home

fighting ships of the world

SOVIET / RUSSIAN NAVY (USSR / RUSSIA)

SUBMARINES

B-61 submarines (project 611) (1953 - 1958)

B-61 1953

B-77 1965

B-73 1960

Project history: Pr. 611 was the large-submarine equivalent to Pr. 613, also designed to a 1946 TTZ. The project reached the design stage in 1948, and plans for the first boat were transferred to Sudomekh in Leningrad on 10 January 1951. Compared to the prewar K-boat, Project 611 was about 400t larger. It could dive twice as deep (200m as opposed to 100m), had a much larger battery (4 x 112 cells as opposed to 2 x 120) and added a centre shaft carrying a diesel and a large electric motor (the two wing motors were only slightly more powerful than the 1200hp units on a K-boat) to increase submerged speed at the 1hr rate by about 50% and low-speed endurance by a factor of nearly 3, from 160nm. Surface speed fell from 22.5kts, because even the three engines of this type were less powerful than the two 4200bhp units of the K-boat.

    The first boats completed had deck guns and lacked snorkels. In 1956, with jet aircraft clearly immune to such weapons, deck guns were ordered removed. All boats were eventually converted to this Project 611 configuration, with snorkels.

    This class was used to test the first Soviet submarine-launched ballistic missile. On 26 January 1954 a directive was issued to arm long-range submarines with ballistic missiles (the 'Volna' programme). TsKB-16 developed the necessary stabilized sail-top launcher from gun mounts originally designed for the Project 82 battlecruiser. The existing army R-11 missile was selected, and adapted as R-11FM. B-67, a Northern Fleet submarine launched in 1953, was converted to fire a single missile as Project V611. On 16 September 1955 she fired the world's first submarine ballistic missile. Five boats were converted to take paired tubes (Project AV611). They formed the basis for the later Project 629. The first launch of a dummy missile from such a submarine was in 1958.

Modernizations: 1957-1960, all Project 611: were armed with only 10 - 533 TT (6 bow, 4 stern, 22 or 32 mines + 6 torpedoes) (no artillery)

1957, B-64 - under Project P611: - spare torpedoes; + 1 x 1 P-10 SSM (1 P-10)

10/1958, B-62 - under Project AV611: with data as Project AV611 signed above

1959, B-64 - reverted to Project 611: - 1 x 1 P-10 SSM; + spare torpedoes

1960, B-67 - under Project PV611: 1890/2387t, 90.7x7.50x5.10m, /12.5kts, 3650(8)/290(2)nm; - 2 RF-11FM SLBM; + 1 S4.7 SLBM test maquette

1965, B-67 - under Project 611RA: - 1 S4.7 SLBM test maquette, 6 - 533 TT (bow); + Radian-1 sonar

1966, B-71 - under Project 611RU: 1865/2348t; - 6 - 533 TT (bow), Tamir-5LS, Feniks sonars; + Rubin sonar

1966, B-68 - under Project 611RE: 1890/2348t, 17/8kts; - 6 - 533 TT (bow), Tamir-5LS, Feniks sonars; + Kerch' sonar with Rassvet VDS array

1969, B-78 Murmanskiy Komsomolets - under Project AV611S: - 2 R-11FM SLBM; + Simvol astronavigation system

1969, B-89 - under Project AV611Ye: - 2 R-11FM SLBM, 10 - 533 TT; + Yenisey, Luch sonars

1970, B-73 - under Project AV611K: - 2 R-11FM SLBM; + Shtyr'-M satellite navigation system

1970, B-79 - under Project AV611Ts: - 2 R-11FM SLBM; + Tsunami-B satellite communication system

1972, B-69; 1973, B-891 - under Project 611P: - 6 - 533 TT (bow), spare torpedoes; + diving equipment, 'Arkhipelag' or 'Seliger' submersible

1973, B-78 Murmanskiy Komsomolets - under Project AV611D: - Simvol system; + science equipment

Naval service: No significant events.

Pr. 611 1978

© Ivan Gogin, 2015