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. Tester missile system Boats told why he still considers this decision 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The two largest nuclear submarines in the world, Severstal and Arkhangelsk (Project 941 Akula), will be withdrawn from the Russian Navy by the end of this year and disposed of by 2018, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

“By the end of 2013, these boats, based in Severodvinsk, will be withdrawn from the Navy, and then enterprises will begin to dispose of them.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These "Sharks", according to him, are outdated, and it is more expensive to re-equip them.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. It's about 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 dismantlement 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 at financial assistance USA 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 according to international treaties) that 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 we 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. “Especially noticeable is the lag of our submarines from 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 he was expected to remain in the Navy as a test ship submarine cruiser"Dmitry Donskoy", modernized at Sevmash according to project 941U, capable of carrying Bulava missiles on board, after completing its tasks and producing a sufficient number of Bulava missiles for the Boreys, it will become part of the 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 American boats class "Ohio" 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.

Heavy missile submarines strategic purpose project 941 "Shark" (according to NATO classification - "Typhoon") - the world's largest nuclear submarines. 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 a 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. I was persuaded 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 out 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, ”concluded the rear admiral.

The construction of heavy nuclear missile cruisers of the strategic purpose of project 941 "Shark" (international classification "Typhoon") 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 a record short time- for 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 atomic missile cruiser strategic purpose "Shark"

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 in the Northern machine-building enterprise was specially built new workshop- 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, TVs 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, intended for the transportation of goods along 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

Project 941 "Shark" (SSBN "Typhoon" according to NATO classification) - Soviet heavy strategic missile submarines. Developed in TsKBMT "Rubin" (St. Petersburg). The development order was issued in December 1972. Project 941 nuclear submarines are the largest in the world.

History of creation

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 performance 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.

The first boat of this type is TK-208 (which means " heavy cruiser”) was laid down at the Sevmash enterprise in June 1976, the launching took place on September 23, 1980. Before descending in the bow below the waterline, the image of a shark was applied on board the submarine, later stripes with a shark also appeared on the crew uniform .. Despite the later launch of the project, the lead cruiser entered sea trials a month earlier than the American Ohio (July 4, 1981 of the year). TK-208 entered service on December 12, 1981. In total, from 1981 to 1989, 6 Shark-type boats were launched and put into operation. The planned seventh ship was never laid down; hull structures were prepared for it.

On September 23, 1980, at the shipyard of the city of Severodvinsk, the first Soviet submarine of the Akula class was launched on the surface of the White Sea. When her hull was still in the stocks, on its bow, below the waterline, one could see a painted grinning shark, which wrapped itself around a trident. And although after the descent, when the boat got into the water, the shark with the trident disappeared under the water and no one else saw it, the people have already dubbed the cruiser the “Shark”. All subsequent boats of this class continued to be called the same, and a special sleeve patch with the image of a shark was introduced for their crews. In the West, the boat was given the code name "Typhoon". Subsequently, this boat began to be called Typhoon in our country. The construction of "9-story" submarines provided orders for more than 1000 enterprises Soviet Union. Only at Sevmash, 1219 people who participated in the creation of this unique ship received government awards.

For the first time, the creation of the Shark series was announced by Leonid Brezhnev at the XXVI Congress of the CPSU. Brezhnev specifically called the "Shark" "Typhoon" to mislead Cold War opponents.

To ensure the reloading of 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.

In 1987, the TK-12 "Simbirsk" carried out a long high-latitude voyage to the Arctic with repeated replacement of crews.

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 1998, the Northern Fleet underwent tests, during which a "simultaneous" launch of 20 R-39 missiles was carried out.

Design

The power plant is made in the form of two independent echelons located in different durable housings. The reactors are equipped with an automatic shutdown system in case of loss of power supply and pulse equipment for monitoring the condition of the reactors. When designing, the TTZ included a clause on the need to ensure a safe radius; for this, methods for calculating the dynamic strength of complex hull components (mounting modules, pop-up chambers and containers, inter-hull connections) were developed and tested by experiments in experimental compartments.

For the construction of "Sharks" at Sevmash, a new workshop No. 55 was specially erected - the largest covered boathouse in the world. Ships have a large margin of buoyancy - more than 40%. When submerged, exactly half of the displacement falls on ballast water, for which the boats received the unofficial name "water carrier" in the fleet, and in the competing design bureau "Malachite" - "the victory of technology over common sense." One of the reasons for this decision was the requirement for the developers to ensure the smallest draft of the ship to be able to use existing piers and repair bases. Also, it is a large reserve of buoyancy, coupled with a strong cabin, that allows the boat to break through ice up to 2.5 meters thick, which for the first time made it possible to conduct combat duty in high latitudes up to the North Pole.

