Submarine class "Shark" is still the undefeated record of the USSR. Being in autonomous navigation for 120 days, it easily and unceremoniously crossed the oceans, it was able to break thick Arctic ice and hit enemy targets, within a short time firing the entire ammunition of ballistic missiles. Today they cannot find her application, and her fate is foggy.
Our answer
The arms race that unfolded between the USSR and the USA demanded from both sides worthy answers to mutual challenges. In the 70s, the United States received a ship with a displacement of 18.7 tons. Its speed was 200 knots, the equipment included equipment that made underwater missile launches from a depth of 15 to 30 meters. In response to Soviet science and the military-industrial complex, the country's leadership demanded the creation of superior technology.
In December 1972, a tactical and technical task was issued for the creation of an underwater cruiser with the code “Shark” and number 941. The work began with a government decree to begin development, the project was commissioned to complete the Rubin Design and Design Bureau. Implementation of design ideas took place in the largest boathouse in the world - at the Sevmash plant, the bookmark took place in 1976. During the construction of the submarine, several technological breakthroughs were made, one of them was the modular-modular construction method, which significantly reduced the time for completion of the facility. Today this method is used everywhere in all types of shipbuilding, but the Shark class submarine was the first in everything.
At the end of September 1980, the first submarine project “Shark” Project 941 was launched from the Severodvinsk shipyard into the White Sea. According to the sea legend, or were, on the nose of the submarine, until it was lowered into the water below the waterline, a shark that bared its teeth was drawn around its tail trident. After the descent into the sea, the drawing disappeared under water and no one else saw the emblem, but the people's memory, falling for symbols and signs, immediately gave the name to the cruiser - “Shark”. All the following submarines of type 941 received the same name, and for the crew members their own symbolism was introduced in the form of a patch on the sleeve with the image of a shark. In the US, the cruiser was given the name "Typhoon."
Design
The submarine of the Shark class is reminiscent of a catamaran in design - two hulls, each of which has a diameter of 7.2 meters, are parallel to each other in the horizontal plane. A sealed compartment with a control module is located between the two main buildings, it contains the control panel and radio equipment of the cruiser. The missile unit is located in front of the boat between the hulls. Passing from one part of the boat to another was possible in three transitions. The entire hull of the boat consisted of 19 watertight compartments.
Project 941 submarines (“Shark”) have two pop-up evacuation chambers with a capacity for the entire crew on board at the base of the cabin. The compartment in which the central post is located is located closer to the stern of the cruiser. Titanium cladding covers two central hulls, a central post, torpedo rooms, the rest of the surface is sewn up with steel, which has a hydroacoustic coating, which reliably hides the boat from tracking systems.
The front retractable rudders of horizontal design are located in the bow of the boat. The upper deckhouse is reinforced and equipped with a round-shaped roof, capable of breaking into a strong ice cover when surfacing in northern latitudes.
Specifications
On submarines of type 941, power plants of the third generation were installed (their capacity was 100,000 hp) of the block type, the placement was divided into two blocks in strong hulls, which reduced the size of the nuclear power plant. At the same time, performance was improved.
But not only this step made the Shark class submarines legendary. The characteristics of the power plant included two OK-650 water-cooled nuclear reactors and two steam-type turbines. All the assembled equipment allowed not only to increase the efficiency of the entire work of the submarine, but significantly reduce vibration, and, accordingly, improve the sound insulation of the ship. The nuclear installation was put into operation automatically when the power supply disappeared.
Specifications:
- The maximum length is 172 meters.
- The maximum width is 23.3 meters.
- The height of the hull is 26 meters.
- Displacement (underwater / surface) - 48 thousand tons / 23.2 thousand tons
- Autonomy of swimming without surfacing - 120 days.
- Immersion depth (maximum / working) - 480 m / 400m.
- Swimming speed (surface / underwater) - 12 knots / 25 knots.
Armament
The main armament is the Variant solid-fuel ballistic missiles (weight in the hull - 90 tons, length - 17.7 m). The missile range is 8.3 thousand kilometers, the warhead is divided into 10 warheads, each of which has a capacity of 100 kilotons of TNT and an individual guidance system.
