Echo-class submarine

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Submarine Echo II class.jpg
Nuclear-powered cruise-missile submarine of Project 675 (Echo II)
Class overview
Builders
Operators
Preceded by Whiskey Long Bin class
Succeeded by
In commission19 November 1960–15 July 1994
Completed
  • Echo I : 5
  • Echo II : 29
General characteristics
Type Nuclear submarine
Displacement
  • Echo I :
  • 3,768 long tons (3,828 t) surfaced
  • 4,920 long tons (4,999 t) submerged
  • Echo II :
  • 4,415 long tons (4,486 t) surfaced
  • 5,760 long tons (5,852 t) submerged
Length
  • Echo I : 111.2 m (364 ft 10 in)
  • Echo II : 115.4 m (378 ft 7 in)
Beam
  • Echo I : 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in)
  • Echo II : 9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)
Draught
  • Echo I : 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in)
  • Echo II : 7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
Propulsion
  • Echo I : 2 pressurized water-cooled reactors 44,500 hp (33 MW) each, 2 steam turbines, 2 shafts
  • Echo II : 2 pressurized water-cooled reactors 70,000 hp (52 MW) each, 2 steam turbines, 2 shafts
Speed
  • Echo I :
  • 15.1 knots (17.4 mph; 28.0 km/h) surfaced
  • 24.2 knots (27.8 mph; 44.8 km/h) submerged
  • Echo II :
  • 14 knots (16 mph; 26 km/h) surfaced
  • 22 knots (25 mph; 41 km/h) submerged
Range18,000–30,000 miles (29,000–48,000 km)
Endurance50 days
Test depth300 m (984 ft)
Complement104-109 men (including 29 officers)
Armament
  • Echo I :
  • 6 × P-5 Pyatyorka cruise missiles
  • 4 × 533 mm (21 in) bow torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 400 mm (16 in) bow torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 400 mm (16 in) stern torpedo tubes
  • Echo II :
  • 8 × P-6 cruise missiles
  • 4 × 533 mm (21 in) bow torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 400 mm (16 in) stern torpedo tubes
  • Echo II mod :
  • P-6 replaced with 8 × P-500 or P-1000 (SS-N-12 "Sandbox") missiles

The Echo class were nuclear cruise missile submarines of the Soviet Navy built during the 1960s. Their Soviet designation was Project 659 for the first five vessels, and Project 675 for the following twenty-nine. Their NATO reporting names were Echo I and Echo II. All were decommissioned by 1994. [1] [2]

Contents

Echo I class

The Soviet Echo I class (Project 659 class) were completed at Komsomolsk in the Soviet far east in 1960 to 1963. The Echo I class were classed as SSGNs armed with six launchers for the P-5 Pyatyorka (SS-N-3C, "Shaddock") land-attack cruise missile. The Echo I class had to operate in a strategic rather than anti-shipping role because of the lack of fire control and guidance radars.

Nuclear-powered submarine of Project 659 (Echo I) re-equipped into attack submarine of Project 659T Echo I starboard.jpg
Nuclear-powered submarine of Project 659 (Echo I) re-equipped into attack submarine of Project 659T
Project 659 Echo I class SSGN.svg
Project 659

As the Soviet SSBN force built up, the need for these boats diminished so they were converted to the Project 659T SSNs between 1969 and 1974. The conversion involved the removal of the cruise missiles, the plating over and the streamlining of the hull to reduce underwater noise of the launchers and the modification of the sonar systems to the standard of the November-class SSNs.

All the Echo Is were deployed in the Pacific Fleet. The last two boats were scrapped in the early 1990s.

Ships

Echo I class significant dates
#ShipyardLaid downLaunchedCommissionedFleetStatus
K-45 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureDecember 20, 1958May 12, 1960June 28, 1961 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1989 for scrapping
K-59 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureSeptember 30, 1959September 25, 1960December 16, 1961 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1989 for scrapping
K-66 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureMarch 26, 1960July 30, 1961December 28, 1961 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1985 for scrapping
K-122 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureJanuary 21, 1961September 17, 1961July 6, 1962 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1985 for scrapping
K-151 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureApril 21, 1962September 30, 1962July 28, 1963 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1989 for scrapping

Echo II class

The Echo II class (Project 675 class) were built at Severodvinsk (18 vessels) and Komsomolsk (11 vessels) between 1962 and 1967 as anti-carrier missile submarines. The Echo II class carried eight P-6 (SS-N-3a "Shaddock") anti-ship cruise missiles mounted in pairs above the pressure hull.

