Project 667A
 Project 667A
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Project 667A was a class of Soviet SSBN - submarines during the Cold War . The NATO described the submarines as a Yankee class . Project 667A was modernized several times and finally replaced by the improved Project 667B .
Project 667A "Nawaga"
Development history
In 1958, the OKB-18 “Rubin” development office began developing a new type of submarine with ballistic missiles and nuclear propulsion to replace the 658 project . Disadvantages of this old design were the high noise level, the unreliable nuclear reactor and the limitation of the missiles carried to a small size and just as small number, since the missiles were still housed in the tower structure in the 658 project . The new design should no longer have these disadvantages and was designated as Project 667 "Nawaga" (named after the fish genus Eleginus Nawaga ). NATO gave the project the name Yankee class (when the modifications appeared, it became Yankee I class ). Initially, two versions were developed, one of which was selected for series production. In the further course of development it turned out that the approved design had some errors and had to be revised. The result was a completely redesigned type called Project 667A . In 1962 the development was completed, so that construction could begin with the approval of the Soviet naval command.
hull
During the development, emphasis was placed on streamlining . Compared to the hotel class , the horizontal elevator is attached to the tower. The hull was cylindrical in shape and divided into ten compartments. The hull diameter at the widest point of the boats was 11.7 m.
The outer shell of the pressure hull was made of steel and was 40 mm thick, supported on a framework made of 12 mm thick frames .
The crew was first fully accommodated in this project in cabins, so when seafarers that all ranks between their guards could rest without being constantly disturbed by passing sailors. The accommodation has been further improved by a separate air conditioning system in each compartment. The air treatment in the pressure hull functioned automatically for the first time and the plates that had filtered the air in older types of boats and that caused several accidents due to their high flammability were no longer needed. The proportion of carbon dioxide in the air we breathe was kept below 0.8% and the proportion of oxygen at around 25%.
drive
The main drive consisted of two independent units (one on port, one on starboard), each with a pressurized water reactor and an independent steam turbine . The maximum possible speed under water was 27 kn, but was reduced to 25 kn under normal conditions. The auxiliary drive was used to launch torpedoes and as an emergency generator. It also provided the power to keep the boat's systems ready when surfaced.
New low-cavitation propellers have been developed to reduce noise . In addition, the pressure hull (the inner shell) was covered with a rubber jacket to minimize noise emissions. The outer shell was also given a sound-absorbing coating. To decouple the main drive, rubber mats were used, which were placed between the mounting points of the drive platform and the pressure hull.
The 667A boats turned out to be very noisy submarines. Due to the construction as a two-hull boat, the outer hull acted like a resonance body and thus increased the noise of the propulsion engines. This made the boats significantly louder than the diesel submarines from World War II . Project 667A boats were regularly spotted and tracked by SOSUS and NATO hunting submarines .
Sensors
Project 667A's boats were equipped with a combat information system, code-named "Cloud". The amount of information that was picked up by sensors or via radio could be evaluated in this way. A “Parawan” towed antenna was able to pick up radio signals up to a depth of 50 m. For navigation , the first four series boats were still equipped with the navigation system "Sigma". However, in 1971 the team of K-411 was only able to determine the position with great difficulty during a mission at the North Pole with this navigation system.
All other boats were equipped with the satellite-based navigation system "Tobol". "Tobol" provided more reliable data for navigation in the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean . This modernization also allowed the boats from Project 667A to use the rockets in high latitudes (> 85 °), where the old Sigma system had too large measurement errors .
The sonar system on Project 667A was alias "Kerch" and the marine code MGK-100. It was developed between 1960 and 1963 and was first tested on Project 675 .
Armament
The boats of the 667A series were equipped with the rocket complex D-5, the 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles of the type R-27 in its silos controlled. The complex was housed in compartments 4 and 5 of the boat. The exception was nine boats in which the improved D-5U missile complex was installed. The boats with this complex accordingly carried R-27U missiles and the designation Project 667AU " Quappe " (Russian: Проект 667АУ "Налим")
The boat was not allowed to be deeper than 50 m or faster than 4 knots when the rocket was launched. The rockets were launched in four volleys. The preparation time was eight minutes and the rockets were launched eight seconds apart. After each volley, the boat took three minutes to return to launch depth, as the water penetrating the silos caused the boat to submerge. In addition, the boat had to take a break of 20 to 40 minutes between the second and third salvo to pump water from the tanks into the starting canisters.
The R-27 missile had a range of 2,400 km and hit its target with a deviation of no more than 1.3 kilometers.
