Nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear missiles during the Cold War were one of the constraints that saved humanity from the horrors of a hot war. In the competition between the two superpowers of that time - the USA and the USSR, possessing the so-called "triads" of nuclear weapons - submarines played a crucial role.
A brief history of creation
The term "arms race" can be understood almost literally - both countries were chasing each other in an effort to keep up and not to allow even the slightest superiority of their potential adversary. This was especially true of strategic weapons, which included atomic submarines. Work on the creation of the Soviet submarine of project 667 began in 1958 in response to the American Lafayette project, which provides for the implementation of a large-scale program to create a series of submarines equipped with nuclear weapons. By analogy with the Americans, each Soviet submarine missile carrier had to have 16 launchers. During the design work, the originally conceived design, which involved mounting the missiles outside the hull and equipping the boats with rotary devices that translate missiles from the marching to the combat position, was rejected and replaced with vertical launch shafts located inside the solid hull of the boat.
"General effect"
Not the last role in changing the design of the project 667 submarine was played by the frank failure of the demonstration of the model with a rotary mechanism to the then head of the country N. Khrushchev. During the demonstration, this mechanism did not work, and the missiles were stuck in an intermediate tilt, failing to go into a combat position.
The construction of the first submarine
The timing of the construction and testing of the first prototype of a submarine of project 667 is astonishing. Being laid in the slipway in Severodvinsk at the end of 1964, it was launched already in August 1966, and entered service next year. The submarine was named "Leninets" and received the designation K-137. Currently, such a pace is unthinkable, even for ordinary surface ships, not to mention submarines, which are often built for decades.
Mass production
Mastering the production of submarines of project 667 was also carried out at an accelerated pace. Boats were produced at two plants, in Severodvinsk and in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. The pace of production was also impressive. In 1967, one boat was adopted for service, in 1968 - already four, another five years later. Since 1969, a plant in the Far East also connected to Severodvinsk. The Soviet Union once again tried to catch up with the Americans, who had already built 31 nuclear submarines by the end of the 60s.
Design
The project 667 submarine had a two-hull structure, traditional for that time, with rudders located on the wheelhouse, missile shafts behind the wheelhouse in the hull. The nuclear submarine was armed with 16 launchers with R-27 ballistic missiles, equipped with nuclear warheads of 1 megaton each and a range of 2500 km. The power plant was represented by two autonomous units with a total capacity of 5, 200 horsepower, which allowed to develop underwater speed up to 28 knots. A curious fact: the Americans, who did not expect such agility from Soviet industry, gave the unofficial name for this boat, the Yankees. In our fleet, the project 667 azuha nuclear submarine also received its unofficial name, apparently due to the abbreviation AZ - an automatic protection device, first introduced on this boat.
Design development
In the early 70s, as part of the logic of the arms race, a sufficiently effective system of sonar submarine location was introduced in the United States, which made the location of Soviet submarines on alert duty off the coast of North America clearly visible. As a result, there was a need to push the boundaries of combat alert from the shores of a potential enemy, but for this it was necessary to increase the range of missile weapons. So there were submarines of project 667 B, which received the designation "Moray".
These submarines were equipped with R-29 missiles, which had an intercontinental firing range and, unlike the R-27, were two-stage. The missile had significantly larger dimensions. Accordingly, the design of the submarine was changed. The length and especially the height of the boat slightly increased due to the characteristic ledge behind the wheelhouse, similar to a hump. Of the 16 missiles previously available, only 12 remained, but with a greater charge power.
The latest series of submarines
The development of the design and combat capabilities of the project 667 submarine was continuous and constant. Weapon systems, navigation systems, radio communications, fire control, as well as main and auxiliary power plants were improved, work was carried out to reduce visibility, noise and increase combat survivability. In addition to the already mentioned projects 667A Navaga and 667B Murena, submarine cruisers of this series were also issued under the letters AU Nalim, AM Navaga-M, M Andromeda, AT Grusha, BDR Kalmar, DB "Dolphin".
The last series of this type of submarine were BDRM boats. The first submarine blueprints for Project 667 BDRM appeared in the mid-70s. The quantity and quality of changes led the boat to the 3rd generation of nuclear missile carriers. These boats are still in the current composition of the Russian submarine fleet. Equipped with the Sineva R-27RM and R-27RMU2 intercontinental ballistic missiles, with a range of up to 8300 km, the submarines of project 667 BDRM continue to be an effective tool to deter a potential aggressor. The first boat of this series was laid in 1981 and entered the Navy at the end of 1984. In total, 7 submarines of project 667 BDRM were built, one of which was converted into a carrier of small submarines.
