Submarine 941. The Shark is the submarine that prevented the outbreak of the Third World War. Whose submarines are the most

AT modern world The submarine fleet plays a great role in ensuring the security of states. Especially if these are submarines carrying strategic nuclear weapons. It is they who are holding back the major powers from an open military confrontation, which could be the last in the history of mankind. And the larger and more powerful the submarine, the more weapons it can carry and make longer autonomous voyages off the coast of a potential enemy.

Project 941 "Shark"

To date, the largest Submarine in the world - this is the creation of Soviet shipbuilders, an underwater nuclear missile cruiser strategic purpose project 941 "Shark". Its dimensions are colossal, the underwater displacement is 48 thousand tons. The length of the giant is 172 m, and the width is 23.3 m, the height of the warship is comparable to a 9-storey building. The submarine is set in motion by two water-water nuclear reactors with two steam turbine units located separately in robust housings. The total capacity of the power plant is 100 thousand hp.

A powerful machine under water can reach speeds of up to 25 knots, on the surface - 12 knots. It can submerge almost half a kilometer, and the usual working depth is 380 m. The submarine is operated by a crew of 160 people and can be in autonomous navigation for four months. Moreover, to save the entire crew, a large underwater vehicle is equipped with a pop-up rescue capsule. Armament "Shark" consists of:

a missile system of 20 ballistic missiles, each of which can carry 10 warheads of 100 kilotons with individual guidance (it was structurally possible to carry 24 missiles). The launch weight of the R-39 missiles is 90 tons, and the combat range is 8.3 thousand km. The entire missile ammunition load can be fired in one salvo both from the surface and from the underwater position in any weather conditions.
6 torpedo tubes for launching rocket-torpedoes and torpedoes of caliber 533 mm and installing minefields;
8 sets of MANPADS "Igla-1" for air defense;
electronic weapons.

The big Sharks were born at the Sevmash plant; for this, the largest covered boathouse on the planet was built. Thanks to a strong cabin and a serious reserve of buoyancy, the submarine can break through thick ice (up to 2.5 m), which allows it to carry out combat duty even at the North Pole.

Quite a lot of boat space is allocated to ensure the comfort of the crew:

spacious two- and four-bed cabins for officers;
small quarters for foremen and sailors;
air conditioning system;
TVs and wash basins in cabins;
gym, sauna, solarium, swimming pool;
living corner and lounge for relaxation, etc.

Ohio-class submarines

At one time, after the boats of the Shark project, these were the second largest submarines in the world. Their underwater displacement is 18.75 thousand tons, surface - 16.75 tons. The length of the colossus is 170 m, and the width of its hull is almost 13 m. A total of 18 vehicles of this type were produced, each of which received weapons in the form of 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles with multiple warheads. The crew of the ship - 155 people. Submerged speed - up to 25 knots, surface - up to 17 knots.

These warships have a solid hull divided into four compartments and a separate enclosure:

bow, which includes premises for combat, support and household purposes;
missile;
reactor;
turbine;
enclosure with electrical panels, trim and drainage pumps, an air regeneration unit.

Project 955 Borey

In length, this missile submarine is almost the same as the two previous ships - 170 m. But this fourth-generation nuclear submarine has an underwater displacement of 24 thousand tons, and a surface displacement of 14.7 thousand tons. Therefore, according to this parameter, it can safely be in second place after the boats of the Project 941 "Shark" project. By 2020 it is planned to build 20 submarine cruisers this series. Currently, there are already three project 955 giants in service: Yuri Dolgoruky, Alexander Nevsky, and Vladimir Monomakh.

The crew of the submarine is 107 people, and more than half of them are officers. Its speed in a submerged position reaches 29 knots, in the surface 15 knots. The submarine can stay in autonomous navigation for three months. Borey-class submarines were developed as a replacement for nuclear submarines of the Akula and Dolphin projects. Underwater cruisers of this project are considered the first domestic nuclear submarines driven by a single-shaft water jet system. The main armament is 16 solid-propellant ballistic missiles of the Bulava type with a combat range of 8,000 km.

Project 667BDRM "Dolphin"

This is another Russian strategic missile submarine that boasts a large size. In the modern navy of the Russian Federation, this is so far the most massive strategic submarine cruiser. The length of the vessel is 167 m. Underwater displacement is 18.2 thousand tons, surface displacement is 11.74 thousand tons. The crew of the ship is about 140 people. The armament of strategic nuclear submarines consists of:

intercontinental ballistic missiles on liquid fuel R-29RM and R-29RMU "Sineva" with a combat range of more than 8.3 thousand km. All missiles can be fired in one salvo. When moving under water at a depth of up to 55 meters, launching missiles is possible even at a speed of 6-7 knots;
4 bow torpedo tubes;
up to 8 MANPADS "Igla".

The Dolphins are powered by two reactor plants with a total capacity of 180 MW.

