Yankee class submarine
Encyclopedia
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 (after the fish
) and Project 667AU Nalim ("burbot
"). 24 were built at Severodvinsk
for the Northern Fleet while the remaining 10 built in Komsomolsk-na-Amurye
for the Pacific Fleet
. Two Northern Fleet units were transferred to the Pacific. The lead unit K-137 Leninets, receiving its honorific name 11 April 1970, two and one half years after being commissioned.
firepower to their American
counterparts. Yankee subs were quieter than their Hotel-class predecessors and had smoother lines that improved their submerged performance. The ships were armed with 16 ballistic missiles during the Cold War
, and served in the Soviet front lines: in the 1970s up to three Yankees were continually stationed in a "patrol box" east of Bermuda
and off the US Pacific coast. Their forward deployment was seen as a balance against the presence of American and NATO nuclear weapons in Western Europe.
One ship of the class, K-219
, was lost on October 6, 1986 after an explosion and fire on board. The ship had been near Bermuda, and sank due to loss of buoyancy due to flooding. Four crewmen died before rescue arrived. At least one other ship in the class was involved in a collision with an American submarine. As a result of the SALT I and START I/II
treaties, all boats of the Yankee-class have been decommissioned and/or disarmed.
There were eight different versions of the Yankee subs (all of which are no longer in service):
book The Hunt for Red October
, Yankee-class submarines, along with the rest of the Soviet SSBN
fleet, return to their home ports to avoid confusing Soviet hunters during the frantic search for the Red October.
In another Tom Clancy novel, Red Storm Rising
, the Soviet Union begins decommissioning its fleet of Yankee-class submarines in an attempt to convince the United States of Russian sincerity in lessening tensions between the two superpowers.
, Weekend Update
"anchor" Dennis Miller
referred to K-219 (which had recently sunk near Bermuda) as Chernobyl
Breeze and suggested he had been the Soviet Union's intended entry into the America's Cup
yacht race.
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...
that was constructed by the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
from 1968 onward. 34 units were produced under Project 667A Navaga (after the fish
Navaga
Navaga is a relatively small species of fish in the cod family Gadidae. It inhabits the European arctic and subarctic waters of the Barents, White and Kara Seas, from the Kola Bay to the Ob river estuary....
) and Project 667AU Nalim ("burbot
Burbot
The burbot is the only gadiform fish inhabiting freshwaters. It is also known as mariah, the lawyer, and eelpout. It is closely related to the marine common ling and the cusk...
"). 24 were built at Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk
Severodvinsk is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina River, west of Arkhangelsk. Administratively, it is incorporated as a town of oblast significance . Municipally, it is incorporated as Severodvinsk Urban Okrug. The city was founded as...
for the Northern Fleet while the remaining 10 built in Komsomolsk-na-Amurye
Komsomolsk-on-Amur
Komsomolsk-on-Amur is a city in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, situated on the left bank of Amur River. It is located on the BAM railway line, northeast of Khabarovsk. Population: -Geography and climate:...
for the Pacific Fleet
Pacific Fleet (Russia)
The Pacific Fleet is the part of the Russian Navy that is stationed in the Pacific Ocean, which formerly secured the Far Eastern borders of the Soviet Union. The fleet headquarters is located at Vladivostok and a number of fleet bases are located in the Vladivostok area...
. Two Northern Fleet units were transferred to the Pacific. The lead unit K-137 Leninets, receiving its honorific name 11 April 1970, two and one half years after being commissioned.
Service
The Yankees were the first class of Soviet subs to have comparable ballistic missileBallistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
firepower to their American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
counterparts. Yankee subs were quieter than their Hotel-class predecessors and had smoother lines that improved their submerged performance. The ships were armed with 16 ballistic missiles during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, and served in the Soviet front lines: in the 1970s up to three Yankees were continually stationed in a "patrol box" east of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and off the US Pacific coast. Their forward deployment was seen as a balance against the presence of American and NATO nuclear weapons in Western Europe.
