Typhoon class SSBNs future:

ARCHANGELSK and SEVERSTAL waiting for disposal.

From RIA

Source: the world's largest nuclear submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was withdrawn from the Navy

The world's largest nuclear submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was withdrawn from the Russian Navy

MOSCOW, July 20 - RIA Novosti. The world's largest strategic nuclear submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was withdrawn from the combat strength of the Russian Navy, a source in the military-industrial complex told RIA Novosti.

He recalled that the name " Dmitry Donskoy " had already been given to another strategic nuclear submarine of the Borey-A class (Project 955A), which was laid down at Sevmash last year .

The nuclear submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" (project 941 UM "Akula", according to NATO classification SSBN Typhoon) entered the fleet in 1980 and was the lead boat of the project. In total, six submarines were built under this project.

In 2002, "Dmitry Donskoy" was modernized and re-equipped with the "Bulava" for testing this missile before being put into service. It is still the largest submarine in the world in terms of displacement - 48 thousand tons.

source

Good. Boreis are newer, stealthier and better. And probably cheaper to maintain.

Οne of the great achievements of Soviet Navy

I'd like to think that one could be saved as a museum boat. Not cheap to implement, but Russia is swimming in cash currently, and it would be a shame to deny future generations the opportunity to see the largest sub ever built. It's a true testimony to Russian (*) engineering prowess and sign of what is possible in the future (a nation that can build this mighty behemoth can do anything it puts its efforts to).

(*) Yeah, I know its technically a Soviet achievement, but the degenerate Ukrop have dropped the ball and these days struggle to make washing machines...

^ Ppl from around the world would come to see it

They said last year that it would be saved as a museum boat. This is criminal. How in the f*** could you scrap all of them?

USS Theodore Roosevelt which was from 1981 costed $4.5bn in todays dollars. Wikipedia doesn’t have any cost estimates for Typhoon class. The Ohio-class US navy submarine built at same time cost about $3bn each in todays dollars. But displaced 18k tonnes vs 40k for the typhoon

I think we can deduce that the Typhoons cost as much as supercarriers. So when someone says the USSR couldn't afford super carriers , they are talking shit.

Sure. Supercarriers cost more to operate. But still. These were super subs.

Backman wrote:^ Ppl from around the world would come to see it

They said last year that it would be saved as a museum boat. This is criminal. How in the f*** could you scrap all of them?

Boreis are better boats and cheaper to operate and, now, that they are getting them in numbers, there's no reason to keep these in service. Better to retrain their crews on new subs.

The Russians have some amazing military parks... imagine a naval park with retired submarines sitting side by side on the ground... all the secret and sensitive stuff removed of course and where practical replaced with inert dummies to fool western intel of course...

In a few years they will only be able to do it digitally but then you could visit from anywhere on earth if that were the case... you could make it a video game where you can pick up weapons and take them to digital shooting ranges to test fire.... have the subs in dry dock that can be filled with water and go for a sail if you want...

Games like Il-2 Shturmovich already have damn good computer models of armoured vehicles.... you could have online manuals and go through the process of changing or repairing a track for real, or take any Soviet or Russian tank from the very first to the most recent planned models out for a drive... with or without live targets...

There was that American game to recruit new soldiers, this could be a broader more historical system going back centuries with the different uniforms and equipment and weapons.

Information about the withdrawal of the submarine missile carrier "Dmitry Donskoy" from the combat fleet has been refuted

Information about the withdrawal from the combat strength of the Russian fleet project 941UM "Shark" missile submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" is not true. This was reported by several sources in the shipbuilding industry and power structures of the North.

The information about the decommissioning of the last "Shark" was denied. As reported, no one wrote off the missile carrier, it is currently on the high seas, where it performs combat training tasks. The decision on its future fate will be made no earlier than December of this year, when the technical condition of the nuclear submarine and the stock of nuclear fuel will be checked. At the same time, it is not excluded that the service life of "Dmitry Donskoy" will be extended for another 4-5 years.

Regular reports about the withdrawal of "Dmitry Donskoy" from the Russian Navy do not correspond to reality. The ship is currently performing combat training missions at sea, participating in combat training activities. He will remain in combat formation until at least the end of the year.

- leads TASS words from one of the sources.

Earlier, a number of media reported unofficial information that the "Dmitry Donskoy" was taken out of service and will soon be disposed of. They began to talk about the decommissioning of the submarine for a long time, last year it was reported that after the laying of two new submarines of the Borey-A project, one of which will be named Dmitry Donskoy, the last Shark will remain just a numbered submarine TK-208 and will be used for weapons testing.

