K-266 arriving to base after repair | |
History | |
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→ Soviet Union → Russia | |
Name | Orel |
Namesake | City of Orel |
Builder | Sevmash (Shipyard 402), Severodvinsk |
Laid down | 19 January 1989 |
Launched | 22 May 1992 |
Commissioned | 30 December 1992 [1] |
Homeport | Bolshaya Lopatka, Zaozyorsk |
Status | active, modernized |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Oscar II Modernized class Submarine |
Displacement | 13,400 t, 16,400 t |
Length | 154.0 m |
Beam | 18.2 m |
Draft | 9.0 m |
Propulsion | 2 nuclear reactors OK-650V (HEU <= 45% [2] ), 2 steam turbines, 2/7-bladed propellers |
Speed | 32 knots (59 km/h; 37 mph) submerged, 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) surfaced |
Test depth | 300 to 1,000 m (980 to 3,280 ft) (by various estimates) |
Complement | 44 officers, 68 enlisted |
Armament | since 2017 72 x P-800 (formerly 24 x P-700), 4 x 533 mm and 2 x 650 mm bow torpedo tubes |
K-266 Orel is a Project 949AM (Antey modernized) nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine (SSGN) (NATO codename Oscar II). She is one of three Oscar II submarines still serving in the Russian Northern Fleet, all assigned to the 11th Submarine Division, berthed at Guba Bolshaya Lopatka (part of Zapadnaya Litsa, also known as Zaozersk), on the Kola Peninsula northwest of Severomorsk.
She was laid down at the Sevmash Shipyard in Severodvinsk on 19 January 1989. From 1991 to 1993 she was known as Severodvinsk, but was renamed Orel on 20 March 1993 or 6 April 1993 and entered service with the Russian Navy that same year. [3] Between May 2004 and September 2007 her commander was Valery Varfolomeyev, an officer who had first joined the submarine as assistant commander in June 1998, and then became senior assistant to the commander from April 2000. [4]
The Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that Orel is to be overhauled in 2013. She is to have her shaft-line changed to correct problems during construction that left her very easily tracked by sonar. Additionally, her P-700 Granit (NATO codename SS-N-19 Shipwreck) antiship submarine launched cruise missiles (SLCM) will be replaced by more modern, supersonic, P-800 Oniks (NATO codename SS-N-26) antiship SLCMs. [5] The overhaul was completed and the ship returned to service in 2017. [6]
Whilst in dock at the Zvezdochka shipyard on 7 April 2015, it was reported that a fire broke out "in the ninth section of the sub close to the stern". [7] The fire was caused by insulation materials catching fire during welding. It was reported the submarine did not have nuclear weapons or fuel on board at the time. [8]
First modernized unit, Project 949AM.
In July 2021, while returning to Northern Fleet waters from Navy Day commemorations in St. Petersburg, Orel was reported to have "lost power" while transitting on the surface through the Danish straits. She was reported to have been assisted by other Russian vessels accompanying her through the straits. The submarine was later reported to have restored power and continued her transit north submerged. [9]
The Oscar class, Soviet designations Project 949 Granit and Project 949A Antey, are a series of nuclear-powered cruise missile submarines designed in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. First built in the 1970s, six remain in service with the Russian Navy. Two other vessels were slated to be modernized since at least 2017 as Project 949AM, to extend their service life and increase combat capabilities but it is unclear whether work continues as of 2023.
The Kirov class, Soviet designation Project 1144 Orlan, is a class of nuclear-powered guided-missile battlecruisers of the Soviet Navy and Russian Navy, the largest and heaviest surface combatant warships in operation in the world. Among modern warships, they are second in size only to large aircraft carriers, and of similar size to a World War I-era battleship. The ships are often referred to as battlecruisers by Western defence commentators due to their size and general appearance. The Soviet classification of the ship-type is "heavy nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser".
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The Akula class, Soviet designation Project 971 Shchuka-B is a series of fourth generation nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) first deployed by the Soviet Navy in 1986. There are four sub-classes or flights of Shchuka-B, consisting of the original seven Project 971 boats, commissioned between 1984 and 1990; six Project 971Is, commissioned between 1991 and 2009; one Project 971U, commissioned in 1995; and one Project 971M, commissioned in 2001. The Russians call all of the submarines Shchuka-B, regardless of modifications.
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Dmitriy Donskoy is a decommissioned Russian Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine, designated Project 941 Akula class.
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