 Typhoon class submarine underway |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Akula (Акула) (NATO: Typhoon) |
| Builders: | Rubin Design Bureau |
| Operators: |  Soviet Navy Russian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Delta class submarine |
| Succeeded by: | Borei class submarine |
| In commission: | December 12, 1981 |
| Completed: | 6 |
| Active: | 1 |
| Scrapped: | 3 |
| Preserved: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Ballistic missile submarine |
| Displacement: | 23,200–24,500 t (22,830–24,110 long tons) surfaced 33,800–48,000 t (33,270–47,240 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 175 m (574 ft 2 in) |
| Beam: | 23 m (75 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 12 m (39 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × OK-650 pressurized-water nuclear reactors, 90 MW (120,700 hp) each 2 × VV-type steam turbines, 37 MW (49,600 hp) each 2 shafts 7 bladed shrouded screws |
| Speed: | 22.22 knots (41.15 km/h; 25.57 mph) surfaced 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) submerged |
| Endurance: | 180 days submerged |
| Test depth: | 400 m (1,300 ft) |
| Complement: | 163 |
| Armament: | 1 × 9K38 Igla SAM 2 × 650 mm (26 in) torpedo tubes • RPK-7 Vodopad AShMs • Type 65K torpedoes 4 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes • RPK-2 Viyuga cruise missiles • Type 53 torpedoes[1] D-19 launch system • 20 × RSM-52 SLBMs |
| Notes: | Ships in class include: TK-208[2] TK-202 TK-12[3] TK-13 TK-17[4] TK-20[5] TK-210 |
The project 941 or Akula class submarine (Nato reporting name: Typhoon) is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. With a maximum displacement of 33,800 tons, the Typhoon's are the largest class of submarine ever built,[6] large enough to accommodate decent living facilities for the crew, when the submarine remained submerged for months on end.[7] The source of the NATO reporting name remains unclear, although it is often claimed to be related to the use of the word "Typhoon" (тайфун) by Leonid Brezhnev in a 1974 speech while describing a new type of nuclear ballistic missile submarine. Soviet doctrine for these vessels was to have them launch SLBMs while submerged under the arctic ice, avoiding the traversal of the GIUK gap to remain safe from the enemy attack submarines and anti-submarine forces. Technically Typhoons were also able to successfully deploy their long-range nuclear missiles while moored at their docks.[8]
| NATO reporting name | Soviet project number | Soviet name |
|---|---|---|
| Typhoon | 941 | Akula |
Contents |
The Typhoon class was developed under Project 941 as the Russian Akula class (Акула), meaning shark. It is sometimes confused with other submarines, as Akula is the name NATO uses to designate the Russian Project 971 Shchuka-B (Щука-Б) class attack submarines.
Typhoon submarines are among the quietest Russian sea vessels in operation,[citation needed] being quieter and yet more maneuverable than their predecessors. Besides their missile armament, the Typhoon class features six torpedo tubes; four are designed to handle RPK-2 (SS-N-15) missiles or Type 53 torpedoes, and the other two are designed to launch RPK-7 (SS-N-16) missiles, Type 65 torpedoes, or mines[citation needed]. A Typhoon class submarine can stay submerged for periods up to 180 days[citation needed]in normal conditions, and potentially more if deemed necessary (e.g., in the case of a nuclear war).
Typhoon class submarines feature multiple pressure hulls that simplify internal design while making the vessel much wider than a normal submarine. In the main body of the sub, two Delta class pressure hulls lie parallel with a third, smaller pressure hull above them (which protrudes just below the sail), and two other pressure hulls for torpedoes and steering gear. This also greatly increases their survivability - even if one pressure hull is breached, the crew members in the other are safe and there is less potential for flooding.
Six Typhoon class submarines were built, with each carrying 20 R-39 missiles (SS-N-20) with a maximum of 10 MIRV nuclear warheads each. Originally, the submarines were designated by hull numbers only. Names were later assigned to the four vessels retained by the Russian Navy, which were sponsored by either a city or company. The construction order for an additional vessel (hull number TK-210) was canceled and never completed. Only the first of these submarines to be constructed, the Dmitriy Donskoy, is still in active service with the Russian Navy, serving as a test platform for the Bulava (SS-NX-32) missile which is currently under development. The Arkhangelsk (TK-17) and Severstal (TK-20) remain commissioned, though not currently active with the Russian fleet. All the R-39 missiles have been retired. The Typhoons are slated to be replaced by the Borei class starting in 2010-11.
