If you simplifiedly imagine the history of Mankind, you can see that this is a constant improvement of weapons. From the stone and sticks that the ancestor of man took to defend or attack to modern weapons that can destroy the Earth.
Man learned to fight on land, in the air, at sea, and even under water. Mankind confidently moved towards its dream - to conquer the depths of the oceans. But all submarine projects, starting from antiquity, ended either in failure or looked more like bathyscaphes.
And in the XIX century, the dream began to take on real shape. From the fantastic Nautilus by Jules Verne to the creation of the first submarine, a little time has passed. At the end of the XIX century, some countries of the world began to use submarines in the conduct of hostilities. In the twentieth century, they began to improve, and now the depths of the oceans plow the boats on a nuclear course with a displacement of over 45,000 tons, capable of carrying tons of deadly weapons on board.
That's about such large boats and our story will go. But first, we turn over several pages of the history of the development of the submarine fleet.
Schilder Submarine
The first military submarine can rightly be considered the apparatus of the Russian inventor K. Schilder.
In 1834, the first missile launch was made from this boat. The design was an all-metal building with a length of 6 meters and a height of 1.8 meters.
The boat was armed with a mine in the form of a 16-kilogram vessel and a missile, which was released through a special pipe mounted on the hull.
Schilder’s experience and drawings were widely used by Russian designers to create the Russian submarine fleet.
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U-31
This German boat is recognized as the best boat of the First World War. In the period from 1912 to 1915, 11 U-31 class submarines were built, which twice took part in the hostilities.
Germany, which in many respects was ahead of the warring countries in the creation and use of submarines, actively used the U-31 in the first year of the war. Four vehicles of this class became the most bloodthirsty killers during the First World War.
The second active use of class U boats was 1917, when the German Empire tried by all means to force the Entente countries and the United States to surrender.
The boat of this class U-35 is the first in the world in the number of sunken ships. During the war, her crew destroyed 224 ships.
Underwater Aircraft Carrier I 400
Japanese submarines I 400, also known as the "Sentoku" - the largest submarine from the Second World War.
The length of the boat reached 122 meters, with a displacement of 6,500 tons. The Japanese submarine could reach speeds of up to 18 knots in the surface position and 6.5 knots when moving under water. By design, the boat could transport aircraft. After a successful operation in Pearl Harbor, the Japanese intended to strike with the help of such boats directly along the continental coast of the United States.
In 1942, it was planned to build 18 boats, but the war made adjustments and only 3 submarines of type I 400 were launched.
In the battle, these combat submarines never visited. After the surrender of Japan, 3 vehicles were transferred to the United States and flooded in 1946. In 2013, Japanese researchers managed to find one of the I 400 boats. It lies at a depth of 700 meters off the island of Oahu.
I-400 remained the largest boat in the world, until the appearance of nuclear submarines in the 60s of the twentieth century.
Navaga
In the Soviet project 667A Navaga, a whole series of strategic missile submarines with ballistic missiles R-27 on board was created.
The first Navaga boats were launched in 1958. The boat is 128 meters long and 11.7 meters wide. The hull of this submarine has a cylindrical, streamlined shape with a diameter of 9.5 m and is made of Yu3 steel. The hull of the 128 mm boat was divided into 10 compartments. The full combat equipment of the boat totaled 22 missiles, 2 of them with nuclear warheads. High-precision navigation equipment was installed on the boats, and satellite navigation has been used since the late 80s.
The fate of many boats of Project 667A Navaga is in many ways sad. Under an agreement with the United States on the reduction of armaments, almost all submarines of this type were disposed of.
Triumphan
During the implementation of this French project, 4 submarines were built, from 1989 to 2009. The implementation of the Triumphant project began in 1982. His goal was to replace the obsolete model of the submarine fleet of the French Navy.
The length of the hull of the Triumphan-type submarine is 138 meters, and its width is 14.5 meters. The boat is armed with 16 M45 class missiles.
