Construction of the largest submarine. The largest submarines in history

22.09.2019

In the titanium hull of the electronically loaded submarine, at the behest of a specially trained team, are twenty-four missiles weighing ninety tons each. This article will focus on the colossus of the Cold War era - the nuclear submarine cruiser. Few people know how huge it really was.

The once largest nuclear submarine of the Akula class, which is 25 meters high and more than 23 meters wide, could single-handedly inflict fatal damage on almost any country in the world. Now two out of three Project 941 missile cruisers are not capable of boasting such power. Why? They are in need of an overhaul. And the third, "Dmitry Donskoy", also known as TK-208, has recently completed its modernization process and is now equipped with the Bulava missile system. New launch cups have been inserted into the existing shafts intended for 24 R-39 missiles. The new rocket is inferior in size to its predecessors.

What is the future of strategic cruisers?

300 million rubles are annually allocated from the budget for the maintenance of one submarine. But is it worth keeping such a powerful, but not needed today, weapon? In total, six underwater giants were built, we already know what condition three of them are in, but what happened to the rest? They took out the nuclear fuel contained in the reactor blocks, cut it up, sealed it and buried it in the northern part of Russia. In this way, the state saved the budget, many billions could have been spent on the maintenance of submarines. The nuclear cruiser was born in response to US actions - the introduction of Ohio-class submarines equipped with twenty-four intercontinental ballistic missiles.

For your information, the US annually spends 400 billion dollars on armament and modernization of the army. For Russia, this amount is ten times less, and it is worth considering that the territory of our country is much larger than that of the United States. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the ensuing chaos buried many long-term plans- The new leaders had other goals and objectives at that time. Three of the six "Sharks" were lost, the seventh, TK-201, did not have time to leave the container - it was dismantled during the assembly process in 1990.

The uniqueness of the largest submarine is difficult to overestimate - this large vessel has a high speed. Surprisingly, for such dimensions, the submarine is silent and has excellent buoyancy. She is not afraid icy waters Arctic - "Shark" is able to spend many months in a state of under-ice navigation. The ship is able to surface anywhere - the thickness of the ice is not a hindrance. The submarine is endowed with an effective system for detecting anti-submarine submarines launched by the enemy.

The most dangerous of submarines

September 1980 - a Soviet submarine touched the water surface for the first time. Its dimensions were impressive - the height is two-story house, and the length is comparable to two football fields. The unusual value made an indelible impression on those present - delight, joy, pride. The tests took place in the White Sea and the North Pole region.

The Akula submarine is capable of something that the commander of a nuclear submarine belonging to NATO countries would never dare to do - to move under the thickness of ice in shallow water. No other submarine is able to repeat this maneuver - the risk of damaging the submarine is too great.

The military strategy of our time has shown the ineffectiveness of stationary missiles - before they fly out of the launch silos, they, seen from the satellite, will launch a missile attack. But a freely moving nuclear submarine equipped with a rocket launcher can become a trump card for the General Staff. Russian Federation. Each submarine is equipped with a rescue chamber capable of accommodating the entire crew in emergency.

The conditions of increased comfort have been created on the submarine - cabins are assigned to the officers, in which there are TVs and air conditioners, for the rest of the crew, small cockpits are intended. On the territory of the submarine there are: a swimming pool, a gym, a solarium, but that's not all, there is a sauna and a living corner. If you are lucky, and you will ever see this colossus live, then you should know - the boat, when it is on the surface, we can see up to the upper white line - everything else is hidden by the water column.

Demand for nuclear submarines

The question of transferring a submarine from military service for peaceful activities. Probably, the maintenance costs would have paid off with a vengeance. "Shark" is capable of transporting cargo - up to ten thousand tons. The advantages are obvious - the submarine is not afraid of storms or sea pirates. The ship is safe, fast - indispensable qualities in the northern seas. No ice would prevent the cargo from reaching the northern ports. This fruit of many years of hard work of scientific minds could be useful for many years to come.

Among the various achievements of mankind, there are many records, the authorship of which belongs to our compatriots. One of these is the creation of the largest submarine in the world. The Soviet submarines of the Akula project, built in the 1980s, are still unrivaled in size to this day.

The height of the submarine of the Shark project is approximately equal to the height of a nine-story building. Now imagine a nine-story building confidently moving forward at a depth of several hundred meters - such a picture can shock even a not too impressionable person!

