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Heavily armed nuclear sub ready for deep sea tests outside Norway

Russia's first 4th Generation multi-purpose submarine "Severodvinsk sailing out in the White Sea.

After 23 years of construction, the multi-purpose submarine “Severodvinsk” hoisted the navy’s flag today. Next mission is likely deep sea tests west of the Bear Island.

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Never before in the Russian navy’s history has a submarine been under construction for such long period. Starting back in 1993, based on drawings and blueprints that still had the USSR-stamps, the K-560 “Severodvinsk” became the navy’s first 4th generation nuclear powered submarine armed with cruise-missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.

The submarine is the first of eight in the Yasen-class, the most heavily armed since the Oscar-II class. While the Oscar-II class, like the ill-fated “Kursk” submarine, can carry cruise-missiles with a limited range, “Severodvinsk” and her coming sister vessels carries an assortment of long-range cruise missiles, able to hit targets from 5,000 to 1,500 kilometers away. Such distance nearly erases the traditional classifications of what is a strategic submarine and an attack submarine. 

Systems significantly deteriorated
Severodvinsk” was first supposed to be launched in 1995 and commissioned for the Northern fleet in 1998. Economical and huge technical upgrade challenges for both the reactor, electronic warfare systems and weaponry, however, delayed those plans. Four years ago, in June 2010, “Severodvinsk” was finally put on water from the Sevmash yard in the city of which the submarine got her name. The maiden voyage took place in the White Sea in September the year after. The submarine spent some 100 days at sea during the period until autumn 2012, testing weapons, propulsion and other gear.

Before the submarine set sail for another series of tests in November 2012, BarentsObserver quoted a statement from Russia’s former Deputy Commander Admiral Igor Kasatonov claiming some systems in the sub have significantly deteriorated due to the long construction period. Izvestia reported the same autumn that around 2,000 technical flaws were discovered during the tests.

White- and Barents Seas not deep enough
In a longer interview with Rossiskaya Gazeta on Tuesday, CEO of Malakhit Design Bureau, Vladimir Dorofeev, explains why the submarine today is officially transferred from the construction yard to the navy. 

“The purpose [of transferring to the navy] is to organize and conduct tests that could not be carried out for objective reasons,” says Vladimir Dorofeev. He explains that the White Sea is not deep enough for needed deep-dive tests. New submarines from Sevmash are normally tested in the waters from outside the Kandalaksha bay towards the outlet of the Varzuga River on the southern shores of the Kola Peninsula. At the deepest, these waters are 330 meters. 

Severodvinsk” can dive to 600 meters depth. 

“I can most definitely say that electronic weapon systems can truly only be experienced on the high seas at great depths … including deep dive,” says Dorofeev,” to Rossiskaya Gazeta.

“Komsomolets” accident
With depth from 150 to 400 meters, the Barents Sea, where the Russian Northern fleet’s nuclear powered submarines normally operate, is no deep enough for testing “Severodvinsk.”

The shelf first goes deep where the Barents Sea meets the Norwegian Sea, northwest of Troms and Finnmark and west of the Bear Island. Here the depth down to more than 2,000 meters. Also, the sailing distance from the naval bases on the Kola Peninsula is short. It was in these waters the Soviet navy’s most deep diving submarine ever; the “Komsomolets” was exercising her diving capabilities when the disastrous fire started on April 7, 1989. “Komsomolets” sank, killing 42 of the crew members.  

According to Wikipedia, “Komsomolets” was a one-of-a-kind submarine developed to test technologies for Soviet 4th generation submarines. 

It is not clear for how long the “Severodvinsk” will conduct deep diving tests, or from which naval base, Zapadanaya Litsa, Vidyaevo or Gadzhievo, she will operate out from. 

Worried about possible accident
Steinar Høibråten is expert on nuclear safety with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment. He says to BarentsObserver that a nuclear submarine, like the “Severodvinsk” will most likely not be carrying weapons while undergoing tests.

“In case of an accident, I am much more worried about releases from the nuclear reactor than contamination from the weapons.  Metallic uranium or plutonium will not contribute much to the radioactivity in the oceans,” Steinar Høibråten says.  

Nuclear physicist and expert on Russian reactor safety, Nils Bøhmer with the Bellona Foundation in Oslo, says to BarentsObserver that accidents do happens, also on new submarines.

Nuclear Physicist Nils Bøhmer with the Bellona Foundation.

“Even though the Navy now gets more modern equipment, we know from experiences, like with the “Komsomolets” submarine that new submarines are no guarantee against accidents,” explains a worried Nils Bøhmer. He would better see the money spent on clean-up security after the Cold War that left huge amounts of nuclear waste at run-down storages along Russia’s northern coast. 

“We think that when the Russian Navy can afford spending huge amounts on new equipment, they should also raise the spending on the cleanup of nuclear waste from the Cold War period, when up to 150 nuclear submarines were operating out from the Kola Peninsula,” argues Nils Bøhmer.

Severodvinsk” is powered by one nuclear reactor. When fully armed, the 119 meters long submarine can carry 24 cruise missiles and eight torpedo launchers. She has a crew of 90. The two next submarines in the Yasen-class, named “Kazan” and “Novosibirsk” are already under construction, while the forth “Krasnoyarsk” will be laid down on Thursday this week.