Vanguard-class submarines

Of course, Great Britain could not help participating in the competition for the largest submarine nuclear missile cruisers. Boats of the Vanguard series have an underwater displacement of 15.9 thousand tons, surface - 15.1 thousand tons. The length of the ship is almost 150 meters. To start building the Wangard boats, the Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Ltd. shipyard was expanded and modernized. As a result of the reconstruction, she received a boathouse with a width of 58 m and a length of 260 m, the height of the boathouse allows you to build not only nuclear submarines, but even destroyers. A vertical ship lift with a carrying capacity of 24.3 thousand tons was also built. The main armament of the submarine cruiser is 16 Trident II ballistic missiles.

Triumfan type boats

In last place among the largest submarines are ships made by French shipbuilders. Triumfan-type boats have an underwater displacement of 14.3 thousand tons, surface - 12.6 thousand tons. The length of the missile cruiser is 138 meters. The power plant of the underwater vehicle is a pressurized water reactor with a capacity of 150 MW, it provides a speed of up to 25 knots underwater, and up to 12 knots on the surface. Triumfan-class boats are armed with 16 ballistic missiles, 10 torpedoes and 8 cruise missiles, which are launched using torpedo tubes.

As you can see, the list of the largest submarines included combat vehicles designed by the leading world powers, possessing both strategic nuclear weapons and powerful naval forces.

Fall 2011 in domestic funds mass media there were reports according to which by 2014 it was planned to decommission and dismantle all remaining nuclear submarines of project 941 "Shark". The next day, Defense Ministry officials denied this information. As it turned out, in the coming years, these submarines will remain in the fleet. Since then, from time to time, new reports have been received about the future fate of the Sharks. First of all, the possible modernization of these boats is called. However, the repair and re-equipment of the "Sharks" is sometimes called inappropriate, because only three of these boats remain in service. But in the early eighties, the Soviet Union was going to build ten Project 941 submarines. Why, instead of the ten largest submarines in the world, does our country now have only three?

When in the Central Design Bureau MT "Rubin" under the leadership of S.N. Kovalev, the development of project 941 began, the command of the fleet could express quite bold wishes. According to some sources, the possibility of building a series of twelve new submarines was seriously considered. Obviously, by economic reasons it was subsequently reduced to ten ships. Despite this reduction, the mid-seventies, when the project was created, can be called one of the best periods in the domestic navy. Therefore, only three and a half years passed from the issuance of a tactical and technical assignment to the laying of the head "Shark". Four years later, the first boat of the TK-208 project left the stocks and went into operation in December 1981. Thus, it took about nine years to create the lead submarine.

Until 1986-87, seven Project 941 submarines were laid down at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk. However, problems began already in 1988. Due to a number of financial and political problems, the seventh submarine, 35-40 percent complete, was cut into pieces. The last three boats of the series generally remained at the stage of preliminary preparation for construction. Perestroika began in the country and funding for defense projects was significantly reduced. In addition, the former (?) Potential enemy, who was directly interested in the absence of such equipment, learned about the new submarines.

It is worth noting that the United States had a good reason to be wary of the Sharks. Project 941 boats were the largest submarines in the world and carried solid weapons. The original design of the boat with two main strong hulls located at a distance from each other made it possible to fit two dozen missile silos of the D-19 complex with R-39 missiles into the contours of the light hull. The record-breaking large size of the Project 941 boats was due to the dimensions of the missiles. P-39s were 16 meters long and simply did not fit on submarines of an old design like the later versions of Project 667. At the same time, an increase in the size of the boat made it possible to place comfortable cabins and cockpits for the crew, a small recreation room, a gym, a swimming pool and even a sauna.

Both main pressure vessels housed one OK-650VV type reactor with a thermal power of up to 190 MW. Two steam turbine plants with turbo gear units had a total capacity of up to 90-100 thousand horsepower. Thanks to such a power plant, Project 941 boats with a displacement of 23-28 (surface) or 48-50 thousand tons (underwater) are able to move under water at a speed of up to 25-27 knots. The maximum diving depth is 450-500 meters, autonomy is up to 120 days.

Home payload"Sharks" were R-39 ballistic missiles. These three-stage solid propellant munitions could fly to a range of about 8200-8500 kilometers and deliver ten warheads to targets with a capacity, according to various sources, from 100 to 200 kilotons. In combination with an unlimited cruising range and a relatively low noise level of the carrier boat, the R-39 missile provided Project 941 submarines with high combat performance. It is worth noting that the R-39 missiles were not very convenient to use. Problems with them were associated, first of all, with weight and size parameters. With a length of 16 meters and a diameter of 2 meters, a rocket with units of the so-called. depreciation rocket launch system (ARSS) weighed about 90 tons. After the launch, the R-39 got rid of six tons of the weight of the ARSS. However, despite such a mass and size, the R-39 rocket was considered serviceable and put into production.

