NI: Soviet titanium submarine surpassed all American submarines
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union built several Lyra-class titanium submarines, writes The National Interest. Thanks to the titanium hull, they were fast, stealthy and maneuverable — and surpassed American submarines in everything. And the United States has not built its own titanium submarine — it is too difficult and expensive.
Russia has built several titanium submarines for its fleet. Although they were fast and reached incredible depths, the U.S. Navy had its own reasons for refraining from building them.
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union experimented with the construction of submarines made of titanium. These experiments culminated in the creation of the Lira class in 1971 (Project 705). The Lyra's titanium hull made her one of the fastest and most advanced submarines of her time — she could reach speeds of over 40 knots and dive to a depth of 670 meters.
Titanium had advantages such as high strength, low weight and high corrosion resistance, but it was difficult and expensive to work with.
With all the advantages, the United States decided not to engage in titanium submarines due to the high cost and shortage of material and difficulties in production.
Why the United States never built a titanium submarine, unlike the Soviets
During the Cold War, the two superpowers — the Soviets and America — spent huge resources to surpass each other in terms of weapons. Nothing stimulates the development of weapons like international rivalry (or open warfare), and the Cold War has become a truly epic confrontation.
Both countries spent a significant portion of their GDP trying to overtake each other. The result: more and more maneuverable fighters; bombers with an increasing payload; stealth aircraft; intercontinental ballistic missiles; nuclear weapons of increasing power; satellites; lunar modules; more durable armor for tanks and much more.
Basically, in this competition for international supremacy, both countries tried to keep up with each other in nothing. But in one area, the Americans decided not to chase after their Soviet counterparts: in the construction of titanium submarines.
The Soviet experiment with titanium submarines
In the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, the Soviets began experimenting with materials to build submarines. Titanium has never been used for this purpose before. But the Soviets, paying tribute to its low density and high strength, decided to try this lightweight metal. The result was the project 705 “Lira" (according to the NATO classification: Alfa or Alpha).
The Lira joined the Soviet navy in 1971 and became one of the fastest in history. But it wasn't speed that became the most prominent feature of the Lira. Its distinctive feature was that its body was made of titanium.
The submarine "Lira” was designed taking into account a certain set of requirements (of course, established taking into account the interests and capabilities of the Americans). These requirements were as follows: a speed that allows you to chase any ship; low visibility; the ability to evade anti-submarine weapons; minimal displacement; and as small a crew as possible. In other words, the Lira was designed to be fast, stealthy, maneuverable—and also small in size. And most importantly, to surpass the Americans.
A special titanium alloy was used for the construction of the Lyra hull.
Why titanium? “Titanium alloy, as a rule, is stronger than steel, and weighs half as much,— wrote military expert Brett Eastwood. — At the same time, it is three to five times more expensive than steel. However, titanium is also less susceptible to corrosion in salt water. Finally, it withstands more pressure and allows you to dive to a greater depth — up to 670 meters.”
However, making a titanium case is not an easy task. The most difficult stage is welding, and the slightest mistake at this stage can make titanium brittle and less durable.
In the initial prototype, the hull was small, weighing only 1,500 tons, and had low resistance. Of course, a small hull with low resistance could reach high speeds of over 40 knots. Accordingly, the Lira was used as an interceptor: that is, it mostly stayed in the harbor until it became necessary to meet the enemy threat fully armed — and at that moment the Lira rushed towards it as quickly as possible.
But the prototype of the case turned out to be impractical. Then a new design team was brought in, and the submarine took on a more familiar shape. The new hull turned out to be 800 tons heavier, but was still distinguished by the innovative use of titanium.
"Lyra has absorbed the advanced developments of the 1960s,— Eastwood wrote. — She was to reach previously unthinkable speeds and become the quietest submarine in the Russian navy. Titanium was used for the Lir hulls, and a new lead-cooled reactor allowed the submarine to quickly dive and turn.“ The Lira developed a speed of 41 knots, accelerated quickly and deftly changed course if necessary.
The Lyra's power plant was a lead-bismuth-cooled reactor with a beryllium-based moderator. The liquid metal cooled reactor had a number of advantages over water-cooled reactors. Thus, its energy efficiency was higher because the liquid metal reactor has a higher coolant temperature. Such a reactor could operate for the entire service life without the need for refueling. In addition, it was safer, could not explode, and in case of leakage, it hardened. And finally, the lead-bismuth-cooled reactor was lighter and smaller than the water-cooled one.
However, even with all the advantages of the Lira, the United States decided not to compete with the Soviets in creating submarines with a titanium hull.
The United States is abandoning titanium submarines
The Americans appreciated the advantages of the Lyra's titanium hull. However, they made practical decisions and showed restraint and prudence: It was decided not to build their own submarine with a titanium hull.
“The United States was aware of the power, speed and stealth of the Lira class and carefully studied the titanium structure,“ Eastwood wrote. — However, compared to iron, titanium is rare and expensive. Besides, titanium is not easy to mold.” Finally, the slightest error of the welders when working with the body could be fatal when working with titanium. “Any mistake by the welders could create a danger during deep diving,” Eastwood concluded.
In addition, the Americans would have to create their own supply chain to get the titanium in the quantities needed for the hull, so it was decided that the game was not worth the candle.
The author of the article: Harrison Kass