Launch of cruise missile P-6 (SS-N-3A) from a Project 675 (Echo II) submarine Echo 2 Missile Launch.jpg
Launch of cruise missile P-6 (SS-N-3A) from a Project 675 (Echo II) submarine
Project 675 Echo II class SSGN.svg
Project 675

To fire the missiles, the ship had to surface and the missile was elevated to 15 degrees. [3] The Echo II class also had fire control and guidance radar. The Echo II class could fire all eight missiles in 30 minutes, but would have to wait on the surface until the missile mid-course correction and final target selection had been sent unless guidance had been handed over to a third party.

From the mid-1970s, fourteen of the 29 Echo II class were converted during overhauls to carry the P-500 Bazalt (SS-N-12 "Sandbox") anti-ship cruise missile, with a range of 550 kilometres (340 mi). The conversions (Project 675M) could be distinguished by the fitting bulges either side of the sail.

Three of these modified units were further upgraded under Project 675MKV towards the end of the Cold War. The P-1000 Vulkan (GRAU 3M70) flew faster (Mach 2.3–2.5) [4] than the P-500 and its range was extended to 700 kilometres (430 mi). [4] It replaced steel components with titanium to reduce weight, and had an improved propulsion system. It appeared to have used a similar fire-control system to the P-500, the Argon-KV and Argument radar. [5] The P-1000 was installed on three units of the Northern Fleet between 1987 and 1993. The conversion of two boats of the Pacific Fleet, K-10 and K-34, was abandoned due to lack of funds. [5]

The Echo II class were divided evenly between the Pacific and Northern Fleets. The boats were obsolete by the mid-1980s, and were deleted in 1989 and 1995.

Ships

Echo II class — significant dates
#ShipyardLaid downLaunchedCommissionedFleetStatus
K-166 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskMay 30, 1961September 6, 1962October 31, 1963 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1989 for scrapping
K-104 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskJanuary 11, 1962June 16, 1963December 15, 1963 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-170 (K-86, KS-86)SEVMASH, SeverodvinskMay 16, 1962August 4, 1963December 26, 1963 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1991 for scrapping
K-175 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureMarch 17, 1962September 30, 1962December 30, 1963 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-184 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureFebruary 2, 1963August 25, 1963March 31, 1964 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-172 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskAugust 8, 1962December 25, 1963July 30, 1964 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-47 (B-47)SEVMASH, SeverodvinskAugust 7, 1962February 10, 1964August 31, 1964 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1994–95 for scrapping
K-1 (1963) SEVMASH, SeverodvinskJanuary 11, 1963April 30, 1964September 30, 1964 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1992 for scrapping
K-28 (K-428)SEVMASH, SeverodvinskApril 26, 1963June 30, 1964December 16, 1964 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-35 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskJanuary 6, 1964January 27, 1965June 30, 1965 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1993 for scrapping
K-189 (K-144)Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureApril 6, 1963May 9, 1964July 24, 1965 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1991 for scrapping
K-74 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskJuly 23, 1963September 30, 1964July 30, 1965 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1992 for scrapping
K-22 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskOctober 14, 1963November 29, 1964August 7, 1965 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1995 for scrapping [5]
K-90 (K-111)SEVMASH, SeverodvinskFebruary 29, 1964April 17, 1965September 25, 1965 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1989 for scrapping
K-31 (K-431)Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureJanuary 11, 1964September 8, 1964September 30, 1965 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1987 for scrapping
K-116 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskJune 8, 1964June 19, 1965October 29, 1965 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1985 for scrapping
K-57 (K-557)Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureOctober 19, 1963September 26, 1964October 31, 1965 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1992 for scrapping
K-125 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskSeptember 1, 1964September 11, 1965December 18, 1965 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1991 for scrapping
K-48 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureApril 11, 1964June 16, 1965December 31, 1965 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-128 (K-62)SEVMASH, SeverodvinskOctober 29, 1964December 30, 1965August 25, 1966 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-56 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureMay 30, 1964August 10, 1965August 26, 1966 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1992 for scrapping
K-131 (B-131)SEVMASH, SeverodvinskDecember 31, 1964June 6, 1966September 30, 1966 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1994 for scrapping
K-10 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureOctober 24, 1964September 29, 1965October 15, 1966 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1989 for scrapping
K-135 SEVMASH, SeverodvinskFebruary 27, 1965July 27, 1967November 25, 1966 [3] NorthernDecommissioned 1988 for scrapping
K-94 (K-204)Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureMarch 20, 1965May 20, 1966December 27, 1966 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1992 for scrapping
K-108 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureJuly 24, 1965August 26, 1966March 31, 1967 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-7 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureNovember 6, 1965September 25, 1966September 30, 1967 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1990 for scrapping
K-23 Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureFebruary 23, 1966June 18, 1967December 30, 1967 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1992 for scrapping
K-34 (K-134)Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk-na-AmureJune 18, 1966September 23, 1967December 30, 1968 [3] PacificDecommissioned 1994 for scrapping