The TK-208 Dmitry Donskoy, a heavy nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine, is the lead in a series of six Project 941 Akula submarines. Laid down at Sevmash on June 17, 1976, launched on September 23, 1980, commissioned on December 29, 1981. In 2002, he underwent modernization, after which he took part in the tests of the Bulava missile.

https://en.topwar.ru/199292-oprovergnuta-informacija-o-vyvode-iz-boevogo-sostava-flota-podvodnogo-raketonosca-dmitrij-donskoj.html

For clarity for the non Russian speakers the Russian Navy call what the west calls the Typhoon class Akula... which means Shark in Russian.

The sub seems to be rather useful for testing new equipment and systems on it because of the space available... I wonder if they might use it to test their new ballistic hypersonic anti carrier missile... it would be an interesting platform for that... especially if the use of the weapon is expanded to other duties because of its use presumably of a guided terminal warhead of conventional design... targets like carriers, but equally port facilities and even canal facilities or nuclear power stations or hydro electric dam structures or the underground bunkers in the Pentagon or other locations where its high speed would give it the reach that other weapons might lack.

December 9, 23:39

Strategic nuclear submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" is preparing to withdraw from the Russian Navy
The technical crew remained on the submarine

MOSCOW, 10 December. /TASS/. The heavy nuclear submarine strategic missile cruiser "Dmitry Donskoy" is supposed to be decommissioned from the Navy of the Russian Federation, currently the technical crew remains on the submarine. This was reported to TASS by the head of the All-Russian Fleet Support Movement (DPF) Vladimir Maltsev.

"There is a directive to withdraw the Dmitry Donskoy from the Russian Navy. The main crew has left the submarine, a technical crew has been formed," he said, adding that the Navy flag still remains on the ship.

Earlier, Maltsev told TASS that "Dmitry Donskoy" will solve combat training tasks until at least December 1, 2022, that is, until the end of the "military" academic year. According to him, a decision on his future fate can be made at the end of 2022. According to one of the options, after December 1, the technical crew will remain on the ship.

In September, TASS reported that Dmitry Donskoy had successfully completed the tasks of testing the Krasnoyarsk multi-purpose nuclear submarine (MPNS) of project 885M (Yasen-M) and the strategic nuclear submarine of project 955A (Borey-A) Generalissimo Suvorov ". This suggests that the submarine was at that time in full technical readiness.

About the submarine

The nuclear-powered ship "Dmitry Donskoy" was launched on September 29, 1980, and entered the Navy on December 29, 1981. Initially, the main weapon of the cruiser was intercontinental ballistic missiles of the D-19 complex. In 2002, the ship was upgraded under project 941UM, after which it was involved in testing the Bulava missile system. In the summer of 2017, the cruiser made an inter-naval transition to the Baltic, where she took part in the Main Naval Parade.

In total, six units of project 941 were built for the Navy. All ships were based in the Northern Fleet in Zapadnaya Litsa (Nerpichya Bay). To date, three of them have been disposed of with US funding. Two - "Arkhangelsk" and "Severstal" - have been withdrawn from the fleet and are awaiting disposal.

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/16557597

February 6, 01:03,
updated February 6, 01:06

The submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" was withdrawn from the combat strength of the Russian Navy
The cruiser will be awaiting disposal at the naval base in Severodvinsk

MOSCOW, 6 February. /TASS/. The Project 941 heavy nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" has been decommissioned from the Russian Navy. This was reported to TASS by the head of the All-Russian Fleet Support Movement Vladimir Maltsev.

"The submarine cruiser Dmitry Donskoy has been decommissioned by the Russian Navy. It will await disposal at the naval base in Severodvinsk, along with two other submarines of this project," he said.

Maltsev noted that the name "Dmitry Donskoy" will not be deleted from the list of ships of the Navy. "The new strategist Dmitry Donskoy of the Borey-A project is being built at the Sevmash plant," he recalled.

Earlier, Maltsev told TASS that the timing of the dismantlement of the Project 941 nuclear submarine has not yet been determined.

In September 2022, the submarine successfully completed the tasks of testing the Krasnoyarsk multi-purpose nuclear submarine and the Generalissimo Suvorov strategic nuclear submarine.

