Tango-class submarine

Last updated
Tango class submarine.JPG
A Tango-class submarine in the North Atlantic.
Class overview
NameTango class (Project 641B)
Builders Gorky
OperatorsNaval Ensign of the Soviet Union (1950-1991).svg  Soviet Navy
Preceded by Foxtrot class
Succeeded by Kilo class
In service1972–2016
In commission1972
Completed18
Active0
Retired15
Preserved3
General characteristics
Type Submarine
Displacement
  • 3,100 tons surfaced
  • 3,800 tons submerged
Length91 m (298 ft 7 in)
Beam9.1 m (29 ft 10 in)
Draught7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
Propulsion
  • 3 diesel engines
  • 4.6 MW (6,200 shp)
  • 3 electric motors
  • 3 shafts.
Speed
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced
  • 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) submerged
Complement62 men (12 officers)
Armament
  • 6 × 533 mm (21.0 in) bow torpedo tubes
  • 24 × 533 mm (21 in) anti-submarine and anti-ship torpedoes or equivalent load of mines

The Tango class was the NATO reporting name of a class of diesel-electric submarines that were built in the Soviet Union to replace the Foxtrot-class submarines assigned to the Black Sea and Northern Fleets. The Soviet designation of this class was Project 641B and it was also known as the Som (Catfish) class. The first of the class was completed in 1972 at Gorky. A total of 18 were built in two slightly different versions. The later type was several metres longer than the first, possibly because of the installation of ASW missile equipment.

Contents

The bow sonar installations appear to be similar to those fitted to Soviet nuclear attack submarines. The propulsion plant was the same as the last subgroup of the Foxtrot class. The Tango class had far more battery capacity, far higher than any previous conventional submarine class in the Soviet Navy; as a result, pressure hull volume increased. This allowed an underwater endurance in excess of a week before snorkeling was required.

Coupled with new armament and sensor fit, the Tango class was ideal for ambush operations against Western nuclear submarines at natural chokepoints.

Because of its all-hull rubber coating, the sub class was nicknamed "rezinka" [rubber].[ citation needed ]

Construction of this class has now stopped. The B-380 of the Black Sea Fleet was the last to be decommissioned in 2016 and the scrapping began in Inkerman in 2020. [1]

B-380 had been in layup in Sevastopol Harbor awaiting either refit or scrapping as of 2008, but during the night of December 14–15, 2019 the floating dock PD-16, which contained B-380, sank. B-380 capsized to port and partially sank, and by 19 December it was still unclear whether the submarine was afloat or resting on the bottom. By 11 May 2020 B-380 was 70% scrapped.[ citation needed ]

By October 2021, the sail of submarine B-380 had been installed, with the assistance of the Russian Maritime Tradition Club Association, at the Mistral Hotel & Spa, Intra district of Moscow. [1]

Museum ships

Three 641B-class submarines operate as museum ships:

The conning towers of stricken B-319' and B-474 are on display in Polyarny and Ryazan.

Related Research Articles

Soviet submarine <i>K-19</i> Ballistic missile submarine

K-19 was the first submarine of the Project 658 class, the first generation of Soviet nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear ballistic missiles, specifically the R-13 SLBM. The boat was hastily built by the Soviets in response to United States' developments in nuclear submarines as part of the arms race. Before she was launched, 10 civilian workers and a sailor died due to accidents and fires. After K-19 was commissioned, the boat had multiple breakdowns and accidents, several of which threatened to sink the submarine.

<i>Kirov</i>-class battlecruiser Class of Russian battlecruisers

The Kirov class, Soviet designation Project 1144 Orlan, is a class of nuclear-powered guided-missile heavy cruisers 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; they are similar in size to a World War I-era battleship. Defence commentators in the West often refer to these ships as battlecruisers – due to their size and general appearance. The Soviet classification of the ship-type is "heavy nuclear-powered guided-missile cruiser".

Soviet submarine <i>K-77</i> Soviet Juliett-class cruise-missile submarine

K-77 was a "Project 651" diesel–electric submarine built for the Soviet Navy during the 1960s. Commissioned in 1965, the boat was armed with long-range cruise missiles to carry out its mission of destroying American aircraft carriers and bases. The missiles could be fitted with either conventional or nuclear warheads.

Soviet submarine K-278 <i>Komsomolets</i> Nuclear-powered attack submarine

The K-278 Komsomolets was the Project-685 Plavnik, nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Soviet Navy; the only submarine of her design class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attack submarine</span> Submarine designed to destroy other ships

An attack submarine or hunter-killer submarine is a submarine specifically designed for the purpose of attacking and sinking other submarines, surface combatants and merchant vessels. In the Soviet and Russian navies they were and are called "multi-purpose submarines". They are also used to protect friendly surface combatants and missile submarines. Some attack subs are also armed with cruise missiles, increasing the scope of their potential missions to include land targets.

