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Yankee-class submarine

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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.

Yankee class SSBN profile
A Yankee I submarine underway.
Class overview
NameYankee class
BuildersSeverodvinsk and Komsomolsk
Operators Soviet Navy
Preceded byHotel class
Succeeded byDelta class
Built1964–1974
In commission1967–1995
Completed34
Lost1
Retired33
General characteristics
TypeBallistic missile submarine
Displacement
  • 7,700 tons Surfaced
  • 9,300 tons submerged
Length132 m (433 ft)
Beam11.6 m (38 ft)
Draught8 m (26 ft)
Propulsiontwo pressurized water cooled reactors powering four steam turbines driving two shafts.
Speed
  • Surfaced: 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
  • Submerged: 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Rangeunlimited
Complement120
Armament
  • Yankee I/II:4 × 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes
  • Yankee I: 16 × R-27 (SS-N-6 Serb) SLBMs
  • Yankee II: 12 × R-31 (SS-N-17 Snipe) SLBMs.

The Yankee-class were subject to a wide variety of modifications; these ships have a different designation to the original model.

Design

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The Yankee-class nuclear submarines were the first class of Soviet ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) to have thermonuclear firepower comparable with that of their American and British Polaris submarine counterparts. The Yankee class were quieter in the ocean than were their Hotel-class predecessors, and had better streamlining that improved their underwater performance. The Yankee class were actually quite similar to the Polaris submarines of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy. These boats were all armed with 16 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) with multiple nuclear warheads as nuclear deterrents during the Cold War, and their ballistic missiles had ranges from 1,500–2,500 nautical miles (2,800–4,600 km; 1,700–2,900 mi).

General characteristics (Yankee I)

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yankee class submarines.

Operational history

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K-219 damaged

The Yankee-class SSBNs served in the Soviet Navy in three oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean beginning in the 1960s. During the 1970s about three Yankee-class were continually on patrol in a so-called "patrol box" in the Atlantic Ocean just east of Bermuda[1] and off the US Pacific coast. This forward deployment of the SSBNs was seen to balance the presence of American, British, and French nuclear weapons kept in Western Europe and on warships (including nuclear submarines) in the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic.

The lead boat K-137 Leninets received its honorific name on 11 April 1970, two and one half years after being commissioned.

One Yankee-class submarine, K-219, was lost on 6 October 1986 after an explosion and fire on board. This boat had been at sea near Bermuda, and she sank from loss of buoyancy because of flooding. Four of her sailors died before rescue ships arrived. The events surrounding the loss of this boat has continued to be controversial.

At least one other boat in this class was involved in a collision with a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.[citation needed]

Because of their increasing age, and as negotiated in the SALT I, START I and START II treaties that reduce nuclear armaments of the United States and the Soviet Union, all boats of Yankee class were disarmed, decommissioned and sent to the nuclear ship scrapyards.

Variants

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There were eight different versions of the Yankee-class submarines:

Yankee-class submarines[2]
First entered Service NATO reporting name Project Name and Number Image Class Main Payload Numbers built Notes
1967 Yankee-I 667А "Навага"   SSBN 16 x Р-27 Зыбь 34 Baseline; first Soviet sub to carry SLBMs in hull, as opposed to the sail. Some were later disarmed and operated as SSNs; sometimes classed as SSNX
1975 Improved Yankee-I 667АУ "Налим" SSBN 16 x Р-27У 13 converted У/U for Improved (Russian: Улучшен; Uluchshen)
1977 Yankee-II 667АМ "Навага-М"   SSBN 12 x Р-31 1 converted First Soviet sub to carry solid-fueled SLBMs. Subsequently theorized as emergency satellite-launcher or to strike ships in aircraft carrier battle groups
1987 Yankee Notch 667АТ "Груша"   SSGN/SSN 32-40 x РК-55 Гранат (SS-N-21 Sampson) 3 converted 4 unfinished Lengthened by 12 metres (39.4 ft) to 141.5 m (464 ft); 8 more torpedo tubes in waist
1989 (program cancelled) Yankee Sidecar 667М "Андромеда"   SSGN 12 x П-750 Метеорит (SS-NX-24 Scorpion) 1 converted Delivered as an attack sub due to missile program cancellation. 153 m (502 ft) long, 13,650 tons full displacement
1984 Yankee Pod 667АК "Аксон-1"   SSAN Towed array sonar, pod, other sensor systems 1 converted K-403 Kazan. The tailfin-pod is similar to those of the Щука- and Щука-Б SSNs
1996 Yankee Big Nose 09780 "Аксон-2"   SSAN Towed array sonar, Irtysh-Amphora spherical sonar array 1 converted 1 unfinished (K-415) Further modified K-403 Kazan. Tail now resembles those of the 667BDRM and 949А submarines. The Irtysh-Amphora would later equip the lead boat of the Yasen-class
1991 Yankee Stretch 09774/667АН   "Research" Submarine Палтус-class midget submarine 1 converted (K-411) 160 m (520 ft) long. Stated to be an oceanographic vessel, but believed to be a spy sub similar to USS Jimmy Carter
  • Yankee-class submarines in life
  •  
    Yankee Notch
  •  
    Yankee II
  •  
    Yankee Big Nose

In addition, Soviet/Russian classification includes the Delta-class submarines within the same family of Project 667; Deltas being Project 667B onwards.

