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Foxtrot-class submarine

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Foxtrot class
A Cuban Foxtrot underway
Class overview
BuildersSudomekh, Leningrad
Operators
Preceded by
Succeeded byTango-class submarine
Subclasses
Built1957–1983
In service1958–2014
In commission1958–2014
Completed75
Lost1
Preserved7
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement
  • 1,952 long tons (1,983 t) surfaced
  • 2,475 long tons (2,515 t) submerged
Length89.9 m (294 ft 11 in)
Beam7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
Draft5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Propulsion
  • 3 × Kolomna 2D42M 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) diesel engines
  • 3 × Electric motors, two 1,350 hp (1,010 kW) and one 2,700 hp (2,000 kW)
  • 1 × 180 hp (130 kW) auxiliary motor
  • 3 shafts, each with 6-bladed propellers
Speed
  • 16 knots (30 km/h) surfaced
  • 15 knots (28 km/h) submerged
  • 9 knots (17 km/h) snorkeling
Range
  • 20,000 nmi (37,000 km) at 8 kn (15 km/h) surfaced
  • 11,000 nmi (20,000 km) snorkeling
  • 380 nmi (700 km) at 2 kn (3.7 km/h) submerged
Endurance3-5 days submerged
Test depth246–296 m (807–971 ft)
Complement12 officers, 10 warrants, 56 seamen
Armament

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. The Foxtrot class was designed to replace the earlier Zulu class, which suffered from structural weaknesses and harmonic vibration problems that limited its operational depth and submerged speed. The first Foxtrot keel was laid down in 1957 and commissioned in 1958 and the last was completed in 1983. A total of 58 were built for the Soviet Navy at the Sudomekh division of the Admiralty Shipyard (now Admiralty Wharves), Saint Petersburg.[1] Additional hulls were built for other countries.

The Foxtrot class was comparable in performance and armament to most contemporary designs. However, its three screws made it noisier than most Western designs. Moreover, the Foxtrot class was one of the last designs introduced before the adoption of the teardrop hull, which offered much better underwater performance. Also, although the Foxtrot was larger than a Zulu class submarine, the Foxtrot class had 2 of its 3 decks dedicated to batteries. This gave it an underwater endurance of 10 days, but the weight of the batteries made the Foxtrot's average speed a slow 2 knots (3.7 km/h) at its maximum submerged time capability. Due to the batteries taking up 2 decks, onboard conditions were crowded, with space being relatively small even when compared to older submarines such as the much older American Balao-class submarine.

The Foxtrot class was completely obsolete by the time the last submarine was launched. The Russian Navy retired its last Foxtrots between 1995 and 2000;[2] units were scrapped and disposed of for museum purposes.[3] During the division of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, in 1997 one Foxtrot class submarine (later renamed as Zaporizhzhia) was passed to Ukraine as it was not operational since 1991. The ship never effectively served in the Ukrainian Navy and was under repair. In 2005 Ukrainian Ministry of Defence wanted to sell it, but was unsuccessful. Following successful post-repair trials in June 2013, it was recognised as operational.[4] However, on 22 March 2014 it was surrendered to or captured by Russia as part of the Russian annexation of Crimea.[5] Russia decided not to accept it due to its age and operational unsuitability. Its subsequent status is unknown.

Cuban Missile Crisis

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Project 641s played a central role in some of the most dramatic incidents of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Navy deployed four Project 641 submarines to Cuba: B-4, B-36, B-59, and B-130 of the Soviet Sixty-Ninth Submarine Brigade.[6] US Navy destroyers dropped practice depth charges near Project 641 subs near Cuba in efforts to force them to surface and be identified. Three of the four Project 641 submarines were forced to surface, however one eluded US forces.[1] All four boats were later ordered to return to port in Russia.

Units

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Following is a list of 58 of the 75[7] Foxtrot-class submarines built during the Soviet Project 641, at Yard 196, Leningrad.

