Submarines, which are an integral part of the Navy, perform a number of important tasks related to the security of the Russian Federation in the oceans and inland waters. Currently in service in Russia consists of several varieties of such military equipment.
Submarine Types
The sovereignty of the state for 2018 is protected by submarines:
At the same time, boats can be equipped with missiles:
Diesel-electric models may relate to multi-purpose or special-purpose vehicles. In the middle of the last century, one steam-gas-turbine boat was built in the USSR. However, after the accident on board, she was no longer recovering. Subsequently, such boats were not built in the country.
Underwater nuclear technology, among other things, can be:
- torpedo;
- multipurpose;
- special purpose.
Submarine Generations
Thus, ships began to be classified after the Second World War on the basis of their combat characteristics in the conditions of anti-submarine defense. The concept of “generation” arose with the advent of nuclear submarines. At that time, in the context of a tough arms race, it was important to carry out a radical modernization of the nuclear submarines. As a result, the efforts of engineers led to qualitative leaps in the development of submarine shipbuilding.
The fifth generation of nuclear submarines is currently being developed in Russia. We started designing these vessels in March 2014. Presumably, the release of such military equipment of the Husky project will commercially begin in the period from 2020 to 2030.
How many submarines in Russia today
The Russian Navy has in 2018 72 units of such military equipment. They are in service in the country 13 different boat projects. At the same time, the sovereignty of Russia is protected by:
- 13 nuclear-powered ballistic missile boats;
- nuclear with cruise missiles - 9 pcs.;
- nuclear multipurpose - 18 pcs.;
- nuclear special forces - 8 pcs.;
- diesel special purpose - 1 pc.;
- diesel of other types - 23 pcs.
Very first model
So, how many submarines Russia has, we found out. At the moment, there are 72 of them. The sovereignty of the country these days is protected by powerful equipment of this variety with excellent combat characteristics. Russian submarines are equipped with the latest navigation systems, can detect targets at the farthest distances, and have high-speed weapons.
The military equipment of this variety in our country has existed for more than 100 years. The first submarine in Russia, adopted for service, was built at the beginning of the last century. A primitive prototype of similar equipment was constructed in the state under Peter I. The author of this, in fact, the very first boat was a craftsman from the city of Sestroretsk Efim Nikonov. The master tested his invention in the presence of the king himself. It was a Nikonov submarine, a kind of huge barrel. Among other things, a prototype periscope was installed on it. The boat moved through the usual oars. If necessary, up to 8 people could fit in it.
He called his brainchild Yefim Nikonov a "hidden vessel." Diving boats were successful twice. However, her trials before Peter I, unfortunately, ended in failure. The boat hit the ground, as a result of which its bottom was broken. Later, the master tried to repair his brainchild, but a leak again appeared in the boat.
Underwater equipment of Tsarist Russia
Real ships of this type in our country began to be launched back in 1902. Then, in an atmosphere of strict secrecy, the tsarist government built a small submarine "Peter Cat". In fact, this ship was not a combat boat. It was used for sabotage in harbors. A full-fledged submarine was built in the Russian Empire in 1904. This boat was gas-electric and was called "Dolphin". She was expelled from the Navy in 1917.
Despite the fact that the first ship of this variety was built in the country in 1904, officially the day of the formation of the submarine fleet in Russia is considered to be March 19, 1906. It was then that Emperor Nicholas II signed a decree on the withdrawal of the first 20 submarines from the composition of the destroyer forces.
From 1904 to 1908, the Killer Whale, Karp, Keta, Som, and Sturgeon projects were implemented in Russia. Later the boats “Kayma”, “Shark”, “Postal” and others were produced. The latest development of the tsarist government before the revolution was the Bars type vessels.
Submarines of the USSR
The first project in Russia after the revolution was Decembrist. These boats, unlike the Bars, were two-hull. Each of the six vessels built in the young republic of this series was equipped with eight torpedo tubes and two guns. The crew of the boats consisted of 47 people.
By the beginning of the Second World War, the Russian Navy already had 212 copies. In addition to the destruction of enemy ships, they were used during the war years for the installation of minefields, reconnaissance, transportation of people and fuel. From 1941 to 1945 The Order of the Red Banner was awarded 23 boats. 12 at the same time became guards, and 4 - also red flags.
The most productive submarine of the country was the S-56, laid down in 1936. It became famous, among other things, for becoming the first Soviet vessel to travel around the world. The campaign of the submarine lasted 67 days, and during this time she survived 3 enemy attacks.
First nuclear submarine
During the Second World War, diesel-electric submarines were used to carry out combat missions. The first nuclear boat was built in the country in 1959. It was called the Lenin Komsomol. This submarine did not become the first in the world. Two more boats were built before it. The ship inherited its name from the previously armed M-106 diesel submarine . This boat died during the fighting in 1943.
In 1962, this ship passed under ocean ice and surfaced at the North Pole for hoisting the USSR flag. Since this boat was fundamentally new and built in a hurry, it, unfortunately, constantly required repairs. On September 8, 1967, a fire occurred on the ship, resulting in the death of 39 people. But the explosion of torpedoes, including with atomic warheads, the crew managed to avoid. The boat returned to base on its own.
The first Soviet nuclear submarine was decommissioned in 1991. At the moment, the boat is being redesigned with the aim of organizing a museum on its board. Visitors will be able to inspect exhibits on its board directly under water.
State of affairs today
New Russian submarines, whose projects are being implemented at the moment, have good potential. But back in the 90s of the last century, in connection with the well-known events, the Russian Navy was in a deplorable state. There was a similar situation in the country until 2000. The impetus for the new development of the country's submarine fleet was the tragedy that happened with the ship Kursk. It was after this event that the society of our country realized the deplorable state of the Russian Navy.
In subsequent years, the Russian government implemented a number of fleet reforms. It concerned both the improvement of the material condition and the training of personnel. The crisis that began in the 90s was overcome. However, even at the moment, the combat effectiveness of the submarine fleet in our country is lower than during the Soviet era. Even there were more than 250 vessels in the Soviet Union. Today, the answer to the question of how many submarines Russia has is 72 units. That is almost 4 times less. In addition, some ships today undergo reconstruction and modernization at shipyards.
Modern submarines
But be that as it may, some improvements were still achieved in the Russian fleet. The number of submarines in Russia has recently increased. Not so long ago, two projects of nuclear submarines began to be implemented in the country:
- 955 "Borey", which replaced the obsolete 667 BDR "Squid";
- ships with cruise missiles 885 Ash.
The modern Russian submarines Borey are an integral part of the government strategic defense program. Therefore, their construction is currently a priority. Ash-boats have better characteristics than Borey. However, they are at the same time twice as expensive. Each such vessel is built on an individual order.
U.S. and Russian submarines
The US and the Russian Federation are currently two powers with the most developed submarine fleet. At the same time, experts believe that the American one, developed mainly during the Cold War, has great attacking potential. The Russian fleet is currently smaller. How many submarines Russia has, we found out - 72 pieces. However, the defense potential of the Navy in this area has recently been replenished with new models. For the United States Navy, new submarines have not been developed for quite some time.