One of the deadliest weapons in any country’s naval arsenal are submarines. Almost immediately from the moment of their appearance, they played a significant role in many wars and conflicts, and now they continue to be one of the most significant factors in deterring and intimidating a potential adversary.
Submarines are constantly being improved, which indicates that this type of military equipment is in great demand and is still irreplaceable. Today, countries such as Russia, the United States, South Korea, Japan, France, China, Great Britain, India and others are in the process of renewing their submarine fleet, which will certainly amaze the world and embody power and strength. What submarines are proudly named the best? Find out in our video! We will also tell you about the first modification of the submersible ship! We present to your attention a rating of the best submarines of our time! Project 945 “Barracuda” Our video begins with the Soviet submarine class “Sierra-I” according to NATO codification, or the submarine of project 945 “Barracuda”.
This Soviet project of the late 70s of the last century belongs to the multipurpose generation of nuclear submarines, in which special attention was paid to increasing search capabilities. The main purpose of these submarines is the timely detection of enemy submarines, tracking, pursuit and subsequent destruction. The boat is built according to the scheme of a two-hull structure. The submarine has a pop-up escape pod that can accommodate the entire crew. The main power plant is one pressurized water reactor OK-650A with a capacity of 43,000 hp and one turbo-gear unit.
The armament complex allows to fire regardless of the depth at which the submarine is located. The ship’s ammunition includes 40 torpedoes and missiles. As ammunition for torpedo tubes can be used conventional torpedoes of various types, anti-submarine missile system “Waterfall”, as well as anti-submarine missiles “Wind”, which have the ability to install a nuclear warhead. The advantages of the Project 945 Barracuda submarine include insignificant noise when moving under water, the presence of a high-precision target detection system and the ability to fire regardless of the depth of immersion.
The disadvantages of the Soviet project include the cost of materials for the manufacture of the case. The rafting turned out to be too expensive, which ultimately affected the number of submarines built. The working depth is at around 1 575ft, and the maximum depth reaches 1805ft. The ship is capable of speeds up to 12 knots on the surface and up to 35 knots under water. The cruiser’s endurance is 100 days. Yasen-class submarine The Russian submarine of project 885 Yasen continues our video. Unlike many submarines, this project is characterized by the so-called half-hull design.
The hull is covered with a rubber coating that reduces boat noise and also reduces the reflection of sonar signals. The nuclear reactor is made using a new technology, in which the primary coolant pipelines are placed in the reactor vessel, which significantly reduces the likelihood of accidents and radiation exposure of the crew. The service life of the reactor without recharging is about 25–30 years, which is comparable to the service life of the submarine itself. To reduce noise at low speeds, a propeller electric motor is used, and the main turbo-gear unit is connected through a clutch only at high-speed modes.
The submarine of project 885 “Yasen” has 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, located at an angle on the side in the area of the fence of the retractable devices, and behind the fence there are eight vertical missile silos, each of which houses 4 cruise missiles 3M-55 “Onyx”, 3M -22 “Zircon” or 5 smaller-diameter cruise missiles 3M-14 “Caliber”. The ability to combine missile weapons gives flexibility in performing a wide range of combat missions: from fighting submarines and hitting stationary ground targets, to destroying all types of surface ships. The speed that the boat can develop on the surface is 16 knots, while in the submerged position the ship can accelerate to 31 knots. The working depth of immersion is considered to be 1705 ft, and the maximum is 1970ft.
The clear advantages of the Russian nuclear submarine cruiser can be safely called the location of the torpedo tubes, the reliable nuclear installation, the outer coating of the light hull, which reduces noise, and a wide range of weapons used. The only drawback of the submarine is the lack of hull reinforcement in the crew compartments. Astute Another representative of the best submarines is the British Astute-class nuclear submarine.
The development of the project began in 1991. A Trafalgar-class submarine was used as a prototype. The result is a single-body, single-shaft design with a pump motor that is virtually silent during operation. The submarine is covered with a special anti-acoustic coating outside, which includes 39 thousand special plates that absorb the sonar signal. Compared to previous versions, this sub is better suited to work in coastal waters and even in shallow waters. A water-moderated nuclear reactor is used as a power plant. Two steam turbines transmit torque to one shaft through a gearbox.