But the Soviet designers who worked on the “941 project” were the last to think about records. The main task was to ensure the preservation of military parity between the USSR and the USA.

By the 1970s, it became clear that submarines with nuclear weapons on board play a very important role in ensuring the security of the state.

From intelligence reports, the leadership of the USSR learned that work had begun in the United States on the creation of nuclear submarines of a new generation. The new Ohio-class missile carriers were supposed to provide the United States with an overwhelming advantage in sea-based nuclear launchers.

In December 1972, the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering received a tactical and technical assignment for the design of a third-generation Soviet missile carrier. The chief designer of the project was Sergey Kovalev, the legendary creator of Soviet submarine missile carriers.

"Shark", view from the right shell. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Size matters

On December 19, 1973, the government of the Soviet Union decided to start work on the design and construction of a new generation of strategic missile carriers.

The new Soviet three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile R-39, specially designed to arm new types of submarines, surpassed the American counterpart Trident-I in its performance. The P-39 had the best characteristics of flight range, throwable mass and had 10 blocks against 8 for the Trident.

But you have to pay for everything. The high qualities of the R-39 were combined with dimensions unprecedented for sea-based missiles - almost twice as long and three times as heavy as the American counterpart.

This meant that a completely unique submarine cruiser had to be developed, the dimensions of which would be unparalleled.

As a result, the Project 941 missile cruisers had the greatest length - 172.8 meters, the largest width of the hull - 23.3 meters, a surface displacement of 23,200 tons and an underwater displacement of 48,000 tons.

The lead ship of the series, in which it was supposed to build 7 missile carriers, was laid down at the Sevmash plant in 1976. The launch of TK (heavy cruiser) 208 took place on September 23, 1980.

Anchor "Shark" in Severodvinsk. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Schekinov Alexey Victorovich

"Sharks" of different types

When the hull of the boat was still in the stocks, on its bow, below the waterline, one could see a painted grinning shark that 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 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.

There is some confusion with domestic underwater "Sharks". The name of the project does not apply to any of the boats included in it. According to NATO codification, this project is called "Typhoon".

In the NATO codification, "Sharks" refers to domestic multi-purpose submarines of project 971 "Pike-B". The lead boat of this project, K-284, bore its own name "Shark", while not having any relation to the "Missile Sharks".

And the first "Shark" in the history of the Russian submarine fleet was a submarine designed engineer Ivan Bubnov launched in 1909. The Shark, which became the first Russian-designed submarine in the Russian Navy, sank in the Baltic during World War I.

But let's get back to the Record Shark. The first boat of the new project, TK-208, entered the Soviet Navy in December 1981, almost simultaneously with its rival Ohio.

"Shark" in the ice. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / Bellona foundation

High reliability missile carrier

The main armament of the missile carrier is 20 R-39 three-stage solid-propellant ballistic missiles. The missiles have a multiple warhead for 10 individually targetable warheads, each with 100 kilotons of TNT equivalent, the range of the missiles is 8300 km.

From the boats of the Shark project, the entire ammunition load can be launched in one salvo, the interval between missile launches is minimal. Missiles can be launched from the surface and underwater position, in the case of launching from a submerged position, the immersion depth is up to 55 meters, there are no weather restrictions for launching missiles.

Unlike American Ohio-class submarines, which were primarily built with a focus on service in tropical waters, Shark-class missile carriers have increased strength, allowing them to break ice 2.5 meters thick. This makes it possible for the Shark to carry out combat duty in the Far North and even directly at the North Pole.

One of the design features of the boat is the presence of five habitable strong hulls inside the light hull, two of which are the main ones, their largest diameter is 10 meters, they are located according to the catamaran principle - parallel to each other. Missile silos with missile systems are located in front of the ship, between the main pressure hulls. In addition, the boat is equipped with three pressurized compartments: a torpedo compartment, a control module compartment with a central post, and an aft mechanical compartment.

The durable hulls were made of titanium alloys, the light hull was made of steel and has a non-resonant anti-radar and soundproof coating, the weight of which is 800 tons.

The unique design of the Shark ensures the survival of the crew in the event of an emergency on board, similar to the one that occurred on the Kursk submarine.

