World-largest Submarine To Be Scrapped

Novosti ^ | January 20 2005

[knighthawk]

MOSCOW, January 20 (RIA Novosti) - A Project 941 Typhoon submarine, the prototype of the Soviet submarine in "The Hunt for the Red October," is going to be scrapped, with another ship of the series to follow suit soon, according to Izvestia. The United States will pay for the disposal operation.

Red October's prototype, the first Typhoon-class, nuclear-powered intercontinental ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), had just entered the inventory of the Soviet Navy by the time the movie was shot. The submarine was the Soviet response to the US Navy's Ohio-class submarine.

The Typhoon is among the world's most unique weapons systems. Its size earned her a page in the Guinness Book of Records and has a multi-hull design. The outer hull, covered by sonar signal-absorbent coating, houses five pressure hulls with a sauna, a swimming pool, a gym and a smoking lounge. No other submarine in the world can boast that. The space between the two main pressure hulls houses 20 silos for the world-largest RSM-52 intercontinental ballistic missiles each mounting 10 multiple individually targeted reentry vehicle (MIRV) warheads.

The Typhoon can fire off its ICBMs from under the thick polar packed ice stealthily, i.e. without having to surface. Other SSBNs had to do it before launch, thus exposing themselves to the enemy. Therefore, the Typhoon cannot be detected by reconnaissance satellites and, hence, prevented from launching a nuclear attack.

In the early 1990s, Russia and the United States agreed on a bilateral [nuclear] disarmament. A decision was made to dispose of the Typhoon-class submarines in addition to the early nuclear-propulsion subs.

"Now, there are only three Project 941 heavy submarine cruisers in the submarine division's inventory, namely the Arkhangelsk, the Severstal and the Dmitry Donskoi, the latter being upgraded," Admiral Gennady Suchkov, the former Russian Navy's Northern Fleet commander, said.

"Project 941 is the best interms of maneuverability and combat capabilities," said a submarine designer, "but the Navy needs smaller-displacement ships nowadays."

[July 4th]

Here's a favorite pic of mine. Seawolf sub breaks through the ice, gets attacked by polar bear.

[July 4th]

Oh well...looks like their photohost doesn't like me embedding images. Here's the link.

http://www.strategypage.com/gallery/default.asp?target=bear_sub1.htm

[conejo99]

Of course it can launch it's missiles. What happens after
launch is another question.

[68skylark]

Your photo didn't come through -- just a red "x."

While we're on the topic, here's one I like:

[Daus]

That's a very good question, although how much would it really cost to tow it out to sea and then use it for target practice?

I'm guessing you'd want to handle the nuclear reactor a little more delicately. :)

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

The article says this submarine can launch its ICBM's while submerged under "thick polar ice." That sounds like propaganda to me.

Well, if the target's the polar ice cap....

[tob2]

The Hunt For Red October - great movie.

[battlecry]

That's a lot of golf clubs...

[knighthawk]

lol good one

[Phsstpok]

I believe that Nowhere Man has it right. Both our boomers and the old Soviet counterparts loitered under ice pack and then either broke through the ice with the body of the sub or moved to existing breaks in the pack ice. The North Polar ice is NOT continuous, so there are gaps and thin spots.

[GingisK]

The United States will pay for the disposal operation.

This just beats the hell out of me!

[Colt .45]

I like the one that I used to have on a t-shirt. It showed a sub moving through the water with a mushroom cloud in the distance. The caption read "24 empty missile tubes, a mushroom cloud, and now its Miller Time." The other one I liked was the shot of a carrier through a periscope and the caption read "There are only two types of ships in the world, submarines and their targets." And I was an Aviation type!

[Ramius]

"Give me a ping, Vasiliy; one ping only please."

That's *my* line. :-)

[PhilDragoo]

I'm not seeing anything in the text or photo to indicate the real sub has/had the exotic propulsion system of the film sub in "The Hunt for Red October".

Thanks to such gullible generosity on the part of Foggy Bottom bureaucrats, the performer formerly known as the Soviet Union is able to devote its entire defense budget to developing new weapons systems.

Thus Nunn-Lugar funds new Topol-Ms, as money is of course fungible.

[Valin]

the thing is a monster


Understatement of the day alert.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Severa]

The other one I liked was the shot of a carrier through a periscope and the caption read "There are only two types of ships in the world, submarines and their targets." And I was an Aviation type!

You mean this one? Can be bought at submarinestore.com...

[Severa]

The other one I liked was the shot of a carrier through a periscope and the caption read "There are only two types of ships in the world, submarines and their targets." And I was an Aviation type!

You mean this one? Can be bought at submarinestore.com...

[Severa]

Oops. double post. Sorry *sheepish grin*

[foxtrot641]

The 3 Russian subs in the us are all attractions as are the almost 2 dozen US subs on display through out the country.

The Foxtrot Class in Long Beach was previously leased from the Russian to the city of Sidney Australia and was there for about 5 years. When the lease was up the Russians didn't want it back. A buyer from CA purchased it and brought it to the US on a heavy lift ship. The Foxtrot in Seattle is a sister ship to that one. The other is a Juliet class in Providence, RI.

I have examined the two Foxtrots and tell you I would NEVER dive on one. They are an example of what you can get away with. Even the just post WW II sub I sailed on was superior to these and they were built decades later. I would love see one of their Nucs having sailed one of our Fast Attack boats as well but I don't hold out much hope for ever getting to do that. As to the Project 941 boats, there was only ever 6 built and now half the fleet is being scrapped. I'd pay for that. Our next target is China, they are starting to feel to big for their britches. They never liked the fact they had their clocks cleaned almost everything in Korea by much smaller forces. Now they are starting to snoop around our sub bases at Guam. Foxtrot