The rocket, which laid the foundation for the domestic operational-tactical and underwater missile systems, was born as a result of a scientific and engineering experiment
Self-propelled launcher of the R-11M missile at the November parade in Moscow. Photo from the site
Even before the end of the tests of the R-11, several events took place that predetermined the further fate of this rocket. First, on April 11, 1955, Viktor Makeev, by order of the Minister of Armaments Dmitry Ustinov, was appointed Deputy Chief Designer of OKB-1 Sergey Korolev and at the same time - Chief Designer of SKB-385 at Zlatoust Plant No. 66. This was the beginning of the future Main Missile Center, which eventually received the name of its creator.
Secondly, in January 1954, design began, and on August 26, a government decree was issued on the development of the R-11M rocket - the carrier of the RDS-4 nuclear charge. This almost immediately turned a not very obedient and expensive toy into a weapon capable of radically changing the balance of power on the western borders, first of the USSR, and then of the entire Warsaw Pact.
And thirdly, on January 26, a joint resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued "On the conduct of experimental design work to arm submarines with long-range ballistic missiles and the development of a technical design for a large submarine with rocket weapons on the basis of these works." On February 11, development of the R-11FM rocket began, and six months later, on September 16, the world's first successful launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine was performed in the White Sea.
P-11 in the reserve of the Supreme High Command
As was customary in the Soviet armed forces, the formation of the first units that were to adopt the new missile system began shortly before the end of the R-11 tests. In May 1955, in accordance with the directive of the Chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Army No. 3/464128, the 233rd engineering brigade - the former high-power artillery brigade of the Voronezh military district - changed its staffing. Three separate divisions were formed in it, each of which received its own number and its own battle banner, becoming an independent military unit.
Winter practical exercises in the calculation of the R-11M self-propelled launcher. Photo from the site
This is how the traditional staff of engineering (later - missile) brigades of the Supreme High Command reserve was formed. As a rule, each brigade consisted of three - sometimes, as an exception, two or four - separate engineering, later missile, divisions. And as part of each separate division there were three starting batteries, a control battery, a technical and a park battery, and besides them, there were other units that supported the unit's activities.
In practice, such an organization of the service turned out to be extremely cumbersome and inconvenient, although it was not immediately revealed. On June 27, 1956, one of the batteries of the 233rd engineering brigade fired the first shot in the history of the unit with a new R-11 rocket at the state test site in Kapustin Yar. A little over a year later, in September 1957, the 15th separate engineering division of the 233rd brigade, during an exercise that was part of an army offensive training operation, fired nine missiles in its arsenal. It was during these exercises that it became clear that in full force, with the entire system of service equipment, the division becomes clumsy and poorly controlled. Ultimately, this problem was solved due to the fact that the technical and park batteries were removed from the division, leaving only the engineering missile platoon, and the main part of the service functions was taken over by the corresponding units of the brigade.
In part, the problem of the extreme bulkiness of the missile divisions armed with R-11 missiles was also solved by the appearance of a new modification - the R-11M, which, in addition to the traditional vehicle fleet with transporters, installers and other service vehicles, received a self-propelled tracked chassis. This installation was designed on the basis of the ISU-152 heavy self-propelled artillery installation simultaneously with the development of the R-11M itself, in 1955-56. The development was carried out by engineers and designers of the Kirov plant, whose design bureau later created more than one type of similar equipment (in particular, it was at the Kirov plant that a self-propelled launcher was developed for the only solid-fuel rocket in the history of OKB-1 RT-15: read more about this in the material "RT-15: the history of the creation of the first self-propelled ballistic missile of the USSR"). As a result, it was possible to reduce the number of vehicles in each separate division by three times: if in the first versions of the staffing table the total number of vehicles in the division reached 152, then with self-propelled launchers, each of which replaced several specialized vehicles at once, their number was reduced to fifty.
Drawing of a self-propelled launcher of the R-11M rocket in the combat and stowed position. Photo from the site
Both the R-11 missiles on road transport trolleys and the R-11M missiles designed for use with nuclear warheads on self-propelled chassis have been proudly demonstrated more than once to Muscovites and foreign guests at parades in the capital. For the first time, the "eleventh" were transported across Red Square on November 7, 1957 - in the R-11M version, and from then until the very withdrawal from service they remained indispensable participants in the Moscow parades in May and November. By the way, the "naval" R-11FM missiles also took part in the parades - with full justification, as the first ballistic missiles in the country to be adopted by submarines.