Further information: Delta-class submarine

Units

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Yankee class — significant dates
# Project Shipyard Laid down Launched Commissioned Status
K-137 667A, 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk November 4, 1964 September 11, 1966 November 6, 1967 Decommissioned April 3, 1994 for scrapping[3]
K-140 667A, 667AM SEVMASH, Severodvinsk September 19, 1965 August 23, 1967 December 30, 1967 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-26 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk December 30, 1965 December 23, 1967 September 3, 1968 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-32 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk February 25, 1966 April 25, 1968 October 26, 1968 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-216 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk June 6, 1966 August 6, 1968 December 27, 1968 Decommissioned 1985 for scrapping[3]
K-207 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk November 4, 1966 September 20, 1968 May 30, 1968 Decommissioned May 30, 1989 for scrapping[3]
K-210 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk December 16, 1966 December 29, 1968 August 6, 1969 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-249 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk March 18, 1967 March 30, 1969 September 27, 1969 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-253 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk June 26, 1967 June 5, 1969 November 28, 1969 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-395 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk September 8, 1967 July 28, 1969 December 5, 1969 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-339 667A Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk February 23, 1968 June 23, 1969 December 24, 1969 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-408 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk January 20, 1968 September 10, 1969 December 25, 1969 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-411 667A, 667AN SEVMASH, Severodvinsk May 25, 1968 January 16, 1970 August 31, 1970 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-418 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk June 29, 1968 March 14, 1970 September 22, 1970 Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping[3]
K-420 667A, 667M SEVMASH, Severodvinsk October 12, 1968 April 25, 1970 October 29, 1970 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-423 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk January 13, 1969 April 7, 1970 November 13, 1970 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-434 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk February 23, 1969 May 29, 1970 November 30, 1970 Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping[3]
K-426 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk April 17, 1969 August 28, 1970 December 22, 1970 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-236 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk November 6, 1969 August 4, 1970 December 27, 1970 Decommissioned September 1, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-415 667A, 667AK-2 SEVMASH, Severodvinsk July 4, 1969 September 26, 1970 December 30, 1970 Decommissioned August 6, 1987 for scrapping[3]
K-403 667A, 667AK-1 SEVMASH, Severodvinsk August 18, 1969 March 25, 1971 August 12, 1971[3] Decommissioned – Scrapping underway in 2010 [4][failed verification]
K-389 667A Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk July 26, 1970 June 27, 1971 November 25, 1971 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping [3]
K-245 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk October 16, 1969 August 9, 1971 December 16, 1971 Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping[3]
K-219 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk May 28, 1970 October 8, 1971 December 31, 1971[3] Lost October 3, 1986
K-252 667A Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk December 25, 1970 September 12, 1971 December 31, 1971 Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping [3]
K-214 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk February 19, 1970 September 1, 1971 February 8, 1972 Decommissioned June 24, 1991 for scrapping [3]
K-228 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk September 4, 1970 May 3, 1972 September 30, 1972 Decommissioned September 3, 1994 for scrapping [3]
K-258 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk March 30, 1971 May 26, 1972 September 30, 1972 Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping [3]
K-241 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk December 24, 1970 June 9, 1972 October 23, 1972 Decommissioned June 16, 1992 for scrapping [3]
K-444 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk April 8, 1971 August 1, 1972 December 23, 1972 Decommissioned September 30, 1994 for scrapping [3]
K-446 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk November 7, 1971 August 8, 1972 January 22, 1973 Decommissioned March 17, 1993 for scrapping [3]
K-451 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk February 23, 1972 April 29, 1973 September 7, 1971 Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping [3]
K-436 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk November 7, 1972 July 25, 1973 December 5, 1973 Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping [3]
K-430 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk July 27, 1973 July 28, 1974 December 25, 1974 Decommissioned January 12, 1995 for scrapping [3]
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In Tom Clancy's 1986 techno-thriller Red Storm Rising, the entire Yankee-class of SSBNs are proposed to be taken out of service and scrapped by the Soviet Union as part of the Maskirovka I, in part to have the United States to do likewise with its own first-generation George Washington class, Ethan Allen class and Lafayette class SSBNs, and allay NATO misgivings of the USSR's intentions.

References

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  1. ^ "Title unknown". The Royal Gazette. Archived from the original on March 29, 2006.
  2. ^ "DEEPSTORM.RU". Deep Storm. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, ISBN 5-8172-0069-4
  4. ^ 64°35′10″N 39°49′07″E / 64.586°N 39.8187°E / 64.586; 39.8187
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