In general, the potential enemy had every reason to be afraid. In 1987 there was a new cause for concern. In the Soviet Union, they decided to modernize all existing "Sharks" in accordance with project 941UTTH. Its main difference from the basic project was the use of upgraded R-39UTTKh missiles. Before the collapse of the USSR, Sevmash managed to finalize only one lead boat of the project, TK-208. Other submarines were not modernized - there was simply no money for this. In the future, the lack of money constantly affected the fate of the Sharks, and only in a negative way.

According to some sources, maintaining one "Shark" in a combat-ready state cost 1.5-2 times more than the operation of Project 667BDRM boats. In addition, in the late eighties and early nineties, the leadership of our country was ready to make a variety of concessions in international negotiations, including those that were obviously unfavorable for their own defense capability. As a result of consultations with, as they began to say then, foreign partners, the construction of the seventh submarine of the series was completely forgotten, and half of the manufactured ones were decided to be gradually written off and disposed of. In addition, in the early nineties, the production of R-39 missiles ceased. Submarines risked being left without their main.

Due to insufficient funding, Project 941 boats almost all the time stood at the piers without any hope of going on a campaign. The submarine cruiser TK-202 was the first to leave the fleet. The disposal was delayed: instead of the planned start in 1997, work began only in 1999. Cutting "on needles" was completed by the middle of the 2000s. In 1997-98, two other boats, TK-12 and TK-13, were excluded from the combat strength of the fleet. They stood at the berths for a very long time, and at the beginning of the 2000s there was hope for their return. The option of returning the TK-12 boat to service was considered. In addition, she was to receive the name "Simbirsk", since the administration of the city of Ulyanovsk expressed a desire to take patronage over her. But these proposals did not materialize. In 2004, the United States achieved the beginning of the disposal of the boat. The contract for the destruction of the last submarine TK-13 was signed in 2007. A few months later, work began.

As we see, foreign partners”Still managed to push through a solution that was beneficial to them. The importance of destroying the Sharks is perfectly illustrated by the fact that about 75-80% of the cost of dismantling the boats was paid by the United States and NATO. In total, they spent about $25 million. Probably, in view of the danger of Soviet and Russian submarines, they were ready to once again lay out sums of this order for the disposal of the remaining Russian submarines, including other projects.

A quite fair question may arise: why did the Russian leadership not break the agreement on the joint destruction of unique boats? There are reasons for this. During the first years, our country simply did not have the opportunity to fully maintain all six submarines. Without proper care, nuclear power plants could cause colossal environmental disasters. Later, at the beginning of the 2000s, money appeared, but at the same time another problem appeared. By the end of the nineties, the lack of missile production began to affect. A little later, the situation with ammunition became fatal: in 2005, there were reports that there were only ten R-39 missiles for three submarines. In other words, it was not possible to complete even one submarine.

It is worth noting that the command of the navy drew attention to this problem back in the mid-nineties. In 1998, the modernization of the TK-208 submarine began in accordance with project 941U (another designation is "941M"). Instead of the old launchers, several new mines were mounted on the boat, designed to use the R-30 Bulava missiles. The development of this rocket had just begun at that time, but appropriate measures were already being taken for testing and subsequent operation. After repairs, in 2002, the TK-208 boat received the name "Dmitry Donskoy", and since 2003 she began to participate in the tests of the "Mace".

The operation of the submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" continues to this day. The other two remaining boats turned out to be less lucky: they were not upgraded. In 2004, TK-17 Arkhangelsk and TK-20 Severstal were put into reserve. In the fall of 2001, the Severstal boat set off on a trip to conduct two training launches. Together with the sailors, television journalists, who were filming the documentary "Russian Shark", went to the place of the combat training mission. Subsequently, the footage was repeatedly used in various films about record-breaking submarines. Ironically, these shots turned out to be the last at the moment in the biography of the TK-20 boat.

After memorable statements from an unnamed source from 2011, the situation with Project 941 boats has repeatedly become the subject of discussion. A couple of months after the official denial of the write-off, the management of the Sevmash plant confirmed that the Dmitry Donskoy submarine would henceforth be used as an experimental one for testing technologies and technical solutions intended for promising projects. The further fate of "Arkhangelsk" and "Severstal" was not called then. At the beginning of 2012, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy V. Vysotsky said that all three existing submarines would remain in the fleet and would be operated for next years. The situation with the lack of missiles was not commented on. Since then, there have been no official reports on the fate of the remaining Project 941 submarines. Probably, due to the lack of any clear prospects, Severstal and Arkhangelsk will remain in the fleet for several more years, and then will be decommissioned. At least now no one is going to upgrade them to use R-30 missiles. Probably, the fleet command assessed the possibilities and prospects for such modernization and came to the appropriate conclusions.

