S-99

S-99

Drawing of S-99

Ship data flag  Soviet Union Ship type Submarine Shipyard Shipyard 196 (Sudomech) in Leningrad Launch 5th February 1952 Whereabouts scrapped

Ship dimensions and crew length 62.2 m ( Lüa ) width 6.08 m Draft Max. 5.08 m displacement 1215 t   crew 51 men

Machine system machine Diesel-electric drive Walter drive

Mission data submarine Immersion depth, max. 200 m Top speed submerged 20 kn (37 km / h) Top speed surfaced 11 kn (20 km / h)

Armament 6 torpedo tubes 533 mm ${\displaystyle \varnothing }$ Ammunition: 12 torpedoes

S-99 was an experimental submarine of the Soviet Navy with Walter Drive , under Project 617 shortly after the Second World War was developed and built. The NATO described the models as whale-class .

development

Project 617 was the attempt to implement captured plans of the German submarine class XVI with Walter propulsion in its own construction. The advantages of a propulsion system that was independent of the outside air were obvious compared to conventional propulsion with diesel engines, since a submarine equipped in this way no longer had to recharge its batteries on the surface of the water and was accordingly significantly less vulnerable.

The planning for the submarine itself had largely been completed in 1947 by the ZKB-18 development group under AA Antipin . The planning of the drive system was taken over by the SKB-143 planning office.

hull

The hull was designed for the lowest possible flow resistance. In this sense, the tower was designed much flatter than in contemporary models and also had rounded edges. Deck armament in the form of deck guns or anti-aircraft cannons was dispensed with for the same reason. The shape of the hull looked very stocky.

The pressure hull was divided into six sections:

• Torpedo room with reserve torpedoes and the rudder motors of the bow thrusters
• Accommodations and batteries
• Central with periscopes and tax controls
• Diesel engine room, which also housed controls and instruments for the turbine in the next compartment
• Turbine room with Walter turbine
• E-engine room with the two electric motors and the rudder motors for the down and rudder

Drive systems

A PSTU turbine with 7,250 PS (5,332 kW) formed the main drive. This machine, designed according to the Walter principle, was operated with hydrogen peroxide . A large part of this was carried in special plastic containers, as the aggressive substance ate away the hulls of normal tanks.

A Type 8H 23/30 marine diesel engine developing 600 hp (441 kW) at 1000 rpm alternatively formed the main propulsion system by burning diesel fuel and atmospheric oxygen to generate propulsion power or electricity to charge the batteries. 13.9 tons of fuel were carried for this machine.

The electric motors were a PG 100 with 540 PS (397 kW) and a small PG-105 engine with 140 PS (103 kW).

Range

When surfaced, 8,500 nautical miles could be covered at 8.5 knots. At 14.2 knots, 198 nautical miles could be sailed before the fuel was used up.

Armament

S-99 had six bow torpedo tubes in 533 mm caliber. Six weapons could be stowed in the tubes and six more in the torpedo room, so that twelve torpedoes could be carried.

history

S-99 was laid down on February 5, 1951 at shipyard 196, the Sudomech shipyard (today again New Admiralty shipyard), in Leningrad and was launched on February 5, 1952. Even during the first tests, there were minor incidents in which fire broke out or small oxyhydrogen gas explosions took place. However, speeds of up to 22 knots were achieved during diving. Numerous further tests were carried out up to 1959, including a stay in the shipyard in the spring of 1959 in order to develop technical solutions for Project 643 during further tests.

On May 19, 1959, at a depth of 80 meters in Division 5, an explosion of hydrogen peroxide occurred on one of the shut-off valves. The boat began to sink over the stern and could only be intercepted at 120 meters. Smoke spread into the neighboring compartments and water seeped into the boat. After surfacing, the fire could be brought under control, but the seamen in Division 6 remained trapped until the boat reached the port, as the stern was so low that the emergency exit hatch of the division was under water.

The damage in Department 5 was severe and after investigations into the cause of the accident it was decided to decommission S-99. In 1964 the submarine was scrapped.

Project 643

Project 643 was one of the submarine projects that were to be developed on the basis of the knowledge gained from S-99. The displacement would have increased to 1865 tons, the armament would have been expanded to six bow and two stern tubes.

The project, along with other Walter-powered designs, was abandoned when the Soviet Union began building nuclear submarines as the backbone of its fleet, which had the same operational advantages as Walter-powered boats.

Individual evidence

1. ^ AB Shirokorad : Soviet post-war submarine structures. , P. 160.
2. ↑ Project 643 at deepstorm.ru, viewed on July 22, 2011

literature

• А. Б. Широкорад: Советские подводные лодки послевоенной постройки. (AB Shirokorad: Soviet U-Boat Post-War Buildings . ) Moscow 1997, ISBN 5-85139-019-0 (Russian).

Web links

• Project 617 at deepstorm.ru (Russian)