Class "Shark" is still the undefeated record of the USSR. Being in autonomous navigation for 120 days, she crossed the oceans with ease and unnoticed, she was able to break the thick Arctic ice and hit enemy targets, releasing the entire ammunition load of ballistic missiles in a short time. Today they cannot find a use for it, and its fate is vague.

Our response

Unfolded between the USSR and the USA, it demanded worthy responses from both sides 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 assignment was issued for the creation of a submarine cruiser with the code "Akula" and the number 941. The work began with a government decree on the start of development, the project was commissioned to carry out the Rubin Central Design Bureau. The implementation of the design idea took place in the largest boathouse in the world - at the Sevmash plant, the laying took place in 1976. During the construction of the submarine, several technological breakthroughs were made, one of them was the aggregate-modular construction method, which significantly reduced the time for commissioning the facility. Today this method is used everywhere in all types of shipbuilding, but Submarine class "Shark" was the first in everything.

At the end of September 1980, the first submarine cruiser "Akula" of project 941 was launched from the shipyard of Severodvinsk into the White Sea. maritime legend or were, on the bow of the submarine, until it was launched, below the waterline, a shark baring its teeth was painted, its tail wrapped around a trident. After descending into the sea, the drawing disappeared under water and no one else saw the emblem, but folk memory, greedy for symbols and omens, immediately gave the name to the cruiser - "Shark". All subsequent Type 941 submarines received the same name, and the crew members were given their own symbols in the form of a shark patch on the sleeve. In the United States, the cruiser was given the name "Typhoon".

Design

The Shark-class submarine is similar in design to a catamaran - two hulls, each of which has a diameter of 7.2 meters, are located parallel to each other in a horizontal plane. The sealed compartment with the control module is located between the two main buildings, it contains the control panel and radio equipment of the cruiser. The missile block is located at the front of the boat between the hulls. It was possible to move from one part of the boat to another through three transitions. The entire hull of the boat consisted of 19 watertight compartments.

Project 941 ("Shark") have in the design, at the base of the cabin, two pop-up evacuation chambers with a capacity for the entire active crew. The compartment in which the central post is located is located closer to the stern of the cruiser. Titanium plating covers the two central hulls, the central post, torpedo rooms, the rest of the surface is covered with steel, on which a hydroacoustic coating is applied, which reliably hides the boat from tracking systems.

Front retractable rudders of a horizontal design are located in the bow of the boat. The upper deckhouse is reinforced and equipped with a rounded roof, capable of breaking through the solid ice cover when surfacing northern latitudes.

Characteristics

Type 941 submarines were equipped with third-generation power plants (their power was 100,000 hp) of a block type, the placement was divided into two blocks in durable hulls, which reduced the size of the nuclear power plant. At the same time, performance has been improved.

But not only this step made legendary submarines of the Akula class. The characteristics of the power plant included two water-cooled nuclear reactors OK-650 and two steam-type turbines. All the assembled equipment made it possible not only to increase the efficiency of the entire operation of the submarine, but to significantly reduce vibration, and, accordingly, improve the sound insulation of the ship. The nuclear plant was put into operation automatically when the power supply failed.

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 navigation without surfacing - 120 days.
• Immersion depth (maximum / working) - 480 m / 400m.
• Navigation speed (surface / underwater) - 12 knots / 25 knots.

Armament

Main armament - solid propellant ballistic missiles"Option" (weight in the hull - 90 tons, length - 17.7 m). The range of the rocket is 8.3 thousand kilometers, warhead It is divided into 10 warheads, each of which has a yield of 100 kilotons of TNT and an individual guidance system.

The launch of the entire arsenal of the submarine's ammunition can be carried out with a single salvo with a short launch interval between missile units. The launch of the ammunition load is carried out from the surface and underwater position, maximum depth at the start is 55 meters. The design characteristics provided for an ammunition load of 24 missiles, subsequently reduced to 20 units.

Peculiarities

Project 941 Shark submarines were equipped with a power plant consisting of two modules spaced apart in different, securely fortified hulls. The state of the reactors was monitored by pulse equipment, an automatic response system at the slightest loss of power supply.

When issuing a design assignment by one of the mandatory conditions it was to ensure the safety of the boat and the crew, the so-called safe radius, for which the hull nodes were calculated by the dynamic strength method and experimentally verified (two pop-up modules, container fastening, hull interface, etc.).

The Akula-class submarine was built at the Sevmash plant, where the world's largest covered boathouse, or workshop No. 55, was designed and built specifically for it. Project 941 ships are characterized by increased buoyancy - more than 40%. In order for the boat to be completely submerged, 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 far-sighted eye - to carry out repairs, preventive maintenance will be necessary at existing piers and repair plants.