Yankee-class submarine Soviet ballistic missile submarine class

The Yankee class, Soviet designations Project 667A Navaga (navaga) and Project 667AU Nalim (burbot) for the basic Yankee-I, were a family of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. In total, 34 units were built: 24 in Severodvinsk for the Northern Fleet and the remaining 10 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur for the Pacific Fleet. Two Northern Fleet units were later transferred to the Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Navy</span> Naval arm of the Russian military

The Russian Navy is part of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Soviet submarine <i>B-427</i> Soviet submarine renamed Scorpion after being decommissioned

B-427 was a Project 641 (Foxtrot-class) diesel-electric attack submarine of the Soviet Navy. The "B" in her designation stands for большая. Commissioned in 1971, the submarine operated with the Russian Pacific Fleet until decommissioning in 1994.

Romeo-class submarine Soviet diesel electric submarine

The Project 633 class is a class of Soviet diesel-electric submarine, built between 1957 and 1961. A Chinese variant, Type 033, was built in China from 1962 to 1984.

Foxtrot-class submarine Class of Soviet diesel-electric patrol submarines

The Foxtrot class was the NATO reporting name of a class of diesel-electric patrol submarines that were built in the Soviet Union. The Soviet designation of this class was Project 641. The Foxtrot class was designed to replace the earlier Zulu class, which suffered from structural weaknesses and harmonic vibration problems that limited its operational depth and submerged speed. The first Foxtrot keel was laid down in 1957 and commissioned in 1958 and the last was completed in 1983. A total of 58 were built for the Soviet Navy at the Sudomekh division of the Admiralty Shipyard, Saint Petersburg. Additional hulls were built for other countries.

Delta-class submarine Class of Russian nuclear powered ballistic submarines

The Delta class, Soviet designations Project 667B Murena, Project 667BD Murena-M, Project 667BDR Kalmar, Project 667BDRM Delfin, are a family of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, designed and built in the Soviet Union, which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since their introduction in 1973. They carry nuclear ballistic missiles of the R-29 Vysota family, with the Delta I, Delta II, Delta III and Delta IV classes carrying the R-29/SS-N-8 'Sawfly', R-29D/SS-N-8 'Sawfly', R-29R/SS-N-18 'Stingray' and R-29RM/SS-N-23 'Skiff' respectively.

Soviet submarine <i>B-39</i> Foxtrot-class attack submarine

B-39 was a Project 641 (Foxtrot-class) diesel-electric attack submarine of the Soviet Navy. The "B" in her designation stands for большая —Foxtrots were the Soviet Navy's largest non-nuclear submarines.

<i>Slava</i>-class cruiser Russian/Soviet guided missile cruisers

The Slava class, Soviet designation Project 1164 Atlant, is a class of guided-missile cruisers designed and constructed in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy, and currently operated by the Russian Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime Museum of San Diego</span> Maritime museum in California, United States

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a maritime museum in San Diego, California. Established in 1948, it preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States. Located on San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum's collection is Star of India, an 1863 iron barque. The museum maintains the MacMullen Library and Research Archives aboard the 1898 ferryboat Berkeley. It publishes the quarterly peer-reviewed journal Mains'l Haul: A Journal of Pacific Maritime History.

Soviet submarine <i>B-515</i> 1976 Tango-class submarine

B-515 is a Tango-class submarine of the Soviet and Russian Navies. It remained in active service until 2001. It is currently docked in Hamburg and is open to the public as a museum exhibit. The submarine is sometimes referred to as U-434, which derives from the pennant number painted on the vessel.

Ugra-class submarine tender

The Ugra class was the NATO reporting name for a group of seven submarine tenders built for the Soviet Navy in the late 1960s. The Soviet designation was Project 1886. One further ship was built for the Indian Navy to a modified design. The ships were intended to provide afloat support for Soviet submarines, including supplies, water, torpedoes, fuel, and battery charging; minimal repair facilities, and were often employed as flagships/command ships for submarine squadrons. A subclass, the Borodino class, of two ships were constructed for use as training ships and lacked missiles and the ability to support submarines. Instead, the Borodino class had classrooms and training facilities.

The decommissioning of Russian nuclear-powered vessels is an issue of major concern to the United States and to Scandinavian countries near Russia. From 1950 to 2003, the Soviet Union and its major successor state, Russia, constructed the largest nuclear-powered navy in the world, with more ships than all other navies combined: 248 submarines, four Kirov-class battlecruisers, and a missile test ship, as well as nine icebreakers. Many were or are powered by two reactors each, bringing the total to 468 reactors.

The K-391 Bratsk is an Akula-class submarine in the Russian Navy.

References

  1. 1 2 "Подводная лодка Б-380, "Горьковский комсомолец", "Святой князь Георгий". Проект 641Б".

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.