Rubin Design Bureau
Encyclopedia
Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering (Russian
: Центральное конструкторское бюро "Рубин", shortened to ЦКБ "Рубин") in Saint Petersburg is one of the main Russia
n centers of submarine
design, having designed more than two-thirds of all nuclear submarine
s in the Russian Navy. The word "rubin" means ruby
in the Russian language.
where the construction of the vessel was planned to take place. The men submitted their design to the Marine Ministry on May 3, 1901; it was approved the following July, and the Baltic Shipyard was then awarded the order for construction of Torpedo Boat No. 113 (later renamed combat submarine Dolphin
). Bubnov was appointed Head of the Construction Commission for Submarines. It was this Construction Commission that after multiple transformations and name changes became the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering.
Construction of the Dolphin
was completed in 1903, and its success in subsequent tests was the impetus for the creation of newer, more advanced types of submarines. By 1918 seventy-three submarines of classes Kasatka
, Minoga
, Akula
, Morzh
, and Vepr
had joined the Russian Navy, and four more of the new class Major-General Bubnov were still under construction. Thirty-two of these were built to the designs of I.G. Bubnov, who had become Major General
of the Naval Architect Corps and Honoured Professor at the Nikolayev Marine Academy.
. He designed submarines of the Dekabrist-class
, Leninets-class
, and Shchuka-class
. Another milestone of the era came in 1935, when Central Design Bureau engineer S.A. Bazilevskiy proposed an air-independent propulsion system which allowed engine operation based on the closed cycle REDO in both surface and submerged submarine conditions. Experiments on this cycle implementation were carried out on board submarines of Series XII M-92 (S-92, R-1).
More change came in 1937, when the Bureau was given the new name Central Design Bureau No. 18 (or CDB-18), and furthermore became an independent economic organization directly subordinated to the Second Chief Department of People’s Commissariat of Defence Industry.
, 206 submarines were built to 19 different CDB-18 designs. 54 more submarines were constructed at the Bureau during the War. During the Siege of Leningrad
CDB-18 was evacuated from Leningrad to Gorkiy.
In 1947 CDB-18 completed the development of Technical Design No.613
(called the Whiskey class submarine
in NATO classification) – a torpedo diesel-electric
submarine of medium displacement which took into account the combat experiences of Soviet and German
submarines from the War. Commissioned to the Navy in 1951, the 215 units built to Design 613 was the largest in the world. Approximately 25 to 30 of the submarines were built in People’s Republic of China
, and the design was handed over to Chinese technicians.
P.P. Pustyntsev (:ru:Пустынцев, Павел Петрович), who headed the Bureau from 1951 to 1974, created the design for Project 641
(NATO classification: Foxtrot class
), which began development in 1955. It was the first Soviet submarine armed with cruise missile
s, which designed by Vladimir Chelomei
, and 75 units of this class were commissioned to the Navy in 1963. The same year the Hotel class submarine
, which had begun development in 1956 as Project 658, was redesigned to enable underwater launching of D-4 ballistic missiles. In 1965 the Lenin Prize
was awarded for works related to the underwater launch of ballistic missiles.
In 1963 technical design 667A
(NATO classification: Yankee class
), a second-generation nuclear missile submarine, was developed. Joining the Soviet fleet in 1967, the Project 667A submarine became the first ship of the largest series of nuclear missile submarines (34 units). Later known as “nuclear missile submarine cruisers,” improvements to the Yankee class submarines would include the installation of longer-range and multiple-warhead missiles. The success of submarine Projects 667A and 667B
(Delta class submarine
) would be rewarded with Lenin Prize
s in 1970 and 1974, respectively. The Yankee-based ballistic missile submarine family comprises: Project 667A Yankee, Project 667B Delta I, Project 667BD Delta II, Project 667BDR Delta III, and Project 667BDRM Delta IV.
CDB-18 got the name Rubin in 1966. The Oscar class submarine
started development in 1971, and followed by the Typhoon class
in 1976. In 1974 Igor Spassky
succeeded Pustyntsev as head of the bureau and remained in the position until the first decade of the 21st century.
, Rubin has continued to produce nuclear submarines with such projects as the construction of the fourth-generation ballistic missile Borey
class, also known as the Dolgorukiy class, which started in 1996 http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=100932. Rubin now also works with outside companies (including Halliburton
) on the production of oil platform
s that are now used in drilling around Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk Ocean and in the waters adjacent to South Korea
.
Another of the company's important projects of recent years is Sea Launch
, a unique spacecraft
launch technology. With marine components produced by Rubin, Sea Launch uses a specially-modified floating oil platform positioned in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
, as a launch pad. Sea Launch is the most economical method yet devised for sending satellites into space - almost ten times less expensive than NASA
methods.