The same reserve of buoyancy ensures the survival of the ship in the northern latitudes, where it is required to break open a thick ice cover. Project 941 Akula-class submarines coped with the harsh conditions of the North Pole, where ice thickness reaches 2.5 meters with accompanying ice hummocks and swells. 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, midshipmen. The senior officers were accommodated in two- and four-bed cabins equipped with a TV, washbasin, air conditioning, wardrobes, desks, etc.

Sailors and junior officers received comfortable cockpits at their disposal. On the 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 get too far away from reality on a long hike, a living corner was created.

Laid up

For the entire period of construction of submarines of type 941, six cruisers were adopted by the Navy:

• "Dmitry Donskoy" (TK - 208). Adopted in December 1981, after modernization, it resumed service in July 2002.
• TK-202. She received her home port and was put into service in December 1983. In 2005, the boat was cut up for scrap.
• "Simbirsk" (TK-12). Admitted to the Federation Council in January 1985. It was scrapped in 2005.
• TK-13. The cruiser entered service in December 1985. In 2009, the hull was cut into metal, part of the submarine (six-compartment unit, reactors) was transferred to long-term storage on the Kola Peninsula.
• "Arkhangelsk" (TK-17). Date of entry into the fleet - 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 the lack of ammunition, it is planned for disposal.
• TK-210. The laying of the hull structures coincided with the demolition economic system. Lost funding and was dismantled in 1990.

Nuclear submarines of the Akula class were consolidated into one division, the base for them is Zapadnaya Litsa ( Murmansk region). The reconstruction of Nerpichya Bay was completed in 1981. For basing type 941 cruisers, 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 nuclear submarines of the Akula class are in the home port in mothballed form, they are being decided further fate. Submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was upgraded for military 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 Project 941 Shark submarine is still a unique weapon, the only cruiser capable of combat duty in the Arctic. They are almost invulnerable to anti-submarine submarines in service with the United States. Also, not a single potential enemy has the technical aviation means to detect the cruiser under the ice.

The largest Soviet submarine Akula, created as a symmetrical response to the United States after they created the Ohio submarine.

The largest nuclear submarine (NPS) is the Shark.

The goal of the developers was to create a ship even more powerful and significant in size than the American counterpart.

The real name of the submarine is “Project 941”, in the West it is called “Typhoon”, and the name “Shark” is explained by the fact that a shark drawing is placed on the side of the submarine (although it could only be seen until the ship was launched).

That's what he called the new one. combat unit L.I. Brezhnev, and later the image of a shark appeared on the uniform of the sailors who served on the submarine.

Shark is a nuclear submarine and is really impressive in size. Its length corresponds approximately to the length of two real football fields, and its height corresponds to a nine-story building. Displacement of the submarine - 48 thousand tons in the state of the submerged.

How and when did the largest submarine in the world appear

The creation of this powerful warship is associated with the period " cold war and the arms race. The Akula submarine was supposed to show the superiority of the Soviet navy over the western one. In 1972, scientists were given the task of creating a submarine more powerful, larger, more dangerous than the Ohio (USA).

Work on the Ohio began in the United States in the early 1970s; the submarine was planned to be armed with 24 Trident solid-propellant missiles with a range of more than 7 thousand km, i.e. intercontinental. It significantly exceeded everything that was in service with the USSR, because a huge (with a displacement of 18.7 thousand tons) submarine could launch missiles at a depth of up to 30 m and was quite fast - up to 20 knots.

The Soviet government set the designers the task of creating a Soviet missile carrier, even more powerful than the American one. This work was entrusted to the design bureau "Rubin", which at that time was headed by I.D. Spassky, and to the designer S.N. Kovalev, a leading specialist in this field; 92 submarines were created according to Kovalev's designs.

Interested in

Construction was started at the Sevmash enterprise in 1976; the first cruiser was launched in 1980, and it passed the tests even earlier than the Ohio, on which work began earlier.

In the entire history of the existence of the project, 6 Shark submarines were created, and the seventh, having already begun, was not completed due to the disarmament that had begun. Three of the existing submarines were disposed of with financial assistance from the United States and Canada, two did not have time to be disposed of and now the question is being decided what to do with them next, and one - Dmitry Donskoy - has been modified and is now in service.

Refitting "Sharks" - too expensive pleasure, it costs the same as building two new modern submarines.

Design features of the submarine "Shark"

In connection with the need to equip the largest submarine in the world with solid-propellant missiles, designers faced difficult tasks. The missiles were too large and heavy, it was difficult to place them on a conventional cruiser, because even for loading massive weapons an innovative crane was required, and they were transported from them along specially laid rails.

And the capabilities of the shipbuilding plant were limited by the creation of ships that did not exceed the norms for the ship's draft.

The designers adopted a non-standard design solution: the cruiser was given the appearance, so to speak, of a catamaran for swimming under water. It does not consist of two buildings (external and internal), as usual, but five: two main and three additional.