"Eleventh" goes to naval service
“With the advent of the R-11 rocket with high-boiling components, designed for a mobile launch, there appeared a practical opportunity to develop a modification of a long-range ballistic missile launched from a submarine,” writes Boris Chertok in his book “Rockets and People”. - The sailors were very enthusiastic about the new type of weapon in comparison with the land commanders. I have already written about the skepticism expressed by many military generals when comparing the effectiveness of conventional weapons and missiles. The sailors turned out to be much more far-sighted. They proposed to create a new class of ships - missile submarines with unique properties. The submarine, armed with torpedoes, was designed to strike only enemy ships. The submarine, armed with ballistic missiles, became capable of hitting ground targets from the sea, thousands of kilometers away from it, while remaining invulnerable.
Korolyov loved to develop new ideas and demanded the same love for new things from his associates. But in such an unusual undertaking, first of all, strong allies were needed among the "pike perch" - shipbuilders.
The Korolev's ally was the chief designer of TsKB-16 Nikolai Nikitovich Isanin. He was an experienced shipbuilder who began to engage in submarines, having completed the school of building heavy cruisers and battleships. During the war, he was engaged in the then most popular type of ships - torpedo boats. Isanin became the chief designer of diesel submarines just two years before meeting with Korolev. He boldly took up the alteration of his project "611" under the missile carrier ".
A naval transporter with an R-11FM rocket at the parade. Photo from the site
As it was clear to the military shipbuilders that it was impossible to adapt the submarine for firing missiles by simple modernization, it was clear to the missilemen that it was impossible to just take the R-11 and shove it into the submarine - it needed to be modified. This is exactly what had to be done, creating a modification of the R-11FM. And Sergei Korolev, despite the fact that he would probably like to do it himself, shifted this task onto the shoulders of a man in whom he was sure - Viktor Makeev. It is no coincidence that only a couple of months passed between the decisions to start the development of the R-11FM and the appointment of Makeev to the post of general designer of SKB-386. And it took this time, first of all, to determine the place of refinement and production of the new missile SKB-385 and its base-plant in Zlatoust. And at the insistence of the new general, to lay down and start the construction of a new base - in the nearby town of Miass, already famous by that time for its heavy Ural trucks.
However, the construction of a new plant, which, according to the plan of Viktor Makeyev, was to be accompanied by the construction of a town for his workers, is not a one-year business. Therefore, the first series of R-11FM, after the SKB-385 was transferred to them in the same 1955, were made in Zlatoust. And from there they were sent for testing at the Kapustin Yar test site, where, during May-July 1955, the R-11FM were launched from the unique CM-49 swinging stand, which made it possible to simulate a pitching corresponding to a 4-point roughness at sea.
But no matter how good the swinging stand was, full-scale launches from a real submarine were to become an indispensable stage of testing. Moreover, since October 1954, one of the new torpedo submarines of project 611 - B-67, enlisted in the lists of naval ships on May 10, 1952 and under construction in Leningrad, has already stood up to the outfitting wall of plant No. 402 in Molotovsk (present-day Severodvinsk) under re-equipment according to the B-611 project. The letter "B" in this cipher meant "Wave": under this name the topic of the development of missile weapons for submarines appeared.
Launch of the R-11FM rocket from the SM-49 rocking sea stand at the Kapustin Yar test site. Photo from the site
The Queen wanted the boat to shake at least a little
The fact that from a technical point of view was the first underwater missile system of the Soviet Navy, you can read in the material "D-1 missile system with ballistic missile R-11FM". We will give the floor to an eyewitness and participant in the preparation and the world's first launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine - the first commander of the B-67, then Captain Second Rank Fyodor Kozlov.
