How many Project 941 Shark submarines are left? "Shark", "Pike", "Ohio": size matters

The largest submarine, the Akula, produced in the Soviet Union, was the pride of the Navy and the horror of its 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.

At the moment, the storm of the underwater world is left alone.

History of creation

The legend of the world's underwater shipbuilding was first launched in Severodvinsk in 1981. While on land, a shark's grin wrapped around a trident was painted on its hull in the front part. After launching, the image disappeared and was never seen again, but the car had already received its name, which later became official.

Subsequent modifications made under this class were called the same, and the crew received a sleeve patch with a painted predator. Foreign journalists dubbed the boat with the code name “Typhoon”, and a few years later it began to be called that in the Union.

It was ordered to begin work on the creation of the first submarine with the ability to carry several modern solid-fuel three-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles R-39, superior to the Trident (US missile) in the amount 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 longer than their foreign counterparts.

Work on creating the submarine began in the summer of 1976, under the control of general designer Sergei Nikitich Kovalev. After completing the first design documentation, the dimensions of the “Shark” were determined: the length is almost 2 football fields and the height of a 9-story 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 named the car “Typhoon” in order to discourage and confuse his rivals in the Cold War, which began almost immediately after the USSR’s victory in the Second World War. Prior to this, all information regarding the latest development remained classified.

Design of the submarine "Shark"

The location of the energy unit on the Akula submarine is based on a unique design: it is installed in a durable hull with an automated fire extinguishing system and power shutdown.

This process takes place under the supervision of pulsed 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 reserve of buoyancy for that time - more than 40%, since after immersion in water, 50% of the displacement was accounted for by water used as ballast.

Because of this, many called the submarine a “water carrier.”

Such characteristics regarding the buoyancy reserve 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 capable of breaking 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 hull, distinguished by its unique strength. It contains 5 habitable chambers with a diameter of 10 m, placed parallel to each other. The bow accommodates missile silos, which were built for the first time forward of the deckhouse.

Next to it are 3 more compartments:

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

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

According to designer Kovalev: “The accident that happened with the Kursk cannot be repeated on the Akula.” Even if a torpedo explodes inside the submarine, due to the fact that it is located inside a separate module, serious destruction of the bow and death of the entire crew will not occur.”

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 occurs using a nuclear energy complex designed on a block principle.

It and a number of other units, connected by the designers into one whole, make the “Shark” mobile:

1. Pressurized water reactor, capacity 190 MW – 2 pcs.
2. Steam turbine system available in each building - 2 pcs.
3. Two-stage installation – 1 pc.
4. Seven-bladed propeller with a fixed pitch with installed ring fairings (fenestrons) – 2 pcs.

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

To carry out maneuvers in a closed space, there are 2 separately located 750 kW motors installed in a thruster mechanism with its own rotary propeller 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.

Basics

This submarine has a D-19 installation with ballistic missiles having a launch weight of 90 tons and a length of 17 m. The combat flight range 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 load of ammunition is carried out with a single shot or successive salvos, 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 initially Kovalev planned to install 24 units, but the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy S.G. Gorshkov decided to stop at 20.

Secondary

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

1. "Omnibus", a militarized information management complex.
2. "Skat-KS", hydroacoustics system.
3. "Harp MG-519", a sonar unit for searching for mines.
4. "Sever MG-518", an echo sounder for measuring ice thickness.
5. "BuranMRKP-58", 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, float up and receive radio signals and information from the satellite.

Began after the Great Patriotic War of 1941 - 1945. The cold war, which continued as a long arms race between the two world powers, ended thanks to the partial contribution of the Akula series submarines.

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

Performance characteristics

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

This is explained not even by the presence of enormous potential and modern weapons hidden from prying eyes, but by the appearance of the ship and its terrifying dimensions.

You can familiarize yourself with them in the performance characteristics table below:

Modifications

As mentioned earlier, the first Akula submarine was launched to the surface of the water in December 1981.

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

Work on model 7 TK-210 was stopped, and the frame was dismantled for recycling.

The modifications collected and used are presented below:

• TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy", construction began on June 17, 1976, launched into the water 4 years later. In 2002 it was withdrawn from service for subsequent modernization. To date, it has been converted for a new type of weapon, “Bulava”.
• TK-202, launched into the water in 1982, introduced into the Navy 1 year later, only in 1983. After 22 years of operation, it was cut 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, adopted for service in 1985, was used until 2007. Only after decommissioning, work began on its disposal. At the moment, it has been completely disassembled and reprocessed, 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 Akula created by the Soviet Union are lost. At the moment, there are only 2 copies left, which are in question and 1 active. 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. At the moment, all the ammunition of the D-19 ballistic missiles has been disposed of, and there is no basis or motivation for the production of subsequent ones.