Soviet submarine K-219
K-219 was a Navaga-class ballistic missile submarine of the Soviet Navy. She carried 16 SS-N-6 liquid-fuel missiles powered by UDMH with IRFNA, equipped with an estimated 34 nuclear warheads....
, was lost on October 6, 1986 after an explosion and fire on board. The ship had been near Bermuda, and sank due to loss of buoyancy due to flooding. Four crewmen died before rescue arrived. At least one other ship in the class was involved in a collision with an American submarine. As a result of the SALT I and START I/II
START II
START II was a bilateral treaty between the United States of America and Russia on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms. It was signed by United States President George H. W...
treaties, all boats of the Yankee-class have been decommissioned and/or disarmed.
Variants
- Yankee I (Project 667A): The baseline configuration, these were ballistic missile submarineBallistic missile submarineA ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...
s that first saw service in 1968; 34 were built. The subs carried 16 SS-N-6 missiles, had 6 torpedo tubes, and carried 18 Type 53 torpedoType 53 torpedoType 53 is the common name for a family of 53 cm torpedoes manufactured in Russia, starting with the 53-27 torpedo and continuing to the modern UGST....
es. They were the first Soviet SSBNs to carry their ballistic missiles within the hull (as opposed to the sail).
- Yankee II (Project 667AM/Navaga M-class): A single-ship class, this was a Yankee I submarine (K-140) converted to carry 12 SS-N-17SS-N-17RSM-45 R-31 was a Soviet SLBM missile.Development for the missile began in the early 1970s. It was fitted on only one Yankee II class submarine, originally for evaluation purposes. A first test flight took place from the Yankee II Class submarine K-140 in December 1976...
missiles, which was the Soviet Navy's first solid-fuelled SLBM. The existence of this individual prototype led to several theories about the Yankee II having a unique role in the Soviet arsenal that justified maintaining a single ship with such a unique weapon. One theory suggested that it was designed to perform an emergency satellite-launching function. Subsequently, it was proposed that the SS-N-17 may have had a retargeting capability to allow strikes on aircraft carrier battle groups.
- Yankee Notch (Project 667AT/Grusha-class): This conversion subs were attack submarines that first appeared in 1983; four Yankee I boats were rebuilt to this configuration. They incorporated a "notch waisted" center section, which replaced the old ballistic missile compartment, featuring eight 533 mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes for up to 40 SS-N-21 missiles or additional torpedoes. The forward torpedo tubes were retained as well, with some reports suggesting that the vessels may have also been able to fire 650 mm (26.5-inch) Type 65 torpedoType 65 torpedoThe Type 65 is a torpedo manufactured in the Soviet Union/Russia. It was developed to counter the US Navy's aircraft carrier battle groups as well as to be used against large merchant targets such as supertankers...
es. The emphasis on additional SS-N-21 missile carriage suggested a tactical role for these submarines, or as second-strike nuclear submarines. Their configuration was a combination of SALTStrategic Arms Limitation TalksThe Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty refers to two rounds of bilateral talks and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union—the Cold War superpowers—on the issue of armament control. There were two rounds of talks and agreements: SALT I and SALT...
treaty limitations (which affected SLBMs but not cruise missiles) and a typical Soviet unwillingness to completely discard any military hardware that might still have some use. The conversion increased the overall length by 12 m (39.4 feet) to 141.5 m (464.2 feet), with a displacement of up to 11,500 tons submerged. While classed as SSNs (attack subs), these boats might also be considered SSGNs by virtue of their heavy missile armament. - Yankee Sidecar (Project 667M/Andromeda-class) Also known as Yankee SSGN, this was another single-ship (in this case K-420) class, converted into an SSGN. It appeared in 1983, carrying 12 SS-NX-24Kh-90The Kh-90 was Soviet cruise missile which was supposed to replace subsonic intermediate range missiles in Soviet inventory. The missile was an ambitious project since the target was to ultimately develop it into hypersonic missile...
nuclear-tipped cruise missiles instead of the original ballistic missiles. The SS-NX-24 was an experimental cruise missile, with a supersonic flight regime and twin nuclear warheads. It was meant as a tri-service strategic weapon, and thus would have filled a rather different role than the tactically-oriented OscarOscar class submarineThe Project 949 and Project 949A Soviet Navy/Russian Navy cruise missile submarines ....