Ohio-class nuclear submarine. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

"Floating Hilton"

Not only were unique combat characteristics new submarines, but also almost everything connected with them.

The project included the construction of a special training center for submariners in Obninsk near Moscow with all the infrastructure for crew members and their families.

It was assumed that each of the "Sharks" will receive three crews - two main and one technical, who will serve on a rotational basis.

The first crew, having made a military campaign lasting 2-3 months, was supposed to leave the base in the Moscow region, and then go on vacation. At this time, a technical crew was supposed to work on the boat. At the end repair work the technical crew handed over the boat to the second main crew, who had rested, had additional training in Obninsk and was ready to go to sea.

Much attention was paid to the life of submariners on the boat itself. Lounge salon, sauna, solarium, gym, two cabins and even a swimming pool - nothing like that. Soviet submariners not seen before. As a result, the Sharks received another nickname - the "floating Hilton".

Own among the whales

The main weakness of the first domestic nuclear submarines was high level noise that unmasks them. The hulls of the Sharks were designed so well that the noise level turned out to be much lower than even the designers expected. For the Americans, the "silence" of the "Shark" was an unpleasant surprise. Indeed, it somehow becomes uncomfortable at the thought that somewhere in the ocean a “nine-story building” is moving silently and imperceptibly, with its salvo capable of turning several American megacities into a radioactive desert.

Submariners claim that the Shark managed to merge with the ocean so much that whales and killer whales often mistook the missile carrier for a relative, thereby creating additional “cover” for it.

The appearance of Project 941 Akula missile carriers in the USSR Navy deprived the US military command of hopes of gaining an overwhelming advantage over the USSR in sea-based nuclear forces.

But big politics intervened in the history of this project. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, US representatives, proposing new disarmament treaties, showed a lively interest in the decommissioning and disposal of the Soviet "Sharks".

TK-202 in 1999, before scrapping. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

The first one is the last one

Of the seven Sharks planned, six were built, the last of which was accepted into the fleet in September 1989. The hull structures of the seventh boat were dismantled in 1990.

TK-202, TK-12 Simbirsk and TK-13 were scrapped between 2005 and 2009 with US financial support. TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" and TK-20 "Severstal" in 2004-2006 were withdrawn to the fleet reserve due to the lack of ammunition and are now also awaiting disposal.

The only missile carrier of the Shark project that is still in service is the same TK-208 submarine, launched on September 23, 1980.

In 2002, TK-208 was given the name "Dmitry Donskoy". The largest submarine missile carrier in the world has been upgraded under project 941 UM and has now been converted to the Bulava missile system. It was from the board of "Dmitry Donskoy" that most of the test launches of the "Bulava" were carried out. It is assumed that the missile carrier will continue to be used as a test platform for sonar systems and weapons systems designed for the latest types of Russian submarines.

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

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

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

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

The "combat vehicle crew" consisted of 160 people, more than a third of which were officers. The creators of the "Shark" showed a truly paternal concern for the living conditions of the crew. For officers, 2 and 4-bed cabins were provided. Sailors and foremen were located in small cockpits with washbasins and televisions. Air conditioning was supplied to all living quarters. In their free time 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 top 5 largest submarines in history according to the publication is as follows:

1. Project "Shark". Displacement 48 thousand tons.

“The largest submarine in the world. Designed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau. The construction of the 941 series was started in 1976. In total, from 1981 to 1989. Sevmash built six boats of this project. Now in the combat composition of the Russian Navy there is only a heavy nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy",” the article says.

2. Project "Borey". Displacement 24 thousand tons.

Borey-class strategic nuclear missile carriers were designed at the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering in the 1980s. There are three submarine cruisers in the Russian fleet, four more are under construction. In total, by 2021, it is planned to build eight such missile carriers, and five of them are of the modernized Project 955A.”

3. The Ohio Project. USA. Displacement 18,750 tons.

“The Ohio project is a series of 18 third-generation American strategic nuclear submarines commissioned from 1981 to 1997. The boats differed from their predecessors in their increased combat potential and improved stealth. They form the basis of the US strategic offensive nuclear forces.

4. Project "Murena" / Delta II. Displacement 18,200 tons.

"The Murena class (Delta, according to NATO) was created during the Cold War, and their task was considered to be strikes against American industrial and military targets." There are 4 subclasses in total: Project 667B (Delta I, adopted in 1972), 667BD (Delta II), 667BDR Kalmar (Delta III).