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

The development was labeled based on early work on . At the same time, NATO called it the successor of the Soviet giant and assigned the markings to 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 size of the largest by exactly 2 times.
3. A new workshop had to be built in Severodvinsk, 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 moment the engines started, a real shark hovered next to the control room. After the submarine's engines had fully gained power, the boat and the shark began to move simultaneously. After this, the submariners were confident that the name of their ship was correct.

The beginning of the history of the construction of such ships stopped suddenly just as it began. As of today, out of 7 submarine models, only the Dmitry Donskoy remains 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.

Video

Russia is disposing of the last two Akula-class (NATO Typhoon) nuclear-powered missile submarines from its reserve. This is reported by the country's main media.

“Denuclearization and dismantling of the TK-17 Arkhangelsk and TK-20 Severstal submarines will begin in 2020. Their re-introduction into combat turned out to be unprofitable.”

The two Project 941 Akula submarines (as they are called according to the correct Russian classification) were disarmed and anchored in the port of Severodvinsk awaiting an official decision from the Kremlin. Arkhangelsk and Severstal, built in the eighties, have been in reserve since 2006 and 2004, respectively.

Shark/Typhoon class

The parameters of these boats are 173 meters long, 23 meters high and 23.3 meters wide. They have a displacement of 49,800 tons and are capable of reaching a maximum operational depth of 400 meters. Six double-hull submarines of this class (based on two Delta-class hulls) have been included in the Guinness Book of Records. In 1996-1997, due to lack of funding, after only 13 years of active operation, the Kremlin removed three Akula submarines from service: TK-12 Simbirsk, TK-202 and TK-13.

The Soviet Union designed the Akula submarines to counter the American Ohio-class submarines, they were intended for constant strategic patrol of the territories located north of the Arctic Circle (which is why they received a fortified hull, an additional reserve of buoyancy equal to 35% of displacement, and were equipped with shielded propellers that protected the ship from collisions with ice). An unusual feature of the Sharks was the missile compartment in the tail of the submarine in front of the tower. Each boat was equipped with twenty three-stage R-39 "Reef" (SS-NX-20 Sturgeon) 84-ton ballistic missiles, capable of hitting any point in the continental United States.

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The Akula submarines could reach speeds of 22 knots on the surface and 27 knots when submerged thanks to two 650 OKB pressurized water reactors of 190 MW each, the same ones used in the Lyra, Fin, and Barracuda classes ", "Antey". Of the eight submarines of this class planned by the Soviet Union, only six were built.

The last Typhoon

The latest Project 941 submarine is used as an experimental platform for the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile. TK-208 was the first submarine to enter service and will be the last to go to sea as part of the 18th Submarine Division of the Northern Fleet. Significant modifications to which the Dmitry Donskoy underwent turned this boat into the first advanced Akula, the level of which is not inferior to fourth-generation submarines.

Project 941UM was conceived to launch RSM-56 Bulava missiles. The Project 941UM submarine TK-208 “Dmitry Donskoy” will remain in operation until 2020: from 2003 to 2010, it carried out 14 test launches, half of which were cancelled.

"Red October"

The "seventh" Akula-class submarine, nicknamed "Red October", became the main character of Tom Clancy's first novel, published by Naval Institute Press in 1984. In the novel, the Soviet Project 941 Akula submarine had a new type of propulsion system, made using stealth technology without mobile parts, called a “caterpillar propulsion unit.” Clancy imagined a modified Akula submarine armed with 27 ballistic missiles: thanks to the stealth technology of the engine, Red October could proceed unhindered to destroy the upper east coast of the United States. In The Hunt for Red October, Commander Marco Ramius, played by Sean Connery, secretly heads to the US coast with the goal of deserting and turning over the submarine to the US Navy.

K-139 "Belgorod" project 09852

In a year, Russia will receive the world's largest nuclear submarine, and it will be 11 meters longer than the Project 941 Akula submarines. Officially unveiled as the next Antey-class II model of Project 949A, the K-139 Belgorod submarine of Project 09852 will carry out missions related to scientific research as a platform for unmanned vehicles and special equipment. K-139 was redesigned and received a new central compartment 30 meters long, due to which the dimensions of the submarine reached 184 meters. This is 30 meters larger than the original size of the Antey class submarines and 11 meters longer than the Akula class submarines.

InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.

The construction of heavy nuclear-powered strategic missile cruisers of Project 941 "Shark" (international classification "Typhoon") was a kind of response to the construction of US class nuclear submarines Ohio", armed with 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In the USSR, the development of a project for a new class of submarines began later than the Americans. The designers were faced with a difficult technical task - to place 24 missiles weighing almost 100 tons each on board. After many studies, it was decided to place the missiles between two durable hulls. As a result, the first Akula submarine was built in record time - in 5 years.

In September 1980, unusually large soviet submarine the height of a nine-story building and the length of almost two football fields touched the water for the first time. Delight, joy, fatigue - the participants in that event experienced different feelings, but everyone was united by one thing - pride in a great common cause. Mooring and sea trials were carried out in record time. Tests took place not only in the White Sea, but also in the North Pole area. There were no operational failures during the period of missile firing. During construction nuclear submarines class " Typhoon“The latest achievements in the creation of shipborne radio-electronic equipment and noise reduction were applied. Submarines of this project are equipped with a pop-up rescue chamber designed for the entire crew.

heavy nuclear-powered strategic missile cruiser "Akula"

Interestingly, the total underwater displacement submarine "Shark""is about 50,000 tons. Moreover, exactly half of this weight is ballast water, which is why it was dubbed a “water carrier.” This is the price of the transition from liquid hot to solid fuel, which has not been fully thought out for the Russian submarine fleet. As a result, the project Shark" became the largest submarine in the world and is included in the Guinness Book of Records. For the construction of nuclear submarines, a new workshop was specially built at the Northern Engineering Enterprise - the largest indoor boathouse in the world. The first Project 941 submarine code "TK-208" was laid down at the shipyard of the 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 was dismantled in 1990 due to the high cost of the project.

dates of laying, launching and commissioning of Project 941 submarines

Design Project 941 submarine made according to the “catamaran” type: two separate durable 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 center plane, which houses the central post and the radio-technical weapons compartment located behind it. The missile compartment is located between the pressure hulls at the front of the ship. Both housings and capsule compartments are connected to each other by transitions. The total number of waterproof compartments is nineteen. The central post compartment and its light fencing are shifted towards the stern nuclear submarine. The robust hull, central post and torpedo compartment are made of titanium alloy, and the lightweight hull is made of steel (its surface is coated with a special hydroacoustic rubber coating, which increases stealth submarines). Submarine "Shark""has developed stern 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.

Conditions of increased comfort have been created for the boat crew. The officers were placed in relatively spacious two- and four-berth cabins with washbasins, televisions and air conditioning, while the sailors and petty officers were housed in small cockpits. Submarine « Shark“received a gym, swimming pool, solarium, sauna, relaxation room, “living corner” and other premises.

According to domestic press reports, existing plans for the development of Russia's strategic nuclear forces provide for 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 convert part of the 941 project into transport nuclear submarines, intended for the transportation of goods along transpolar and cross-polar routes, the shortest route connecting Europe, North America and other countries. The cargo compartment, built in place of the missile compartment, will be capable of accepting up to 10,000 tons of cargo.

the largest submarine in the world photo

nuclear submarine "Shark" parked

on a barrel

submarine "Shark" on a combat mission

submarine "Akula" on the surface

The largest Soviet submarine Akula, created as a symmetrical response to the United States after they created the Ohio submarine.

The largest nuclear submarine (NPS) is the Akula.

The goal of the developers was to create a ship even more powerful and larger in size than its American counterpart.

The real name of the submarine is “Project 941”, in the West it is called “Typhoon”, and the name “Shark” is explained by the fact that a drawing of a shark is placed on the side of the submarine (however, it could only be seen until the ship was launched).

This is exactly what L.I. named the new combat unit. Brezhnev, and later the image of a shark appeared on the uniform of sailors who served on the submarine.

“Shark” is a nuclear submarine of truly impressive size. Its length corresponds approximately to the length of two real football fields, and its height corresponds to a nine-story building. The submarine's displacement is 48 thousand tons when launched.

How and when did the largest submarine in the world appear?

The creation of this powerful warship is associated with the period of the Cold War and the arms race. The Akula submarine was supposed to show the superiority of the Soviet navy over the Western one. In 1972, scientists received the task of creating a submarine more powerful, larger, and more dangerous than the Ohio (USA).