Compared with previous French projects, on this generation of boats systems have been improved that allow the boat to go unnoticed for a long time and an enemy anti-submarine fleet detection system.
All four boats today are on combat duty in the navy of France.
Jin
The Chinese relatively late began to create large strategic boats. In 1999, the implementation of the 094 Jin project began.
Jin has a length of 140 meters with a total displacement of 11,500 tons. The boat has 12 ballistic missiles in service, the flight range is 12,000 km.
The project was highly classified. The submarine was tested in 2004. Now the Chinese Navy is armed with 6 submarines of the 094 Jin type.
The American satellite first photographed a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine cruiser in 2006. At that moment, 094 Jin stood in the port of Xiaopindao in the Yellow Sea.
The origin of the name is also interesting. In China, in the III – IV centuries and in the XII – XIII centuries, the Jin dynasty ruled. Also, "jin" is a Chinese measure of weight equal to 500 grams.
Wangard
The largest include a British submarine of the Wangard type. The project was implemented by the construction of four nuclear strategic submarine cruisers in the early 90s of the XX century. The first decisions to modernize the submarine fleet and build large boats were made in England in 1983.
The Wangard boat is a single hull, 150 meters long and 12.5 meters wide. The boat is equipped with 12 Trident-2 D5 missiles. The boat has been improved missile launch system. The new launcher significantly reduced the time required to prepare the rocket for launch.
But the new system also crashes. In January 2017, the Trident missile was launched from the Vengard submarine. After launch, the rocket deviated from the desired course and fell into the Atlantic Ocean.
All four boats are in service with the Royal Navy of Great Britain. One of the boats is constantly on alert in the Atlantic Ocean.
Squid
Another Soviet project to create a new type of submarine. It is noteworthy that the Kalmar project was created for a certain type of R-29R ballistic missiles.
In 1972, the Kalmar Project 667BDR began to be implemented, and in 1976 boats of this type had already completed a group transoceanic passage. In length, the hull of the new boat was 155.5 meters, displacement underwater 13,050 tons. "Squid" can dive to a depth of 320 meters and develop a speed under water up to 25 knots. In autonomous navigation "Squid" can be more than 90 days.
A distinctive feature of "Squid" is that the entire ammunition, and this is 16 ballistic missiles, it can be fired in one salvo.
During the history of the project 667БДР Kalmar, 14 devices were put into operation. To date, 10 of them have been decommissioned and disposed of; the 4th Kalmar submarines are on combat duty as part of the Russian Navy in the Pacific Ocean.
Murena-M
The 2nd-generation Soviet nuclear strategic submarines Murena were introduced into the fleet in 1975.
The dimensions of the boat did not differ much from the first generation of such devices. The length of "Mureny-M" is 150 meters, the width of the case made of light steel - 11.5 meters. These boats have a speed of 15 knots above the surface and 24 knots under water.
At Murena-M, 16 ballistic missiles were installed, unlike the first-generation boats, where there were 12. Missile range is 9,500 km. The designers also developed a more powerful power plant of 55,000 hp.
In 1999, all four Murena-M submarines were withdrawn from the Russian Navy.
Dolphin
"Dolphin", became the first boat, enlisted in the Russian Navy in 1903. In the 1980s, they also called the project to create large strategic submarines.
Project 667BDRM was a continuation of the "Squid" and has a classic layout with a twin-screw power plant and missile silos located behind the wheelhouse. The boat is one of the largest in the world, has a length of 167.4 meters and a hull width of 11.7 meters. The Dolphin can dive to a depth of 650 meters, which makes it unique among boats of this type. "Dolphin" is also unique in that it can launch missiles from a depth of 55 meters.
In service are ballistic and intercontinental missiles. The Russian fleet uses the Dolphin submarines both in military campaigns and for peaceful purposes. In 1998 and 2006, artificial Earth satellites were launched into orbit from submarines of this class.