The result is excellent buoyancy (40%).

Almost half of the ballast when the cruiser is under water is water. No matter how scolded the designers of the nuclear submarine for this! And "the victory of technology over common sense”, and “water carrier” (nickname of the submarine “Shark”), however, it is this feature that allows the cruiser to emerge, breaking through a 2.5-meter layer of ice, so that it can serve almost at the North Pole.

Inside the common body there are five more, two parallel; missile silos are unusually located: they are located in front of the wheelhouse; the mechanical, torpedo and control module are isolated and located in the gap formed by the main hulls, which makes the design safer.

This is also served by a couple of dozen waterproof compartments and two rescue chambers, which can fit the entire crew.

The outer steel hull is covered with special rubber for soundproofing and anti-location purposes, so that the submarine is difficult to detect.

Quite comfortable living conditions for the crew have been created on the huge submarine: cabins for small groups of sailors, comfortable cabins for officers, TVs, a gym, even a swimming pool, a solarium and a sauna, two mess rooms and a “living corner”.

Armament of the submarine

"Shark" is armed with two dozen R-39 "Variant" (these are ballistic missiles, each of them weighing 90 tons). There are also torpedo tubes (6 pieces) and MANPADS "Igla-1". Interestingly, even from a depth of up to 55 meters, a submarine can launch these missiles almost in one gulp.

Quite comfortable living conditions for the crew have been created on the huge submarine: the sailors live in small, for several people, cabins, while the officers occupy double cabins.

In addition to the gym and two cabins, there is a sauna and a small pool on board, there is even a solarium and a "living corner".

The commander's seat in the wheelhouse can only be used by the captain; even Defense Minister P. Grachev, who visited the submarine in 1993 and violated tradition, was unanimously condemned by all those present.

Quiet, almost silent, they lurk in the depths of the sea. They can spend many months underwater. However, they are strong enough to destroy a large part of the planet. Here are the largest submarines in history.

Akula-class submarines, Soviet Union/Russia, 48,000 tons

The largest submarines ever built by man are nuclear-powered submarines of the Akula class (NATO classification Typhoon).

Their length was 175 meters, and the width was extremely large. Submarines of this class weigh twice as much as the next in size.

Typhoon submarines are known as Project 941 Sharks. The project was developed in the Soviet Union in the 1970-1980s.

Military-technical deal between Delhi and Moscow

Yasen-class submarines threaten the United States

These sea ​​monsters were not only huge, but also much quieter than their predecessors. The boats were powered by two nuclear reactors.

They had the ability to destroy most of the world. The arsenal of each included an alarming number of ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads.

The crew members lived on the submarines in relative comfort and could spend up to 120 consecutive days underwater. When emergency eg nuclear war, this period could be extended.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the submarines were taken over by the new Russian fleet. In 1997, two huge submarines were scrapped for financial reasons. Later, the rest of the ships were decommissioned.

Borey-class submarines, Russia, 24,000 tons

The world's second-largest submarines are also Russian, and far more modern than the Akula-class they replace.

These 170 m long nuclear submarines are equipped with R-30 Bulava ballistic missiles.

Borey class boats are already predecessors, their dimensions are smaller and therefore they are cheaper to manufacture. However, the first copy still cost $770 billion.

The first Borey submarine went to sea in 2009, and in January 2013 the Russian Pacific Fleet accepted it into service.

Now Russia has three such submarines, but it is planned to purchase several more.

Putin's submarine fleet continues to grow.

Ohio-class submarines, USA, 18,750 tons

The third largest class of submarines is produced in the USA.

In the early 1970s, the American submarine fleet was deemed obsolete and new submarines were needed. At the same time, the Soviet Union, the sworn enemy of the Americans in the Cold War, improved the means of finding and combating submarines.

The United States responded with Ohio-class boats, which differed from their predecessors in increased combat potential and improved stealth.
The US currently has 18 of these submarines.

In one respect, Ohio-class boats are superior to Russian counterparts - they can carry more missiles on board than both Sharks and Boreas.

The design is designed to ensure that submarines can spend as much as possible on the high seas. for a long time, patrolling the oceans with their deadly cargo of missiles. A number of measures have been taken to shorten the time they need to stay in port, to simplify repairs and the resupply process.

Murena-class submarines, Soviet Union/Russia, 18200 tons

The Moray class (Delta according to NATO classification) is the fourth largest type of submarine in the world. These submarines were created during the Cold War, their task was considered to be attacks on American industrial and military facilities, as well as cities, in the event of a nuclear war.