Work on the Ohio submarine began in the United States in the early 1970s; It was planned to arm the submarine with 24 Trident solid-fuel missiles with a range of more than 7 thousand km, i.e. intercontinental. It was significantly superior to everything that was in service with the USSR, because the huge (with a displacement of 18.7 thousand tons) submarine could launch missiles at a depth of up to 30 m and was quite fast - up to 20 knots.

The Soviet government set the designers the task of creating a Soviet missile carrier, even more powerful than the American one. This work was entrusted to the Rubin design bureau, which at that time was headed by I.D. Spassky, and designer S.N. Kovalev – a leading specialist in this field; 92 submarines were created according to Kovalev's designs.

Construction began at the Sevmash enterprise in 1976; the first cruiser was launched in 1980, and it passed tests even earlier than the Ohio, work on which began earlier.

Over the entire history of the project, 6 Akula submarines were created, and the seventh, having already begun, was not completed due to the beginning of disarmament. Three of the existing submarines were disposed of with financial assistance from the United States and Canada, two did not have time to be disposed of and now the question of what to do with them next is being decided, and one, the Dmitry Donskoy, was modified and is now in service.

Re-equipping the Sharks is too expensive; it costs the same as it would cost to build two new modern submarines.

Design features of the Akula submarine

Due to the need to arm the largest submarine in the world with solid-fuel missiles, the designers were faced with difficult problems to solve. The missiles were too large and heavy, it was difficult to place them on a conventional cruiser, because even loading massive weapons required an innovative crane, and they were transported from them along specially laid rails.

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And the capabilities of the shipbuilding plant were limited to the creation of ships that did not exceed the norm for the draft of the vessel.

The designers made a non-standard design solution: the cruiser was given the appearance, so to speak, of a catamaran for swimming underwater. It does not consist of two buildings (external and internal), as usual, but five: two main and three additional.

The result is excellent buoyancy (40%).

Almost half of the ballast when the cruiser is under water is water. No matter how much they scolded the nuclear submarine designers for this! Both “a victory of technology over common sense” and a “water carrier” (the submarine’s nickname is “Shark”), but it is precisely this feature that allows the cruiser to float, breaking through a 2.5-meter layer of ice, so that it can serve almost at the North Pole .

Inside the common body there are five more, two parallel; The missile silos are unusually located: they are located in front of the wheelhouse; The mechanical, torpedo and control module compartments are isolated and located in the gap formed by the main hulls, which makes the design safer.

This is also achieved by a couple of dozen waterproof compartments and two rescue chambers that can accommodate the entire crew.

The outer steel hull is coated with special rubber for sound insulation and anti-location purposes, making the submarine difficult to detect.

The huge submarine has quite comfortable living conditions for the crew: cockpits for small groups of sailors, comfortable cabins for officers, televisions, a gym, even a swimming pool, solarium and sauna, two wardrooms and a “living corner.”

Submarine armament

“Akula” is armed with two dozen R-39 “Variant” (these are ballistic missiles, each weighing 90 tons). There are also torpedo tubes (6 pieces) and Igla-1 MANPADS. Interestingly, even from a depth of 55 meters, a submarine can fire these missiles almost in one gulp.

Quite comfortable living conditions for the crew have been created on the huge submarine: the sailors live in small cabins for several people, while the officers occupy double cabins.

In addition to the gym and two cabins, there is a sauna and a small swimming pool on board, there is even a solarium and a “living corner”.

The commander's chair in the control room can only be used by the captain; even Defense Minister P. Grachev, who visited the submarine in 1993 and broke tradition, was unanimously condemned by all those present.

Project 941 "Akula" (SSBN "Typhoon" according to NATO classification) - Soviet heavy missile submarine cruisers for strategic purposes. Developed at 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 tactical and technical specifications for the design were issued in December 1972, and S. N. Kovalev was appointed chief designer of the project. The new type of submarine cruiser was positioned as a response to the US construction of Ohio-class SSBNs (the first boats of both projects were laid down 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 to the Trident-I missiles, which were equipped with the American Ohio, the R-39 missile had better flight range characteristics, throw weight and had 10 blocks versus 8 for the Trident. However, the R-39 turned out to be almost twice as long and three times as heavy as its American counterpart. The standard SSBN layout was not suitable for accommodating such large missiles. On December 19, 1973, the government decided to begin 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, launched on September 23, 1980. Before launching, an image of a shark was painted on the side of the submarine in the bow below the waterline; later, stripes with a shark 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 Akula-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 in the city of Severodvinsk, the first Soviet Akula-class submarine was launched onto the surface of the White Sea. When her hull was still in the stocks, on its bow, below the waterline, a drawn grinning shark could be seen, which was wrapped 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 saw it again, the people 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 of the Soviet Union. At Sevmash alone, 1,219 people who participated in the creation of this unique ship received government awards.