Ohio
Between 1981 and 1997, 18 Ohio-type strategic nuclear submarines were introduced into the US Navy.
These are third generation machines with a PWR type nuclear reactor. The power plant allows you to reach speeds of 25 knots under water and 17 knots in the surface position of the boat. The length of the Ohio hull is 170.7 meters and the width 12.8 meters.
In the arms race with the USSR, the United States in the mid-60s, it was concluded that it was impossible to destroy the strategic complexes of the Soviet Union with one blow. The development of a new type of weaponry began, the result of which was the Ohio project. Each submarine of this type carries 24 ballistic continental missiles. Missiles with two separable warheads and an individual guidance system. Like Russian submarines, the Ohio can launch from underwater. For self-defense in the bow there are 10 torpedoes.
To date, the United States Navy consists only of this type of strategic submarine.
There is an interesting fact from the history of the use of Ohio. Despite all its power and size, on August 11, 2009, the Ohio rescued the victims of the disaster. The periscope commander saw people drowning in the ocean, decided to come up and provide assistance. As a result, four men and a 14-year-old boy were rescued.
Borea
In order to replace the submarines in service with more advanced ones, in the beginning of the 90s Russian design bureaus began developing a new submarine. The project received the code name 955 Borey. The Boreas became fourth-generation strategic submarines.
The first boat of the Borey type became part of the Russian Navy on August 19, 1995 and bore the name St. Petersburg. These boats are the only ones in the world that are driven by a single-shaft jet engine. The boat of the Borey type has a two-hull structure made of heavy-duty steel. The dimensions of the boat: length - 170 meters, width - 13.5 meters. With this size, Borey has an underwater speed of 29 knots. The Borey is equipped with 16 Bulava-type missiles.
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The duration of the autonomous hike of the submarine is 90 days. In many respects, such terms depend and are limited in nutrition, which the device can take on board. The maximum diving depth reaches 400 meters.
The Russian Navy consists of 5 ships of the project 955 Borey. The missile carriers are assigned the names traditional for the ships of the fleet of the 1st rank and the code letter "K". In 2017, it is planned to lay three more boats of this type. The eighth submarine will be named "Prince Pozharsky." The introduction of these submarines into the Russian fleet should occur before 2020.
Shark
Project 941 "Shark" - the largest underwater submarine in the history of mankind. It was the USSR’s response to the creation of the Ohio submarine by the Americans.
The Shark submarine, better known as the Typhoon, was developed at the Leningrad Design Bureau Rubin. The second name was given by Leonid Brezhnev, calling it "Typhoon" in 1981 because of its crushing power.
Indeed, the "Shark" is striking in its size and armament. Its length is 178.5 meters, the width of the hull is 23.3 meters. Mahina, the size of a nine-story house, has a speed of 12 knots in the wild and 23 knots in underwater position. The maximum depth that the Typhoon can plunge is 500 meters.
With such dimensions and driving characteristics, the Shark is equipped with a powerful ammunition. In the mines installed 20 nuclear missiles R-29. In addition, 20 rockets and Igla MANPADS were installed on the Shark. A special ship, Alexander Barykin, with a displacement of 16,000 tons, was created to deliver the ammunition to the boat.
During the existence of the project from 1976 to 1989, 6 submarines were designed and put into combat formation. Now the Russian Navy includes 3 strategic submarine cruisers “Shark”.
The designers thought out the maximum comfortable conditions for the crew during military campaigns. So, on the submarine there is a swimming pool, a solarium with a sauna, as well as a small gym.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we say that the military confrontation between the USSR and the USA led to the implementation of ambitious projects to create large nuclear submarines. Judging by the submarines of World War II, German designers could intervene in this race, but it is forbidden to have a navy by the German peace treaty.
It’s prestigious to have such large nuclear boats in service, but let them only have military guard and never use their deadly combat stock.
Article author: Valery Skiba