About ship


"Dmitry Donskoy" was launched on September 29, 1980, entered the fleet on December 29, 1981. Initially, the main weapon of the submarine was intercontinental ballistic missiles of the D-19 complex. In 2002, the ship was upgraded under project 941UM, after which it was involved in testing the Bulava missile system. In the summer of 2017, the cruiser made an inter-naval transition to the Baltic, where she took part in the Main Naval Parade.

This nuclear-powered ship is the pride of the shipbuilders of the Sevmash Severodvinsk shipyard (as part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation). It was developed at the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering. In total, six units of project 941 were built for the Navy. All ships were based in the Northern Fleet in Zapadnaya Litsa (Nerpichya Bay). To date, three of them have been disposed of with US funding. Two - "Arkhangelsk" and "Severstal" - have been withdrawn from the fleet and are awaiting disposal.

At one time, "Dmitry Donskoy" was the largest in terms of dimensions (172 m long and 23 m wide) nuclear-powered submarine in the world. Now this is considered the nuclear submarine of special purpose "Belgorod".

https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/16967373

Not sure if you realize, but there was an idea about converting all of them for ... ore carriers

Crazy Ivans considered that a quite brilliant idea, as the ore was extracted somewhere on the northern coast, and that was before NSR get serious attention. So they lacked a sailing corridor there. Submarines were to carry the cargo under the ice.
Holly shit, they did have impressive imagination, admit!

Like a container carrier

The end of an era...
In the close-up is TK-208 "Dmitry Donskoy" while in the background are TK-17 "Arkhangelsk" and TK-20 "Severstal". By the way, the TK-17 and TK-20 submarines have a somewhat larger total hull length than the previous 4 submarines, and that length is over 173 meters
I wonder if there is a plan to preserve one of these submarines as a museum piece..
It would be a shame if none of these submarines were preserved, although the maintenance costs would certainly not be small.

Think how many Poseidons it could have carried... and rather more importantly it is a big sub with excellent onboard space for crew and food... it would be ideal for long patrols in the southern oceans waiting for an order to launch an attack from the south at the north... it would rather complicate western naval plans because they would need to continuously monitor its movements, and it would not have any designated launch positions so it could move anywhere at any time and at any speed it likes... it could sit in one place for a month and for the next day travel enormous distances...

Of course the logistics of moving such a monster somewhere to be displayed as a museum piece would be horrific and complex and probably the reason it wont become a museum piece unless someone with power or money or both intercedes and does something.

In these days of frenzied belligerence from the Western monkey-nation collective, I could see the Kremlin opening their purse on projects to stimulate national pride and encourage a stiffening of resolve & defiance in ordinary Russians. The "Dimtry Donskoi naval museum" would be a great exhibit. K-3 on mega-steroids.

June 2, 02:35

The source said that it ensures the unsinkability and survivability of the submarine "Dmitry Donskoy"
According to the source, the cruiser is in the Zvеzdochka Ship Repair Center.

MOSCOW, June 2. /TASS/. The unsinkability and survivability of the heavy nuclear submarine missile cruiser "Dmitry Donskoy" is ensured by a reduced technical crew. This was reported to TASS by a source close to the Navy (Navy) of Russia.

"The cruiser is located at the Zvеzdochka Ship Repair Center. Its unsinkability and survivability are ensured by the reduced technical crew on board the ship," he said.
According to him, while no work has been carried out with the cruiser, the reactor core has not been withdrawn.

TASS does not have official confirmation of this information.

Earlier, a TASS source said that the termination of combat service "Dmitry Donskoy" was caused by the development of the active zone of its nuclear reactor.

On June 1, on the Day of the Northern Fleet, the editorial office of Rossiyskaya Gazeta hosted a screening of the documentary film "Dmitry Donskoy: Thanks for the Dreams", dedicated to the completion of the combat service of the world's most powerful nuclear submarine of project 941.

About the submarine

"Dmitry Donskoy" was the lead in a series of six heavy nuclear submarine missile cruisers designed at the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering and built by Sevmash shipbuilders (now part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation).

The nuclear-powered ship was launched on September 29, 1980, and entered the Navy on December 29, 1981. Initially, the main weapon of the cruiser was intercontinental ballistic missiles of the D-19 complex.

In 2002, the ship was upgraded under project 941UM, after which it was involved in testing the Bulava missile system. In the summer of 2017, the cruiser made an inter-naval transition to the Baltic, where she took part in the Main Naval Parade. In September 2022, the submarine successfully completed the tasks of testing the Krasnoyarsk multi-purpose nuclear submarine and the Generalissimo Suvorov strategic nuclear submarine.