5. Project Vanguard. Great Britain. Displacement 15,900 tons.

“The entire nuclear arsenal of the United Kingdom is located on four Vanguard-class submarines. They are based in the Clyde in Scotland. The boats were built in the 1990s, and they replaced the outdated ships of the Resolution type, in fact, being their further development.

June 18th, 2015

September 23, 1980 at the shipyard of the city of Severodvinsk, on the surface of the White Sea, the first Soviet submarine of the class "Shark". 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 Typhoon om this boat began to be called with us.

Yes, myself Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev , speaking at the XXVI Party Congress, said: "The Americans have created a new submarine" Ohio“with rockets” Trident“. Similar system - „ Typhoon“We also have it.”

Photo 2.

In the early 70s in the United States (as Western media wrote, “in response to the creation of the Delta complex in the USSR”), the implementation of the large-scale Trident program began, which provides for the creation of a new solid-propellant missile with an intercontinental (more than 7000 km) range, as well as SSBNs new type, capable of carrying 24 of these missiles and having increased level secrecy. The ship with a displacement of 18,700 tons had a maximum speed of 20 knots and could carry out missile launches at a depth of 15-30 m. In terms of its combat effectiveness, the new American weapon system should have significantly surpassed the domestic 667BDR / D-9R system, which was then in serial production. The political leadership of the USSR demanded from the industry an "adequate response" to the next American challenge.

The tactical and technical assignment for the heavy nuclear submarine missile cruiser project 941 (code "Shark") - was issued in December 1972. On December 19, 1973, the government adopted a resolution providing for the start of work on the design and construction of a new missile carrier. The project was developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau, headed by General Designer I.D. Spassky, under the direct supervision of the chief designer S.N. Kovalev. The main observer from the Navy was V.N. Levashov.

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

Photo 3.

Photo 4.

Undisputed operational benefits, demonstrated by the first domestic solid-fueled R-31 marine ballistic missile, as well as the American experience (which was always treated with great respect in Soviet high military and political circles) led to the categorical requirement of the customer to equip the 3rd generation submarine missile carrier with solid-propellant missiles. The use of such missiles made it possible to significantly reduce the time of pre-launch preparation, eliminate the noise of its implementation, simplify the composition of ship equipment, abandoning a number of systems - gas analysis of the atmosphere, filling the annular gap with water, irrigation, draining the oxidizer, etc.

Preliminary development of a new intercontinental missile system for equipping submarines began at the Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering under the leadership of Chief Designer V.P. Makeev in 1971. Full-scale work on the D-19 RK with R-39 missiles was launched in September 1973, almost simultaneously with the start of work on the new SSBN. When creating this complex, an attempt was made for the first time to unify underwater and ground-based missiles: the R-39 and the heavy RT-23 ICBM (developed at Yuzhnoye Design Bureau) received a single first-stage engine.

Photo 7.

The level of domestic technologies of the 1970s and 1980s did not allow the creation of a high-power solid-propellant ballistic intercontinental missile with dimensions close to those of previous liquid-propellant rockets. The growth in the size and weight of the weapon, as well as the weight and size characteristics of the new electronic equipment, which increased by 2.5-4 times compared to the previous generation of electronic equipment, led to the need for unconventional layout solutions. As a result, an original, unparalleled type of submarine was designed with two strong hulls located in parallel (a kind of “underwater catamaran”). Among other things, such a “flattened” shape of the ship in the vertical plane was dictated by draft restrictions in the area of the Severodvinsk shipbuilding plant and repair bases of the Northern Fleet, as well as technological considerations (it was necessary to ensure the possibility of simultaneously building two ships on one slipway “thread”).

It should be recognized that the chosen scheme was largely a forced, far from optimal solution, which led to a sharp increase in the displacement of the ship (which gave rise to the ironic nickname of the boats of the 941st project - "water carriers"). At the same time, it made it possible to increase the survivability of a heavy submarine due to the separation of the power plant into autonomous compartments in two separate strong hulls; improve explosion and fire safety (by removing the missile silos from the pressure hull), as well as the placement of the torpedo room and the main command post in isolated strong modules. The possibilities for upgrading and repairing the boat have also expanded somewhat.

Photo 8.