Project 941 submarines were not lucky to appear in a very difficult period of history. In the midst of their construction, transformations began, which ultimately turned out to be fatal for the country. The elimination of their consequences took many more years, and as a result, the Sharks were held at the pier most own life. Now, when it is possible to find ways to return the boats to service, the expediency of this began to raise questions. Despite the record-breaking characteristics for their time, Project 941 boats are rather outdated and they will have to invest as much money in their renewal as it would take to create a completely new project. Does it make sense?

According to the websites:
http://flot.com/
http://rbase.new-factoria.ru/
http://deepstorm.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
http://ria.ru/
http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-578.html

Nerpichya Bay, 2004. Reserve. Photo http://ru-submarine.livejournal.com

By the beginning of the 1970s, the main participants in the nuclear race, the USSR and the United States, rightly placed their bets on the development of a nuclear submarine fleet equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles. As a result of this confrontation, the world's largest submarine was born.

The opposing sides have begun to create nuclear heavy missile cruisers. American project – submarine type"Ohio" assumed the deployment of 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles. Our answer was a Project 941 submarine, tentatively named "Shark", better known as "Typhoon".

History of creation

Outstanding Soviet designer S. N. Kovalev

The development of Project 941 was entrusted to the team of the Leningrad TsKBMT Rubin, which was led by the outstanding Soviet designer Sergei Nikitovich Kovalev for several decades in a row. The boats were built at the Sevmash enterprise in Severodvinsk. In all respects, it was one of the most ambitious Soviet military projects, still stunning in its scale.

Its second name - "Typhoon" "Shark" is obliged to the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the CPSU L. I. Brezhnev. This is how he presented it to the delegates of the next party congress and to the rest of the world in 1981, which fully corresponded to its all-destroying potential.

Layout and dimensions

The dimensions and layout of the nuclear underwater giant deserve special attention. Under the shell of a light hull was not quite an ordinary "catamaran" of 2 strong hulls arranged in parallel. For the torpedo compartment and the central post with the radio equipment compartment adjacent to it, sealed capsule-type compartments were created.

All 19 compartments of the boat communicated with each other. Horizontal folding rudders "Sharks" were located in the bow of the boat. In case of its ascent from under the ice, a significant strengthening of the conning tower with a rounded cover and special reinforcements was provided.

"Shark" is striking in its gigantic size. No wonder it is considered the largest submarine in the world: its length - almost 173 meters - corresponds to two football fields. As for the underwater displacement, there was also a record here - about 50 thousand tons, which is almost three times higher than the corresponding characteristic of the American "Ohio".

Characteristics

The underwater speed of the main competitors was the same - 25 knots (a little over 43 km / h). The Soviet nuclear one could be on duty offline for six months, diving to a depth of 400 meters and having an additional 100 meters in reserve.

Comparative data on modern RPL SN
	Project 941	Ohio	Project 667BDRM	vanguard	Triomphant	Project 955
Country	Russia	USA	Russia	Great Britain	France	Russia
Years of construction	1976-1989	1976-1997	1981-1992	1986-2001	1989-2009	1996-present
Built	6	18	7	4	4	2
Displacement, t surface underwater	23200 48000	16746 18750	11740 18200		12640 14335	14720 24000
Number of missiles	20 R-39	24 Trident	16 R-29RMU2	16 Trident	16 M45	16 Mace
Thrown weight, kg	2550	2800	2800	2800	n.a.	1150
Range, km	8250	7400-11000	8300-11547	7400-11000	6000	8000

To set this monster in motion, it was equipped with two 190-megawatt nuclear reactors, which powered two turbines with a capacity of about 50 thousand hp. The boat was moving thanks to two 7-bladed propellers with a diameter of more than 5.5 meters.

The "combat vehicle crew" consisted of 160 people, more than a third of which were officers. The creators of the "Shark" showed a truly paternal concern for the living conditions of the crew. For officers, 2 and 4-bed cabins were provided. Sailors and foremen were located in small cockpits with washbasins and televisions. Air conditioning was supplied to all living quarters. In their free time, the crew members could visit the swimming pool, sauna, gym or relax in the “living” corner.

Combat potential

In the event of a nuclear conflict, "Typhoon" could bring down on the enemy at the same time 20 R-39 nuclear missiles, with ten 200-kt multiple warheads each. Such a nuclear "typhoon" could turn the entire east coast of the United States into a desert in a matter of minutes.

In addition to ballistic missiles, the boat's arsenal included more than two dozen conventional and jet torpedoes, as well as Igla MANPADS. Especially for equipping Typhoons with missiles and torpedoes, the Alexander Brykin transport ship was developed with a displacement of 16 thousand tons and designed to carry 16 SLBMs.

In service

In just 13 years from 1976 to 1989, 6 Typhoon nuclear submarines left the stocks of Sevmash. Today, 3 units continue to serve - two in reserve and one - "Dmitry Donskoy" is used as the main object for testing the new Bulava missile system.