Frame

A design feature of the boat is the presence of five manned durable hulls inside the light hull. Two of them are the main ones, have a maximum diameter of 10 m and are located parallel to each other, according to the principle of a catamaran. In front of the ship, between the main strong hulls, there are missile silos, which were first placed in front of the wheelhouse. In addition, there are three separate pressurized compartments: the torpedo compartment, the control module compartment with a central post, and the aft mechanical compartment. The removal and placement of three compartments in the space between the main hulls made it possible to increase the fire safety and survivability of the boat. According to the general designer S. N. Kovalev.

“What happened at the Kursk (project 949A) could not have had such catastrophic consequences on the 941 project. On the "Shark" the torpedo compartment is made in the form of a separate module. And a torpedo explosion would not have led to the destruction of several bow compartments and the death of the entire crew. ”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 cabin under the fence of retractable devices.

Durable hulls are made of titanium alloys, light hulls are made of steel, covered with a non-resonant anti-radar and soundproof rubber coating with a total weight of 800 tons. According to American experts, durable boat hulls are also equipped with soundproof coatings.

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 bow and wheelhouse, 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 the "Shark" "floating "Hilton"".

Armament

The main armament is the D-19 missile system with 20 three-stage solid-propellant ballistic missiles R-39 "Variant". These missiles have the largest launch weight (together with the launch canister - 90 tons) and length (17.1 m) of the SLBMs put into 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 K-153 diesel submarine, specially converted according to project 619, but they could only place 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, missiles 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 re-equipment of the missile carriers was planned to be carried out until 2003 - the expiration date of the guaranteed 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. The development of another solid-propellant SLBM "Bulava" was entrusted to the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, the developer of the "land" ICBM "Topol-M".

In addition to strategic weapons, the boat is equipped with 6 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, designed to fire torpedoes and rocket-torpedoes, as well as to lay minefields.

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:

Combat information and control system "Omnibus";
analogue hydroacoustic complex "Skat-KS" (on TK-208, in the process of medium repair, a digital "Skat-3" was installed);
sonar mine detection station MG-519 "Arfa";
echometer MG-518 "North";
radar complex MRCP-58 "Buran";
navigation complex "Symphony";
the Molniya-L1 radio communication complex with the Tsunami satellite communication system;
television complex MTK-100;
two pop-up buoy-type antennas that allow you to receive radio messages, target designation and satellite navigation signals when you are at a depth of up to 150 m and under ice.

Crew Conditions

On the Typhoon, the crew were provided with not just good, but unthinkably good living conditions for submarines. This, perhaps, could be expected from the Nautilus, but not from a real boat. For unprecedented comfort, the Typhoon was nicknamed the “floating hotel”. When designing the Typhoon, apparently, they did not particularly strive to save weight and dimensions, and the team was placed in 2-, 4- and 6-bed cabins sheathed in plastic under wood, with desks, bookshelves, lockers for clothes, sinks and TVs.

There was also a special recreation complex on Typhoon: a gym with a wall bars, a crossbar, a punching bag, bicycle and rowing machines, and treadmills. (True, some of this - purely Soviet - did not work from the very beginning.) There are four showers on it, as well as as many as nine latrines, which is also very significant. The sauna, sheathed in oak planks, was generally designed for five people, but if you tried, it could accommodate ten. And there was also a small pool on the boat: 4 meters long, two wide and two deep.

Comparative evaluation

The US Navy is armed with only one series of strategic boats - the Ohio, which belongs to the third generation (18 were built, of which 4 were subsequently converted to Tomahawk cruise missiles). The first nuclear submarines of this series entered service simultaneously with the Sharks. Due to the possibility of consistent modernization laid down in Ohio (including mines with a margin of space and with interchangeable glasses), they use one type of ballistic missile - Trident II D-5 instead of the original Trident I C-4. In terms of the number of missiles and the number of MIRVs, the Ohio is superior to both the Soviet Sharks and the Russian Boreas.

It should be noted that Ohio, unlike Russian submarines, are designed for combat duty in the open ocean in relatively warm latitudes, while Russian submarines are often on duty in the Arctic, being at the same time 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. In particular, for Sharks, outboard temperatures above +10 ° C can cause significant mechanical problems. 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, 670, 675 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 zone of action of powerful anti-submarine formations, moreover they had to overcome the NATO anti-submarine line between Greenland, Iceland and Great Britain.