In late December 2008, a senior Navy official announced that the two Typhoon-class submarines, the TK-17 and TK-20, that are in reserve would not be rearmed with the new Bulava SLBM missile system. They could however be modified to carry cruise missiles or to lay mines, or could be used in special operations.[9] In late June 2009, the Navy Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky told reporters that the two submarines would be reserved for possible future repairs and modernization.[10]
Three visible in the waters of the naval base/submarine manufacturing base of Severodvinsk, Russia
| # | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TK-208[2] Dmitriy Donskoy | June 30, 1976 | September 27, 1980 | December 29, 1981[11] | In service |
| TK-202 | April 22, 1978 | September 23, 1982 | December 28, 1983[11] | Withdrawn from active service in June 1999, scrapped 2003-2005 |
| TK-12,Simbirsk | April 19, 1980 | December 17, 1983 | December 26, 1984[11] | Withdrawn from active service in 1996, scrapped 2006-2008 |
| TK-13 | February 23, 1982 | April 30, 1985 | December 26, 1985[11] | Withdrawn from active service in 1997, scrapped 2007-2009 [12] |
| TK-17[4] Arkhangelsk | August 9, 1983 | December 12, 1986 | December 15, 1987[11] | In reserve as of 2009, main armament inactive |
| TK-20[5] Severstal | August 27, 1985 | April 11, 1988 | December 19, 1989[11] | In reserve as of 2009, main armament inactive |
| TK-210 | 1986 | 1990 (scrapped on the ways)[11] |
Typhoon-#1
Typhoon-#5
Typhoon-#6
The Submarine Cargo Vessel is a proposed idea by the Rubin Design Bureau where a Typhoon has its missile launchers removed and replaced with cargo holds. The projected cargo capacity of this configuration is 15,000 tonnes (15,000 long tons).
Probably the most well-known fictional Typhoon class was the stealth submarine Red October. It is the subject of the Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October and the movie adaptation of that book.
In the novel, the Red October used a drive system consisting of long shafts cut through the hull with impellers inside them, called a tunnel drive or caterpillar drive. In the movie, the caterpillar drive was instead said to be a magnetohydrodynamic drive. In both the novel and the movie, the drive was said to be near-silent; this made the Red October a perfect platform for launching depressed-trajectory ballistic missiles at the United States.
One well-known scene from the book involves a gun battle inside the submarine in the missile room where two characters take potshots at each other peeking from behind ballistic missile tubes. Typhoon class submarines are not designed this way; the missile silos are between the two pressure hulls and are inaccessible to personnel.[citation needed] It is, however, the way the US Navy configures the launch tubes for Polaris ballistic missiles, and Clancy likely assumed at the time (1984) that the Russian submarine was designed in the same manner. (This being still a time of the Soviet Union's existence, there was no way for him to have obtained the information.)
A Rubin Typhoon-based cargo vessel plays a key role in the 2009 Clive Cussler novel, Medusa.
In the animated series Blue Submarine No. 6 an unnamed Typhoon-class submarine was shown in the third and final episode.
In the computer games Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge, the Typhoon is a Soviet naval unit, but unlike its real counterpart, it is an attack submarine and can only hit other naval units.
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   | NATO Code Names for submarines and ships - NATO Code Names for Submarines and Ships |
| | Haze Gray - Haze Gray & Underway Photo Feature: Soviet & Russian Navy - 'TYPHOON' Class Ballistic Missile Submarines |
| | National Geographic: Typhoon class - National Geographic: Submarine Milestones -- Largest Subs |
| | Wikimapia satellite image of three Typhoon class submarines - Wikimapia - Let's describe the whole world! |
| | '''Video''' - Typhoon - Sonicbomb.com |
| | A third''Typhoon'' class submarine - Wikimapia - Let's describe the whole world! |
| | A fourth''Typhoon'' class submarine - Wikimapia - Let's describe the whole world! |
| | Russian Typhoon Submarine - YouTube video - YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. |
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