Russian submarine AS-26

AS-26 is a Priz-class deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV), or rescue mini-submarine, which went into service in 1987.[1] The DSRV first entered service with the Soviet Navy but became part of the Russian Navy after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

AS-26 during a 2020 rescue exercise
History
Russia
NameAS-26
Laid downApril 1986
Launched27 August 1987
Commissioned25 November 1987
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typePriz-class deep-submergence rescue vehicle
Displacement55 t (54 long tons)
Length13.5 m (44 ft 3 in)
Beam3.8 m (12 ft 6 in)
Height4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Speed
  • 3.3 knots (6.1 km/h; 3.8 mph) maximum
  • 2.3 knots (4.3 km/h; 2.6 mph) cruise
  • 0.5 m/s (1.6 ft/s) ascent speed
Range21 nmi (39 km; 24 mi)
Endurance
  • 120 hours with 4 aboard
  • 10 hours with 24 aboard
Test depth1,000 m (3,300 ft)
Capacity20 passengers
Crew5

Operations

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Before June 1995 AS-26 was first assigned to the Soviet and then to Russia's Northern Fleet. From then on the DSRV was assigned to Russia's Baltic Fleet.[1]

It is deployed from the Kashtan-class salvage ship SS-750. The two have participated in submarine rescue exercises in the Baltic Sea.[2][3]

On 22 September 2022, the AS-26 and its mother ship SS-750 were observed by the Royal Danish Navy patrol boat HDMS Nymfen above the route of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline four days before the pipeline was sabotaged.[4][5]

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Deep-diving autonomous underwater vehicle – Project 1855". russianships.info. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Спасатели Балтийского флота провели тренировку по оказанию помощи аварийной подлодке, лежащей на грунте". mil.ru (in Russian). 2020-06-26.
  3. ^ "Новая "Варшавянка" погрузилась почти на 200 метров в Балтийском море". flotprom.ru (in Russian). 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  4. ^ Camut, Nicolas (2023-04-28). "Russian ship spotted near Nord Stream pipelines days before sabotage: Reports". Politico. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
  5. ^ Elkjær, Bo; Gjerding, Sebastian (2023-04-28). "Forsvaret bekræfter: Rusland havde specialfartøj nær Nord Streams sprængningspunkt" [Defence confirms: Russia had specialized vessel near Nord Stream point of explosion]. information.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2023-08-31.
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