The Soviet Union and the United States maintained nuclear parity with respect to each other until the early 1970s. Neither side possessed an overwhelming superiority over the other in the number of nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles. In the USSR, stakes were placed on mine installations of nuclear intercontinental missiles and an atomic submarine fleet. Strategic aviation was small in number and did not possess the qualities that would have provided it with air superiority over the enemy. In the United States, on the contrary, at that time there already existed a nuclear triad, in which the main emphasis was on strategic aviation and ICBM silo launchers.

However, even this a large number of nuclear warheads and delivery vehicles, capable of repeatedly destroying all life on the planet, could not satisfy either the Soviet or the American side. In both countries there was a search for a way to create a first strike advantage. The rapidly developing arms race in this direction led to the appearance of the largest submarines in the history of mankind, the Soviet nuclear submarines of Project 941 of the Akula type.

Reasons for the appearance of the steel monster

A huge steel monster with the size of a 9-storey building was the answer to the appearance in the United States of the Ohio-class nuclear submarines in the Navy. This submarine could carry 24 intercontinental missiles on board. Not a single submarine in the USSR possessed such firepower. The presence of such submarines in the enemy nullified the existing balance in the means of delivery, achieved with such difficulty by this time. Project 941, developed in the Soviet Union, could not only deprive the Americans of superiority in the naval component of the nuclear triad, but also give a certain advantage.

This is what caused the next round of the naval arms race. In the Soviet design bureaus and across the ocean, work began to boil. Each of the countries tried to be the first to create a strategic submarine missile carrier.

The reasons for the appearance of a ship of this size are explained by the technical side of the issue. The thing is that the Soviet nuclear submarine was created with the expectation to get ahead of the Americans in terms of the power of a missile salvo. The Project 941 nuclear submarine was supposed to carry on board the new R-39 intercontinental ballistic missiles, which were superior to the American Trident-1 intercontinental missiles deployed on Ohio-class submarine missile carriers. The Soviet nuclear baton could carry 10 nuclear warheads, instead of 8 on the American missile, and the R-39 missile flew much further than its American counterpart. The new Soviet rocket had three stages and was supposed to weigh up to 70 tons according to the project. Having such specifications the main weapon, Soviet designers had to solve the difficult task of creating an appropriate launch platform.

In addition, it was planned to immediately install 20 such missiles on the new nuclear submarine missile carrier. The commissioning of new Soviet nuclear-powered ships was supposed to cool the militant ardor of overseas strategists. As noted by foreign sources, the Soviet Typhoon-class Shark submarine, according to NATO classification, could wipe out the entire US West Coast from the face of the earth with one salvo. The presence of 3-4 missile carriers of this type in the Soviets would endanger the entire territory of the United States, not to mention the vulnerability of the territories of the allied countries in the NATO bloc.

The enormous destructive power akin to a typhoon strike, which the Soviet submarine possessed, became the reason for it to be given the appropriate name "Typhoon" in the West. According to the classification, the boats of project 941 had the cipher "Typhoon".

For reference: According to the NATO classification, Akula submarines were Soviet multi-purpose submarines of the Shchuka-B type of project 971, built already in the mid-80s. The NATO code “Akula” was assigned to these ships by the name of the lead ship of the K-284 “Akula” nuclear submarine project, which entered service Pacific Fleet in 1984.

Birth of a record holder

In the Soviet Union, there have already been cases of creating models of equipment - champions. This is the world's largest transport aircraft AN-22 "Antey" and the world's first nuclear icebreaker"Lenin". Militarily, the USSR also gave the US military a lot of trouble, creating an excellent military equipment. Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles latest generation terrified across the ocean. The navy did not lag behind in this regard, so the world's largest nuclear submarine "Akula" did not come as a surprise to the Soviet country.

The Soviet ship, built in the early 80s of the XX century, remains today an unsurpassed achievement of design thought. For many technical parameters the new nuclear submarine is rightfully considered the most ambitious Soviet military project. Already only technical measurements ships stagger the imagination, not to mention the cost of building a vessel of this magnitude. The length of the ship is 173 meters and the width of the hull is 23 meters. The hull of the boat is a steel cigar the size of a 9-story building. Only the draft of the boat was 12 meters. Such dimensions corresponded to a huge displacement. The Soviet submarine missile carrier had a displacement of a battleship during the Second World War - 50 thousand tons.

In terms of displacement, the Akula nuclear submarine was three times superior to its opponent, the Ohio-class submarine. If we talk about the name of the ship, then the Soviet version is of folk origin. Even on the slipways, the boat began to be called a shark. This comparison was so successful that it subsequently took root in military and political circles. For the first time in the general public, the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU, L. I. Brezhnev, called the "Shark" a new nuclear-powered missile cruiser.

For reference: In the domestic fleet, the first submarine, called the Shark, was created back in 1909. Ivan Bubnov became the designer of the submarine. The boat was lost in the First World War during a military campaign.