Four 533 mm and two 400 mm torpedo tubes on the bow were installed for self-defense. The 533 mm pipes could be used up to a depth of 100 meters, while the 400 mm pipes could even be used up to a depth of 250 meters.
Project 667A carried sixteen 533 mm and four 400 mm torpedoes as ammunition supplies. The boats were already equipped with automatic loading devices for these pipes. On board were either modern SET 65 or SAET 60M 533 mm torpedoes or older models, or the SET 40 torpedo for the 400 mm tubes.
Furthermore, Strela-2 flying fists were carried here as a standard for the first time in order to be able to attack anti- submarine planes and helicopters from the surface.
Current deployment status
As a result of the SALT and START talks, initially between 1979 and 1994 all project667A units equipped with ballistic missiles were either decommissioned or converted to project 667AT boats. Today there is no longer a boat from the 667A project and its variants in service. In 2010 the last boat was scrapped with KS-411.
Subtypes and conversions of Project 667A
Conversions
Of 34 boats built for the 667A and 667AU projects, 10 were converted:
Project 667M "Andromeda"
Project 667M was the name for the conversion of the boat K-420 to test a new missile type. The boat carried twelve 3M25A Meteorit-M cruise missiles in launch tubes inclined at 45 °. The conversion of the K-420 took place in Severodvinsk between June 1980 and October 1982. From 1983 to 1987, missile tests with the Meteorit-M cruise missile were carried out with the submarine. After persistent problems with the cruise missile and the entry into force of the INF contract , the project was ended in 1988. NATO referred to the converted boat as a Yankee Sidecar class.
The length of the ship increased to 152 meters. The boat's displacement increased to 13,600 tons when submerged.
Project 667AM "Nawaga-M"
When the first Soviet rocket complex with solid fuel rockets under the designation D-11 was completed in 1977, a boat from Project 667A, the K-140 , was converted to this complex from 1980 to 1983. The K-140 ran as a type ship under the class name Project 667AM . NATO classified it as a Yankee II class.
The converted boat now had twelve R-31 ballistic missiles . The maximum launch depth for these missiles was 50 m. The additional weight that came with the innovations increased the displacement of the boat to 9,600 tons when submerged.
Project 667AT "Gruscha"
Between 1982 and 1991, six project were 667 boats (K-253, K-395, K-423 for the North and K-408, K-236, K-399 for the Pacific Fleet) with starters for S-10 grenade cruise missiles equipped . The ICBMs were removed and a total of 8 launch containers for the S-10 were installed in their place. The boats had a total of 40 missiles and were given the new designation Projekt 667AT "Gruscha" ( Eng .: pear ). NATO named the project's boats Yankee Notch class. These boats were no longer SSBN, but with their new capabilities belonged to the group of SSGN submarines.
The water displacement increased to 11,400 tons while submerged and the boats were lengthened to 141.7 meters.
All of the 667AT submarines were decommissioned by 2002.
Project 667AK "Akson-1"
A Project 667A boat, the K-403 , was converted to the Project 667AK between 1981 and 1983. The hull was lengthened by almost 3 m in order to test a tow sonar , as it is used on the boats of Project 971 ( Akula class ). Two ICBMs were also removed.
This measure was called Project 667AK "Akson-1" ( Engl .: Axon ). NATO called the class the Yankee Pod class. A second conversion of the same boat took place from 1985 to 1988 under the name Project 09780 "Akson-2" .
Project 09774
Project 09774 was a conversion of the BC-411 boat made between 1983 and 1990. The hull was lengthened to 162.5 meters to act as a carrier for mini-submarines and as a base for research missions. The armament was removed and modern sonar and communication systems installed. NATO gave the boat the name Yankee-Stretch- Class.
Project 09780 "Akson-2"
Another modernization measure was project 09780. The modifications to the project enlarged the bow of the submarine to make space for a new generation of sonar systems. The hull was lengthened to 151.8 meters, the water displacement increased to 8,675 tons when surfaced. The modernization was an ambitious project that also included the installation of fiber optic cables and comprehensive measures for electronic and acoustic emission insulation.
It is controversial whether the torpedo armament was changed in the course of the renovation work.
The K-403 was rebuilt between 1991 and 1995, but the sonar system was not available, so that the boat was reintegrated into the fleet with the modified hull, but without the modern sonar. K-415 was scheduled for modernization, but the conversion was stopped in 1987. Based on the enlarged bow, NATO named the boat Yankee Big Nose Class.
units
Selection:
K-403
K-403 was laid down in Severodvinsk on August 18, 1969 and launched on March 25, 1971. She was assigned to the Northern Fleet and converted into the 667AK project between 1980 and 1983. It was given the number KS-403 and, after some trials, was modernized from 1991 to 1995 to form the 09780 project. From 1996 she was back in service and was named Kazan in 1997 . In 2004 she was decommissioned and moved to the “Stern” shipyard for scrapping. In the summer of 2009 the fuel rods were removed from the reactors. On October 6, 2009, a fire broke out during welding work during the dismantling of the sonar system when insulation material ignited. The fire could only be extinguished after six hours. In 2010 the disposal of the boat was largely completed. Part of the tower was preserved for use in a later memorial.
