List of Soviet and Russian submarine classes
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Submarines of the Soviet Navy were developed by numbered "projects", which were sometimes but not always given names. During the Cold War, NATO nations referred to these classes by NATO reporting names, based on intelligence data, which did not always correspond with the projects. See:
- List of NATO reporting names for ballistic missile submarines
- List of NATO reporting names for guided missile submarines
- List of NATO reporting names for hunter-killer and experimental submarines
The NATO reporting names were based on the British (and later American) habit of naming submarines with a letter of the alphabet indicating the class, followed by a serial number of that class. The names are the radiotelephonic alphabet call sign of a letter of the alphabet. For security purposes, the "pennant numbers" of Soviet submarines were not sequential, any more than those of Soviet surface vessels were.
Most Russian (and Soviet) submarines had no "personal" name, but were only known by a number, prefixed by letters identifying the boat's type at a higher level than her class. Those letters included:
- К (K): крейсерская (kreyserskaya, "cruiser")
- ТК (TK): тяжёлая крейсерская (tyazholaya kreyserskaya, "heavy cruiser")
- Б (B): большая (bolshaya, "large")
- С (S): средняя (srednyaya, "medium")
- М (M): малая (malaya, "small")
Any of those prefixes could have С (S) added to the end, standing for специальная (spetsialnaya) and meaning "designed for special missions":
- New weapon, engines and armament testing
- Submarines for long-range radio communications
- Target submarines for anti-submarine training
- Rescue service submarines
- Covert operations
Diesel-electric
editRusso-Japanese War
edit- Delfin
- Kasatka-class submarine
- Som-class submarine
- Forel single unit/one off unit (class of its own)[1]
- Osetr-class submarine
World War I era
edit- Pochtovy
- Minoga
- Akula
- Karp-class submarine
- Kaiman-class submarine
- Morzh-class submarine
- Narval-class submarine
- Krab
- Amerikansky Golland (Holland 602GF/602L type)
- Bars-class submarine
World War II era
editProject | Series | Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dekabrist-class submarine | Series I | 6 | large positional submarine | |
Leninets-class submarine | Series II, XI, XIII, XIII-1938 | 25 | Minelayers | |
Shchuka-class submarine | Series III, V, V-bis, V-bis-2, X, X-1938 | 86 | Medium-sized patrol submarines. | |
Pravda-class submarine | Serie IV | 3 | Squadron submarines. | |
Malyutka-class submarine | Series VI, VI-bis, XII, XV | |
110 | Small submarines for coastal patrols. |
S-class submarine | Series IX, IX-bis | 41 | Medium submarines, built using German project (early version of Type IX). | |
K-class submarine | Serie XIV | 11 | Cruiser submarines with combined arms. | |
TS-class submarine | 3 | Former submarines of the Royal Romanian Navy: Rechinul (TS-1), Marsuinul (TS-2) and Delfinul (TS-3) |
Post-World War II era
editAttack submarines
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
611 | Zulu class | 26 | Large oceanic submarines | |
613 | Whiskey class | 215 | Medium multi-purpose submarines | |
615 | Quebec class | 30 | Small submarines with full-diesel propulsion | |
617 | Whale class | 1 | Experimental submarines which had a Walter engine fuelled by high test peroxide (HTP) | |
633 | Romeo class | 20 | Medium submarines | |
641 | Foxtrot class | 75 | Large oceanic submarines | |
641B Cом (Som, catfish) | Tango class | 18 | Large oceanic submarines | |
690 Кефаль (Kefal, mullet) | Bravo class | 4 | Target submarine for torpedo exercises | |
877, 877E, 877EKM, 877V, 877LPMB, 877EK Палтус (Paltus, halibut) | Kilo class | 43 | Large submarines | |
636, 636М Варшавянка (Varshavyanka, after Warsaw Pact) | Improved Kilo class | 30 | Large submarines | |
677 Лада (Lada, goddess of love) | St. Petersburg | 1 | Large submarines | |
1650 Амур (the Amur River) | 0 | Modification of Lada class for export | ||