The reactor has been operating without recharging for 25 years. It is estimated that for the entire period of operation, this submarine can make up to 40 round-the-world voyages. To increase autonomy, a system for obtaining oxygen from seawater has been installed here. There are six torpedo tubes on the submarine. Astute can carry 48 torpedo mines or missiles. It is worth highlighting the Tomahawk cruise missiles and the Harpoon anti-ship missiles of the missile armament.
The ship’s operating depth reaches 985 ft, and its underwater speed is 29 knots. The advantages of an English submarine are obvious. First of all, it is a nuclear reactor capable of operating without recharging for 25 years. Further, it should be noted the system for generating oxygen from seawater, as well as the boat’s ability to maneuver at shallow depths.
The ship also has a drawback. The sub is not capable of using weapons with nuclear warheads. Virginia-class submarine It is a fourth generation multipurpose nuclear submarine. The ship is designed to combat submarines at depth, as well as to conduct operations in the coastal zone. In addition to the standard weapons and equipment, the submarine has unmanned underwater vehicles, an airlock for divers and a deck mount for a container or midget submarine. For the first time in world practice, a submarine lacks a traditional periscope. Instead, a multifunctional telescopic mast is used, on which a television camera is installed, which transmits an image via a fiber-optic cable to the monitor of the central post. There are also antennas for communication and electronic reconnaissance on the hull of the submarine. An infrared laser is used as a rangefinder.
There are unmanned automatic vehicles on board to detect underwater minefields that can operate autonomously for up to 18 hours. Armament “Virginia” consists of 4 torpedo tubes, 26 torpedoes and 12 launchers for cruise missiles “Tomahawk”. The submarine is capable of diving to depths of up to 1640ft and developing an underwater speed of 34 knots. The advantages of the ship include a large number of additional equipment, the absence of a classic periscope and versatility. The disadvantage is more than significant. Despite the acoustic shielding, the submarine has a rather noisy propeller.
Sea wolf The best modern submarine is the American fourth-generation nuclear submarine Seawolf. Initially, the development of this project was carried out in response to the creation of a submarine of the «Akula» class by Soviet military engineers. The main task that was set for the designers was a radical reduction in the noise of the submarine. The goal was achieved by using a new generation of sound-insulating coating, as well as abandoning the propeller in favor of a jet propulsion unit. The sub is armed with 8 torpedo tubes, and the number of torpedoes has been increased to 50 units.
The boat is capable of carrying 100 mines or up to 50 Harpoon or Tomahawk missiles. With its armament, Seawolf is capable of hitting underwater, surface and ground targets, and also has the ability to fire salvo fire from all mines at the same time. The ship is capable of diving to a depth of 1970 ft and developing an underwater speed of up to 35 knots. The advantages of the boat are its low noise and invisibility at low revs, as well as versatility, weapon power and the ability to conduct volley fire. The disadvantage of the ship is also quite significant. The Seawolf class submarines cost fabulous money.
The price of one cruiser can be as high as $ 5 billion. Well, now, there is some interesting information! Russia recently unveiled the first modification of a submersible patrol ship, combining the advantages of a submarine and a surface patrol ship. This warship was named “Guard”. The submerged position gives the ship two advantages at once: the ability to conduct covert surveillance of intruders (and successfully intercept them) and escape from adverse weather conditions without interrupting patrolling. A submersible ship can be used as a classic submarine for reconnaissance and other tasks.
A “diving” patrol ship will have a greater ability to explore the shelf than a similar surface ship. It can also serve as a low-cost training tool to prepare crews and infrastructure for the future procurement of classic submarines. At the request of the customer, the ship can be equipped with torpedo armament, small guided missiles and small caliber artillery mounts. Provides for the placement of boats for inspection teams, as well as an unmanned aerial vehicle with an autonomy of 2-3 hours, released without leaving people on deck. That’s all for today. We hope you enjoyed the post. Which submarine did you like the most and which do you think is the most suitable for use in the naval forces? Leave your answers in the comments.
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