The designers of the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering, the flagship of the Soviet shipbuilding industry, did an excellent job of developing a project for a Soviet submarine super-cruiser. In 1972, Leningraders received technical task for the development of a third generation strategic nuclear submarine project. Design work headed by a talented Soviet designer S.N. Kovalev, behind whom were already ready and successful projects. His offspring plied the seas and oceans, remaining a reliable shield of the Soviet state. Since 1973, after the decision of the Soviet government, work on the creation of the project began to boil within the walls of the Rubin Central Design Bureau.

The place for the construction of new vessels of this size was the Sevmash enterprise. For the construction of new ships on the territory of the shipyard, a new boathouse of enormous size was specially erected. In the water area of the shipyard, dredging was carried out for the passage of ships of such a large displacement.

Three years later, the first lead submarine of Project 941 was laid on the stocks of Sevmash. The ship received the factory index TK-208 ( heavy cruiser– 208). In total, it was planned to build this project 7 courts over the next 10-15 years. It should be noted that Soviet designers managed to overtake their American counterparts, having previously created finished project new submarine missile carrier. The launching of a new colossal Soviet submarine in September 1980 came as a real shock to the Americans. The first boat of the Ohio type went into the water in December 1981, when the Soviet missile carrier became part of the active fleet.

For 8 years, from 1981 to 1989, 6 ships of the same type were built in the Soviet Union. The seventh ship planned for construction remained on the stocks, even taking into account the fact that the main hull structures were ready for the submarine. The construction of the Soviet nuclear missile carriers of project 941 was provided by more than 1000 allied enterprises. At the Sevmash shipyard alone, 1200 people worked on the construction of the ship.

An interesting detail: of the 6 ships built according to the project, the very first one turned out to be a long-liver. Submarine KT-208, launched back in 1981, continues to be in service today. Now it is TPRKSN (heavy strategic missile submarine) "Dmitry Donskoy", boat KT-208 of project 941.

Design features of the submarine missile carrier project 941

For the uninitiated, the boat is a huge whale-shaped steel cigar. However, for specialists Special attention cause not so much the size of the ship as its layout. The submarine has a two-hull scheme. Behind the outer shell of the light body, made of steel, is a double main strong body. In other words, there are two separate hulls inside the boat, located parallel to each other according to the catamaran scheme. Durable housings are made of titanium alloy. The torpedo compartment, the central post and the aft mechanical compartments on the ship are placed in closed compartments, capsules.

The space between the two strong hulls is filled with mine launchers in the amount of 20 pieces. The conning tower is shifted to the tail of the boat. The entire front deck is one large launch pad. This arrangement of launchers suggests the possibility of simultaneous launch of the entire ammunition. In this case, the launch of missiles should be carried out with a minimum time interval. The Soviet missile carrier is capable of launching missiles from the surface and from the underwater position. Working depth diving for launch is 55 meters.

The ship has 19 compartments, each of which communicates with the others. Horizontal rudders are installed in the light body of the bow of the boat. The conning tower has a reinforced structure, specially designed for emergency ascent of the ship in the presence of a solid ice sheet on the surface. Increased strength is the main distinctive feature Soviet missile carriers III generation. If American submarines of the Ohio type were built to patrol in the clear waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, then Soviet submarines mainly operated in the Arctic Ocean, therefore the design of the ship was created with a margin of safety capable of overcoming the resistance of a 2-meter-thick ice shell .

Outside, the boat has a special anti-radar and soundproof coating, the total weight of which is 800 tons. Another feature of the ship's design is the presence of life support systems in each individual compartment. The internal layout of the boat is planned and equipped in such a way as to ensure the survival of the ship's crew in the most unforeseen situations.

The heart of the nuclear-powered ship is two OK-650VV nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 380 MW. The submarine is already set in motion through the operation of two turbines with a capacity of 45-50 thousand l / s each. Such a huge ship also had propellers of the appropriate size - 5.5 m in diameter. Two 800W diesel generators were installed on the boat as backup engines.

A nuclear-powered missile carrier on the surface could develop a speed of 12 knots. Under water, a submarine with a displacement of already 50 thousand tons could move at a speed of 25 knots. The working diving depth was 400 m. At the same time, the boat had a certain margin of critical diving depth, which was an additional 100 m.

Ship such large sizes and with such performance characteristics a crew of 160 people operated. Of this number, a third accounted for the officers. The interior living quarters on the submarine were equipped with everything necessary for a long and comfortable stay. Officers and midshipmen lived in 2 and 4-bed comfortable cabins. Sailors and foremen lived in specially equipped cockpits. All living quarters on the boat were served by an air conditioning system. During long trips, the crew of the ship, free from the combat shift, could spend time in the gym, visit the cinema and the library. It should be noted that the autonomy of the ship exceeded all standards that existed until that time - 180 days.