865 Пиранья (Piran'ya, piranha) | Losos class (Salmon) | 2 | Midget submarines |
Guided missile submarines
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
P613 | Whiskey Single Cylinder | 1 × SS-N-3 cruise missile | ||
644 | Whiskey Twin Cylinder | 2 × SS-N-3 cruise missile | ||
665 | Whiskey Long Bin | 4 × SS-N-3 cruise missile | ||
651 | Juliett | 16 | Four SS-N-3 Shaddock (P-5 or P-6), or SS-N-12 Sandbox (P-500 4K-80 Basalt) |
Ballistic missile submarines
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
V611, 611AV | Zulu | 6 | ||
629, 609, 601, 605, 619 | Golf | 24 | 3 × Project 629 boats D-1 launch system with R-11FM missiles |
Auxiliary submarines
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
940 Ленок (Lenok) | India | 2 | 2 × Poseidon class DSRV's | |
1710 Макрель (Makrel, mackerel) | Beluga | 1 | It was an experimental vessel used for testing propulsion systems, hull forms, and boundary-layer control techniques. | |
1840 | Lima | 1 | Large special. It was used for trying out new technologies, research, or special mission support |
Nuclear-powered
editAttack submarines
editFirst generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
627 Кит, 645 Кит-ЖМТ (Kit, whale) | November | 14 | First soviet submarines powered by nuclear reactor |
Second generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
671, 671B, 671K, 671R Ёрш (Yorsh, ruffe) | Victor I | 16 | ||
671RT | Victor II | 7 | ||
671RTM Щука (Shchuka, pike) | Victor III | 25 |
Third generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
705, 705K Лира (Lira, lyre) | Alfa | 7 | ||
945 Барракуда (Barrakuda, barracuda) | Sierra I | 2 | ||
945A Кондор (Kondor, condor) | Sierra II | 2 | ||
685 Плавник (Plavnik, fin) | Mike | 1 | Record submergence depth of 1,020 metres (3,350 feet) |
Fourth generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
Project 971 Щука-Б (Shchuka-B, Pike-B) | Akula | 15 | ||
Project 885 Ясень (Yasen, ash) | Severodvinsk | 4 | Planned 12 |
Guided missile submarines
editFirst generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
659 | Echo I | 5 | ||
675 | Echo II | 29 |
Second generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
661 Анчар (Anchar, upas) | Papa | 1 | Fastest speed ever recorded for a submerged vehicle at 44.7 knots | |
667AT Груша (Grusha, pear) | Yankee Notch | 4 | ||
667M Андромеда (Andromeda, the constellation) | Yankee Sidecar | 1 | ||
670 Скат (Skat, ray) | Charlie I | 11 | ||
670M Скат-М (Skat-M, ray) | Charlie II | 6 |
Third generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
949 Гранит (Granit, granite) | Oscar I | 2 | ||
949A Антей (Antey, Antaeus) | Oscar II | 11 |
Fourth generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
885 Ясень (Yasen, ash) | Severodvinsk | 4 | Planned 12 |
Ballistic missile submarines
editFirst generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
658, 701 | Hotel | 8 |
Second generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
667A Навага, 667AU Налим (Navaga; Nalim, burbot) | Yankee I | 34 | ||
667AM Навага-М (Navaga-M) | Yankee II | 1 | ||
667B Мурена (Murena, eel) | Delta I | 18 | ||
667BD Мурена-М (Murena-M, eel) | Delta II | 4 | ||
667BDR Кальмар (Kal'mar, squid) | Delta III | 14 | ||
667BDRM Дельфин (Del'fin, dolphin) | Delta IV | 7 |
Third generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
941 Акула; (Akula, shark) | Typhoon | 6 |
Fourth generation
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
955 Борей; (Borei, Boreas) | Dolgorukiy | 3 | ||
955А Борей; (Borei, Boreas) | Dolgorukiy | 4 |
Auxiliary submarines
editProject | NATO reporting name | Silhouette/Image | Built | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|---|
1910 Кашалот (Kashalot, cachalot) | Uniform | 2 | ||
09774 Аксон (Akson) | Yankee Pod | 1 | ||
09774 | Yankee Stretch | 1 | ||
09780 Аксон-2 (Akson-2) | Yankee Big Nose | 1 | ||
20120 Сарган (Sargan or Sarov) | Sarov | 1 |
See also
editFootnotes
edit- ^ Showell, p. 22, 23, 29
- Showell, Jak M. U-Boat Century, German Submarine Warfare 1906-2006. Chatham Publishing, Great Britain (2006). ISBN 1861-7624-10.