When creating a new ship, the task was to expand the zone of its combat use under the ice of the Arctic up to the extreme latitudes by improving navigation and sonar weapons. To launch missiles from under the Arctic "ice shell", the boat had to float in polynyas, breaking ice up to 2-2.5 m thick with a cutting fence.

Flight tests of the R-39 missile were carried out on an experimental diesel-electric submarine K-153, converted in 1976 according to project 619 (it was equipped with one mine). In 1984, after a series of intensive tests, the D-19 missile system with the R-39 missile was officially adopted by the Navy.

The construction of Project 941 submarines was carried out in Severodvinsk. For this, a new workshop had to be built at the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise - the largest covered boathouse in the world.

The first TAPKR, which entered service on December 12, 1981, was commanded by Captain 1st Rank A.V. Olkhovnikov, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for the development of such a unique ship. It was planned to build a large series of heavy submarine cruisers of the 941st project and create new modifications of this ship with increased combat capabilities.

Photo 9.

However, at the end of the 1980s, for economic and political reasons, it was decided to abandon the further implementation of the program. The adoption of this decision was accompanied by heated discussions: the industry, the developers of the boat and some representatives of the Navy advocated the continuation of the program, while the General Staff of the Navy and the General Staff of the Armed Forces advocated the cessation of construction. The main reason was the difficulty of organizing the basing of such large submarines, armed with no less "impressive" missiles. Most of the existing Sharks' bases simply could not be entered because of their tightness, and the R-39 missiles could be transported at almost all stages of operation only along the railway track (they were also fed along the rails to the pier for loading onto the ship). The missiles were to be loaded by a special heavy-duty crane, which is a unique engineering structure of its kind.

As a result, it was decided to limit the construction of a series of six Project 941 ships (that is, one division). The unfinished hull of the seventh missile carrier - TK-210 - was dismantled on the slipway in 1990. It should be noted that a little later, in the mid-90s, the implementation of the American program for the construction of Ohio-class submarine missile carriers also ceased: instead of the planned 30 SSBNs, the US Navy received only 18 nuclear-powered ships, of which it was decided to leave in service by the beginning of the 2000s only 14.

Photo 10.

The design of the submarine of the 941st project is made according to the "catamaran" type: two separate strong hulls (each with a diameter of 7.2 m) are located in a horizontal plane parallel to each other. In addition, there are two separate sealed capsule-compartments - a torpedo compartment and a control module located between the main buildings in the diametrical plane, in which there is a central post and a radio-technical armament compartment located behind it. The missile compartment is located between the pressure hulls at the front of the ship. Both cases and capsule-compartments are interconnected by transitions. The total number of watertight compartments -19.

At the base of the cabin, under the fence of retractable devices, there are two pop-up rescue chambers that can accommodate the entire crew of the submarine.

The compartment of the central post and its light fencing are shifted towards the stern of the ship. Strong hulls, the central post and the torpedo compartment are made of titanium alloy, and the light hull is made of steel (a special hydroacoustic rubber coating is applied to its surface, which increases the stealth of the boat).

The ship has a developed stern plumage. The front horizontal rudders are located in the bow of the hull and are retractable. The cabin is equipped with powerful ice reinforcements and a rounded roof, which serves to break the ice when surfacing.

Photo 11.

For the crew of the boat (consisting for the most part of officers and midshipmen) conditions of increased comfort have been created. The officers were placed in relatively spacious two- and four-bed cabins with washbasins, TVs and air conditioning, and the sailors and foremen - in small cockpits. The ship received a sports hall, a swimming pool, a solarium, a sauna, a lounge for relaxation, a "living corner", etc.

Power plant of the 3rd generation with a nominal capacity of 100.000 liters. With. made according to the block layout principle with the placement of autonomous modules (unified for all boats of the 3rd generation) in both durable hulls. The adopted layout solutions made it possible to reduce the dimensions of the nuclear power plant, while increasing its power and improving other operational parameters.

The power plant includes two water-cooled reactors on thermal neutrons OK-650 (190 MW each) and two steam turbines. The block layout of all units and accessories, in addition to technological advantages, made it possible to use more effective measures on vibration isolation, reducing the noise of the ship.

The nuclear power plant is equipped with a batteryless cooling system (BBR), which is automatically activated in the event of a power failure.

Photo 12.