In the USSR and Russia, the main part of the nuclear triad is made up of ground-based strategic missile forces.

After the adoption of strategic submarines of the Akula type into the combat structure of the USSR Navy, the United States agreed to the signing of 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.

On December 3-4, 1997, in the Barents Sea, during the disposal of missiles under the START-1 treaty, an incident occurred by shooting from the Akula nuclear submarine: while a US delegation was watching the shooting from a Russian ship, a multi-purpose submarine type"Los Angeles" made maneuvers near the nuclear submarine "Shark", approaching at a distance of up to 4 km. A US Navy boat left the firing area after a warning detonation of two depth charges.

Main characteristics
Type of ship TPKSN
Project designation 941 "Shark"
Developer of the project TsKBMT "Rubin"
Chief Designer S. N. Kovalev
NATO classification SSBN "Typhoon"
Speed ​​(surface) 12 knots
Speed ​​(underwater) 25 knots
(46.3 km/h)
Operating depth 400 m
Maximum immersion depth 500 m
Endurance of navigation 180 days (6 months)
Crew 160 people
(including 52 officers)
Dimensions
Surface displacement 23,200 t
Underwater displacement 48,000 tons
Maximum length (on design waterline) 172.8 m
Hull width max. 23.3 m
Average draft (on design waterline) 11.2 m
Power point

2 water-cooled nuclear reactors OK-650VV, 190 MW each.
2 turbines of 45,000 - 50,000 hp each
2 propeller shafts with 7-bladed propellers with a diameter of 5.55 m
4 steam turbine nuclear power plants, 3.2 MW each
Reserved:
2 diesel generators ASDG-800 (kW)
Lead-acid battery, product 144

Armament
Torpedo-
mine weapons 6 TA caliber 533 mm;
22 torpedoes 53-65K, SET-65, SAET-60M, USET-80 or Vodopad missile torpedoes
Missile armament 20 R-39 SLBMs (RSM-52)
Air defense 8 MANPADS "Igla"

The first cases of the use of submarines for combat purposes date back to the middle of the 19th century. However, due to their technical imperfection, submarines for a long time played only a supporting role in the naval forces. The situation changed completely after the discovery of atomic energy and the invention of ballistic missiles.

Goals and dimensions

Submarines have different purposes. The size of the world's submarines varies depending on their purpose. Some are designed for a crew of only two people, others are capable of carrying dozens of intercontinental missiles on board. What tasks do the largest submarines in the world perform?

"Triumph"

French strategic nuclear submarine. Its name means "triumphant" in translation. The length of the boat is 138 meters, the displacement is 14 thousand tons. The vessel is armed with three-stage ballistic missiles M45 with multiple warheads, equipped with individual guidance systems. They are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 5300 kilometers. At the design stage, the designers were tasked with making the submarine as invisible to the enemy as possible and equipping it with an effective system for early detection of enemy anti-submarine defense systems. Careful study and numerous experiments have shown that the main reason for disclosing the location of a submarine is its acoustic signature.

When designing the Triumfan, all known methods for reducing noise were used. Despite the impressive size of the submarine, it is a rather difficult object to detect acoustically. The specific shape of the submarine helps to reduce hydrodynamic noise. The level of sound produced during the operation of the ship's main power plant has been significantly reduced due to a number of non-standard technological solutions. Triumfan has on board an ultra-modern sonar system designed for early detection of enemy anti-submarine weapons.

"Jin"

A strategic nuclear-powered missile submarine built for the Chinese Navy. Due to the heightened level of secrecy, much of the data on this vessel does not come from funds mass media, but from the intelligence services of the United States and other NATO countries. The dimensions of the submarine are based on a photograph taken in 2006 by a commercial satellite designed to digitally image the earth's surface. The length of the ship is 140 meters, the displacement is 11 thousand tons.

Experts note that the dimensions of the nuclear submarine "Jin" are larger than the dimensions of the previous, technically and morally obsolete Chinese submarines of the "Xia" class. The ship of the new generation is adapted to launch the Juilang-2 intercontinental ballistic missiles equipped with multiple nuclear warheads. The maximum range of their flight is 12 thousand kilometers. Missiles "Juilang-2" are an exclusive development. Their design took into account the dimensions of the Jin-class submarines intended to carry this formidable weapon. According to experts, the presence of such ballistic missiles and submarines in China significantly changes the balance of power in the world. Approximately three-quarters of the territory of the United States is in the zone of destruction of the Jin boats located in the Kuril Islands. However, according to information available to the US military, test launches of Julang missiles often end in failure.