-class SSGNs of the same era. In the end, the missile was not adopted, and the K-420 became a weapon system without a weapon. It was fully 13,650 tons displacement (dived), and was even longer than the Yankee Notch to accommodate the massive cruise missiles; it was 153 m (501.8 feet) long overall. - Yankee SSN 16 of this type were converted from the basic Yankee I specification. Some were not completely converted, although they cannot carry ballistic missiles, so they were called Yankee SSNX. They retained only their forward torpedo tubes, with the central missile sections having been removed. Some are being scrapped.
- Yankee Pod (Project 09774 "Akson") The Yankee Pod (also known as the Yankee SSAN) is a converted trials submarine K-403 "Kazan'", which was used for sonar equipment, with the namesake pod mounted atop the rudder (a la Victor IIIVictor class submarineThe Victor class is the NATO reporting name for a type of nuclear-powered submarine that was originally put into service by the Soviet Union around 1967. In the USSR, they were produced as Project 671. Victor-class subs featured a teardrop shape, which allowed them to travel at high speed...
-class SSNs. It had other sensor systems incorporated as well, notably alongside the sail. - Yankee Stretch (Project 09774) K-411, the Yankee Stretch conversion, is a "mothership" for PaltusPaltus class submarineThe Paltus Class submarine is a Russian special purpose mini-submarine of project 10831. It was reported only one completed submarine AS-12...
-class mini-submarines. It is fully 160 m (525 feet) in length, making it the largest of the Yankee conversions. Like the Yankee Pod, it lacked missile armament. Its mission was believed to be a combination of oceanographic research, search and rescue, and underwater intelligence-gathering.
- Yankee Big Nose (project 09780 "Akson-2") is K-403 "Kazan'" modified again for trials of acoustic system for Russian submarines of 4-th generation: sonar system "Irtysh" with spherical antenna "Amfora", which occupies whole nose section of submarine. Other sumbarine, K-415, modification started in 1987, but due to end of Cold war and lack of funds she has never been completed.
General characteristics (Yankee I)
- Length: 128.0 m (420 ft)
- Beam: 11.7 m (38 ft)
- Draught: 9 m (29 ft)
- Displacement: 7,760/11,500 tonnes surfaced/dived
- Speed: 28 knots (55 km/h)
- Power plant: 2 VM-4 reactorsPressurized water reactorPressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
- Hull: Low magnetic steel
- Crew: 114
- Compartments: 10
- Armament:
- 6 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubeTorpedo tubeA torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
s for 18 Type 53 torpedoTorpedoThe modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es or mineNaval mineA naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
s. - 16 SS-N-6 liquid-fueled ballistic missiles
- 6 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tube
Units
| # | 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< |
| K-140 | 667A, 667AM | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | September 19, 1965 | August 23, 1967 | December 30, 1967 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-26 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | December 30, 1965 | December 23, 1967 | September 3, 1968 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-32 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | February 25, 1966 | April 25, 1968 | October 26, 1968 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-216 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | June 6, 1966 | August 6, 1968 | December 27, 1968 | Decommissioned 1985 for scrapping |
| K-207 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | November 4, 1966 | September 20, 1968 | May 30, 1968 | Decommissioned May 30, 1989 for scrapping |
| K-210 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | December 16, 1966 | December 29, 1968 | August 6, 1969 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-249 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | March 18, 1967 | March 30, 1969 | September 27, 1969 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-253 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | June 26, 1967 | June 5, 1969 | November 28, 1969 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-395 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | September 8, 1967 | July 28, 1969 | December 5, 1969 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-339 | 667A | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | February 23, 1968 | June 23, 1969 | December 24, 1969 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-408 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | January 20, 1968 | September 10, 1969 | December 25, 1969 | Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping |
| K-411 | 667A, 667AN | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | May 25, 1968 | January 16, 1970 | August 31, 1970 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-418 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | June 29, 1968 | March 14, 1970 | September 22, 1970 | Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping |
| K-420 | 667A, 667M | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | October 12, 1968 | April 25, 1970 | October 29, 1970 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-423 | 667A, 667AT | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | January 13, 1969 | April 7, 1970 | November 13, 1970 | Decommissioned for scrapping |
| K-434 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | February 23, 1969 | May 29, 1970 | November 30, 1970 | Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping |
| K-426 | 667A | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | April 17, 1969 | August 28, 1970 | December 22, 1970 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-236 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | November 6, 1969 | August 4, 1970 | December 27, 1970 | Decommissioned September 1, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-415 | 667A, 667AK-2 | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | July 4, 1969 | September 26, 1970 | December 30, 1970 | Decommissioned August 6, 1987 for scrapping |
| K-403 | 667A, 667AK-1 | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | August 18, 1969 | March 25, 1971 | August 12, 1971 | Decommissioned - Scrapping underway in 2010 |
| K-389 | 667A | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | July 26, 1970 | June 27, 1971 | November 25, 1971 | Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping |
| K-245 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | October 16, 1969 | August 9, 1971 | December 16, 1971 | Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping |
| K-219 Soviet submarine K-219 K-219 was a Navaga-class ballistic missile submarine of the Soviet Navy. She carried 16 SS-N-6 liquid-fuel missiles powered by UDMH with IRFNA, equipped with an estimated 34 nuclear warheads.... |
667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | May 28, 1970 | October 8, 1971 | December 31, 1971 | 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 |
| K-214 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | February 19, 1970 | September 1, 1971 | February 8, 1972 | Decommissioned June 24, 1991 for scrapping |
| K-228 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | September 4, 1970 | May 3, 1972 | September 30, 1972 | Decommissioned September 3, 1994 for scrapping |
| K-258 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | March 30, 1971 | May 26, 1972 | September 30, 1972 | Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping |
| K-241 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | December 24, 1970 | June 9, 1972 | October 23, 1972 | Decommissioned June 16, 1992 for scrapping |
| K-444 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | April 8, 1971 | August 1, 1972 | December 23, 1972 | Decommissioned September 30, 1994 for scrapping |
| K-446 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | November 7, 1971 | August 8, 1972 | January 22, 1973 | Decommissioned March 17, 1993 for scrapping |
| K-451 | 667AU | SEVMASH, Severodvinsk | February 23, 1972 | April 29, 1973 | September 7, 1971 | Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping |
| K-436 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | November 7, 1972 | July 25, 1973 | December 5, 1973 | Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping |
| K-430 | 667AU | Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk | July 27, 1973 | July 28, 1974 | December 25, 1974 | Decommissioned January 12, 1995 for scrapping |
Yankees in Fiction
In the Tom ClancyTom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
book The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
, Yankee-class submarines, along with the rest of the Soviet SSBN
Ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...
fleet, return to their home ports to avoid confusing Soviet hunters during the frantic search for the Red October.
In another Tom Clancy novel, Red Storm Rising
Red Storm Rising
Red Storm Rising is a 1986 techno-thriller novel by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond about a Third World War in Europe between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces, set around the mid-1980s...
, the Soviet Union begins decommissioning its fleet of Yankee-class submarines in an attempt to convince the United States of Russian sincerity in lessening tensions between the two superpowers.
Popular culture
During an October 1986 episode of Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, Weekend Update
Weekend Update
Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
"anchor" Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references...
referred to K-219 (which had recently sunk near Bermuda) as Chernobyl
Chernobyl
Chernobyl or Chornobyl is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. The city had been the administrative centre of the Chernobyl Raion since 1932....
Breeze and suggested he had been the Soviet Union's intended entry into the America's Cup
America's Cup
The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...
yacht race.