Whiskey-class submarine

Scheme of Whiskey-class submarine
Class overview
Operators: Soviet Navy and others
Preceded by: S-class submarine
Succeeded by:
Built: 19491958
Completed: 236
General characteristics
Displacement:
  • (typical):
  • 1,080 tons surfaced
  • 1,350 tons submerged
Length:
  • 76 m (249 ft 4 in)
  • 83.3 m (273 ft 4 in) (Whiskey Long Bin)
Beam: 6.3 m (20 ft 8 in) to 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in)
Draft: 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in)
Propulsion: Diesel-electric
Speed:
  • 18.5 knots (34.3 km/h) surfaced
  • 13 knots (24 km/h) submerged
  • 7 knots (13 km/h) (snorkelling)
  • (cruise missile carrying variants presumably slower)
Range:
  • 13,500 nmi (25,000 km) surfaced
  • 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) submerged
Endurance: 40-45 days[1]
Complement: 54 (more on the cruise missile variants)
Armament:
  • 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern
  • 12 torpedoes or 22 mines)
  • 1 × 25 mm (0.98 in) AA gun (Whiskey I, II, and IV)
  • 1 × 57 mm (2.2 in) AA gun (Whiskey II)
  • 1 × SS-N-3 cruise missile (Whiskey Single Cylinder)
  • 2 × SS-N-3 cruise missiles (Whiskey Twin Cylinder)
  • 4 × SS-N-3 cruise missiles (Whiskey Long Bin)

Whiskey-class submarines (known in the Soviet Union as Projects 613, 644, and 665) are a class of naval submarines that the Soviet Union built in the early Cold War period.

Design

Whiskey-class submarines in Saint Petersburg's museum
Indonesian Navy Whiskey-class submarine KRI Pasopati mounted on pedestal in Surabaya riverside

The initial design was developed in the early 1940s as a sea-going follow on to the S-class submarine. As a result of war experience and the capture of German technology at the end of the war, the Soviets issued a new design requirement in 1946. The revised design was developed by the Lazurit Design Bureau based in Gorkiy. Like most conventional submarines designed 1946-1960, the design was heavily influenced by the Type XXI U-boat.[2]

Patrol variants

Between 1949 and 1958 a total of 236 of an envisaged 340 [3] submarines of this type were commissioned into the Soviet Navy. The vessels were initially designed as coastal patrol submarines. These patrol variants are known in the west as Whiskey I, II, III, IV, and V and were called Project 613 in the Soviet Union.

Missile variants

Whiskey Twin Cylinder submarine

In the 1950s and 1960s some Whiskey submarines were converted to guided missile submarines. These boats had the capability to fire one to four SS-N-3 Shaddock cruise missiles. In 1956, the first prototype was ready. It was a regular Whiskey-class submarine which was fitted with a launch tube aft of the sail that contained a single SS-N-3c land-attack missile. This vessel was known in the West as Whiskey Single Cylinder. Between 1958 and 1960, six additional Whiskey-class submarines were converted to carry guided missiles. These boats had two missile tubes behind the sail, and were known in the west as the Whiskey Twin Cylinder (Soviet designation:Project 644).[4]

Between 1960 and 1963, six boats received an extended sail that could contain four Shaddock missiles. These were called Whiskey Long Bin in the West and Project 665 in the Soviet Union.[4] All guided missile variants of the Whiskey class carried the P-5/ NATO SS-N-3c Shaddock land-attack missile, and had to surface in order to fire their missiles. The boats of the single and twin cylinder class also had to raise their missile tubes, which were normally positioned horizontally.

The "Long Bin" boats did not handle well, the missile launchers caused stability problems and water flow around the missile fittings was very noisy.[5] All were soon retired from service. Four were converted to Project 640 radar picket boats (which were called Whiskey Canvas Bag). Two vessels were converted to submarines for 'fishery research' and 'oceanographic research' purposes. In the Soviet navy, the patrol variants of this class were replaced by Romeo-class submarines. The guided missile variants were replaced by Juliett-class submarines.

Production programme

Model of ORP Orzeł

The Soviet Union built a total of 236 or 215 Whiskeys (sources vary; it appears the initial 21 Chinese-built boats are often included with the Soviet boats). Vice Admiral Burov, head of the Soviet Defense Ministry's Shipbuilding Institute from 1969 to 1983, confirms 215 units built.[4]

Year Gorkiy Nikolayev Baltic Komsomolsk Total
1951 1 1
1952 4 5 9
1953 19 11 30
1954 29 14 1 44
1955 37 18 8 4 67
1956 26 15 4 4 49
1957 9 3 2 14
1958 1 1
Total 116 72 16 11 215

Patrol submarines of the Whiskey class were exported to:

ORP Orzeł (292)
ORP Bielik (295)
ORP Sokół (293)
ORP Kondor (294) – 10 June 1965 raising of the banner, 30 October 1985 lowering of the banner.

Cuba and Syria ordered used Whiskey-class submarines for use as battery charging hulks. The guided missile and radar picket boats were never exported.

By 1982, only 60 boats remained in the Soviet Navy (45 active, 15 in operational reserve); all were retired by the end of the Cold War.

Incidents involving Whiskey-class submarines

Notes

  1. Couhat Jean. Combat Fleets of the world 1982/1983 Their Ships, Aircraft, and Armament Paris: Editions Maritimes et d'Outre-Mer, 1981 ISBN 0-87021-125-0 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78-50192 Pg.1
  2. Gardiner, pp. 396-397
  3. Kuzin, V.P.; Nikolskiy V.I. Voyenno-morskoy Flot SSSR 1945-1991. Istoricheskoye Morskoye Obshchestvo, Sankt Peterburg, 1996
  4. 1 2 3 Burov, V.N. Otechestvennoye Voyennoye Korablestroyeniye v Tretem Stoletii Svoyey Istorii, Sudostroyeniye, Sankt Peterburg, 1995. 5-7355-0508-4
  5. Weir and Boyle 2003
  6. Aftenposten(Norwegian Language) (including pictures)
  7. Dansk Dykkerservice ApS (Danish Language) (including pictures)
  8. JP.dk
  9. Forsvarsmakten.se
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References

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