"Carrier killers" were ten times cheaper than the carriers themselves
If diesel-electric submarines were colloquially called "diving" because of the need for frequent ascent to recharge batteries, then with the advent of nuclear power, the question arose about a purely submarine ship with a high speed.
The First and Second World Wars proved the value of submarines in gaining supremacy at sea. They posed a threat not only to sea and ocean communications, but also to large surface ships and entire formations. And in an underwater duel, the submarine is able to fight with its own kind. All this was taken into account in the post-war development of naval art, and the emergence of a new type of energy and advanced weapons (missiles) raised the question of creating a fundamentally new type of submarines.
Autonomy is not limited
Nuclear power eliminates the problem of cruising range. And only the physiological characteristics of the human body impose restrictions on its duration. Nevertheless, the autonomy of a submarine is several times higher than that of a surface ship. An important feature is the stealth and ability of submarines to operate in any weather conditions. There are no restrictions on water areas. Even the ice of the Arctic is not a hindrance.
“After the Kursk tragedy, Project 949A boats were put into reserve. Perhaps this is what the Americans were trying to achieve”
Our underwater nuclear shipbuilding was a leader in a number of areas. We were the first to create submarine-launched cruise missiles, and we widely used titanium in the construction of hulls. We still have a world record of underwater speed (42 knots, project 661 "Goldfish"), maximum diving depth (more than a thousand meters, project 685 K-278 "Komsomolets") and many other achievements.
All this created a well-known parity with the US and NATO fleets. It was the submarine forces that had the greatest deterrent influence in the confrontation between the blocs during the Cold War. And it must be admitted that it was not the fleet that lost it.
Search work on the creation of a nuclear submarine began in the USSR already in 1949. In 1950, some of the commanders of the fleets, primarily the Northern Fleet, were privately notified of these studies, where the introduction of a new "product" was planned. On September 9, 1952, Stalin signed a decree of the USSR Council of Ministers "On the design and construction of facility 627".
In Moscow, in an atmosphere of extreme secrecy, two groups of designers and scientists were registered: the group of V. N. Peregudov designed the ship itself, and the team headed by N. A. Dollezhal developed a power plant for it. Academician A. P. Aleksandrov, director of the Institute of Atomic Energy of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, was appointed the scientific supervisor of all work.
The project of the first Soviet nuclear-powered submarine was created on the basis of a large domestic diesel-electric boat of project 611. The full-scale development of an experimental nuclear submarine of the 627th project, which received the code "Kit", was transferred in the spring of 1953 to the Leningrad SKB-143 ("Malachite"). At the same time, the main weapon of the new ship was designed - the T-15 torpedo, however, later on it was abandoned. The scale of work on the creation of the first domestic nuclear submarine is evidenced by the fact that 135 enterprises and organizations were involved in the participation, including 20 design bureaus and 80 factories - suppliers of various equipment.
The solemn ceremony of the official laying of the boat took place on September 24, 1955. On August 9, 1957, the nuclear submarine was launched, and on September 14, nuclear reactors were loaded. On July 3, 1958, the boat, which received the tactical number K-3, entered sea trials. In January 1959, the K-3 was transferred to the Navy for trial operation, which ended in 1962, and the nuclear submarine became a full-fledged combat ship of the Northern Fleet. After the trip to the North Pole, the submarine was given the name "Lenin Komsomol", its operation continued until 1991. By the way, the nuclear submarine of the 627 project K-3 significantly surpassed the firstborn of the American nuclear submarine fleet - the SSN 571 Nautilus submarine, launched a year earlier than the K-3 and served until 1980.
All the first is unknown and often surprises, but also gives experience. In August 1967, upon returning from combat service, a fire broke out on the Leninsky Komsomol, which claimed the lives of 39 submariners, including my classmate, the commander of the BC-3 Captain 3rd Rank Lev Kamorkin, who saved the ship at the cost of his life.
After the K-3 was decommissioned, there were plans to convert it into a museum. The design bureau "Malakhit" has developed a corresponding project. But because of the situation in the country, he was ordered to be forgotten. Now there is hope to implement this project in St. Petersburg. K-3 ready for installation is located in Severodvinsk.
Specialization time
The successful operation of the first nuclear-powered ships, as well as the extensive arms race in the 60s and 70s of the last century, gave a powerful impetus to the development of this direction. Nuclear submarine cruisers for various purposes appear in the USSR - multipurpose torpedo cruisers, with cruise missiles to combat aircraft carrier formations, and strategic ballistic missiles.
Of course, everyone has heard of strategic missile submarines, the so-called RPK SN from our side and SSBNs from a potential enemy. Yes, the threat is colossal, but, naturally, the question arises: who will protect and destroy them?
