Four subs in Russia’s newest class of nuclear powered strategic submarines are presently in different levels of completeness at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk; Yury Dolgoruky, Alexander Nevsky, Vladimir Monomakh and Svyatitel Nikolay. The first-mentioned is undergoing sea tests in the White Sea area.
Svyatitel Nikolay, or St. Nicholas in English - has not been officially laid down, but as BarentsObserver reported, construction was started at Sevmash in December 2009.
This fourth submarine will be somewhat different than the three others, a high ranking military source in told RIA Novosti: -The latest technical solutions will be applied on this submarine, the source said, but denied to give any more details.
Svyatitel Nikolay will have the designation 955U. The three others are 955 and 955A.
In December 2009 Sevmash director Nikolai Kalistratov said that the construction of the Borei-class submarines was halted as a result of the many failed launches of the Bulava misile, which the submarines are designed to carry.
Read also: Background on Bulava missile tests
So far, seven out of 13 test launches of the Bulava missile have failed. The test program was interrupted in December, after yet another failed launch of the missile. This time, the people in large areas of Northern Norway became witnesses to the missile exploding in the sky.