K-219
The boat was laid down in Severodvinsk on May 28, 1970 and launched on October 18, 1971. K-219 was assigned to the Northern Fleet. On August 31, 1973, an incident occurred in which a missile silo overflowed and toxic fumes poisoned some sailors. On September 18, 1986, during a patrol in the Atlantic, there was an automatic message about water in missile silo 6. The water was pumped out, but the cause of the water ingress was not determined. On October 3, at 5:38 a.m., an explosion occurred in missile silo number 6. Two sailors were killed instantly, and another died when he was caught by the ensuing water ingress in the missile room. The boat appeared and made a distress call. The navy then dispatched the battle cruiser Kirov and several support ships . Penetrating water and a smoldering fire caused short circuits and the headquarters lost contact with four departments. Only one reactor could be switched off automatically, the mechanism of the other failed and a seaman had to manually get the control rods back on the road, which resulted in fatal radiation. A tug arrived on October 5th and took over most of the crew. There were more water ingresses and the tow rope tore. K-219 could no longer be stopped and sank in the middle of the Atlantic on October 6, 1986.
Evidence and references
Individual evidence
- ↑ NW Usenko, PG Kotow, WG Redanski, WK Kulitschkow: When the nuclear submarine fleet of the Soviet Union came into being. P. 74.
- ↑ Steven J. Zaloga: The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces 1945-2000. Smithsonian Books, p. 154.
- ↑ Steven J. Zaloga: The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces 1945-2000. Smithsonian Books, p. 154.
- ↑ Steven J. Zaloga: The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces 1945-2000. Smithsonian Books, p. 153.
- ↑ NW Usenko, PG Kotow, WG Redanski, WK Kulitschkow: When the nuclear submarine fleet of the Soviet Union came into being. P. 301.
- ↑ NW Usenko, PG Kotow, WG Redanski, WK Kulitschkow: When the nuclear submarine fleet of the Soviet Union came into being. P. 94.
- ↑ J. Apalkow: Ships of the USSR - Strategic missile submarines and multipurpose submarines. P. 10.
- ↑ Sean O'Connor: Cruise Missiles Genesis - Meteorite. I&A Volume 1, Number 3, IMINT & Analysis, pp. 36-38. April 2011.
- ↑ Project 667AT at deepstorm.ru, viewed on August 1, 2011
- ↑ Project 09780 deepstorm.ru, viewed on August 2, 2011
literature
- Ю.В.Апальков: Корабли ВМФ СССР Том I - Подводные лодки. Часть 1 - Ракетные подводные крейсера стратегического назначения и многоцелевые подводные лодки. (For example: J. Apalkow: Ships of the USSR - Strategic Missile Submarines and Multipurpose Submarines. ) Saint Petersburg 2002, ISBN 5-8172-0069-4 (Russian).
- Н.В. Усенко, П.Г. Котов, В.Г. Реданский, В.К. Куличков: Как создавался атомный подводный флот Советского Союза. (NW Usenko, PG Kotow, WG Redanski, WK Kulitschkow: When the Soviet Union's nuclear submarine fleet came into being. ) Saint Petersburg, 2004, ISBN 5-89173-274-2
- Steven J. Zaloga: The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword: The Rise and Fall of Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces 1945-2000 . Smithsonian Books, Washington, DC, 2014, ISBN 1-588-34484-3
Web links
- Project 677A at deepstorm.ru (Russian)
- Federation of American Scientists (FAS)
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Hunting Submarines : 627 November Class | 685 Mike class | 705 Alfa class | Victor classes : 671 - I , 671RT - II , 671RTM - III | 945 Sierra class | 971 Akula class | 885 Graney class
Tactical missile submarines : 651 Juliett-class | 659 Echo class | 675 Echo II class | 661 papa class | 670 Charlie class | 949 Oscar class
Ballistic missile submarines : 611 Zulu class | 629 Golf class | 658 hotel class | 667A Yankee class | 667B Delta I class | 667BD - II | 667BDR - III | 941 Typhoon class | 667BDRM Delta-IV | 955 Borei class
Other: 1839 Elbrus class | 1855 Pris class | 18270 Best class | 865 Losos class | 10831 lottery ticket