Project 633

Project 633

A Project 633 boat, 1986

Ship data country  Soviet Union China   Shipyard Shipyard 112 Gorki Shipyards of the PRC Construction period 1957 to 1961 Units built 20 ( Soviet Union ) 115 (PR China)

Ship dimensions and crew length 77.8 m ( Lüa ) width 6.7 m Draft Max. 4.6 m displacement surfaced: 1,330 t submerged: 1,730 t   crew 52 men

Machine system machine 2 × 37D diesel engine 2,000  hp 2 × PG-101 electric motors 1,350 HP 2 × PG-103 electric motors 50 HP propeller 2 impellers

Mission data submarine Diving depth, normal 170 m Immersion depth, max. 300 m Top speed submerged 13 kn Top speed surfaced 15.2 kn

Armament 6 × torpedo tubes (bow) ∅ 53.3 cm 2 × torpedo tubes (stern) ∅ 53.3 cm Ammunition: 14 torpedoes or 12 mines

Project 633 ( NATO code name Romeo-Klasse ) is the name of a class of diesel-electric submarines that were initially planned by the Soviet Navy and built from 1959, but discontinued after only 20 boats. The development of this class was later taken over by the People's Republic of China , which formed the basis of their submarine fleet with boats from Project 633.

history

In the summer of 1955, the Soviet Navy decided to build a new class of conventional submarines. The order to plan the 633 project went to the planning office 112 and its chief developer SA Deribin.

Project 633 was basically based on the previous projects 611 and 613 , whose designs were based on the German submarine class XXI from the Second World War .

The new boat was deliberately designed without any special innovations or complex systems and should be an inexpensive standard submarine type. The dimensions were reduced to such an extent that the boats could also be moved across rivers and lakes. This meant that the boats in Project 633 could also be manufactured in inland shipyards.

The construction of the boats began in 1957 with the S-350 and ended in the Soviet Union in 1961 with the S-57, after only 20 submarines had been built and the project was abandoned.

Boats from the Soviet and later from the Chinese stock were also delivered to friendly states, including Algeria and North Korea , where some of them are still in service today.

technology

Hull and bridge tower

The hull of the boats consisted of a 77.8 meter long outer shell, in which the approximately 60 meter long pressure hull was located. The pressure hull had a diameter of 5.3 meters at its widest point, at the level of the headquarters. According to Russian statements, the construction of the fuselage was so stable that it should withstand the pressure wave of a medium-sized atomic bomb exploding underwater at a distance of at least 1,600 meters.

The boats were divided into seven compartments:

Division 1 contained the six bow torpedo tubes , the associated arms bearing, 13 bunks and the steering gear for the forward hydroplanes.

In Department 2, batteries , the commandant's cabin, the officers' cabins, a washroom, the radio station and a fresh water tank were installed.

Division 3 contained the control center with the control instruments, the sonar station , a toilet, the pump systems and the ladder to the bridge tower.

Compartment 4 housed 20 bunks, the aft battery pack, another washroom and various tanks.

Department 5 contained the main engine room with the two diesel engines as well as the engines and controls for the environmental systems and the snorkel .

Department 6 housed the electric engine room with the electric motors and two cabins with three berths each.

Division 7 housed the two stern torpedo tubes, the reserve torpedoes, the rear hatch, four bunks, another toilet and the steering gear.

The bridge tower rose up to almost 5 meters above the deck, it was not waterproof and was flooded during diving operations. The only exception to this was the space in the lower front third of the tower, which formed the connection between the access door on deck, the center of the boat inside and the bad weather bridge in the tower.

The bad weather bridge, a prominent distinguishing feature of many Soviet submarine types, was at the front of the tower. The room contained a compass and six windows for observing the surroundings. On top of the tower there was an additional small structure in which the two periscopes and a radar sensor were housed.

drive

The main propulsion was two type 37D marine diesel engines , each with an output of 2,000 hp (1,471 kW). These engines provided propulsion energy by burning fuel oil and oxygen from the ambient air. This system only worked if enough outside air could be supplied, i.e. on the surface or when diving in shallow water where air could be supplied through a snorkel. 15.2 kn could be reached on the surface. When diving, the water resistance increased and the speed with the two PG-101 electric motors fell from 1,350 hp each to 13 knots.