Therefore, multipurpose boats began to be built, from which the task of combating the enemy's surface forces was not removed, but the main thing was tracking SSBNs in readiness to strike at them with the beginning of hostilities. In the oceans, submarine races began one after another.
The most typical representatives of the class of multipurpose nuclear-powered ships were projects 671, 671RT, 671 RTM and, of course, 705, 705K, the so-called fighter boats. These and some other developments bore the brunt of the Cold War in the ocean. Just one little-known fact. K-147 (project 671), equipped with the latest, unparalleled system for tracking enemy nuclear submarines on the wake, May 29 - July 1, 1985, under the command of Captain 2nd Rank V. V. fleet "Aport". A six-day continuous tracking of the American SSBN "Simon Bolivar" (type "Lafayette") was carried out.
A special headache for the potential enemy was created by our 3rd generation multipurpose nuclear submarines, which received the Shchuka-B code. A typical representative is the "Gepard" (K-335) that has entered service. There was a lot of noise about him in 2000, the president himself visited the ship. Unfortunately, at present there is no special movement in the improvement of boats in this direction in the country.
How we lost 15 Kursk
The United States and its satellites have relied on aircraft carrier strike formations (AUS) to gain supremacy at sea. To combat this threat, nuclear-powered projects appeared, the main weapon of which was cruise missiles. Initially, such nuclear submarines could strike not only at the AUS, but also at coastal targets. The boats of this class, of which Project 675 was one of the representatives, were nicknamed by our naval witches “clamshells”, and the Americans - “roaring cows”. The Navy received 29 of them. Despite the shortcomings (surface launch of missiles, high noise and others), they played a significant role in the development of the direction, as a result of which the 670, 667AT projects appeared … This is where the famous Goldfish record holder came from.
In September 1971, Project 661 K-162 entered its first combat service. The ship passed from the Greenland Sea to the Brazilian Trench to the equator. Completed a number of tasks together with other submarines and surface ships. The aircraft carrier "Saratoga" was escorted. He tried to break away from our submarine, developing a speed of more than 30 knots, but failed. Moreover, the "Goldfish" carried out maneuvers ahead of the actions of the aircraft carrier. For 90 days of the cruise, the nuclear submarine floated to the surface only once.
But for the fight against nuclear-powered aircraft carriers of the "Nimitz" type, the previously created boats with cruise missiles (SSGNs) were no longer suitable. Project 949A (Antey) was developed. The lead cruiser K-206 (Murmansk) entered service in April 1980. It was supposed to build 20 SSGNs of this type, but …
As of the mid-80s, the Project 949A boat cost 226 million rubles, which at the then exchange rate was equal to only 10 percent of the cost of the Roosevelt multipurpose aircraft carrier ($ 2.3 billion excluding the aircraft wing).
These boats created a special headache for the Americans. They were given the self-explanatory name "aircraft carrier killers". 15 boats of this project were built. But after the tragedy of the Kursk SSGN, the submarines were taken to the reserve. Perhaps this was what the Americans were trying to achieve when they became convinced of the superiority of the submarine after the Kursk's cruise to the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, with the right maritime policy, the submarines of this project are capable of effectively performing their tasks until the 2020s.
Sailors squared
During the Cold War, the main task of the opposing blocs was to scare each other with a nuclear missile strike. Therefore, the most numerous class of nuclear submarines was the RPK SN.
Starting with the project 658, the representative of which was the world famous K-19 accident, called "Hiroshima", other models were rapidly built. The largest number was given by the 667th project, starting with 667A. The cabin of the head K-137 will be erected as a monument in St. Petersburg, in the harbor of Vasilyevsky Island, next to the boat-museum D-2.
Heavy cruisers of Project 941 (code "Akula") TRPK SN became the top perfection of strategic submarines. They were built like an underwater catamaran, which gave rise to the ironic nickname "water carriers". But the armament of this project did not cause even a shadow of a smile. His missiles were capable of striking anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, Commander-in-Chief V. Kuroyedov, who had retired in 2005, with the stroke of a pen removed these boats from the fleet's combat strength …
Our submarine fleet is famous first of all for its people. They are of special hardening. No wonder they say that a submariner is not a profession, but a destiny. People sometimes call us sailors or sailors squared twice. Why? It's not hard to guess.
Valentin Pikul wrote about service on the first submarines: “Basically, literate patriots who love their job and know perfectly well what awaits them at the slightest mistake went to serve under water” … These words are also true in relation to today's submariners, especially officers. But whether they have an incentive to such a service is a question. It is easier to build hardware than to train specialists.
