The shark is the submarine that prevented the outbreak of World War III. The hard fate of "Sharks

In the fall of 2011, reports appeared in the domestic media, according to which by 2014 it was planned to decommission and dismantle all remaining nuclear submarines of Project 941 Akula. 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, for 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 history of the Russian 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 Project 941 boats was due to the size 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.

The main payload of the "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 you can see, "foreign partners" were still able 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 boat TK-208 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 over the 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 spent most of their lives at the pier. 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

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-fuel 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 the American Ohio was equipped with, the R-39 missile had the best characteristics of 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 TK-208 (which means "heavy cruiser") was laid down at the Sevmash enterprise in June 1976, the launch took place on September 23, 1980. Before descending in the bow below the waterline, an image of a shark was applied on board the submarine, later stripes with a shark appeared on the crew uniform .. Despite the later launch of the project, the head 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, we also began to call this boat Typhoon. The construction of "9-story" submarines provided orders for more than 1000 enterprises of the Soviet Union. Only at Sevmash, 1219 people who participated in the creation of this unique ship received government awards.

For the first time, 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 reloading with missiles and torpedoes, in 1986, a diesel-electric transport-missile carrier "Alexander Brykin" of project 11570 was built with a total displacement of 16,000 tons, it took on board up to 16 SLBMs.

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 robust 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 communications) 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.

Robust hulls are made of titanium alloys, light - steel, covered with non-resonant anti-radar and soundproof rubber coating with a total weight of 800 tons. According to American experts, 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 a 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 throwing models. The launch of the entire Akula missile ammunition load can be carried out in one salvo with a small interval between the launch of individual missiles. The launch is possible both from the surface and from the underwater positions at depths up to 55 m and without restrictions due to weather conditions. Thanks to the shock-absorbing rocket-launch system ARSS, the launch of the rocket is carried out from a dry mine using a powder pressure accumulator, which makes it possible to reduce the interval between launches and the level of pre-launch noise. One of the features of the complex is that with the help of ARSS, rockets are suspended at the mouth of the mine. When designing, it was planned to place an ammunition load of 24 missiles, but, by decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Navy, Admiral S. G. Gorshkov, their number was reduced to 20.

In 1986, a government decree was adopted on the development of an improved version of the missile - R-39UTTKh Bark. In the new modification, it was planned to increase the firing range to 10,000 km and implement a system for passing through the ice. The re-equipment of the missile carriers was planned to be carried out until 2003 - the expiration date of the warranty resource of the produced R-39 missiles. In 1998, after the third unsuccessful launch, the Ministry of Defense decided to stop work on the 73% ready complex. The development of another solid-propellant SLBM "Bulava" was assigned 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 seek to save weight and dimensions, and the team was placed in 2-, 4- and 6-bed cabins sheathed in plastic under a tree, 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 inherent 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 off the coast of the United States - in the area of ​​​​operation 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 the US delegation was watching the shooting from the Russian ship, the multi-purpose nuclear submarine of the Los Angeles type "performed maneuvers near the Akula nuclear submarine, approaching 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"

Class "Shark" is still the undefeated record of the USSR. Being in autonomous navigation for 120 days, she crossed the oceans with ease and unnoticed, she was able to break the thick Arctic ice and hit enemy targets, releasing the entire ammunition load of ballistic missiles in a short time. Today they cannot find a use for it, and its fate is vague.

Our response

Unfolded between the USSR and the USA, it demanded worthy responses from both sides to mutual challenges. In the 70s, the United States received a ship with a displacement of 18.7 tons. Its speed was 200 knots, the equipment included equipment that made underwater missile launches from a depth of 15 to 30 meters. In response to Soviet science and the military-industrial complex, the country's leadership demanded the creation of superior technology.

In December 1972, a tactical and technical assignment was issued for the creation of a submarine cruiser with the code "Akula" and the number 941. The work began with a government decree on the start of development, the project was commissioned to carry out the Rubin Central Design Bureau. The implementation of the design idea took place in the largest boathouse in the world - at the Sevmash plant, the laying took place in 1976. During the construction of the submarine, several technological breakthroughs were made, one of them was the aggregate-modular construction method, which significantly reduced the time for commissioning the facility. Today, this method is used everywhere in all types of shipbuilding, but the Shark-class submarine was the first in everything.