Compared to previous nuclear submarines, the reactor control and protection system has changed significantly. The introduction of pulse equipment made it possible to control its state at any power level, including in a subcritical state. A self-propelled mechanism is installed on the compensating organs, which, in the event of a power failure, ensures that the gratings are lowered to the lower limit switches. In this case, there is a complete “silencing” of the reactor, even if the ship capsizes.

Two low-noise, seven-blade fixed-pitch propellers are mounted in ring nozzles. As a backup means of movement, there are two DC motors with a power of 190 kW, which are connected to the line of the main shaft through couplings.

Four 3200 kW turbogenerators and two DG-750 diesel generators are installed on board the boat. For maneuvering in cramped conditions, the ship is equipped with a thruster in the form of two folding columns with propellers (in the bow and stern). The thruster propellers are driven by 750 kW electric motors.

When creating the Project 941 submarine, great attention was paid to reducing its hydroacoustic visibility. In particular, the ship received a two-stage system of rubber-cord pneumatic shock absorption, a block layout of mechanisms and equipment was introduced, as well as new, more effective soundproof and anti-sonar coatings. As a result, in terms of hydroacoustic secrecy, the new missile carrier, despite its gigantic size, significantly surpassed all previously built domestic SSBNs and, probably, came close to the American counterpart, the Ohio-type SSBN.

Photo 13.

The submarine is equipped with a new Symphony navigation system, a combat information and control system, an MG-519 Arfa sonar mine detection station, an MG-518 Sever echometer, a MRCP-58 Buran radar system, and an MTK-100 television system. On board there is a radio communication complex "Molniya-L1" with a satellite communication system "Tsunami".

The Skat-3 digital sonar complex, which integrates four sonar stations, is capable of providing simultaneous tracking of 10-12 underwater targets.

Retractable devices located in the felling fence include two periscopes (commander's and universal), radio sextant antenna, radar, radio antennas of the communication and navigation system, direction finder.

The boat is equipped with two pop-up buoy-type antennas that allow you to receive radio messages, target designations and satellite navigation signals when you are at a large (up to 150 m) depth or under ice.

The D-19 missile system includes 20 solid-propellant three-stage intercontinental ballistic missiles with multiple warheads D-19 (RSM-52, western designation - SS-N-20). The launch of the entire ammunition load is carried out in two volleys, with minimal intervals between missile launches. Missiles can be launched from a depth of up to 55 m (without restrictions on weather conditions on the sea surface), as well as from a surface position.

Photo 14.

The three-stage R-39 ICBM (length - 16.0 m, hull diameter - 2.4 m, launch weight - 90.1 tons) carries 10 individually targetable warheads with a capacity of 100 kg each. Their guidance is carried out by means of an inertial navigation system with full astro-correction (CVO of about 500 m is provided). The maximum launch range of the R-39 exceeds 10,000 km, which is more than the range of the American counterpart - the Trident S-4 (7400 km) and approximately corresponds to the range of the Trident D-5 (11,000 km).

To minimize the dimensions of the rocket, the engines of the second and third stages have retractable nozzles.

For the D-19 complex, an original starting system with the placement of almost all elements of the launcher on the rocket itself. In the mine, the R-39 is in a suspended state, relying on a special shock-absorbing rocket launch system (ARSS) on a support ring located in the upper part of the mine.

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The launch is carried out from a "dry" mine using a powder pressure accumulator (PAD). At the moment of launch, special powder charges create a gas cavity around the rocket, which significantly reduces hydrodynamic loads in the underwater section of movement. After leaving the water, the ARSS is separated from the rocket by a special engine and taken away to a safe distance from the submarine.

There are six 533-mm torpedo tubes with a fast-loading device capable of using almost all types of torpedoes and rocket-torpedoes of this caliber in service (typical ammunition load is 22 USET-80 torpedoes, as well as Shkval rocket-torpedoes). Instead of part of the missile and torpedo armament, mines can be taken on board the ship.

For self-defense of a surfaced submarine against low-flying aircraft and helicopters, there are eight sets of Igla (Igla-1) MANPADS. The foreign press reported on the development of the 941 project for submarines, as well as a new generation of SSBNs, an anti-aircraft self-defense missile system capable of being used from a submerged position.