Range

At 9 knots cruising speed, the boats of Project 633 could travel 14,600 nautical miles with their diesel engines before the fuel they carried was used up. When submerged, the battery capacity was enough for 14 nautical miles at 13 knots.

Armament

Project 633 was equipped with conventional armament, which with six bow and two stern torpedo tubes was still strongly oriented towards the standards of the Second World War. These 533 mm torpedo tubes were suitable for setting off the standard Soviet torpedo types of the time, all of which were tested on Project 633.

• The ET-46 and ET-56 torpedoes were copies of the German G-7e torpedo that had been developed in the Soviet Union in the 1950s.
• The 53-39MP torpedo was an evolved version of the unguided 53-39 that was the standard weapon used by Soviet submarines during World War II. This further development was a so-called area search torpedo .
• The 53-57 torpedo (NATO: 53-56) was an unguided torpedo for use against surface ships. With a top speed of up to 51 knots, it was very fast and could carry a conventional warhead as well as a nuclear warhead . According to Apalkow, the 53-61 version of this weapon was also used on Project 633 and was able to independently track targets with built-in sensors.

Alternatively, up to twelve PMR-1 and PMR-2 sea ​​mines could be carried.

Sensors

Drawing of the starboard side of a Project 633 boat. The light gray parts on the bow mark the outer cladding of the sonar sensors.

The main sensors phalanx of Project 633 was the Arktika-M - sonar system (NATO reporting name: "Pike Jaw") for target tracking, supplemented by the MG-15 Passive sonar system . Targets under and above water could be detected and tracked through active or passive location. The system's transmitters and receivers were mounted on the top and bottom of the bow.

Project 633 had a retractable radar sensor that worked in the X-band with 80 kW (NATO code name: "Snoop Plate") and was used to search for surface contacts. The range for capturing targets was around 10 nautical miles. The sensor could only be used on the surface.

Another retractable sensor, which could also only be used on the surface, was intended to detect foreign radar emissions and had the code name Nakat (NATO code name: "Stop Light B"). He looked for emissions in the frequency ranges between 1 and 10 GHz and gave the rough direction from which they came.

variants

A Project 633RW boat with the conspicuous attachment to the bow, in which the two additional 650 mm torpedo tubes are housed.

A Chinese type 033 boat as a museum ship in Qingdao . The overhanging aft cover of the snorkel head can be clearly seen on the upper rear edge of the tower below the flag.

Project 633RW

Project 633RW (Russian: проект 633РВ ) was a conversion in which two 650 mm torpedo tubes were mounted on two Project 633 boats (S-11 and S-49) for test purposes. The length of the associated weapons of up to eleven meters made it impossible to install the pipes inside the pressure hull, so they were set up on the deck on the forecastle and the construction was enclosed with a superstructure. Neither could reserve torpedoes be carried, nor could the tubes be reloaded with on-board resources, so that each boat in action had only two 650 mm weapons available and a corresponding facility had to be called to reload.

The structure around the two pipes was watertight and the same pressure conditions prevailed in it as in the pressure hull of the submarine, so that especially the vulnerable control devices for missiles could work without interference. The RPK 7 cruise missile could be launched from the 650 mm tubes , or alternatively the heavy standard torpedoes 65-76 and 65-73 could be used.

The water displacement increased as a result of the extension to 1,350 tonnes for overwater travel and 1,810 tonnes for submerged travel. The work was apparently carried out during the construction of Project 671RT and accordingly took place on boat S-11 between 1971 and 1972.

633KS project

Project 633KS (Russian: проект 633КС ) was a conversion that was made to S-128 in 1978 in order to be able to carry out tests with new missile systems.

Project 633L

Project 633L (Russian: проект 633Л ) was a conversion that was carried out on the S-350 in Gorky in 1967 to test hull shapes.