In total, six units of project 941 boats were built for the Navy. All ships were based in the Northern Fleet in Zapadnaya Litsa (Nerpichya Bay). To date, three of them have been disposed of with US funding. To date, three of them have been disposed of with US funding. Two - "Arkhangelsk" and "Severstal" - have been withdrawn from the fleet and are awaiting disposal.

It would be useful to keep a sub of that size for testing new technology but it would not be cheap.

Of course it would no longer be an SSBN so its performance in that role would be irrelevant, so the superiority of Yasen or Borei class subs is not relevant, the Akulas value is in doing jobs that wont take Yasens or Boreis out of operational service to perform... testing new equipment and systems, or becoming a drone carrier... or perhaps even a ship to carry 200 launch tubes for the Thunderbird nuclear powered cruise missile... a type of weapon that can fly low and relatively fast continuously for days or weeks or even months.... it would be the sort of weapon that could be launched from anywhere at any time after a conflict has started, and in actual fact having them being launched from a southern ocean would create the most problems and cause the greatest unease in the west because they have built bases surrounding Russia and are focusing their sensors and people on Russias borders, but a large ship that could sail to the south atlantic or south pacific or antarctic ocean and just sail around fast or slow with extremely long endurance with an enormous food store and a relatively small crew and large numbers of very very long range low flying missiles would be a real problem for the west that could not be ignored.

To get around arms agreements Russia could simply take advantage of Americas cheats and say that the Thunderbird can carry several warheads but can also fly back to where it was launched from and deploy a parachute and be recovered which means instead of being a nuclear armed cruise missile which would have to be included in any START like treaty, that it is actually a very long range very low altitude drone... a LALE... low altitude long endurance drone.

The space for 20 SLBMs could be used for maybe 200 cruise missile tubes maybe, depending on its size... a huge reduction in the crew numbers means it probably wont need all those aviaries and libraries and swimming pools it had on the original sub.

But then they could also use it for arctic research and supporting those new scientific research vessels too.

They could fit a containerised mechanism where the old SLBMs went that could be loaded up with equipment and food etc and the sub can sail to the science vessel and a crane on the vessel can lift on the full pod and replace it with the previous pod they can put their rubbish into and it can take it back to Russia for processing or destruction.

Equally they have a Delta III sub being used as a mothership for drones and as a rescue type sub... maybe they could replace it with this bigger vessel.

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. The Project 941 Akula-class heavy nuclear-powered missile-carrying submarine cruiser Dmitry Donskoi was decommissioned due to its spent nuclear core, a source close to the Russian Navy told TASS on Thursday.

"The Dmitry Donskoi could no longer be in service due to its spent nuclear core," the source said.

The nuclear core’s replacement with a new unit "was deemed as inexpedient due to the high cost of this operation," he explained.

In addition, the submarine cruiser’s 40-year service in the Russian Northern Fleet was also taken into account, he added.

Over the past few years, the Dmitry Donskoi sub had served as a testing platform for new Borei-, Borei-A-, Yasen-and Yasen-M-class submarines, the source recalled.

On June 1, celebrated as Northern Fleet Day in Russia, the editorial board of the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily is holding a premiere of the documentary: "Dmitry Donskoi: Thanks for Dreams" devoted to the completion of the combat service of the world’s most powerful Project 941 nuclear-powered submarine.
Dmitry Donskoi sub

The submarine Dmitry Donskoi was the lead submarine cruiser in a series of six heavy nuclear-powered missile-carrying subs developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering and built at the Sevmash Shipyard (both are currently part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation).

The nuclear-powered sub Dmitry Donskoi was put afloat on September 29, 1980 and entered service with the Navy on December 29, 1981. The submarine cruiser initially carried intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) of the D-19 strategic missile system as its basic armament. In 2002, the nuclear-powered sub underwent its upgrade under Project 941UM, following which it was involved in the tests of the seaborne Bulava ICBM.

In the summer of 2017, the submarine cruiser made an inter-fleet transit to the Baltic Sea where it took part in Russia’s Main Naval Parade. In all, shipbuilders constructed six Project 941 subs for the Russian Navy. All the vessels were based at the Northern Fleet. By now, three of them have been disposed of using US funds. Two submarines, the Arkhangelsk and the Severstal, have been withdrawn from service and are awaiting their disposal.

https://tass.com/defense/1626551

This sub uses parts of 667 project hulls&structures.
It is used&old project and keeping it alive in a form other than a museum ship is a waste of resources.
It had a good & long lasting career in the ranks. Let it RIP.