The idea of creating an apparatus moving under water, actually a prototype of a submarine (hereinafter referred to as a submarine), arose long before their actual appearance in the 18th century. Accurate descriptions of underwater vehicles are not found in numerous legends, nor in the genius of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci. The first really created and had an exact description of the submarine were:
- Cornelius Van Drebel’s project of leather and wood, which really sailed at a depth of 4 meters during the reign of King James I of England (first quarter of the 17th century);
- Submarine from tin Papen (end of the XVII century), rectangular (1.68 × 1.76 × 0.78 meters);
- PL Turret "Turtle", which took part in the hostilities during the Civil War in North America (the last quarter of the XVIII century);
- the American Fulton copper submarine of 1801, on which the first successful attack was carried out in France, albeit a demonstration one;
- the first iron submarine mine carrier on muscular strength (at the same time it was also a "rocket carrier") built in Russia in 1834 (author Schilder);
- Submarines with pneumatic thrusters appeared almost simultaneously in Russia (1863, Alexandrovsky) and in France (1864, Bourgeois and Brun).
Diesel submarines (DPL) appeared at the beginning of the last century, then diesel-electric (DEPL) and nuclear submarines (APL) were invented.
The history of the creation of DPL and DEPL, as well as their confrontation in the era of superpowers
In the last century, a small flotilla of Russian submarines in the Russo-Japanese War of 1905 gained first combat experience. The Japanese did not use submarines. No practical success was achieved: the concept of their application was formulated and practical combat experience was gained.
In the First World War, as well as in the subsequent Second, the submarine fleet of Germany distinguished itself, on which the stake was made in the battle on the seas. German submarines actively destroyed not only merchant ships, but also coalition warships. A total of 160 warships were sunk during the First World War, and 395, including 75 submarines, as well as merchant ships with a cargo of more than 30 million tons, during the Second World War. On the part of the USSR, the most active were the actions of the Pike-type submarine 2/3 of which perished in the Black and Baltic Seas.
In 1955, the USSR launched a project 641 of the second generation of diesel-electric submarines - the famous “Bukashki” or the western “Foxtrot” (a total of ¾ hundreds of such submarines were produced), which for more than 10 years “reigned” in the vast seas and oceans, although they were opposed by American diesel submarines.
A fundamental change in the strategy for the use of diesel-electric submarines
This was a time of ambiguous attitude towards the fleet in general and to the submarine fleet in particular, since with the advent of atomic weapons it was suggested that the task of destroying the enemy’s naval forces could be accomplished using nuclear weapons. However, a reasonable point of view was won that the fleet would solve the assigned tasks even under these conditions, and with the advent of the third component of the nuclear triad - nuclear submarines, this issue was finally resolved. DEPLs began to be created not only with mixed weapons (torpedoes plus missiles launched through torpedo tubes) and shock DEPLs with cruise missiles, but also with ballistic atomic-nuclear missiles, including with underwater launch (project 629, 641B Tango, 658 and 877 Halibut).
"Underwater" confrontation between the two superpowers
DEPLs actively participated in the confrontation between the USSR and the USA, at that time two world superpowers, including the “Caribbean” crisis, which nearly knocked the globe into the third world, but already nuclear-nuclear war. The operation "Kama" was attended by the fourth "insects", including the "Chelyabinsk Komsomolets". They had the task, when attacking our merchant ships, carrying missiles with nuclear warheads to Cuba, to strike at the American fleet. In the Atlantic, USSR diesel submarines fell into a storm never before seen by them, but equipment and people survived. The second test, worse than before, came with the exit to the scene of possible hostilities: the heat in boats more than 50 degrees Celsius. At the same time, water was given out extremely limitedly - one glass per day per person. This project was designed to conduct operations in the northern latitudes, but not at the equator. The politicians managed to come to an agreement and the military conflict did not take place, and only subsequently many additions, including radical ones, were made to the design of long-range diesel-electric submarines.
During the Cold War, submarines secretly operated off the coast of a potential adversary, being in autonomous navigation for up to three months. There is a known case when, without entering the coastal waters of Italy, our submarine determined its location by sending the anchor by the US aircraft carrier Nimitz. And the nuclear submarine of the 705th project went behind the NATO warship for almost a day, despite all its attempts to "drop" it from the "tail", and stopped the pursuit only after receiving the corresponding order.
Projects, the principle of operation of submarines and their types
Initially, submarines were built using various principles of their propulsion:
- using human power;
- only on electric batteries;
- using gasoline;
- only the diesel engine of the submarine;
- only on an air motor;
- on the combined use of steam and electricity.
The double scheme of using diesel and electric engines completely “dominated” the entire first half of the last century, showing its superiority over previous projects and the principles of operation of submarine propulsion systems.
Projects of diesel submarines with artillery installations did not succeed because of the low efficiency of the "work" of artillery on ground targets and subsequently found their solution in the "shock" diesel-electric submarines firing cruise missiles.
Further directions the development of diesel-electric submarines
It consisted of the following:
- increase in speed of movement;
- noise reduction;
- improvement of systems for detection and destruction of underwater, surface; air and ground targets;
- increase in the duration and range of autonomous navigation;
- increase in depth of immersion.
Advantages and disadvantages
The paradox, but the main advantage of diesel submarines - the possibility of movement both in the surface and underwater position, which was provided by two fundamentally different types of engines (diesel and powered by electricity), was their main drawback. This required large crews for maintenance, which were crowded into the not too spacious interior of the submarines.
