Nuclear submarine forces: non-combat losses
1. SSBN К-223 "Podolsk" pr.667BDR (PF)
2. SSBN K-433 "St. George the Victorious" pr.667BDR (PF)
There is information that “Podolsk” was written off as early as 2016, and “Victorious” a year later (reference 1), which seems to be true, since, from this time, the press service of the Ministry of Defense stopped publishing reports about training combat activity of both SSBNs. It is strange that even the slow-moving cruisers were not left on combat duty in the database before replacing them with Borei-A - a tender for unloading spent nuclear fuel with a deadline of 30.11.2019 (reference 2) does not give them that opportunity.
Full utilization should be performed in 2021 (reference 3). Thus, the Pacific Fleet again remains with three “strategists” until the approach of two more 955А (at best, in 2020–2022).
After their arrival, Ryazan will be written off, and the 25th division of the submarine will have to be content with four SSBNs, although in fairness (to achieve parity with the Federation Council) there should be seven of them.
3. SSN K-322 "Kashalot" pr.971 (PF)
Since 2003, it has been in conservation (for long-term storage) in the Amursky SZ (ref. 4).
In January 2015, negotiations were underway to transfer K-322 to Indian leasing (ref. 5), which ended without result. The ASZ is not able to repair the “Kashalot” - the competence is lost, the plant barely copes with the corvettes, its status is lowered to the level of the builder’s “mosquito” fleet (MRK pr. 22800). There is no question of transferring the boat to the ZVEZ Zvezda or to the Zvezdochka CS, since they themselves are in a production stupor.
Therefore, 2015 can be considered for the SSN a sort of a point of no return at sea as part of the Indian or Pacific Fleet naval forces. 4. SSN K-331 "Magadan" pr.971 (PF)
From at least September 28, 2012, the boat was under repair with the modernization of Zvezda DVZ (according to some sources, from 03.2014 at the CS Dalzavod, which seems rather strange) (ref. 6). In 2015, it was reported that K-331 would return to the fleet by the end of the year (reference
, but this did not happen, and in 2017 the name of the Magadan was assigned to the third submarine of Project 636.3, which will be built on the Admiralty shipyards for the Pacific Fleet (Ref. 9). What exactly happened to the atomic "Magadan" could not be clarified,
but the very fact of the transfer of the name assigned to K-331 in 2001 by order of the commander of the Pacific Fleet (and not the boat commander on a proactive basis, as it happened in those years) suggests that it was preferred to to give up its repair in 2015. 5. SSN K-295 "Samara" pr.971 (PF)
In September, it will be five years from the day when Pacific Samara and Bratsk (K-391), passing along the Northern Sea Route aboard a Dutch transport vessel, arrived at the Zvezdochka CS for renovation with modernization, which was formerly the general director of the CSC and KGSC V. Nikitin signed up to perform for three years (reference 11). Otherwise, you will not call it a shame, but the repair of both boats has not yet begun (with the exception, perhaps, of selective fault detection). For almost five long years, they stood at the Zvezdochka (Samara) embankment, first in the White Sea Naval Base, waiting to be put on a solid foundation.
In the end, they waited for the Indians, who came to choose the next 971, to take it on lease. There is information that negotiations are coming to an end, the price is agreed, it remains only to choose a boat - K-295 or K-391 (ref. 12). Hindus are experienced and skillful negotiators, and most likely they will choose Samara, which is 5.5 years younger than Bratsk, after which the CSSC will be engaged in its deep modernization with the replacement of a nuclear reactor, which is supposed to be completed in 2025. As a result we will lose another “Shchuka-B”, which we urgently need.
6. PLUB B-239 "Karp" pr. 945 (NF)
7. SSN B-276 Kostroma pr. 945 (NF)
The state contract for repairs with the modernization of two titanium SSNs was signed at the end of 2012. In the spring of 2014, Zvezdochka began preparations for the repair of Karp, which has been in the company since 1994.
However, on February 24, 2015, before it started, the works were unexpectedly collapsed (only managed to unload nuclear fuel). The main reason for the termination of work is the high cost of modernization, commensurate with the cost of building "Ash" (surprisingly, this was not noticed when signing the contract). To date, the resumption of modernization "Karp" seems extremely unlikely (link 13, link 14, link 15). “Kostroma”, in general, never reached “Zvezdochka”, having stood all this time in its base in Vidyaevo. In general, the story of the SSN pr. 945 is very reminiscent of an adventure, started, most likely, by the leadership of the Center, with the aim to collect more orders without realizing the impossibility of their fulfillment.
8. SSN B-414 "Daniil Moskovskiy", 671 RTMK (NF)
B-414 is the least painful loss for our atomic subsurface.
Having ceased to go out to sea 6.5 years ago (tentatively, from the end of 2012 - reference 16), this outdated generation 2-plus boat did not weaken the combat capability of the Northern Fleet too much. The absence of any hints at the possible restoration of technical readiness of “Daniel” (including in the tender documentation on the public procurement website) spoke for itself, and the announcement of the impending utilization of the SSN in 2021 (reference 3) did not cause the slightest surprise.
ConclusionAs a result, over the past few years, the nuclear submarine forces of the Russian Navy have lost at least eight submarines of Soviet projects. The number is not final - it may increase due to the limited capacity of our ship repair yards and the Olympic tranquility with which the commander-in-chief of the Navy and the military-political leadership of the country look at the nuclear crisis. Today, one can be quite confident in the combat readiness of only five multi-purpose SSNs - Severodvinsk (885, NF), Gepard (971.1, NF), Kuzbass (971, PF), Pskov (project 945A, NF) and Obninsk (project 671RTMK, NF), to a lesser extent, Nizhny Novgorod (Project 945A, NF). Another seven boats are under repair or awaiting repair - six pr. 971 and one pr. 671RTMK (ref. 17). Just think, the once great and mighty component of the general-purpose nuclear submarine fleet of the USSR has shrunk to 13 units, half of which are not on the move. The situation is aggravated by a ridiculous delay in the delivery of Kazan due to some auxiliary units and assemblies (ref. 18, ref. 20). Comrades, admirals, we need to urgently do something with this mess.
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