Rubin has also developed such exotic projects as a Submarine Cargo Vessel
that can operate year-round in the Arctic Ocean
and a Nuclear Underwater Gas Transfer Station for trans-ocean natural gas
pipeline transport
.
Other recent projects include a high-speed train, the ES-250 Sokol http://www.ckb-rubin.ru/eng/project/electrot/sokol/index.htm, intended for the Moscow-St. Petersburg Railway
, and a design for a low-floor tram
http://www.ckb-rubin.ru/eng/project/electrot/tram/index.htm.
As a joint project with the Italian shipbuilding
company Fincantieri
, Rubin is developing a new diesel air-independent propulsion
submarine, the S1000, based on a new fuel cell air independent propulsion system developed in Italy. Its length is 56.2 metres and its displacement is 1,000 tonnes. A mock-up was exhibited at Euronaval 2006. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061025/55131158.html
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Центральное конструкторское бюро "Рубин", shortened to ЦКБ "Рубин") in Saint Petersburg is one of the main Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n centers of submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
design, having designed more than two-thirds of all nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
s in the Russian Navy. The word "rubin" means ruby
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
in the Russian language.
Early history
On January 4, 1901 the Marine Ministry of Russia assigned the task of designing a combat submarine for the Russian Navy to three officers: Lieutenant M.N. Beklemishev, Lieutenant I.S. Goryunov and Naval architect Senior Assistant I.G. Bubnov, an employee at the Ministry's Baltic ShipyardBaltic Shipyard
The Baltic Shipyard is one of the oldest shipyards in Russia. It is located in Saint Petersburg in the south-western part of the Vasilievsky Island. It is one of the three shipyards active in Saint Petersburg...
where the construction of the vessel was planned to take place. The men submitted their design to the Marine Ministry on May 3, 1901; it was approved the following July, and the Baltic Shipyard was then awarded the order for construction of Torpedo Boat No. 113 (later renamed combat submarine Dolphin
Russian submarine Delfin
Delfin was the first Russian battle submarine.She was designed by Naval architect Senior Assistant I.G. Bubnov, Lieutenant M.N. Beklemishev and Lieutenant I.S. Goryunov of the Construction Commission for Submarines , laid down by Baltic plant at St...
). Bubnov was appointed Head of the Construction Commission for Submarines. It was this Construction Commission that after multiple transformations and name changes became the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering.
Russian submarine Delfin
Delfin was the first Russian battle submarine.She was designed by Naval architect Senior Assistant I.G. Bubnov, Lieutenant M.N. Beklemishev and Lieutenant I.S. Goryunov of the Construction Commission for Submarines , laid down by Baltic plant at St...
was completed in 1903, and its success in subsequent tests was the impetus for the creation of newer, more advanced types of submarines. By 1918 seventy-three submarines of classes Kasatka
Kasatka class submarine
The Kasatka class were a group of submarines built for the Imperial Russian Navy. The six boats were built between 1904 and 1905. They were designed by I.G. Bubnov and were based on the Delfin. The first boat Kasatka experienced significant problems with stability on trials and had to have extra...
, Minoga
Russian submarine Minoga
The Minoga was a submarine built for the Imperial Russian Navy. She was built by Baltic Yard in St Petersburg and designed by I.G. Bubnov. She was a single hulled boat with a 16 fathom diving depth. While an advance on previous boats the single shaft design was not very manueverable and the...
, Akula
Russian submarine Akula (1908)
Akula was a submarine built for the Imperial Russian Navy. The boat was designed by Ivan Bubnov and was an amalgam of the previous Minoga and the Kasatka class submarine designs. The design was presented to the Marine technical committee in late 1905. Initially the boat was to use petrol engines...
, Morzh
Morzh class submarine
The Morzh class submarines were built for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy shortly before World War I.-Background:The class was constructed as part of an ambitious programme of naval construction devised by the Naval General Staff in 1909. This envisaged, among other things, the...
, and Vepr
Bars class submarine (1915)
The Bars class were a group of submarines built for the Imperial Russian Navy during World War I. A total of 24 boats were built between 1914 and 1917-Design:...
had joined the Russian Navy, and four more of the new class Major-General Bubnov were still under construction. Thirty-two of these were built to the designs of I.G. Bubnov, who had become Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
of the Naval Architect Corps and Honoured Professor at the Nikolayev Marine Academy.