For the first time, Leonid Brezhnev announced the creation of the “Shark” series at the XXVI Congress of the CPSU. Brezhnev specifically called the “Shark” “Typhoon” in order to mislead his Cold War opponents.

To ensure reloading of missiles and torpedoes, in 1986 the diesel-electric transport-missile carrier “Alexander Brykin” of Project 11570 was built with a total displacement of 16,000 tons; it could carry 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 silo. The explosion tore 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 undergo minor repairs.
In 1998, tests were carried out in the Northern Fleet, during which 20 R-39 missiles were launched “simultaneously”.

Design

The power plant is made in the form of two independent echelons located in different durable buildings. 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 purpose, methods for calculating the dynamic strength of complex hull components (fastening modules, pop-up cameras and containers, inter-hull connections) were developed and tested by experiments in experimental compartments.

To build the Sharks, a new workshop No. 55 was specially built at Sevmash - the largest indoor boathouse in the world. The ships have a large reserve of buoyancy - more than 40%. When submerged, exactly half of the displacement is accounted for by ballast water, for which the boats received the unofficial name “water carrier” in the navy, and in the competing design bureau “Malachite” - “a 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 the large reserve of buoyancy, coupled with a durable deckhouse, 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 right up to the North Pole.

Frame

A special feature of the boat’s design is the presence of five habitable 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. At the front of the ship, between the main pressure hulls, are missile silos, which were first placed forward of the wheelhouse. In addition, there are three separate pressurized compartments: a torpedo compartment, a control module compartment with a central control post, and an aft mechanical compartment. The removal and placement of three compartments into 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 Kursk (project 949A) could not have had such catastrophic consequences on project 941. On the Akula, the torpedo compartment is designed as 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 connected to each other by three transitions through intermediate strong capsule compartments: in the bow, in the center and in the stern. The total number of waterproof compartments of the boat is 19. Two pop-up rescue chambers, designed for the entire crew, are located at the base of the wheelhouse under the retractable device fence.

The durable hulls are made of titanium alloys, the lightweight ones are made of steel, covered with a non-resonant anti-location and soundproofing rubber coating with a total weight of 800 tons. According to American experts, the durable hulls of the boat are also equipped with soundproofing coatings.

The ship received a developed cruciform stern tail with horizontal rudders located directly behind the propellers. The front horizontal rudders are retractable.

In order for the boats to be able to carry out duty in high latitudes, the wheelhouse fencing is made very strong, capable of breaking through ice 2-2.5 m thick (in winter, the thickness of the ice in the Arctic Ocean varies from 1.2 to 2 m, and in some places reaches 2.5 m). The bottom surface of the ice 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 its nose and wheelhouse specially adapted for this, after which the main ballast tanks are sharply purged.

Power point

The main nuclear power plant is designed according to the block principle and includes two water-cooled thermal neutron reactors OK-650 with a thermal power of 190 MW each and a shaft power of 2 × 50,000 liters. pp., as well as two steam turbine units, located one each in both durable hulls, which significantly increases the survivability of the boat. The use of a two-stage rubber-cord pneumatic shock absorption system and a block arrangement 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-bladed fixed-pitch propellers are used as propulsors. To reduce noise levels, the propellers are installed in ring fairings (fenestrons).

The boat has backup propulsion means - two 190 kW DC electric motors. 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 of the ship.

