The
Typhoon class submarine 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 Typhoons are the largest class of submarine ever built, large enough to accommodate decent living faculities for the crew, when the submarine remained submerged for months on end. 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. In its day it was one of the most feared weapons of mass destruction ever made. Although technically able to successfully deploy their long-range
nuclear missiles while moored at their docks,
[http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/slbm/941.htm] Soviet doctrine for these vessels was to have them attack North America while submerged under the
arctic circle, avoiding the traversal of the
GIUK gap to remain safe from enemy
attack submarines and
anti-submarine forces.
Description and history
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, 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. A Typhoon class submarine can stay submerged for periods up to 180 days 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-30) missile which is currently under development. The
Arkhangelesk (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
Borey class starting in 2009.
In late December 2008, a senior Navy official announced that the two Akula-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. In late June 2009, the Navy Commander-in-Chief, Admiral
Vladimir Vysotskiy told reporters that the two submarines would be reserved for possible future repairs and modernization.
Satellite photos
Vessels
300px|Typhoon class|right 834 TK 208 Dmitriy Donskoy
Typhoon-#1- 9 February 1982: Entered 18th division (Zapadnaya Litsa), NOR.
- December 1982: Transferred from Severodvinsk to Zapadnaya Litsa.
- 1983-1984: Tests of D-19 missile complex. Commanders: A.V.Olkhovikov (1980-1984).
- 3 December 1986: Entered Navy Board of the Winners of the Socialist Competition.
- 18 January 1987: Entered MoD Board of Glory.
- 20 September 1989–1991: Repairs and refit at Sevmash to Project 941U. 1991 refit cancelled.
- 1996: Returned to 941U refit.
- 2002: Named Dmitriy Donskoy.
- 26 June 2002: End of refit.
- 30 June 2002: Start of testing.
- 26 July 2002: Entered sea trials, Re-entered fleet, without missile system.
- December 2003: Sea trials; refitted to carry a new Bulava missile system. New missile system expected to be operational by 2005.
- 9 October 2005: Successfully launched SS-NX-30 Bulava SLBM from surface.
- 21 December 2005: Successfully launched SS-NX-30 Bulava SLBM from submerged position on move.
- 7 September 2006: Test launch of the Bulava missile failed after several minutes in flight due to the problems in the flight control system. The missile fell into the sea about a minute after the launch. The sub was not affected and was returning to Severodvinsk base submerged. Later reports blamed the engine of the first stage for the failure.
- 25 October 2006: Test launch of the Bulava-M missile in the White Sea failed some 200 seconds after liftoff due to the apparent failure of the flight control system.
- 28 August 2008: Undergone successful testing at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast. More than 170 men are currently working with the Dmitriy Donskoy, hundred of them employees at the Sevmash plant and 70 from other involved companies.
830 TK 17 Arkhangelsk
Typhoon-#5- 19 February 1988: Entered 18th division (Zapadnaya Litsa) NOR.
- 8 January–9 November 2002: Refit at Sevmash.
- In July 2002, crew petitioned Main Navy Headquarters to adopt the name Arkhangel'sk (renamed on 18 November 2002).
- Commander: 2002-2003 V.Volkov.
- 17 February 2004: Took part in military exercises with President Vladimir Putin aboard.
- Could be modified to carry cruise missiles or to lay mines, or could be used in special operations.
TK 20 Severstal
Typhoon-#6- 28 February 1990: Entered 18th division (Zapadnaya Litsa), NOR.
- 25 August 1996: Successfully launched SLBM
- November 1996: Successfully launched SLBM from North Pole.
- 24 July 1999: Took part in parade on Navy Day in Severomorsk, NOR.
- November–December 1999 - distant cruise.
- 2001: named to Severstal.
- June 2001–December 2002: Repairs at Sevmash.
- Commander: A.Bogachev (2001).
Typhoon-based cargo vessel
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 .
Notable popular culture
Typhoon class submarine, covered with ice
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. The ship portrayed was what became of the 7th canceled ship of the class.
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. 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.)
In the animated series
Blue Submarine No. 6 an unnamed Typhoon-class submarine was shown in the third and final episode.
In the computer game
Red Alert 2, as well as
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.
See also