"Vangard"

British strategic nuclear submarine, the size of which rivals the largest submarines in the world. The vessel is 150 meters long and has a displacement of 15,000 tons. Boats of this type have been in service with the Royal Navy since 1994. To date, the Vanguard-class submarines are the only carriers of British nuclear weapons. They are equipped with Trident-2 ballistic missiles. This weapon deserves special mention. It is produced by the famous American company for the US Navy. The British government took on 5% of the cost of developing missiles, which, according to the designers, were supposed to surpass all their predecessors. The Trident-2 hit zone is 11 thousand kilometers, the accuracy of hitting reaches several feet. Missile guidance is independent of the US Global Positioning System. "Trident-2" deliver to the target atomic warheads at a speed of 21 thousand kilometers per hour. Four Vanguard boats carry a total of 58 of these missiles, representing the UK's "nuclear shield".

Murena-M

Soviet submarine built during the Cold War. The main goals of the creation of the boat were to increase the range of missiles and overcome American sonar detection systems. The expansion of the affected area required a change in the dimensions of the submarine compared to previous versions. The launch silos are designed for D-9 missiles, the launch weight of which is twice the normal one. The length of the ship is 155 meters, the displacement is 15 thousand tons. According to experts, the Soviet designers managed to complete the original task. The range of the missile system has increased by about 2.5 times. In order to achieve this goal, the Murena-M submarine had to be made one of the largest submarines in the world. The dimensions of the missile carrier did not change for the worse the level of its secrecy. The design of the boat was designed to dampen the vibration of mechanisms, since at that time the US sonar tracking system became a serious problem for Soviet strategic submarines.

"Ohio"

"Borey"

The development of this nuclear submarine began in the Soviet Union. It was finally designed and built in the Russian Federation. Its name comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of the north wind. In accordance with the plans of the creators, the boat "Borey" in the foreseeable future should replace the submarines of the "Shark" and "Dolphin" classes. The length of the cruiser is 170 meters, the displacement is 24 thousand tons. Borey became the first strategic submarine built in the post-Soviet era. First of all, new Russian boat serves as a platform for launching Bulava ballistic missiles equipped with multiple nuclear warheads. The range of their flight exceeds 8 thousand kilometers. Due to funding problems and disruption economic ties with enterprises located on the territory of the former Soviet republics, the deadlines for completing the construction of the ship were repeatedly postponed. The boat "Borey" was launched in 2008.

"Shark"

According to NATO classification, this ship has the designation "Typhoon". The dimensions of the submarine "Shark" surpass anything that has been created throughout the history of the existence of submarines. Its construction was the answer of the Soviet Union American project"Ohio". The huge size of the Akula heavy submarine was due to the need to place R-39 missiles on it, the mass and length of which significantly exceeded those of the American Trident. Soviet designers had to put up with large dimensions in order to increase the flight range and weight of the warhead. The Shark boat, adapted to launch these missiles, has a record length of 173 meters. Its displacement is 48 thousand tons. To date, the Shark remains the largest submarine in the world.

Generation of an era

The first lines of the rating are also occupied by the USSR. This is understandable: the superpowers involved in the Cold War believed in the possibility of delivering a preemptive strike. They saw their main task in quietly placing nuclear missiles as close to the enemy as possible. This mission was entrusted to large submarines, which became the legacy of that era.

23.02.2016 at 22:08 · pavlofox · 35 890

The largest submarines in the world

Submarines are in service with many countries of the world. There are among them small vessels, the crew of which consists of 1-2 sailors and largest submarines in the world. We will talk about the latter in the article.

The largest submarines are submarine cruisers, the underwater displacement of which can reach 48,000 tons and a length of 172 meters.

10. Navaga | Length 128 meters

In 10th place among the largest submarines in the world are the Soviet submarines of project 667A "", equipped with ballistic missiles. The submarine is 128 meters long and 11.7 meters wide. Equipment - 16 launchers with R-27 missiles. Range - 2400 kilometers. The total combat set of the submarine is 22 torpedoes, two of which are nuclear.

The development of submarines of the Navaga series began in 1958.

9. Triumph | Length 138 meters

French submarines of the "" type are among the largest submarines in the world. The construction of the first submarine began in 1986. The collapse of the USSR made adjustments to the number of submarines built - instead of 6, 4 submarines were created.

Submarine dimensions: underwater displacement - 14,335 tons, hull length - 138 meters, width - 12.5 meters. Armament - 16 M45 class ballistic missiles. Ninth place in our ranking.

