Giant submarine of class "Shark" of project 941: review, characteristics

The submarine of the class "Shark" is still an undefeated record of the USSR. Being in an autonomous navigation for 120 days, she crossed the oceans with ease and unnoticed, she was able to break the thick Arctic ice and hit the enemy's targets, releasing the entire ballistic missile's ammunition for a short time. Today, it can not be used, and its fate is vague.

Our response

The arms race that unfolded between the USSR and the US demanded from both sides worthy responses to mutual challenges. In the 1970s, the United States received a ship with a displacement of 18.7 tons. Its speed was 200 knots, equipment included equipment that made underwater rocket launches from a depth of 15 to 30 meters. In response to Soviet science and the military-industrial complex, the country's leadership demanded the creation of superior technology.

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

At the end of September 1980, the first underwater cruiser "Akula" of project 941 was launched from the shipyard of Severodvinsk in the White Sea. According to a naval legend or were on the prow of a submarine, while it was not launched, below the waterline, a grinning shark, trident. After descent into the sea, the pattern disappeared under the water and no one saw the emblem, but the people's memory, pampered by symbolism and signs, immediately gave the name to the cruiser - "Shark". All the following submarines of type 941 received the same name, and for crew members, their own insignia was introduced in the form of a patch on the sleeve with the image of a shark. In the United States, the cruiser was given the name "Typhoon".

Design

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

Submarines of Project 941 ("Shark") have in the construction, at the base of the felling, two floating evacuation chambers with a capacity for the entire operating crew. The compartment in which the central post is located is located closer to the stern of the cruiser. Titanium sheathing covers two central bodies, a central post, torpedo spaces, the rest of the surface is sewn with steel, on which hydroacoustic coating is applied, reliably hiding the boat from the tracking systems.

The front retractable handlebars of the horizontal structure are located in the bow of the boat. The upper deckhouse is reinforced and equipped with a roof of a round structure capable of breaking a solid ice cover upon ascent in the northern latitudes.

Characteristics

On the submarines of type 941, third-generation power plants (their capacity was 100,000 hp) of block type were installed, the deployment was divided into two blocks in strong cases, which reduced the size of the nuclear power plant. At the same time, the performance was improved.

But not only this step made the legendary submarines class "Shark". The characteristics of the GEM included two water-cooled nuclear reactors OK-650 and two steam-type turbines. All the assembled equipment allowed not only to increase the efficiency of the whole operation of the submarine, but to significantly reduce the vibration, and, accordingly, improve the noise insulation of the ship. The nuclear installation was put into operation automatically when the electric power was lost.

Specifications:

• The maximum length is 172 meters.
• The maximum width is 23.3 meters.
• The height of the case is 26 meters.
• Displacement (underwater / surface) - 48 thousand tons / 23,2 thousand tons.
• Autonomy of swimming without ascent - 120 days.
• The depth of immersion (maximum / working) is 480 m / 400 m.
• Speed of navigation (surface / underwater) - 12 knots / 25 knots.

Armament

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

The whole arsenal of the submarine's ammunition can be launched with a single salvo with a short start interval between missile units. Running ammunition is made from above and underwater position, the maximum depth at the start is 55 meters. Design characteristics provided for the ammunition in 24 missiles, later reduced to 20 units.

Features

Submarines of project 941 "Akula" were equipped with an energy installation consisting of two modules, separated in different, reliably reinforced shells. The state of the reactors was monitored by pulse equipment, an automatic response system with the slightest loss of power.

When issuing a design assignment, one of the mandatory conditions was ensuring the safety of the boat and the crew, the so-called safe radius, for which they were calculated by the dynamic strength method and experimentally tested by the hull components (two pop-up modules, container fastening, mating, etc.). .

The submarine of the class "Akula" was built at the Sevmash plant, where the world's largest indoor boathouse or workshop No. 55 was designed and built for it. The ships of Project 941 are characterized by an increased buoyancy of more than 40%. To make the boat completely submerged, its ballast should make up half its displacement, which gives the second name - the "water carrier". The decision on such a design was made with a visionary sight - to carry out repairs, prevention will be necessary at existing piers and repair plants.

The same buoyancy reserve ensures the survival of the ship in the northern latitudes, where it is required to crack a thick ice cover. Submarines of the "Akula" type of Project 941 were able to cope with the severe conditions of the North Pole, where the ice thickness reaches 2.5 meters with the accompanying ice ridges and rifts. The ability to open the ice thickness was repeatedly demonstrated in practice.

Comfort for the crew

The crew of the submarine cruiser was mostly equipped with officers, midshipmen. Senior officers were accommodated in double and four-bed cabins equipped with TV, washbasin, air conditioning, wardrobes, desks, etc.

The sailors and junior officers received convenient cockpits. On the submarine, the conditions for life were more than comfortable, only ships of this class were equipped with a gym, swimming pool, solarium and a sauna. To not too break away from reality in a long campaign, a living place was created.

On the joke

During the entire period of the construction of the submarine type 941, six cruisers were adopted for the Navy:

• "Dmitry Donskoy" (TK - 208) . Adopted in December 1981, after modernization, again began to conduct service in July 2002.
• TK-202. She received a port of registration and was put into service in December 1983. In 2005, the boat was cut for scrap.
• Simbirsk (TK-12). Adopted in the Federation Council in January 1985. Was disposed of in 2005.
• TK-13. The cruiser was recruited in December 1985. In 2009, the hull was cut into metal, part of the submarine (six-unit block, reactors) transferred to long-term storage on the Kola Peninsula.
• "Arkhangelsk" (TK-17). Date of receipt for the fleet - November 1987. In connection with the lack of ammunition since 2006, the issue of recycling is being discussed.
• Severstal (TK-20). Attached to the Navy in September 1989. In 2004, she left for the reserve due to the lack of ammunition, it is planned to be disposed of.
• TK-210. The laying of the hull structures coincided with the breakdown of the economic system. It was deprived of funding and was dismantled in 1990.

Nuclear submarines of the class "Shark" were consolidated into one division, the basis for them is the Western Face (Murmansk region). The reconstruction of Nerpichya Bay was completed in 1981. For the base of the 941 cruisers, a berth line, piers with special capabilities were equipped, a unique crane with a carrying capacity of 125 tons for rocket loading (not commissioned) was built.

Current state

To date, all available nuclear submarines of the "Akula" class are in the port of registration in a conserved form, their fate is being decided. The submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was upgraded to the combat equipment "Bulava". According to media reports, in 2016 it was planned to dispose of inactive copies. There were no reports on the implementation of the plan.

The giant submarine project 941 "Shark", is still a unique weapon, the only cruiser capable of carrying combat duty in the Arctic. They are almost invulnerable to anti-submarine submarines in the arsenal of the United States. Also, no potential enemy has technical aircraft to detect the cruiser under the ice.