At the end of September 1980, the first submarine cruiser "Akula" of project 941 was launched from the shipyard of Severodvinsk into the White Sea. trident. After descending into the sea, the drawing disappeared under water and no one else saw the emblem, but the people's memory, greedy for symbols and signs, immediately gave the name to the cruiser - "Shark". All subsequent Type 941 submarines received the same name, and for crew members their own symbols were introduced in the form of a shark patch on the sleeve. In the United States, the cruiser was given the name "Typhoon".

Design

The Shark-class submarine is similar in design to a catamaran - two hulls, each of which has a diameter of 7.2 meters, are located parallel to each other in a horizontal plane. The sealed compartment with the control module is located between the two main buildings, it contains the control panel and radio equipment of the cruiser. The missile block is located at the front of the boat between the hulls. It was possible to move from one part of the boat to another through three transitions. The entire hull of the boat consisted of 19 watertight compartments.

Project 941 ("Shark") have in the design, at the base of the cabin, two pop-up evacuation chambers with a capacity for the entire active crew. The compartment in which the central post is located is located closer to the stern of the cruiser. Titanium plating covers the two central hulls, the central post, torpedo rooms, the rest of the surface is covered with steel, on which a hydroacoustic coating is applied, which reliably hides the boat from tracking systems.

Front retractable rudders of a horizontal design are located in the bow of the boat. The upper cabin is reinforced and equipped with a rounded roof, capable of breaking through the solid ice cover when surfacing in northern latitudes.

Characteristics

Type 941 submarines were equipped with third-generation power plants (their power was 100,000 hp) of a block type, the placement was divided into two blocks in durable hulls, which reduced the size of the nuclear power plant. At the same time, performance has been improved.

But not only this step made legendary submarines of the Akula class. The characteristics of the power plant included two water-cooled nuclear reactors OK-650 and two steam-type turbines. All the assembled equipment made it possible not only to increase the efficiency of the entire operation of the submarine, but to significantly reduce vibration, and, accordingly, improve the sound insulation of the ship. The nuclear plant was put into operation automatically when the power supply failed.

Specifications:

• The maximum length is 172 meters.
• The maximum width is 23.3 meters.
• The height of the hull is 26 meters.
• Displacement (underwater / surface) - 48 thousand tons / 23.2 thousand tons.
• Autonomy of navigation without surfacing - 120 days.
• Immersion depth (maximum / working) - 480 m / 400m.
• Navigation speed (surface / underwater) - 12 knots / 25 knots.

Armament

The main armament is solid-propellant ballistic missiles "Variant" (weight in the hull - 90 tons, length - 17.7 m). The range of the missile is 8.3 thousand kilometers, the warhead is divided into 10 warheads, each of which has a capacity of 100 kilotons of TNT and an individual guidance system.

The launch of the entire arsenal of the submarine's ammunition can be carried out with a single salvo with a short launch interval between missile units. The ammunition load is launched from the surface and underwater position, the maximum depth at the start is 55 meters. The design characteristics provided for an ammunition load of 24 missiles, subsequently reduced to 20 units.

Peculiarities

Project 941 Shark submarines were equipped with a power plant consisting of two modules spaced apart in different, securely fortified hulls. The state of the reactors was monitored by pulse equipment, an automatic response system at the slightest loss of power supply.

When issuing a design assignment, one of the prerequisites was to ensure the safety of the boat and the crew, the so-called safe radius, for which the hull units were calculated by the dynamic strength method and experimentally tested (two pop-up modules, container fastening, hull interface, etc.) .

The Akula-class submarine was built at the Sevmash plant, where the world's largest covered boathouse, or workshop No. 55, was designed and built specifically for it. Project 941 ships are characterized by increased buoyancy - more than 40%. In order for the boat to be completely submerged, its ballast must be half of its displacement, which is why the second name appeared - “water carrier”. The decision on such a design was made with a far-sighted eye - to carry out repairs, preventive maintenance will be necessary at existing piers and repair plants.