Type 031

Type 031 (Chinese: 031 型 潜艇) was an exact copy of Project 633 as it was produced in the People's Republic of China . Twelve boats of the type were built, the majority of which were assembled from components produced by the Soviet Union.

Type 033

Type 033 (Chinese: 033 型 潜艇) was the name of the Navy of the People's Republic of China for its slightly modified licensed buildings from Project 633. All the information necessary for the construction of a Project 633 boat was handed over to China by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and the Chinese Navy had made some changes to the plans for their part. Between 1962 and 1984 about 84 Type 033 boats were built in Chinese shipyards. The electronic equipment was modified, a Chinese-made sonar system was used and the noise insulation was significantly improved compared to the original project.

Type 035

→ Main article : Ming class

Type 035 (Chinese: 035 型 潜艇) was the name for a completely revised version of Project 633 with improved machinery, optimized hull shape and electronic equipment, of which 19 boats were built.

units

Selection:

S-350

S-350 was laid down in Gorki on October 22, 1955 and put into service on August 31, 1959. It was assigned to the Northern Fleet and took part in several exercises. On January 11, 1962, S-350 was moored in Polyarny next to Project 641 boat B-37 . A fire caused an explosion in the armory of the B-37, pressure wave and fragments destroyed the outer shell of the S-350 and the pressure hull was torn open between compartments 1 and 2. The penetrating water flooded both compartments while one of the officers forbade opening the hatch between compartments 2 and 3 to prevent S-350 from sinking. Eleven cast members were killed. The boat had to be repaired and did not return to active service until 1966. In 1982 it was finally decommissioned and used as a training ship for the Black Sea Fleet under the name CTS-350 . After the Black Sea fleet was split between Ukraine and Russia, the boat was scrapped in the 1990s.

Remarks

1. ↑ While Alexander Schirokorad describes all the torpedo types mentioned in Soviet post-war submarine structures with the exception of the 53-61, Apalkow restricts himself to Корабли ВМФ СССР. Многоцелевые ПЛ и ПЛ спецназначания. on types 53-61 and 53-57.

literature

• А.Б. Широкорад: Советские подводные лодки послевоенной постройки (AB Shirokorad: Post-war Soviet submarines. ). Moscow 1997, ISBN 5-85139-019-0 (Russian),
• J. Apalkow: Корабли ВМФ СССР. Многоцелевые ПЛ и ПЛ спецназначания. (For example: Ships of the USSR - multipurpose submarines and special submarines. ). Saint Petersburg 2003, ISBN 5-8172-0069-4 (Russian),
• Norman Friedman: The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems. 5th edition. US Naval Institute Press, 2006, ISBN 978-1-55750-262-9 (English).

Web links

Commons : Project 633  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

• Project 633RW on deepstorm.ru (Russian)
• Project 633 on deepstorm.ru (Russian)

Individual evidence

1. ^ AB Shirokorad : Soviet post-war submarine structures. P. 39.
2. ^ AB Shirokorad: Soviet post-war submarine structures. P. 40.
3. ↑ J. Apalkow: Корабли ВМФ СССР. Многоцелевые ПЛ и ПЛ спецназначания. P. 59.
4. ^ AB Shirokorad: Soviet post-war submarine structures. P. 41.
5. ^ ^{A b c} Norman Friedman: The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems. P. 732.
6. ^ Norman Friedman: The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems. P. 731.
7. ↑ ^{a b c} J. Apalkow: Корабли ВМФ СССР. Многоцелевые ПЛ и ПЛ спецназначания. P. 57.
8. ^ Norman Friedman: The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapon systems. P. 277.
9. ↑ project 633RW. deepstorm.ru; Retrieved July 15, 2011
10. ↑ ^{a b} Project 633. ( Memento from October 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) russian-ships.info; Retrieved July 10, 2011
11. ^ Romeo class. Globalsecurity.org; Retrieved July 12, 2011
12. ↑ Type 033. ( Memento from November 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) sinodefence.com; Retrieved July 12, 2011
13. ↑ Ming class.  ; Globalsecurity.org.Retrieved July 12, 2011
14. ↑ History of operations for the S-350. deepstorm.ru; Retrieved July 12, 2011