A museum ship, INS Kursura (S20).[8]
Inside the aft torpedo room.
Aft torpedo room of a Foxtrot museum ship.
Opened torpedo tube in a Foxtrot
Electric generator/motor controls
Project 641 (NATO: Foxtrot Class)
Number Laid down Launched Decommissioned Status
B-94 3 October 1957 28 December 1957 1 October 1984 Decommissioned for scrapping[1]
B-95 2 February 1958 25 April 1958 22 February 1980 Decommissioned for scrapping[1]
B-36 29 April 1958 31 August 1958 24 August 1993 Decommissioned for scrapping[1]
B-37 18 July 1958 5 November 1958 11 January 1962 Sank after fire and multiple explosions
B-133 27 September 1958 26 January 1959 1 October 1983 Renamed B-833
B-135 20 December 1958 30 March 1959 1 July 1977 -
B-139 25 February 1959 30 May 1959 1 October 1976 Renamed B-839
B-116 9 June 1959 10 October 1959 28 September 1994 -
B-130 22 August 1959 17 December 1959 1 October 1988 -
B-85 23 December 1959 19 March 1960 19 April 1990 -
B-59 21 February 1960 6 June 1960 19 April 1990 -
B-156 20 April 1960 2 August 1960 19 April 1991 -
B-153 6 August 1960 31 January 1961 24 June 1991 Renamed B-854
B-164 26 October 1960 2 August 1960 3 July 1992 -
B-33 3 February 1961 27 April 1961 24 June 1991 -
B-105 1 July 1961 1 October 1961 24 August 1993 -
B-169 17 August 1961 29 November 1961 19 April 1990 -
B-38 30 October 1961 31 January 1962 25 April 1989 -
B-53 8 January 1962 12 April 1962 19 April 1990 renamed B-853
B-50 7 March 1962 15 June 1962 3 July 1992 -
B-8 9 May 1962 21 July 1962 19 April 1990 -
B-31 18 August 1962 3 November 1962 24 June 1991 -
B-2 27 October 1962 25 January 1963 24 June 1991 -
B-55 22 January 1963 5 April 1963 3 July 1992 renamed B-855
B-98 4 April 1963 15 June 1963 2001 Renamed 292 Wilk
B-101 19 June 1963 30 August 1963 30 June 1993 -
B-6 9 August 1963 30 November 1963 24 August 1994 -
B-103 14 December 1963 16 April 1964 24 June 1991 -
B-109 22 February 1964 17 June 1964 28 September 1997 -
B-107 18 April 1964 25 July 1964 4 August 1995 renamed B-807
B-112 19 June 1964 27 October 1964 19 April 1990 -
B-25 26 August 1964 22 December 1964 3 July 1992 -
B-205 17 June 1969 29 August 1969 31 January 1996 -
B-143 21 October 1959 17 February 1960 24 June 1991 ex-Seafront Zeebrugge Museum, Belgium. 2019 towed away for scrapping in Ghent.
B-15 10 October 1963 21 February 1964 29 October 1992 -
B-427 10 April 1971 22 June 1971 28 April 1994 Formerly a Museum, Long Beach, California, USA
B-39 9 February 1967 15 April 1967 5 July 1994 Formerly a Museum, San Diego, California, USA