Pre-World War II
In 1926 the Construction Commission for Submarines became Technical Bureau No. 4, and six years later was renamed the Central Design Bureau for Special (Military) Shipbuilding No. 2, headed by B.M. MalininBoris Mikhailovich Malinin
Boris Mikhailovich Malinin was a Soviet shipbuilding scientist and graduate of Saint Petersburg Polytechnical Institute. From 1926 to 1940, he was the chief designer of the majority of Soviet submarines to include the Dekabrist-class, Leninets-class, Shchuka-class, and Malyutka-class.In 1913 at...
. He designed submarines of the Dekabrist-class
Dekabrist class submarine
The Dekabrist-class were the first class of submarines built for the Soviet Navy after the October Revolution. They were authorized in the Soviet Naval Shipbuilding Program of 1926....
, Leninets-class
Leninets class submarine
The Leninets or L-class were the second class of submarines to be built for the Soviet Navy. They were minelaying submarines and were based on the British L-class submarine, HMS L55, which was sunk during the British intervention in the Russian Civil War. Some experience from the previous...
, and Shchuka-class
Shchuka class submarine
The Shchuka class submarines , also referred to as Shch or SC class submarines were a medium-sized class of Soviet submarines, built in large numbers and used during World War II...
. Another milestone of the era came in 1935, when Central Design Bureau engineer S.A. Bazilevskiy proposed an air-independent propulsion system which allowed engine operation based on the closed cycle REDO in both surface and submerged submarine conditions. Experiments on this cycle implementation were carried out on board submarines of Series XII M-92 (S-92, R-1).
More change came in 1937, when the Bureau was given the new name Central Design Bureau No. 18 (or CDB-18), and furthermore became an independent economic organization directly subordinated to the Second Chief Department of People’s Commissariat of Defence Industry.
World War II
By the beginning of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 206 submarines were built to 19 different CDB-18 designs. 54 more submarines were constructed at the Bureau during the War. During the Siege of Leningrad
Siege of Leningrad
The Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade was a prolonged military operation resulting from the failure of the German Army Group North to capture Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, in the Eastern Front theatre of World War II. It started on 8 September 1941, when the last...
CDB-18 was evacuated from Leningrad to Gorkiy.
Cold War
Whiskey class submarine
Whiskey-class submarines are a class of naval submarines that the Soviet Union built in the early Cold War period.-Design:...
(called the Whiskey class submarine
Whiskey class submarine
Whiskey-class submarines are a class of naval submarines that the Soviet Union built in the early Cold War period.-Design:...
in NATO classification) – a torpedo diesel-electric
Diesel-electric
Diesel-electric transmission or diesel-electric powertrain is used by a number of vehicle and ship types for providing locomotion.A diesel-electric transmission system includes a diesel engine connected to an electrical generator, creating electricity that powers electric traction motors...
submarine of medium displacement which took into account the combat experiences of Soviet and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
submarines from the War. Commissioned to the Navy in 1951, the 215 units built to Design 613 was the largest in the world. Approximately 25 to 30 of the submarines were built in People’s Republic of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and the design was handed over to Chinese technicians.
P.P. Pustyntsev (:ru:Пустынцев, Павел Петрович), who headed the Bureau from 1951 to 1974, created the design for Project 641
Foxtrot class submarine
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....
(NATO classification: Foxtrot class
Foxtrot class submarine
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....
), which began development in 1955. It was the first Soviet submarine armed with cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s, which designed by Vladimir Chelomei
Vladimir Chelomei
Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomey was a Soviet mechanics scientist and rocket engineer from Ukraine.-Early life:Chelomey was born in Siedlce, Russian Empire into a Ukrainian family...
, and 75 units of this class were commissioned to the Navy in 1963. The same year the Hotel class submarine
Hotel class submarine
The Hotel class is the general NATO classification for a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine that was originally put into service by the Soviet Union around 1959. The Soviet designation is Project 658.-Design:...
, which had begun development in 1956 as Project 658, was redesigned to enable underwater launching of D-4 ballistic missiles. In 1965 the Lenin Prize
Lenin Prize
The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the USSR, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was created on June 23, 1925 and was awarded until 1934. During the period from 1935 to 1956, the Lenin Prize was...
was awarded for works related to the underwater launch of ballistic missiles.
In 1963 technical design 667A
Yankee class submarine
The Yankee class is the NATO classification for a type of nuclear-powered submarine that was constructed by the Soviet Union from 1968 onward. 34 units were produced under Project 667A Navaga and Project 667AU Nalim...
(NATO classification: Yankee class
Yankee class submarine
The Yankee class is the NATO classification for a type of nuclear-powered submarine that was constructed by the Soviet Union from 1968 onward. 34 units were produced under Project 667A Navaga and Project 667AU Nalim...