The same reserve of buoyancy ensures the survival of the ship in the northern latitudes, where it is required to break open a thick ice cover. Project 941 Akula-class submarines coped with the harsh conditions of the North Pole, where ice thickness reaches 2.5 meters with accompanying ice hummocks and swells. the ability to open the ice mass has been repeatedly demonstrated in practice.

Crew comfort

The crew of the submarine cruiser was mainly staffed by officers, midshipmen. The senior officers were accommodated in two- and four-bed cabins equipped with a TV, washbasin, air conditioning, wardrobes, desks, etc.

Sailors and junior officers received comfortable cockpits at their disposal. On the submarine, living conditions were more than comfortable, only ships of this class were equipped with a sports hall, a swimming pool, a solarium and a sauna. In order not to get too far away from reality on a long hike, a living corner was created.

Laid up

For the entire period of construction of submarines of type 941, six cruisers were adopted by the Navy:

• "Dmitry Donskoy" (TK - 208). Adopted in December 1981, after modernization, it resumed service in July 2002.
• TK-202. She received her home port and was put into service in December 1983. In 2005, the boat was cut up for scrap.
• "Simbirsk" (TK-12). Admitted to the Federation Council in January 1985. It was scrapped in 2005.
• TK-13. The cruiser entered service in December 1985. In 2009, the hull was cut into metal, part of the submarine (six-compartment unit, reactors) was transferred to long-term storage on the Kola Peninsula.
• "Arkhangelsk" (TK-17). Date of entry into the fleet - November 1987. Due to the lack of ammunition since 2006, the issue of disposal has been discussed.
• Severstal (TK-20). Assigned to the Navy in September 1989. In 2004, it went into reserve due to the lack of ammunition, it is planned for disposal.
• TK-210. The laying of the hull structures coincided with the breakdown of the economic system. Lost funding and was dismantled in 1990.

Nuclear submarines of the Akula class were consolidated into one division, the base for them is Zapadnaya Litsa (Murmansk region). The reconstruction of Nerpichya Bay was completed in 1981. For basing type 941 cruisers, a mooring line, piers with special capabilities were equipped, a unique crane with a lifting capacity of 125 tons was built for loading missiles (not put into operation).

Current state

To date, all available nuclear submarines of the Akula class are in the home port in mothballed form, their future fate is being decided. Submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was upgraded for military equipment "Bulava". According to media reports, in 2016 it was planned to dispose of inactive copies. There were no reports on the implementation of the plan.

The giant Project 941 Shark submarine is still a unique weapon, the only cruiser capable of combat duty in the Arctic. They are almost invulnerable to anti-submarine submarines in service with the United States. Also, not a single potential enemy has the technical aviation means to detect the cruiser under the ice.

By the beginning of the 1970s, the main participants in the nuclear race, the USSR and the United States, quite rightly relied 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 began to create nuclear heavy missile cruisers. The American project, the Ohio-type nuclear submarine, 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 the 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 the event 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

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 from the watch, the crew members could visit the swimming pool, sauna, gym or relax in the “living” corner.

Combat potential

Launch mines of the nuclear submarine "Typhoon"

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 largest submarine "Shark", produced in the Soviet Union, was the pride of the Navy and the horror of opponents. However, the end of the Cold War and the signing of a number of agreements led to the fact that most of the ships received a tragic continuation of their history.

To date, the thunderstorm of the underwater world has remained alone.

History of creation

The legend of the world underwater shipbuilding was first launched in Severodvinsk in 1981. While on the ground, a shark grin wrapped around a trident was painted on its hull in front. After launching, the image disappeared and no one ever saw it again, but the car had already received its name, which later became official.

Subsequent modifications made to this class were also named, and the crew received a sleeve patch with a drawn predator. Foreign journalists dubbed the boat the code name "Typhoon", and a few years later they began to call it that in the Union.

It was instructed to begin work on the creation of the first submarine with the ability to carry several modern solid-propellant three-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles R - 39, surpassing the "Trident" (US missile) in the number of explosives and flight range.

