat cruise missiles (in the future - Caliber), Shkval rocket-torpedoes, Vodopad PLUR, thick torpedoes 65-76, mines ... at the same time , a huge ship is operated by a crew of only 73 people.
Why do I say "everything"? Just an example: to control the modern American boat-analogue of the "Pike" - an unsurpassed underwater killer type, a crew of 130 people is required! At the same time, the American, as usual, is saturated to the limit with radio electronics and automation systems, and its dimensions are 25% smaller (displacement - 6000/7000 tons).
By the way, an interesting question: why are American boats always smaller? Is it really all the fault of "Soviet microcircuits - the largest microcircuits in the world" ?! The answer will seem banal - American boats have a single-hull design and, as a result, a smaller margin of buoyancy. That is why the "Los Angeles" and "Virginia" have such a small difference in the values of surface and underwater displacement.
What is the difference between single hull and double hull boats? In the first case, ballast tanks are located inside a single strong hull. Such an arrangement takes up part of the internal volume and, in a certain sense, negatively affects the survivability of the submarine. And, of course, single-hull nuclear submarines have a much smaller margin of buoyancy. At the same time, it makes the boat smaller (as small as a modern nuclear submarine can be) and quieter.
Domestic boats, traditionally, are built according to a two-hull scheme. All ballast tanks and auxiliary deep-sea equipment (cables, antennas towed by the GAS) are moved outside the pressure hull. The rigid body stiffeners are also located on the outside, saving precious interior space. From above, all this is covered with a light "shell".
Advantages: the reserve of free space inside the rugged case, allowing the implementation of special layout solutions. More systems and weapons on board the boat, increased unsinkability and survivability (additional depreciation for close explosions, etc.).
Nuclear waste storage facility in Saida Bay (Kola Peninsula). Dozens of submarine reactor compartments are visible. The ugly "rings" are nothing more than the stiffening ribs of a durable case (the light case was previously removed)
This scheme also has disadvantages and there is no escape from them: large dimensions and area of wetted surfaces. A direct consequence is that the boat makes louder noise. And if there is a resonance between a durable and lightweight body ...
Do not flatter yourself when you hear about the “reserve of free space” indicated above. Inside the compartments of the Russian "Pike" it is still impossible to drive mopeds and play golf - the entire reserve was spent on installing numerous hermetic bulkheads. The number of habitable compartments on Russian boats usually ranges from 7 to 9 units. The maximum was achieved on the legendary "Sharks" - as many as 19 compartments, excluding sealed technological modules in the light body space.
For comparison, the robust hull of the American Los Angeles is divided by airtight bulkheads into only three compartments: central, reactor and turbine (of course, not counting the system of isolated decks). The Americans traditionally rely on the high quality of manufacturing of hull structures, the reliability of equipment and qualified personnel in the crews of submarines.
A whopping big fish. American multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the "Sivulf" type
Another comparison on the same scale. It turns out that the "Shark" is not so large compared to the nuclear aircraft carrier of the "Nimitz" type or the TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov" - the dimensions of the aircraft carriers are completely paranormal. The victory of technology over common sense. Small fish on the left - diesel-electric submarine "Varshavyanka"
These are the key differences between schools of underwater shipbuilding on different sides of the ocean. And the submarines are still huge.