There was only one example of Project 1710, the prototype S-533 Forel . This is not uncommon in the history of the Soviet submarine fleet, as new developments and improvements were constantly being passed on to the fleet in small series.
Little is known about the S-533. The submarine was built by the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg , put into service in 1987 and was about 65 meters long. It was probably an attempt to plan a successor to the successful, but somewhat outdated, Project 877 , as modern design elements (shell shape very similar to Project 945 , more modern sensors , possibly also a drive system that is independent of the outside air) with the classic non-atomic propulsion system. The attractiveness of the conventional drive system lies in its safety, the low acquisition and operating costs and its suitability for export .
The prototype was probably decommissioned in 1998 and was for some time in a scrapping yard in Inkerman near the naval base in Sevastopol . The S-533 was in very poor condition. Some time later the boat was broken up there.
Individual evidence
↑ a b c Beluga Class. www.fas.org, archived from the original on September 6, 2008 ; accessed on September 17, 2008 (English).