Habitability

The crew is accommodated in conditions of increased comfort. The boat has a lounge for relaxation, a gym, a swimming pool measuring 4x2 m and a depth of 2 m, filled with fresh or salt sea water with the possibility of heating, a solarium, a sauna lined with oak boards, and a “living corner”. The rank and file are accommodated in small cockpits, the command personnel are accommodated in two- and four-berth cabins with washbasins, televisions and air conditioning. There are two wardrooms: one for officers, the other for midshipmen and sailors. Sailors call the Shark a “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 mass (together with the launch container - 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 multiplex: 10 warheads with individual guidance 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 it could only accommodate one silo for the R-39 and was limited to seven launches of dummy models. The entire ammunition load of the Akula missiles can be launched in one salvo with a short interval between the launch of individual missiles. Launch is possible both from surface and submerged positions at depths of up to 55 m and without restrictions on weather conditions. Thanks to the ARSS shock-absorbing rocket-launch system, the rocket is launched from a dry shaft 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, the missiles are suspended at the neck of the silo. The design included the deployment of an ammunition load of 24 missiles, but, by the 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 - the R-39UTTKh "Bark". The new modification planned to increase the firing range to 10,000 km and implement a system for passing through ice. The rearmament of the missile carriers was planned to be carried out until 2003 - the expiration date of the warranty life of the produced R-39 missiles. In 1998, after the third unsuccessful launch, the Ministry of Defense decided to stop work on the 73% complete complex. The Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, the developer of the “land” Topol-M ICBM, was assigned to develop another solid-fuel SLBM “Bulava”.

In addition to strategic weapons, the boat is equipped with 6 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, designed for firing torpedoes and missile-torpedoes, as well as for laying minefields.

Air defense is provided by eight sets of Igla-1 MANPADS.

Missile carriers of the Akula project are equipped with the following electronic weapons:

Combat information and control system "Omnibus";
analog hydroacoustic complex "Skat-KS" (digital "Skat-3" was installed on the TK-208 during mid-repair);
hydroacoustic mine detection station MG-519 “Harp”;
echometer MG-518 “Sever”;
radar complex MRKP-58 "Buran";
navigation complex "Symphony";
radio communication complex "Molniya-L1" with satellite communication system "Tsunami";
television complex MTK-100;
two pop-up buoy-type antennas that allow receiving radio messages, target designations and satellite navigation signals when located 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 unimaginably good living conditions for submarines. This, perhaps, could be expected from the Nautilus, but not from a real boat. For its unprecedented comfort, the Typhoon was nicknamed a “floating hotel.” When designing the Typhoon, apparently, they did not particularly strive to save weight and dimensions, and the crew was accommodated in 2-, 4- and 6-berth cabins lined with wood-like plastic, with desks, bookshelves, lockers for clothes, washbasins and televisions.

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

Comparative assessment

The US Navy has only one series of strategic boats in service - the Ohio, which belongs to the third generation (18 were built, 4 of which were subsequently converted to carry 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 the Ohio (including mines with extra space and with replaceable cups), they use one type of ballistic missiles - 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 surpasses both the Soviet Sharks and the Russian Borei.

It should be noted that the Ohio, unlike Russian submarines, is designed for combat duty in the open ocean in relatively warm latitudes, while Russian submarines are often on duty in the Arctic, while being in the relatively shallow waters of the shelf and, in addition, under a layer of ice, which has a significant impact on boat design. In particular, for Sharks, sea temperatures above +10 °C can cause significant mechanical problems. Among US Navy submariners, diving in shallow waters under the Arctic ice is considered very risky.

The predecessors of the "Sharks" - submarines of projects 667A, 670, 675 and their modifications, were nicknamed "roaring cows" by the American military due to their increased noise; their combat duty areas were located off the coast of the United States - in the coverage area 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 consists of ground-based Strategic Missile Forces.

After the acceptance of strategic submarines of the Akula type into service in the USSR Navy, the United States agreed to sign the proposed SALT-2 treaty, and the United States also allocated funds under the Cooperative 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 dismantling of missiles under the START-1 treaty by shooting from the Akula nuclear submarine, an incident occurred: while the US delegation was observing the shooting from aboard a Russian vessel, the Los Angeles-class multi-purpose nuclear submarine " made maneuvers near the nuclear submarine "Akula", approaching a distance of up to 4 km. The US Navy boat left the firing area after warning detonation of two depth charges.

Main characteristics
Ship type TRKSN
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)
Working diving depth 400 m
Maximum diving depth 500 m
Navigation autonomy 180 days (6 months)
Crew 160 people
(including 52 officers)
Dimensions
Surface displacement 23,200 t
Underwater displacement 48,000 t
Maximum length (according to the vertical line) 172.8 m
Body width max. 23.3 m
Average draft (according to waterline) 11.2 m
Power point

2 pressurized water 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 of 3.2 MW each
Reserve:
2 diesel generators ASDG-800 (kW)
Lead-acid battery, product 144

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