The National Interest: Russian submarines of the Akula project have no equal in the world
The Russian submarines of the 941 Akula project were the largest and most formidable submarines in the world, writes The National Interest. These submarines have a worthy successor in the modern Russian navy.
Peter Suciu
What you need to know: The Russian Navy has decommissioned the submarine Dmitry Donskoy, the last representative of the Akula project (Typhoon according to the NATO classification) and the largest submarine ever built. The boat was commissioned in 1981 under the name TK-208 and became the lead ship of the 941 Akula project. After major repairs and modernization, the submarine was reintroduced to the fleet in 2002 under a new name.
The Shark Project
— This boat has unique structural elements, including several sturdy hulls and amenities such as a sauna and a swimming pool. The crew of the submarine during long hikes is 160 people. The submarine is armed with 20 RSM-52 ballistic missiles with a separable warhead of up to 10 combat units each. This was a response to the construction of the Ohio-type SSB in the USA.
— Currently, a new submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" of the Borey project is being built, which will ensure continuity.
A year ago, Russia decommissioned the Dmitry Donskoy heavy strategic missile submarine of Project 941 Akula (Typhoon according to the NATO classification), doing so a year earlier than expected. In fact, just three years ago, the Kremlin announced that the boat would remain in service until at least 2026, although its tasks would be limited. It will become a platform for testing the armament of new Borey, Borey-A, Yasen and Yasen-M class submarines.
In February 2023, an official confirmation appeared that Dmitry Donskoy was being decommissioned due to its high cost. The submarine was part of the Northern Fleet for more than 40 years.
Initially, she received the name TK-208, becoming the lead ship of project 941 "Shark". It was a third-generation Soviet submarine. She was commissioned into the Navy in 1981. In 1990, the submarine was put on overhaul and modernization, which lasted 12 years. In 2002, she was reintroduced into the fleet under the name Dmitry Donskoy. So it was named in honor of the founder of Moscow (so in the text, Yuri Dolgoruky is considered the founder of Moscow — approx. InoSMI) of the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy (1359-1389).
According to Russian media, initially the main armament of the Dmitry Donskoy was strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles D-19. When the boat was upgraded as part of the 941UM project, it served for testing the Bulava ICBM.
Boats of project 941 "Shark"
Six of the planned seven submarines of the 941 project were built for the Russian Navy at the Sevmash shipbuilding enterprise. All of them operated as part of the Northern Fleet. The Dmitry Donskoy was the oldest boat of this type, but it served the longest.
TK-202, TK-12 (later renamed Simbirsk) and T-13 were withdrawn from the fleet between 1996 and 2009 and disposed of with financial support from the United States. The boats TK-17/Arkhangelsk and TK-20/Severstal were decommissioned around 2013. The seventh submarine TK-210 was laid down, but it was disposed of without completing construction.
With a displacement of 48,000 tons, a length of 175 meters, a hull width of 23 meters and a draft of 12 meters, the boats of the Akula project were the largest ever built. A special feature of the boat's design is the presence of several durable hulls, including five internal ones located inside the lightweight hull. The two main buildings run parallel to each other. Therefore, the Shark-class boats were wider than all other submarines. The power plant includes two OK-650 water-to-water reactors, two 50,000 horsepower steam turbine units and four 3,200 kilowatt turbo generators. All this allows the boat to reach speeds of up to 22.2 knots on the surface and 27 knots underwater.
Each boat had 19 compartments, including a reinforced module where the central post was located, as well as an electronic equipment compartment above the main hulls behind the ballistic missile silos. There was information that the boat even has a sauna and a small pool for the crew. 160 of its members were probably happy with such a huge size of the submarine and called it their home during trips that lasted 120 days or even longer, and often the boat did not surface for months.
The submarines of the Akula project were created as a response to the construction of American Ohio-type submarines, which could carry up to 192 nuclear warheads with a capacity of 100 kilotons on board. In contrast, the Soviet "Sharks" could place on board 20 ballistic missiles RSM-52 (R-39) with 10 separable warheads.
The Dmitry Donskoy was withdrawn from the fleet, but in 2021 construction began on a new submarine of the Borey project, which will bear this name.