Sold for scrap 2022

B-440 1 June 1970 16 September 1970 1999 Museum, Vytegra, Russia
B-435 24 March 1970 29 May 1970 Unknown As U-01 "Zaporizhiya" in Ukraine
B-9 26 December 1964 31 March 1965 17 July 1997 -
B-4 14 June 1960 3 October 1960 24 June 1991 -
B-57 23 April 1959 15 August 1959 24 June 1991 -
B-7 14 April 1961 29 June 1961 19 April 1990 -
B-21 29 October 1964 16 February 1965 3 July 1995
B-26 6 May 1965 10 August 1965 24 June 1991 -
B-28 24 May 1965 10 August 1965 30 June 1993 -
B-34 13 August 1965 16 November 1965 24 June 1991 -
B-40 24 September 1965 16 November 1965 30 June 1993 -
B-29 25 March 1966 20 May 1966 2003 1988 Renamed 293 Dzik
B-41 7 April 1966 20 May 1966 24 August 1993 -
B-46 13 August 1966 24 December 1966 30 June 1993 -
B-49 12 October 1966 24 December 1966 31 December 1993 As "Foxtrot B-39 U-475 Black Widow", former museum awaiting restoration on the River Medway near Rochester, Kent, England
B-397 7 May 1967 22 August 1967 30 June 1993 -
B-400 29 May 1967 22 August 1967 24 September 1991 -
B-413 28 June 1968 7 October 1968 1999 Museum, Kaliningrad, Russia
B-416 18 July 1968 25 February 1969 3 July 1992 -
B-213 1 October 1969 20 January 1970 30 June 1993 -
B-409 18 December 1970 2 March 1971 30 June 1993 -

Operators

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A Libyan foxtrot

Most saw service in the Soviet Navy. Foxtrots were also built for the Indian Navy (eight units, from 1967 to 1974), Libyan (six units, from 1978 to 1980), and Cuban (six units, from 1978 to 1983) navies. Some Soviet Foxtrots later saw service in the Polish and Ukrainian navies.

On display

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Several Foxtrots are on display as museums around the world, including:

Notes

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 2, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, ISBN 5-8172-0072-4
  2. ^ "Russian Navy". Fas.org. 2008-05-30. Archived from the original on 2015-04-08. Retrieved 2011-12-29.
  3. ^ "Подводные лодки. Проект 641".
  4. ^ In Sevastopol celebrated the anniversary of including the great submarine "Zaporizhia" to the fleet as combat ready (У Севастополі відзначили річницю прийняття великого підводного човна “Запоріжжя” до бойового складу флоту). Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. 21 January 2013
  5. ^ "Ukrainian Sailors Surrender Submarine to Russian Navy". NBC News. 22 March 2014.
  6. ^ The Submarines of October: U.S. and Soviet Naval Encounters During the Cuban Missile Crisis, National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 75, October 2002
  7. ^ Cold War Submarines, Polmar & Moore, Brassey's Inc., Washington, D.C. 2004; Podvodnye Lodki Kholodnoy Voyny, OAO SPMBM Malakhit, Sankt Peterburg, 2011
  8. ^ All photos taken inside museum ship acknowledged to User:Mario52
  9. ^ Navy decommissions last Kalvari-class submarine INS Vagli
  10. ^ "Submarine forces (Libya), Submarines - Submarine forces". Janes. Nov 10, 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  11. ^ Подводная лодка Б-440 (Submarine B-444) (in Russian)

Bibliography

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  • Miller, David (2002). The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World. London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-84065-375-2.
  • А.Б. Широкорад: Советские подводные лодки послевоенной постройки (A.B. Shirokorad: Sowjet Submarines built after WWII) Moscow, 1997, ISBN 5-85139-019-0 (Russian)
  • Y. Apalkow: Корабли ВМФ СССР. Многоцелевые ПЛ и ПЛ спецназначания ("Ships of the USSR - Multi-purpose submarines and Special submarines"), St Petersburg, 2003, ISBN 5-8172-0069-4 (Russian)

Further reading

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  • Breemer, Jan S. (1989). Soviet Submarines: Design, Development and Tactics. Coulsdon, Surrey: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0710605269.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • Miller, David; Jordan, John (1987). Modern Submarine Warfare. New York: Military Press. ISBN 0-517-64647-1.
  • Polmar, Norman; Noot, Jurrien S. (1991). Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies, 1718-1990. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-570-1.
  • Polmar, Norman; Moore, Kenneth J. (2004). Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1-57488-594-1.
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