Prior to his appointment in February 1954 as the commander of the B-67 torpedo submarine of project 611, Captain Second Rank Fyodor Kozlov managed to go through a serious naval school. Born in 1922, he began service in the Northern Fleet in 1943, in the submarine, and during the war years he managed to make eight military campaigns. Kozlov received his first "his" torpedo boat in 1951, when he was only 29 years old, and the next was the first missile boat in his life and in the entire Soviet fleet. In one of his last interviews with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, Fyodor Kozlov recalled the events that made him the commander of the country's first missile submarine:
“At first, the crew wondered why in the fourth compartment, instead of the unloaded second group of storage batteries, they began to install two mines. They didn't even explain anything to me. I was on vacation when on May 10, 1955, I was summoned to Moscow to see Admiral Vladimirsky. Lev Anatolyevich then temporarily served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy for shipbuilding and weapons. And on the eve of this conversation, the General Staff of the Navy informed me that the B-67 was being re-equipped for testing missile weapons. Previously, I, and then another 12 sailors and foremen, led by the commander of the BC-2-3 (mine-torpedo warhead) Senior Lieutenant Semyon Bondin, were sent to the Kapustin Yar training ground to prepare a missile combat crew.
Submarine B-67 in the Barents Sea. Photo from the site
The builders were hurrying: "Fyodor Ivanovich, raise the flag!" I heard it every day. But until my officers reported on the elimination of the shortcomings, we did not accept the ship. Factory tests were carried out in two weeks. The matter was simplified by the fact that a significant part of the ship was not affected by the modernization. And the crew, as I said, had already been floated.
The finished missile was delivered to us from the technical position of the test site (the Nyonoksa naval test site, created specifically for testing sea-based ballistic missiles in 1954. - Author's note). Everything was done at night, avoiding "extra eyes". Loading was carried out with an ordinary portal crane. A very difficult job. Only the spotlights of the crane were shining. This happened on the night of September 14-15”.
After the rocket was loaded onto the submarine, another day passed before the B-67, with an unusually wide wheelhouse for Project 611 boats, went to sea for the first real launch of the rocket. Fyodor Kozlov recalls:
“The weather was good. Complete calm, as they say. And Korolev wanted the boat to shake at least a little. Finally, after lunch, the wind picked up. The shooting area was located near the coast, near the village of Nyonoksa. We decided: we will make it in time! The chairman of the state commission Nikolai Isanin (shipbuilder, author of the B-611 project) and Korolev, as well as industry specialists and officers of the naval range, immediately arrived on the ship. We go out to sea. When the boat had already laid down on a combat course, a boat approached, and Admiral Vladimirsky boarded.
Loading the R-11FM missile on board one of the AB611 project submarines
The pre-launch preparation of the rocket began an hour before the approach to the launch point. Periscopes raised. The commander - Korolyov, with whom by that time we had developed a rather trusting relationship, and I myself look at the anti-aircraft. Admiral Vladimirsky is with us in the conning tower. And so the launch pad rises to the starting position along with the rocket. A 30-minute readiness is announced. I, Korolev and his deputy Vladilen Finogeyev put on headsets to communicate with the specialists preparing the start. Commands for this connection were given by Korolev, I duplicated them for the crew, and Finogeyev pressed the "Flight Power" button that included the start. And the result is as follows: White Sea, 17 hours 32 minutes September 16, 1955 - the rocket successfully launched. At the request of Admiral Vladimirsky, I give him a seat at the periscope, he is watching the flight of the rocket. And I and Sergey Pavlovich, after the start, we go up to the bridge. What do I remember? The Korolyov's sweat rolled down from his forehead like a hail. However, when we examined the launch pad and the mine after the launch, he said the same about me. And my eyes ate salt from the sweat."
The R-11FM rocket in the launch position over the fence of the cabin of the project 629 submarine, which was designed immediately as a submarine missile carrier. Photo from the site
Scud: the first, but far from the last
And here is how Academician Boris Chertok recalled his participation in one of the subsequent launches of the R-11FM rocket from the B-67 submarine: “The boat departed from the pier early in the morning, and soon the dive team followed. Of course, I was interested in everything, because what was happening inside the boat during diving and diving, I could only imagine from literature. Korolyov was already “his own” on the boat. He immediately went to the conning tower, where he studied boat control techniques, and looked through the periscope. He did not forget to warn us: "If you climb the ship, don't break your head." Despite the warning, I repeatedly bumped into all sorts of out of place protruding parts of the mechanisms and scolded the designers for the small diameter of the hatches that separated the compartments from each other.