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All six TAPRKs (which received the western code name Typhoon, which quickly “took root” with us) were consolidated into a division that is part of the 1st flotilla of nuclear submarines. The ships are based in Zapadnaya Litsa (Nerpichya Bay). The reconstruction of this base to accommodate new super-powerful nuclear-powered ships began in 1977 and took four years. During this time, a special berthing line was built, specialized piers were manufactured and delivered, capable, according to the designers, to provide TAPKR with all types of energy resources (however, at present, for a number of technical reasons, they are used as ordinary floating piers). For heavy missile submarines, the Moscow Design Bureau of Transport Engineering has created a unique complex of missile loading facilities (KPR). It included, in particular, a double-console gantry-type loader crane with a lifting capacity of 125 tons (it was not put into operation).

There is also a coastal ship repair complex in Zapadnaya Litsa, which provides maintenance for boats of the 941st project. Specifically to provide a “floating rear” for boats of the 941st project in Leningrad, at the Admiralty Plant in 1986, a sea transport-missile carrier “Alexander Brykin” (project 11570) was built with a total displacement of 11.440 tons, having 16 containers for R-39 missiles and equipped with 125 -ton crane.

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However, only the Northern Fleet managed to create a unique coastal infrastructure that provides maintenance for ships of the 941st project. In the Pacific Fleet, until 1990, when the program for the further construction of the Sharks was curtailed, they did not manage to build anything of the kind.

The ships, each of which is manned by two crews, carried (and probably continue to carry even now) constant combat duty even while at the base.

The combat effectiveness of the "Sharks" is largely ensured by the constant improvement of the communications system and combat control of the country's naval strategic nuclear forces. To date, this system includes channels using various physical principles, which increases reliability and noise immunity in the most adverse conditions. The system includes stationary transmitters broadcasting radio waves in various ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum, satellite, aircraft and ship repeaters, mobile coastal radio stations, as well as hydroacoustic stations and repeaters.

The huge reserve of buoyancy of the heavy submarine cruisers of the 941st project (31.3%), combined with the powerful reinforcements of the light hull and cabin, provided these nuclear-powered ships with the ability to emerge in solid ice up to 2.5 m thick (which was repeatedly tested in practice). Patrolling under the ice shell of the Arctic, where there are special hydroacoustic conditions that reduce even with the most favorable hydrology the detection range of an underwater target by means of the most modern sonar to only a few kilometers, the Sharks are practically invulnerable to US anti-submarine nuclear submarines. The United States also does not have air assets capable of searching for and destroying underwater targets through the polar ice.

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In particular, the "Sharks" carried out military service under the ice of the White Sea (the first of the "941s" such a trip was made in 1986 by the TK-12, on which the crew was replaced during patrols with the help of an icebreaker).

The growth of the threat from the potential adversary's predicted missile defense systems required an increase in the combat survivability of domestic missiles during their flight. In accordance with one of the predicted scenarios, the enemy could try to "blind" the optical astro-navigation sensors of the BR using space nuclear explosions. In response to this, at the end of 1984, under the leadership of V.P. Makeeva, N.A. Semikhatov (rocket control system), V.P. Arefieva (command devices) and B.C. Kuzmin (astro-correction system), work began on the creation of a stable astro-corrector for submarine ballistic missiles, capable of restoring its performance after a few seconds. Of course, the enemy still had the opportunity to carry out nuclear space explosions at intervals of every few seconds (in this case, the missile guidance accuracy should have been significantly reduced), but such a solution was difficult to implement for technical reasons and pointless for financial reasons.

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An improved version of the R-39, which in its main characteristics is not inferior to the American Trident D-5 missile, was put into service in 1989. In addition to increased combat survivability, the upgraded missile had an increased warhead disengagement area, as well as increased firing accuracy (the use of the GLONASS space navigation system in the active phase of the missile’s flight and in the MIRV guidance sector made it possible to achieve accuracy no less than the accuracy of silo-based ICBMs of the Strategic Missile Forces). In 1995, TK-20 (commander Captain 1st Rank A. Bogachev) fired missiles from the North Pole.

In 1996, due to lack of funds, TK-12 and TK-202 were withdrawn from service, in 1997 - TK-13. At the same time, additional funding from the Navy in 1999 made it possible to significantly accelerate the protracted overhaul of the lead missile carrier of the 941st project - K-208. For ten years, during which the ship was in the State Center for Nuclear Submarine Shipbuilding, the main weapons systems were replaced and modernized (in accordance with project 941 U). It is expected that in the third quarter of 2000 the work will be fully completed, and after the end of the factory and running acceptance tests, in early 2001, the renewed nuclear-powered ship will again be put into operation.