The weight of the missiles reached 100 tons, and the number required to be placed on the ship was 24 units. Because of this, the length of Soviet ships was almost 2 times higher than foreign counterparts.

Work on the creation of the submarine began in the summer of 1976, under the supervision of General Designer Sergei Nikitich Kovalev. After the first design documentation was completed, the dimensions of the Shark were determined: the length is almost 2 football fields and the height is a 9-storey building.

The first official information about the creation of a new project was made at the XXVI Congress of the CPSU, held in the spring of 1981. Leonid Ilyich deliberately called the car "Typhoon", in order to discourage and confuse rivals in the Cold War, which began almost immediately after the victory of the USSR in the Second World War. Prior to this, all information relating to the latest development remained classified.

The design of the submarine "Shark"

The location of the power unit on the submarine "Akula" is made according to a unique scheme: it is installed in a robust hull with an automated fire extinguishing system and power cuts.

This process takes place under the supervision of impulse equipment designed to monitor the operation and condition of nuclear reactors.

The technical characteristics and design of the machine were created in such a way that the ship had an amazing buoyancy margin for that time - more than 40%, since after immersion in water, 50% of the displacement accounted for the water used as ballast.

Because of this, many called the submarine "water carrier".

Such characteristics regarding the reserve of buoyancy and the presence of a wheelhouse assembled from a special alloy make it possible for the first time to use the ship for combat duty under the ice of the Arctic Ocean. The ship is able to break through blocks more than 250 cm thick without causing any damage to the hull.

Frame

One of the main features of the Shark 941 project is a multi-layer body, distinguished by its unique strength. It contains 5 habitable chambers with a diameter of 10 m, placed parallel to each other. The bow contains missile silos, built for the first time in front of the wheelhouse.

Next to it are 3 more compartments:

1. Torpedo.
2. Modular, on which the central post is located.
3. Feed mechanical.

The layout of the internal compartments made it possible to reduce the fire hazard and increase the survival rate of the ship.

According to designer Kovalev: “The accident that happened with the Kursk cannot be repeated on the Akula. Even if the torpedo explodes inside the submarine, due to the fact that it is inside a separate module, there will be no serious destruction of the bow and death of the entire crew.”

In total, the Shark has 19 waterproof and 2 rescue chambers designed to evacuate the entire crew. They are located under the base of the command post, next to the fence of the retractable device.

Power propulsion system

The movement of a multi-ton submarine takes place using a nuclear power complex designed by the block principle.

He and a number of units connected by designers into one make the "Shark" mobile:

1. Pressurized water reactor with a capacity of 190 MW - 2 pcs.
2. Steam-turbine system available in each building - 2 pcs.
3. Two-stage installation - 1 pc.
4. Fixed-pitch seven-blade propeller with installed annular fairings (fenestrons) - 2 pcs.

In addition, there are 2 standby engines of 190 kW each, they can ensure the continuous operation of the submarine in the event of a shutdown of the main units for several hours.

Maneuvering in an enclosed space There are 2 separate 750 kW motors installed in the thruster with its own rotary screw located on each side of the ship.

Armament

The Akula submarine is equipped with primary and secondary weapons, which are designed to destroy enemy targets located in line of sight or at a distance of more than 8,000 km.

Main

This submarine has a D-19 installation with ballistic missiles having a launch weight of 90 tons and a length of 17 m. The flight range in combat performance is 8,300 km with a detachable part for 10 warheads of 100 kilotons each.

In the entire history of the use of such weapons, the Project 941 submarine and its subsequent modifications were its only carrier; there are no other analogues capable of taking on such an amount of explosive.

The launch of a full ammunition load is carried out by a single shot or regular volleys, both on the surface and from a submerged state. The maximum diving depth at the start of the D-19 reaches 56 m, without restrictions on weather conditions.

In total, the Akula submarine has 20 units of such missiles on board, although Kovalev originally planned to install 24 units, but the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy S. G. Gorshkov decided to stop at 20.