The layout diagram of the boat of the AV611 project with the R-11FM missiles. Photo from the site
All equipment for preparation of launch control was located in a special "rocket" compartment. It was very crowded with consoles and cabinets with marine electronics. Before the launch, six people should be at combat posts in this compartment. Nearby are "solid" missile silos. When the boat floats up and the covers of the mines open, only the metal of these mines will separate people from the cold sea.
You cannot move to other compartments after a combat alert. All access hatches are battened down. The combat crew of the missile compartment is in charge of all the preparations, and the launch itself is carried out from the central post of the boat.
After four hours of the hike, when it began to seem that we were interfering with everyone in the underwater tightness and were tired of our questions, the command to ascend followed.
Korolev, finding me and Finogeev in the torpedo compartment, said that now all three of us should be at the mine, from which the rocket will be lifted and launched.
Why did he need a demonstration of such courage? If something happens to the rocket while it is still in the mine or even on the upper cut - we are unconditional "khana". Why the submarine commander allowed Korolyov to sit by the mine during the launch, I still do not understand. If there is a misfortune, the commander's head will not be demolished. True, later one submariner said: "If something happened, there would be no one to ask from."
The command of the commander - "Combat alert" and, for the sake of loyalty, the signal of the sea howler, passed through the thirty-minute readiness in the compartments of the boat … Exchanging short phrases, the three of us sat uncomfortably, pressed against the cold metal of the mine. Korolyov obviously wanted to "present" himself and his equipment: look, they say, how we believe in the reliability of our missiles.
It scraped and rumbled in the mine when the “horns and hooves” were working upward (the R-11FM rocket was launched on the surface from the launch pad, which rose out of the mine. - Author's note). We tensed as we waited for the engine to start. I expected that here the roar of the engine, the jet of flame from which rushed into the mine, would make a frightening impression even on us. However, the start was surprisingly quiet.
Everything worked out! The hatches opened, a joyful commander appeared, congratulating on the successful launch. We have already reported from the crash site. Now the coordinates are being specified. Telemetry stations were receiving. According to preliminary data, the flight went well.
This was the eighth or ninth launch of the R-11 FM from this first missile submarine. After the start-up, the tension of all immediately subsided. Finogeyev, who was not the first to take part in launches from this boat, smiling broadly, asked me: "Well, how, let it go?" “Yes,” I replied, “this, of course, should not be let out of the concrete bunker.”
Training in the calculation of the self-propelled launcher of the R-11M missile of the National People's Army of the GDR. Photo from the site
In total, the first grouping of missile-carrying submarines in the history of the Russian fleet included five Project 611AV boats armed with R-11FM missiles. On land, a total of eleven missile brigades were armed with R-11 missiles of various modifications, of which eight brigades were armed with complexes with self-propelled launchers.
In addition to the Soviet Union, six more Warsaw Pact countries have adopted the R-11M missiles: Bulgaria (three missile brigades), Hungary (one missile brigade), East Germany (two missile brigades), Poland (four missile brigades), Romania (two missile brigades) and Czechoslovakia (three missile brigades). Their versions of the R-11 rocket were produced according to the drawings and documents received from the USSR in China, and the DPRK received a number of complexes based on the R-11.
Self-propelled launchers of R-11M missiles of the National People's Army of the GDR (above) and the Polish Army (below) with national identification marks. Photo from the site
These missiles did not remain in service in most countries for long: in the Soviet Union they were removed from service by the end of the 1960s, in other countries, for the most part, they remained in service until the early 1970s. The reason for this was not the shortcomings of the R-11 itself and its modifications, but the appearance of its successor, the Elbrus missile system with the R-17 missile, which became, in fact, a deep modernization of its predecessor. After all, work on the modernized R-11MU rocket began in the spring of 1957 and stopped a year later only because it was decided to develop the R-17 rocket on the same basis. But it was no coincidence that Western military observers gave both of them the same name Scud, under which the "eleventh" and her heirs went down in history.