8. Jin | Length 140 meters

The Chinese submarines of project 094 "" are also striking in their size. They take the 8th place in the ranking of the largest submarines in the world. They replaced the 092 "Xia" class boats. The construction of new submarines began in 1999. Since China prefers to keep all its military developments secret, little is known about the new generation of submarines. The length of the submarine is 140 meters, the width is about 13 meters, the underwater displacement is 11,500 tons. Armament - 12 ballistic missiles with a range of up to 12 thousand kilometers.

In 2004, the first submarine of the Jin series was launched. According to the Chinese side, China currently has 6 submarines of this type in service. They were supposed to start combat patrols in 2014.

7. Vanguard | Length 150 meters

Among the largest submarines in the world are British submarines of the "". In the 1990s they replaced the Resolution class boats. The appearance of new submarines in the USA and the USSR forced England to start creating a new type of submarine, with the same high combat performance. Initially, it was decided to build at least 7 submarines, but with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the need for such a number of missile carriers disappeared. In total, 4 Vanguard-class submarines entered service. Construction of the first of them began in 1986.

Submarine dimensions: underwater displacement - 15,900 tons, hull length - 150 meters, width - 12.8 meters. Armed with 16 Trident-2 D5 ballistic missiles.

6. Squid | Length 155 meters

Submarine dimensions: underwater displacement 13,050 tons, hull length 155 meters, width - 11.7 meters. Armament - 16 R-29R intercontinental liquid-propellant missiles with a range of more than 6,000 km.

For today most of submarines "Kalmar" was disposed of, the rest are part of Pacific Fleet Russia.

5. Murena-M | Length 155 meters

Submarines of the project "" are among the largest submarines. This is the modernization of the boats of the Murena project. The main difference is the placement of 16 missiles, not 12. For this, the hull of the boat was increased by 16 meters.

Submarine dimensions: underwater displacement 15,750 tons, hull length 155 meters, width - 11.7 meters. Armament - 16 R-29D missiles with a range of more than 9,000 km. Fifth place in the ranking.

4. Dolphin | Length 167 meters

The submarine of the project "", which occupies the 4th place in our rating, continued the development of the Kalmar project. The construction of the first submarine began in 1981. 7 submarines were built. Now they are all part of the Russian submarine fleet. In terms of size, this type of submarine is one of the largest submarines in the world. Its underwater displacement is 18,200 tons, length is 167 meters, width is 11.7 meters. Armament - 16 R-29RM class ballistic missiles.

3. Ohio | Length 170 meters

American submarines of the "" type are among the largest submarines in the world. They belong to the third generation submarines and are equipped with 24 Trident ballistic missiles. Their feature is multiple warheads and an individual targeting system. Today, Ohio-class submarines form the core of America's nuclear forces. They are on combat duty in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Submarine dimensions: underwater displacement - 18,750 tons, hull length - 170.7 meters, width - 12.8 meters. The maximum diving depth is 55 meters. The first submarine of this type entered service in 1981.

An interesting fact: in 2009, during combat duty, the crew of the USS Rhode Island submarine rescued four men and a boy who were wrecked and were at sea for four days without hope of rescue.

2. Northwind | Length 170 meters

Russian submarines of project 955 "" take 2nd place in the ranking of the largest submarines in the world. 3 submarines have been built and put into operation, three are under construction and the last one was laid down in December 2015. In total, by 2018 it is planned to build 8 Borey submarines. The submarine was developed in order to replace the submarines of the Dolphin and Shark projects.

Submarine dimensions: underwater displacement 24,000 tons, hull length 170 meters, width - 13.5 meters. Armament - 16 Bulava missiles.

1. Shark | Length 173 meters

The first place in the ranking of the largest submarines in the world is occupied by the Russian submarine of project 941 "". This is the largest submarine built by man. Imagine a colossus as high as a nine-story building and two football fields long - this is the legendary "Shark". From the point of view of combat effectiveness, such dimensions are questionable, but one cannot help but admire the power of this gigantic submarine.

The construction of the submarine began in 1976. "Shark" was the answer to the project of the American Ohio-class submarine. The first submarine missile carrier entered service in 1980.

Submarine dimensions: underwater displacement 48 thousand tons, hull length 172.8 meters, width - 23.3 meters. The submarine cruiser is armed with 20 R-39 Variant three-stage ballistic missiles.

The submarine has improved conditions for the crew. There is a small swimming pool, solarium, sauna, gym and even a living corner.

The dimensions allow the submarine to break through ice more than two meters thick. And this means that it can carry out combat patrols in the Arctic latitudes.

In total, Russia has 6 Akula-class submarines in service.