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In November 1999, two RSM-52 missiles were fired from the Barents Sea from the side of one of the TAPKR 941 projects. The interval between launches was two hours. The warheads of the missiles hit targets at the Kamchatka test site with high accuracy.

According to the domestic press, the existing plans for the development of Russia's strategic nuclear forces provide for the modernization of the Project 941 ships with the replacement of the D-19 missile system with a new one. If this is true, the Sharks have every chance of remaining in service in the 2010s.

In the future, it is possible to re-equip part of the nuclear-powered ships of the 941st project into transport nuclear submarines (TAPLs) designed to transport goods along transpolar and cross-polar under-ice routes, the shortest route linking Europe, North America and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The cargo compartment built instead of the missile compartment will be capable of receiving up to 10,000 tons of cargo.

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As of 2013, out of 6 ships built under the USSR, 3 ships of project 941 "Shark" have been disposed of, 2 ships are awaiting disposal, and one has been modernized under project 941UM.

Due to the chronic lack of funding, in the 1990s, it was planned to decommission all units, however, with the advent of financial opportunities and the revision of military doctrine, the remaining ships (TK-17 Arkhangelsk and TK-20 Severstal) underwent maintenance repairs in 1999-2002. TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" was overhauled and upgraded under project 941UM in 1990-2002 and since December 2003 has been used as part of the test program for the latest Russian SLBM "Bulava". When testing the Bulava, it was decided to abandon the previously used test procedure.
The 18th submarine division, which included all the Sharks, was reduced. As of February 2008, it included TK-17 Arkhangelsk (last combat duty from October 2004 to January 2005) and TK-20 Severstal ”(last combat duty - 2002), as well as converted to the Bulava K-208 Dmitry Donskoy. TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" and TK-20 "Severstal" for more than three years were waiting for a decision on the disposal or re-equipment with new SLBMs, until in August 2007 the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet V.V. it is planned to modernize the nuclear submarine "Akula" under the missile system "Bulava-M".

The option of re-equipping them to accommodate cruise missiles is being considered, by analogy with the rearmament of the US Navy Ohio-class submarines. On September 28, 2011, a statement was published by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, according to which, "Typhoons", as they do not fit into the START-3 treaty limits and are excessively expensive compared to the new Borey-class missile carriers, are planned to be decommissioned and cut into metal up to 2014. Options for converting the three remaining ships into transport submarines under the Rubin TsKBMT project or cruise missile arsenal submarines were rejected due to the excessive cost of work and operation.

At a meeting in Severodvinsk, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that Russia had decided to temporarily abandon the disposal of third-generation strategic nuclear submarines currently in service with the Navy. As a result, the service life of the boats will be extended to 30-35 years instead of the current 25. The modernization will affect the strategic nuclear submarines of the Akula type, where every 7 years electronic stuffing and weapons.

In February 2012, information appeared in the media that the main weapons of the Akula-type nuclear submarine, RSM-52 missiles, were not completely disposed of, and until 2020 it is possible to commission the Severstal and Arkhangelsk boats with standard weapons on board.

In March 2012, information appeared from the sources of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation that the strategic nuclear submarines of project 941 Akula would not be upgraded for financial reasons. According to the source, the deep modernization of one Shark is comparable in cost to the construction of two new Project 955 Borey submarines. Submarine cruisers TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" and TK-20 "Severstal" will not be upgraded in light of the recent decision, TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" will continue to be used as a test platform for weapons systems and sonar systems until 2019.

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Interesting Facts:

For the first time, the placement of missile silos in front of the felling was carried out on boats of the Akula project.
For the development of a unique ship the title of Hero Soviet Union was awarded to the Commander of the first missile cruiser Captain 1st Rank A. V. Olkhovnikov in 1984
The ships of the project "Shark" are listed in the Guinness Book of Records
The commander's chair in the central post is inviolable, there is no exception for anyone, not for the commanders of a division, fleet or flotilla, and even the minister of defense. Breaking this tradition in 1993, P. Grachev during a visit to the "Shark" was awarded the hostility of submariners.

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