The start of the entire arsenal of submarine ammunition can be carried out by a single salvo with a short launch interval between missile units. The ammunition is launched from the surface and underwater position, the maximum depth at the start is 55 meters. Design characteristics provided for an ammunition load of 24 missiles, subsequently reduced to 20 units.
Features
Submarines of project 941 “Shark” were equipped with a power plant consisting of two modules, spaced in different, reliably fortified hulls. The condition of the reactors was monitored by pulse equipment, an automatic response system at the slightest loss of power supply.
When issuing a design assignment, one of the prerequisites was to ensure the safety of the boat and crew, the so-called safe radius, for which they were calculated using the dynamic strength method and verified experimentally the hull components (two pop-up modules, container fastening, hull pairing, etc.) .
A submarine of the Shark class was built at the Sevmash plant, where the world's largest indoor boathouse, or workshop No. 55, was specially designed and built for it. Project 941 ships are characterized by increased buoyancy - more than 40%. In order for the boat to fully sink, its ballast must be half of its displacement, which is why the second name appeared - “water carrier”. The decision on such a design was made with a visionary aim - to carry out repairs, preventive maintenance will be necessary at existing piers and repair factories.
The same buoyancy reserve ensures the survival of the ship in the northern latitudes, where it is required to break into a thick ice cover. Project 941 Shark-type submarines coped with the harsh conditions of the North Pole, where ice thickness reaches 2.5 meters with accompanying ice hummocks and floods. the ability to open the ice mass has been repeatedly demonstrated in practice.
Crew comfort
The crew of the submarine cruiser was mainly staffed by officers and midshipmen. The senior officers were accommodated in double and quadruple cabins equipped with a TV, washbasin, air conditioning, wardrobes, desks, etc.
Sailors and junior officers received convenient cockpits. On a submarine, living conditions were more than comfortable, only ships of this class were equipped with a sports hall, a swimming pool, a solarium and a sauna. In order not to break away too much from reality in a long trip, a living corner was created.
Funny
For the entire period of construction of submarines of type 941, six cruisers were adopted by the Navy:
- Dmitry Donskoy (shopping mall - 208) . Adopted in December 1981, after modernization, it again began to conduct service in July 2002.
- TK-202. Got a home port and was put into service in December 1983. In 2005, the boat was cut into scrap metal.
- "Simbirsk" (TK-12). Admitted to the Federation Council in January 1985. It was disposed of in 2005.
- TK-13. The cruiser was recruited in December 1985. In 2009, the hull was cut into metal, part of the submarine (six-compartment unit, reactors) were transferred for long-term storage to the Kola Peninsula.
- Arkhangelsk (TK-17). The date of admission to the fleet is November 1987. Due to the lack of ammunition since 2006, the issue of disposal has been discussed.
- Severstal (TK-20). Assigned to the Navy in September 1989. In 2004, it went into reserve due to lack of ammunition; it is planned for disposal.
- TK-210. The laying of the hull structures coincided with the breakdown of the economic system. Lost funding and was dismantled in 1990.
Nuclear-powered submarines of the Shark class were consolidated into one division, and Western Litsa (Murmansk Region) serves as the base for them. Reconstruction of the Nerpichya Bay was completed in 1981. For basing cruisers of type 941, a mooring line, piers with special capabilities were equipped, a unique crane with a lifting capacity of 125 tons was built for loading missiles (not put into operation).
Current state
To date, all available Shark-class nuclear submarines are in the registered port in the preserved state, and their fate is being decided. The submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was upgraded to combat equipment "Bulava". According to media reports, in 2016 it was planned to dispose of inactive copies. There were no reports on the implementation of the plan.
The giant submarine of Project 941 "Shark" is still a unique weapon, the only cruiser that can carry combat duty in the Arctic. They are almost invulnerable to anti-submarine submarines in service with the United States. Also, no potential adversary has the technical aviation means to detect a cruiser under the ice.