The main comparative characteristics of the project 941 ship

The Soviet nuclear-powered ship, which entered service in 1981, had a significant advantage in comparison with other foreign-built ships of the same type. The probable opponents of the Soviet third-generation missile carrier were:

U.S. Ohio-class nuclear submarine with 24 Trident ICBMs, 18 built;
English nuclear submarine Vanguard with 16 Trident ICBMs, 4 built;
French nuclear submarine "Triumphant" with 16 M45 ICBMs, 4 ships were also built.

The Soviet nuclear submarine exceeded all the listed ships in terms of displacement by three times. It had a total weight of a volley of 20 R-39 ICBMs - 51 tons. British and French submarines in this parameter significantly lost to the Soviet missile carrier. English and French nuclear submarines could fire warheads at the enemy with a total weight of 44 tons. Only American Ohio-class submarines, of which less than two dozen were launched, could compete with the Soviet submarine giants.

No other ship, domestic missile carriers of projects 667BDRM and 955, could compare in terms of displacement and combat power with submarines of the Akula type. Soviet nuclear submarines, launched in the 1980s, formed the basis of the USSR's nuclear missile power and became the basis for the nuclear marine component of modern Russia.

The nuclear-powered ship KT-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" remains the only operational ship of this class in the Russian Navy. Two ships, KT-17 "Arkhangelsk" and KT-20 "Severstal" were put into reserve in 2006 and 2004. respectively. The final decision on the fate of these two legendary ships not accepted yet. The nuclear submarine KT-208 received a new name in 2002 - KT-208 "Dmitry Donskoy". The boat is the only one of all ships of this type that has retained its technological resource. This, in turn, made it possible to carry out on the ship in 1999-2002. modernization project 941M. The purpose of the modernization was to re-equip the ship for the new Bulava SLBM.

Equipping the ship with new ballistic missiles is not planned. The submarine is used as a self-propelled floating test facility for new types of rocket technology. The decision of the high government commission was to extend the life of the ship until 2020. The nuclear-powered missile carrier is based at the Zapadnaya Litsa naval base and is part of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation.

Project 941 Akula heavy strategic missile submarines(SSBN "Typhoon" according to NATO classification) - the world's largest nuclear submarines. The project was developed in TsKBMT "Rubin" (St. Petersburg). The development order was issued in December 1972.

Story

In the early 70s in the United States (as Western media wrote, in response to the creation of the Delta complex in the USSR), the implementation of the large-scale Trident program began, providing for the creation of a new solid-fuel missile with an intercontinental (more than 7000 km) range, as well as SSBNs a new type capable of carrying 24 of these missiles and having an increased level of stealth.

The political leadership of the USSR demanded from the industry an "adequate response" to the next American challenge.

The construction of Project 941 Shark submarines (according to the international classification Typhoon) was a kind of response to the construction in the United States of Ohio-type nuclear submarine missile carriers armed with 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles. In the USSR, the development of a new ship began later than the Americans, so the design and construction went almost in parallel.

“The designers faced a difficult technical task - to place 24 missiles weighing almost 100 tons each on board,” says S.N. Kovalev, general designer of projects of the Rubin Central Design Bureau. there is no solution in the world." "Only Sevmash could build such a boat," says the head of the department of the Ministry of Defense A.F. Helmets. The construction of the ship was carried out in the largest boathouse - workshop 55, which was led by I.L. Kamai. Applied fundamentally new technology buildings - an aggregate-modular method, which significantly reduced the time. Now this method is used in everything, both underwater and surface shipbuilding, but for that time it was a serious technological breakthrough.

As a result, the ship was built in a record short time- for 5 years. Behind this small figure is the enormous work of the entire team of the enterprise and its numerous counterparties. “The construction of a submarine provided more than a thousand enterprises throughout the country,” recalls A.I. Makarenko, at that time Chief Engineer Sevmashenterprise. - Our "Shark" was ready a year before the American "Ohio". Naturally, the government highly appreciated the merits of the participants in the creation of this unique ship. " Anatoly Innokentevich, by order of the Minister of the Shipbuilding Industry, was appointed personally responsible for the construction. For the creation of the nuclear submarine of project 941, A.I. Makarenko and the assembler of the KSP A.T. Maksimov were awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor Responsible deliverer A. S. Belopolsky was awarded the Lenin Prize, N. G. Orlov, V. A. Borodin, L. A. Samoilov, S. V. Pantyushin, A. A. Fishev - the State Prize.1219 employees of the enterprise were awarded orders and medals Among those who distinguished themselves were chiefs of workshops G. A. Rulev, A. P. Monogarov, A. M. Budnichenko, V. V. Skaloban, V. M. Rozhkov, chief specialists M. I. Shepurev, F. N. Shusharin , A. V. Rynkovich.