Accidents

Submarines of the Echo class were involved in several accidents :

20 June 1970
K-108 (Echo II) collided with submarine USS Tautog in the Sea of Okhotsk at a depth 45 metres (148 ft). The outer hull of K-108 was damaged in the area of compartments VIII and IX, and the sail of Tautog was damaged and the access trunk in it was flooded. There were no fatalities.
14 June 1973
K-56 (Echo II) collided with the Soviet large refrigerating trawler Akademik Berg. The submarine was holed in the bow, and 27 were killed when compartments I and II flooded.
20 August 1973
K-1 (Echo II) struck Hagua Bank ( 21°35′00″N80°40′00″W / 21.5833°N 80.6667°W / 21.5833; -80.6667 ) in the Caribbean Sea at a depth of 120 metres (390 ft) at 16 knots (30 km/h). The bow was significantly damaged.
28 August 1976
K-22 (Echo II) collided with frigate USS Voge in the Mediterranean Sea ( 36°02′00″N20°36′00″E / 36.0333°N 20.6000°E / 36.0333; 20.6000 ), and both ships were seriously damaged. K-22 had damage to missile container No. 1, extension devices and the fin structure, and went to Kithira in the Aegean Sea for repairs. The American frigate was damaged at the stern, and had to be towed to Crete. [6]
24 September 1976
K-47 (Echo II) while in the North Atlantic a fire broke out in compartment VIII (living quarters) due to short circuit. Three were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning.
2 July 1979
K-116 (Echo II) suffered a reactor accident (a leak of core coolant from the port reactor) in the Bay of Vladimir, Sea of Japan. Some of the crew received a large dose of radiation, but there were no fatalities.
21 August 1980
K-122 (Echo I) had a fire in compartment VII (turbo-electric) when 85 miles (137 km) to the east of Okinawa. Fourteen dead due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
10 September 1981
K-45 (Echo I) collided with Soviet fishing trawler Novokachalinsk at night. The bow of the outer hull and the sonar system of the submarine was seriously damaged. The trawler sank.
18 June 1984
K-131 (Echo II) a fire broke out in compartment VIII due to violation of safety methods by an electrician, while in the Barents Sea. Fourteen dead [7]
10 August 1985
K-431 (ex-K-31) (Echo II) had a reactor explosion while refueling in the shipyard at Chazhma Bay, Sea of Japan. Ten dead (300 men from rescue parties received various doses of radiation, several died later).
November 1986
K-175 (Echo II), while at its homebase (Pacific Fleet), suffered an explosion in the reactor compartment, causing radioactivity discharge and contamination of nearby territory. No fatalities.
1989
K-1 (Echo II mod) reactor accident. [5]
26 June 1989
K-192 (ex-K-172) (Echo II) had a reactor accident (a break in the first loop of the starboard reactor) while off Bear Island, Barents Sea. The crew received a dose of radiation, but there were no fatalities.

See also

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References

  1. "Подводные лодки. Проект 659".
  2. "Подводные лодки. Проект 675".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Podvodnye Lodki Rossii, Atomnye Pervoye Pokoleniye, Tom IV, Chast 1, Defense Ministry Central Design Bureau No.1 & Central Marine Equipment Design Bureau Rubin, Sankt Peterburg, 1996
  4. 1 2 Friedman, Norman (1997). The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapons systems, 1997-1998. Naval Institute Press. p. 789. ISBN   9781557502681.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Friedman, Norman (1997). The Naval Institute guide to world naval weapons systems, 1997-1998. Naval Institute Press. p. 246. ISBN   9781557502681.
  6. "Collision with Soviet submarine". United States Department of State. 1976-08-29. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  7. "Atomnaya Podvodnaya Ehpopeya"; L. Osipenko, L. Zhiltsov, N. Mormul; Moscow, 1994

Further reading