), a second-generation nuclear missile submarine, was developed. Joining the Soviet fleet in 1967, the Project 667A submarine became the first ship of the largest series of nuclear missile submarines (34 units). Later known as “nuclear missile submarine cruisers,” improvements to the Yankee class submarines would include the installation of longer-range and multiple-warhead missiles. The success of submarine Projects 667A and 667B
Delta class submarine
The Delta class is a class of submarines which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since its introduction in 1973...
(Delta class submarine
Delta class submarine
The Delta class is a class of submarines which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since its introduction in 1973...
) would be rewarded with Lenin Prize
Lenin Prize
The Lenin Prize was one of the most prestigious awards of the USSR, presented to individuals for accomplishments relating to science, literature, arts, architecture, and technology. It was created on June 23, 1925 and was awarded until 1934. During the period from 1935 to 1956, the Lenin Prize was...
s in 1970 and 1974, respectively. The Yankee-based ballistic missile submarine family comprises: Project 667A Yankee, Project 667B Delta I, Project 667BD Delta II, Project 667BDR Delta III, and Project 667BDRM Delta IV.
CDB-18 got the name Rubin in 1966. The Oscar class submarine
Oscar class submarine
The Project 949 and Project 949A Soviet Navy/Russian Navy cruise missile submarines ....
started development in 1971, and followed by the Typhoon class
Typhoon class submarine
The Project 941 or Akula, Russian "Акула" class submarine is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s...
in 1976. In 1974 Igor Spassky
Igor Spassky
Igor Dmitriyevich Spasskiy is a Russian scientist, engineer and entrepreneur, General Designer of nearly 200 Soviet and Russian nuclear submarines, and the head of the Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering Rubin....
succeeded Pustyntsev as head of the bureau and remained in the position until the first decade of the 21st century.
Market economy
Since the advent of PerestroikaPerestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, Rubin has continued to produce nuclear submarines with such projects as the construction of the fourth-generation ballistic missile Borey
Borei class submarine
The Borei class is a class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine produced and operated by the Russian Navy. The class is intended to replace the Delta III, Delta IV and Typhoon classes now in Russian Navy service...
class, also known as the Dolgorukiy class, which started in 1996 http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=100932. Rubin now also works with outside companies (including Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
) on the production of oil platform
Oil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
s that are now used in drilling around Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk Ocean and in the waters adjacent to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
Another of the company's important projects of recent years is Sea Launch
Sea Launch
Sea Launch is a spacecraft launch service that uses a mobile sea platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on specialized Zenit 3SL rockets...
, a unique spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
launch technology. With marine components produced by Rubin, Sea Launch uses a specially-modified floating oil platform positioned in the equatorial Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, as a launch pad. Sea Launch is the most economical method yet devised for sending satellites into space - almost ten times less expensive than NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
methods.
Submarine Cargo Vessel
The Submarine Cargo Vessel is a proposed idea from the Russian Rubin Design Bureau. The idea is to utilise decommissioned SSBNs from the Russian Navy to carry cargo under the Arctic Ocean...
that can operate year-round in the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
and a Nuclear Underwater Gas Transfer Station for trans-ocean natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
pipeline transport
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
.
Other recent projects include a high-speed train, the ES-250 Sokol http://www.ckb-rubin.ru/eng/project/electrot/sokol/index.htm, intended for the Moscow-St. Petersburg Railway
Moscow-Saint Petersburg Railway
The Moscow to Saint Petersburg Railway is a railway running between the two largest Russian cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and through four oblasts: Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad...
, and a design for a low-floor tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
http://www.ckb-rubin.ru/eng/project/electrot/tram/index.htm.
As a joint project with the Italian shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
company Fincantieri
Fincantieri
Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. is a shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is the largest shipbuilder in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest in Europe...
, Rubin is developing a new diesel air-independent propulsion
Air-independent propulsion
Air-independent propulsion is a term that encompasses technologies which allow a submarine to operate without the need to surface or use a snorkel to access atmospheric oxygen. The term usually excludes the use of nuclear power, and describes augmenting or replacing the diesel-electric propulsion...
submarine, the S1000, based on a new fuel cell air independent propulsion system developed in Italy. Its length is 56.2 metres and its displacement is 1,000 tonnes. A mock-up was exhibited at Euronaval 2006. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061025/55131158.html
External links
- Rubin's website - in English
- Five colors of Time - article by Igor SpasskyIgor SpasskyIgor Dmitriyevich Spasskiy is a Russian scientist, engineer and entrepreneur, General Designer of nearly 200 Soviet and Russian nuclear submarines, and the head of the Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering Rubin....
in English