Minor

In addition to strategic weapons, the submarine missile carrier has on its board a minefield installation system, 6 torpedo cycle devices with a 533mm barrel used for fire support of missile torpedoes, 8 Igla 1 MANPADS and a number of electronic weapons:

1. "Omnibus", militarized information control complex.
2. Skat-KS, hydroacoustic system.
3. "Harp MG-519", sonar installation to search for mines.
4. "Sever MG-518", an echo sounder for measuring the thickness of ice.
5. "BuranMRKP-58", a radar device.
6. "Symphony", navigation block.
7. Molniya L-1, a radio communication device equipped with the Tsunami satellite system.
8. MTK-100, TV block.
9. 2 antennas - buoys, which, when the boat is at a depth of more than 150 m, emerge and receive a radio signal and information from the satellite.

Started after the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. cold, which continued with a long arms race between the two world powers, ended thanks to the partial contribution of the Shark series submarines.

The impressive size of the ship and the huge arsenal on board, which makes it possible to launch a volley of 20 missiles anywhere in the world at any time, contributed to the long-term confrontation and ended it by signing a peace agreement.

Tactical and technical characteristics

As the Head of the Northern Fleet Directorate put it, having visited the Shark for the first time: “By placing it on public display as a monument, you can be sure that the humanity that sees it will forever get rid of the idea of ​​developing wars.”

This is not even due to the presence of huge potential and modern weapons hidden from prying eyes, but the appearance of the ship and its terrifying dimensions.

You can get acquainted with them in the TTX table below:

Modifications

As mentioned earlier, the first submarine "Shark" was pitted on the surface of the water in December 1981.

Initially, the plans were to assemble 7 similar ships, however, according to an agreement to reduce the number of strategic weapons, the Soviet Union limited itself to 6 copies.

Work on the 7th model TK-210 was stopped, and the skeleton was dismantled for processing.

Assembled and used modifications are presented below:

• TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy", construction started on 06/17/1976, launched 4 years later. In 2002, it was withdrawn from service for subsequent modernization. At the moment, it has been converted for the new type of weapon "Bulava".
• TK-202, launched in 1982, introduced into the Navy 1 year later, only in 1983. After 22 years of operation, it was sawn into scrap metal.
• TK-12 "Simbirsk" used from 1983 to 1998, then decommissioned. In 2005, the ship was delivered to Severodvinsk and disposed of together with the Americans.
• TK-13, put into service in 1985, was used until 2007. Only after decommissioning, work began on its disposal. To date, it has been completely disassembled and reworked, and the nuclear reactor has been moved to the Arctic for long-term storage.
• TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" and TK-20 "Severstal" in 2006 they were withdrawn from the Russian Navy. The decision on their future fate has not yet been determined.

Almost all subsequent modifications of the "Shark", created by the Soviet Union, are lost. To date, there are only 2 copies that are in question and 1 is valid. All others have been dismantled. The main reason was the results of negotiations on the reduction of nuclear weapons and the end of the Cold War. To date, the entire ammunition load of D-19 ballistic missiles has been disposed of, and there are no grounds and motivations for the production of subsequent ones.

The superficial opinion that Project 971 submarines belong to the Shark is erroneous. This model is an individual development of the general designers Chernyshev and Farafontov with colleagues.

The development mark was given to , based on early work on . At the same time, NATO named it the successor to the Soviet giant and assigned the marking of the submarine "Akula" (Acula).

In addition, there are a number of interesting nuances associated with the submarine:

1. The technical characteristics of the 941 are so impressive that no analogues have been created to date.
2. The length of the ship exceeds the dimensions of the largest exactly 2 times.
3. In Severodvinsk, a new workshop had to be built, which became the largest production facility in the world.
4. Crew members of one of the modifications say that after the first exit into warm waters, an interesting incident occurred. At the time of starting the engines, a real shark hovered next to the wheelhouse. After the submarine's engines were fully powered up, the boat and the shark began to move at the same time. After that, the submariners were sure of the correct name of their ship.

The history of the construction of such ships, which had begun, stopped abruptly, just as it began. As of today, out of 7 models of submarines, only Dmitry Donskoy remained in service.

The ship was modernized and underwent a major overhaul that lasted several years, as a result of which it remains in the country's Navy until at least 2020.

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