The Soviet nuclear submarine of Project 705 Lira has become the pinnacle of the food chain in the underwater world. Like a shark. Thanks to revolutionary technical solutions, the submarine could catch up and hit any target, but no one could hit it. The creation of Alfa (the name of the nuclear submarine according to NATO classification) changed the world tactics of underwater combat, high-speed torpedoes and missile-torpedoes of the United States were born thanks to the submarine.
The only armament of the 705th project were torpedoes, six devices in the nose. The sub was created for hunting enemy submarines and dueling situations. In aviation, such devices are called fighters. The designers were tasked with creating a submarine capable of evading weapons of destruction. For this, a special resolution of the Central Committee and the Council of Ministers of the USSR SKB-143 (now SPMBM "Malachite") was allowed to deviate from the rules and regulations of military shipbuilding, if they prove the need for such measures. The designers have completed the task.
The boat turned out to be small, with a displacement of just over 3000 tons, with one propeller and a compact streamlined wheelhouse. With its swift outlines "Lyra" resembles a large marine predator - for example, a killer whale. The titanium hull reduced the submarine's signature and weight, dramatically increasing speed and maneuverability. The design of the submarine used revolutionary solutions at that time.
The reactor was with a metal coolant. This created a lot of problems with maintaining its operating temperature, but the boat developed full speed from a standstill in a minute. The power plant turned out to be light - the mass of the reactor is 300 tons less than that of other nuclear submarines - and compact. At the same time, the complexity of the Lyra's design has become legendary. Sevmash's virtuoso welders bent electrodes and used mirrors to weld a jumble of cables and pipelines.
The control of the submarine was automated as much as possible (even the galley was mechanized), due to which the crew was reduced by three times compared to conventional nuclear submarines. There were no watchkeepers in the compartments - control of all parameter systems was carried out from the central post. And the combat shift consisted of eight people. For the first time, a rescue capsule appeared on the "Lear" - in case of an accident, the crew moved to the pop-up conning tower. For 20 years of operation of submarines of this type, not a single person died on them.
- We had highly professional crews: 24 officers, six warrant officers and a sailor-cook. And when not a first-year sailor, but a captain of the third rank who has gone through fire, water and copper pipes, sits at the control panel of the acoustics, he discovers such targets that no electronics can detect,”said Aleksey Potekhin, who commanded one of the Lear for eight years.
American fiction writer Tom Clancy made a good advertisement for the submarine. In his novels, Alfa was described as the evil genius of American submariners, invulnerable and deadly. Able to escape enemy torpedoes and overtake any ship, the Lyra has earned such a reputation. Under water, the Lyra accelerated from zero to 41 knots in a minute and could turn 180 degrees at full speed in 42 seconds.
The favorite pastime of Soviet long-range aviation pilots was to scare American aircraft carriers. Having tracked down a warrant somewhere in the Atlantic, the Tu-95 crept up on low level and roared over the flight deck. Aviators photographed enemy vehicles and showed friendly gestures through the windows. The underwater analogue of fun (and a combat mission at the same time) was the pursuit of American submarines. Off the coast of the United States, the Lyra was glued to a missile carrier that was on alert and chased it for weeks, not allowing it to reach its destination area.
Especially for "Lyra" they created pneumatic torpedo tubes, which made it possible to shoot from any depth, and later became famous missile-torpedoes "Shkval". The option of equipping the nuclear submarine with ballistic missiles was considered, but it required serious changes in the design of the submarine and the strategic version was abandoned. The Lyra remained a submarine fighter, a titanium shark.
Soviet nuclear submarine of project 705 "Lira". Photo: Photo: Wikimedia.org