The disadvantage of diesel submarines was the relatively low speed of movement in the underwater state, which was limited by the low power of electric motors and the capacity of batteries that accumulate electricity.
Elimination of one of the disadvantages of diesel-electric submarines
The weak point of diesel-electric submarines in the first half of the last century was the inability to attack coastal fortifications and generally land. With the launch in 1953 of a cruise missile with an American submarine Tuna, the era of submarine rivalry with aviation in terms of the threat of destroying strategic military facilities and cities on enemy territory began, which reached its zenith with the advent of nuclear submarines.
Diesel submarines Varshavyanka
Project 877 "Halibut" was implemented in the last two decades of the last century. In the USSR, this submarine was also called Varshavyanka (project 636), as they were going to arm their allies under the Warsaw Pact, and in NATO they were called Improved Kilo. Multipurpose diesel-electric submarines (diesel-electric) had a double spindle-shaped body (lightweight 6-8 mm and "durable" 35 mm steel), six insulated compartments and were significantly faster and quieter.
Technical and tactical characteristics
The following are documented:
- crew - more than 50 people;
- displacement of 2,325 tons (surface position), 3,076 tons (underwater position);
- length - up to 75 -;
- width - up to 10 -;
- draft - up to 7 -;
- power plant - one shaft, 2 diesel engines with a capacity of 3.65 thousand l / s and an electric motor - 5.9 thousand l / s, as well as 2 backup motors of 102 l / s;
- movement speed - up to 10 knots in the above-water position and up to 19 - in the underwater;
- cruising range - up to 7 thousand miles at a speed of 8 knots per hour under the RPD (at periscope height) and up to 460 miles in underwater position at a speed of 3 knots / hour;
- autonomy of swimming - 45 days;
- immersion depth - up to 0.33 km;
- armament - 6 vehicles, loaded with eighteen torpedoes or 6 more in number of mines, 4 missiles (cruise missiles with a range of 0.5 thousand km.) and short-range air-to-air missiles (8 missiles). Various modern electronic equipment for detecting targets and maintaining their own stealth.
Interesting! The guides for the main shaft are made of wood! True tree special. This is a backout native to Central America. It is very hard (1.3 thousand kg / m), saturated with guaiac resin, very wear-resistant, with natural lubrication. These indicators enable the shaft to serve a couple of decades.
"Black hole" and its place in the modern world
Excellent acoustic stealth and the possibility of a pre-emptive attack due to the long range of target detection, up to the present time (taking into account the constant modernization of various systems) provide priority "Varshavyanka". No wonder it is also called the “Black Hole” in the non-nuclear sector of the submarine for its secrecy. Last fall, one of these submarines launched a missile strike on terrorists in Syria.
Modern diesel submarines are third-generation boats of which more than 50 have been built in total. The early series have already been written off, and currently 6 submarines of this type are based on the Black Sea and another 6 are to be built in the next 5 years for the Russian Pacific Fleet. Varshavyanka sold well for export. 10 pieces were delivered to India and China, 6 pieces respectively to Vietnam and Iran. both 4 and two are even sold to Algeria. They are operated today.
DPL of Russia
Now, in Russia, the well-proven and serving Fatherland, existing diesel-electric submarines should be replaced by Project 677 Lada boats, the prototype is already undergoing relevant tests. The construction of two diesel submarines in Russia of this type is in full swing, and the issue of concluding a contract for the construction of two more boats of the Lada project is also being considered.
Cheaper and lighter than its prototype, the Halibut project, the three-tiered Lada is stuffed with good modern “brains” (more than a hundred of the latest detection and stealth systems due to which the crew was reduced by 1/3), has an air-independent power plant, but based on the energy of the Cold War of the two superpowers. In this direction, the finalization of this diesel-electric submarine is underway.
Perhaps in the next decade it will not be finalized, but will switch to the Kalina project’s diesel submarines of Russia, which is likely to solve all the tasks, including arming the diesel-electric submarines with a Zircon-type hypersonic missile for the implementation of strategic tasks of non-nuclear deterrence .
The Consequences of Modern Western Anti-Russian Sanctions
In connection with Western anti-Russian sanctions, the Russian-Italian project of the small non-nuclear submarine of the S-1000 project was frozen. Its length is just over 52 m, a crew of 16 people. plus a special team of up to 6 people, diving up to 250 m, with an “underwater” speed of 14 knots and an armament of 14 units. torpedoes and / or cruise missiles. Therefore, Russia switched to the long-developed latest diesel submarines - the Amur-950 project, similar to the S-1000, but surpassing it in terms of speed (+6 knots) and weapons (+2 units). And the main highlight of the Amur-950 is the simultaneous launch of 10 vertical-based missiles. This submarine has great export potential, but so far there are no orders for its construction.
Conclusion
In the 21st century, the United States and England build only nuclear submarines. The Russian Federation, France and China have both diesel-electric submarines and nuclear submarines, while the submarine fleet of all other states consists only of diesel submarines.
Russian designers with might and main are practically working on fifth-generation submarines. While strategically already visible contours of the sixth generation. According to military experts, the main parameters of these submarines will be “unified underwater platforms” with parameters that are completely unique to today's submarines, which can very easily be changed by replacing any of the corresponding modules, like in transforming robots.