In September 1980, an unusually large nuclear-powered submarine as high as a nine-story building and almost two football fields long 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 for a nuclear submarine of such a project. And this is the great merit of the commissioning team, such excellent specialists as G.D. Pavlyuk, A.Z. Elimelakh, A.Z. Raikhlin, and the personnel of the ship under the command of Captain I Rank A.V. Olkhovikov. Despite the tight deadlines for the construction and testing of the latest nuclear submarines, situations arose when engineers were required to urgently develop new design solutions. “As you know, the outer hull of the boat is covered with a thick layer of rubber,” Anatoly Innokentevich continues. “On the Shark, each sheet weighed 100 kilograms, and the total weight of the glued rubber was 800 tons. When the boat first went to sea, part of this coating came off. I had to quickly invent new technological methods of gluing.

The ship adopted the first domestic solid-propellant missile system D-19. On the lead cruiser of the series, which later received the name "Dmitry Donskoy", a large number of missile launches were carried out. “The program for extended testing of missile weapons was more than intense,” recalls the former commander of the BCH-5, Captain 1st Rank V.V. Kiseev. The tests took place not only in the White Sea, but also in the North Pole region. Everything was very reliable."

After ten years of operation, the world's largest nuclear-powered submarine was lifted onto the slipway for a medium repair. It was a difficult task in terms of providing radiation and fire safety, since nuclear submarines had not been repaired on the workshop stocks of Sevmash before. After an average repair and replacement of a number of complexes in May 2002, "Dmitry Donskoy" was taken out of the shop. This date is considered the second birth of the ship. The slipway work and the withdrawal of the ship were supervised by the deputy head of the workshop M.A. Abizhanov, and by the actions of the commissioning team on the ship - mechanic G.A. Laptev. “Now factory sea trials, state tests of various weapons systems are being successfully carried out. Dmitry Donskoy is unique in terms of maneuverability and controllability,” the nuclear submarine commander, Captain 1st Rank A.Yu. Romanov, proudly says. “This order has amazing combat capabilities. This is the most the fastest of all ships in the series, exceeded the previous speed record of project 941 by two knots. specialists in their field, commander of the combat electromechanical unit captain II rank A.V. Prokopenko, commander of the navigational combat unit captain-lieutenant V.V. Sankov, commander of the combat communications unit captain III rank A.R. Shuvalov and many others.

A ship, like a person, has its own destiny. This cruiser proudly bears the name of the great Russian warrior, Prince of Moscow and Vladimir Dmitry Donskoy. As the submariners themselves say, their ship is reliable and happy. “Now the fate of this nuclear-powered submarine is clear,” says S.N. Kovalev. “This submarine will be the most powerful ship in the Navy for a long time. Today is a good occasion to congratulate all the designers who designed this boat, Sevmash, who built it , many other enterprises that participated in its creation, and, of course, the Navy with the anniversary of a wonderful ship."

Modern status

As of 2007, one Project 941 (TK-202) ship has been scrapped. TK-12 "Simbirsk" and TK-13 withdrawn from service Russian fleet and are being recycled.
Due to the chronic lack of funding, in the 1990s, it was planned to decommission all units, however, with the advent of financial opportunities and the revision of military doctrine, the remaining ships (TK-17 Arkhangelsk and TK-20 Severstal) underwent maintenance repairs in 1999-2002. TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" passed overhaul and modernization under project 941UM in 1990-2002, and since December 2003 it has been used as part of the test program for the latest Russian SLBM Bulava. When testing the Bulava, it was decided to abandon the previously used test procedure:
throws from a submersible stand in Balaklava,
throws from a specially converted experimental submarine,
at the next stage - a series of launches from a ground stand,
only after successful launches from a ground stand was the rocket allowed to be tested from a submarine - its regular carrier.

For throwing and launch tests, the modernized TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" was used. General designer S. N. Kovalev explains this decision:
Today we no longer have Balaklava. An experienced submarine is expensive to build. The ground stand near Severodvinsk is not in the best condition. And for a new missile system, it must be adapted, rebuilt. Therefore, at our suggestion, a rather bold - from the point of view of the designers - justified decision was made: all tests of the Bulava ballistic missile (BR) should be carried out from the converted lead submarine of project 941U Typhoon.

The 18th submarine division, which included all the Sharks, was reduced. As of February 2008, it consisted of TK-17 Arkhangelsk (last combat duty - from October 2004 to January 2005) and TK-20 Severstal "(last combat duty - 2002), as well as the TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" converted for testing purposes. TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" and TK-20 "Severstal" for more than three years were waiting for a decision on the disposal or re-equipment with new SLBMs, until in August 2007 the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet V.V. it is planned to modernize the nuclear submarine "Akula" under the missile system "Bulava-M".

On May 7, 2010, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Vladimir Vysotsky announced that two nuclear submarines of the Akula project would be part of the Russian Navy until 2019 in combat state. At the same time, a decision on the fate of the submarines has not yet been made, in particular, the issue of the timing of possible modernization has not been resolved. However, the modernization capabilities of this type of submarines are very large, Vysotsky noted.