The Delta class is divided into four subclasses. Project 667B Murena (Delta I) entered service in 1972. A total of 18 such submarines were built, the last decommissioned in 1998. Project 667BD "Murena-M" (Delta II) became a modification of "Murena" with additional missile compartments. Project 667BDR "Kalmar" (Delta III) - the first submarines capable of firing the entire set of ballistic missiles in one salvo, which for Soviet Union was a big step forward. Project 667BDRM "Dolphin" (Delta IV) differs from its predecessors in noiselessness.

Vanguard-class submarines, UK, 15,900 tons

Four nuclear submarines of the Royal Vanguard navy stationed at the base of the Clyde in Scotland.

If the world - God forbid - breaks out nuclear war, these ships will play a huge role in the fate of the UK.

Since 1998, they have carried only strategic ballistic missiles, one of which, with 128 warheads, must be at sea at any given time. At the same time, the country has absolutely no tactical and aviation nuclear weapons.
Submarines of this class are planned to be decommissioned no earlier than 2028.

Construction of heavy nuclear missile cruisers strategic purpose project 941 "Shark" (international classification "Typhoon") was a kind of response to the construction of US nuclear submarines of the class " Ohio", armed with 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In the USSR, the development of a new class submarine project began later than the Americans. The designers faced a difficult technical task - to place on board 24 missiles weighing almost 100 tons each. After many studies, it was decided to place the missiles between two strong hulls. As a result, the first submarine "Shark" was built in record time - in 5 years.

In September 1980, unusually large soviet submarine as high as a nine-story building and almost two football fields long, he touched the water for the first time. Delight, joy, fatigue - the participants of that event experienced different feelings, but they all had one thing in common - pride in a great common cause. Mooring and sea trials were carried out in record time. The tests took place not only in the White Sea, but also in the area North Pole. During the period of rocket firing, there were no failures in work. During construction nuclear submarines class " Typhoon"The latest advances in the creation of shipborne electronic equipment and noise reduction were applied. Submarines of this project are equipped with a pop-up rescue chamber designed for the entire crew.

heavy nuclear missile cruiser of strategic purpose "Akula"

Interestingly, the total underwater displacement submarine "Shark"» is about 50,000 tons. Moreover, exactly half of this weight is ballast water, which is why it was dubbed the "water carrier". This is the price, not fully thought out for the Russian submarine fleet, of the transition from liquid hot to solid fuel. As a result, the project Shark" became the largest submarine in the world and listed in the Guinness Book of Records. For the construction of nuclear submarines at the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise, a new workshop was specially built - the largest covered boathouse in the world. The first submarine of project 941 code "TK-208" was laid down at the shipyard of a shipbuilding enterprise in 1976, launched on September 23, 1980, and entered service at the end of 1981. Then five more submarines were built, and one of them was nuclear submarine « Dmitry Donskoy». nuclear submarine"TK-210" laid down in 1986 was never put into operation and dismantled in 1990 due to the high cost of the project.

dates of laying, launching and commissioning of Project 941 submarines

Design submarine project 941 made according to the "catamaran" type: two separate strong hulls are located in a horizontal plane parallel to each other. In addition, there are two separate sealed capsule-compartments - a torpedo compartment and a control module located between the main buildings in the diametrical plane, in which there is a central post and an electronic weapons compartment located behind it. The missile compartment is located between the pressure hulls at the front of the ship. Both cases and capsule-compartments are interconnected by transitions. The total number of watertight compartments is nineteen. The compartment of the central post and its light fencing are shifted towards the stern nuclear submarine. Robust hulls, the central post and the torpedo compartment are made of titanium alloy, and the lightweight hull is made of steel (a special hydroacoustic rubber coating is applied to its surface, which increases stealth submarines). Submarine "Shark""has a developed fodder plumage. The front horizontal rudders are located in the bow of the hull and fold. The cabin is equipped with powerful ice reinforcements and a rounded roof, which serves to break the ice during ascent.

For the crew of the boat, conditions of increased comfort have been created. The officers were placed in relatively spacious two- and four-bed cabins with washbasins, televisions and air conditioning, and sailors and foremen - in small cockpits. Submarine « Shark” received a gym, a swimming pool, a solarium, a sauna, a lounge for relaxation, a “living corner” and other premises.

According to the domestic press, the existing plans for the development of strategic nuclear forces Russia provides for modernization Project 941 nuclear submarines with replacement missile system D-19 for a new one. If this is true, submarine "Shark"" has every chance of remaining in service until 2010. In the future, it is possible to re-equip part of the project 941 into transport nuclear submarines, intended for the transportation of goods along transpolar and cross-polar routes, the shortest route linking Europe, North America and other countries. The cargo compartment built instead of the missile compartment will be capable of receiving up to 10,000 tons of cargo.

largest submarine in the world photo

nuclear submarine "Shark" in the parking lot

on a barrel

submarine "Shark" in combat campaign

Submarine "Shark" on the surface