Designated Project 627 "Kit" ("whale" in Russian), the November-class nuclear attack submarines (according to the NATO code) were the first nuclear-powered submarines built by the Union. Soviet at the start of the Cold War.
Keeping a traditional design with the long twin-propeller hull typical of the last submersibles of World War II, the Soviets, in building the Novembers, were more concerned with quickly establishing a flotilla of nuclear-powered submarines than giving them real operational and offensive capabilities.
The genesis of Project 627
The "Project 627" is in fact the prototype of the November class submarines. The series submarines, fully armed and equipped, will subsequently be called:“627-A”. A total of thirteen such submarines will be built.
The first Soviet nuclear-powered submarine, the K-3 Leninsky Komsomol (No. 254) was laid down on August 9, 1957. Problems with the construction and application of nuclear-specific technologies delayed its launch.
She set sail for her first mission on July 3, 1958. Four years later, on July 17, 1962, she was the first Soviet Navy submarine to reach the North Pole, passing under the ice.
Technical issues
However, despite these first encouraging successes, many technical problems will punctuate the life of the K-3.
One of the most serious occurred in June 1962:a leak led to a failure of the reactor's cooling circuit, the core of which began to overheat, which caused a fire which quickly spread to neighboring compartments, almost risking sinking the reactor. building. Towed to its naval base in Zapadnaya Litsa, the K-3 was put in for repairs.
Instead of disabling the reactor, the reactor compartment is cut out and sunk as it is at the bottom of Abrosimova Bay in the Kara Sea.
A second compartment with two new reactors was then put in place, and the K-3 was thus able to return to sea. This did not prevent a second incident, of lesser gravity, from occurring in 1967.
The boats of this class were decommissioned between 1987 and 1990, except for the K-8 (sunk in 1970).
In 1991, a memorial was erected in Zapadnaya Litsa, in memory of the K-3 dead.
November class
Project 627
Technical features
Type Nuclear attack submarine
Length 107.4 m
Maître-bau 7.9 m
Draft 5.65 m
Displacement 3,065 t on the surface, 4,750 t underwater
Propulsion 2 pressurized water nuclear reactors, 2 propellers
Speed surface - 15.2 / 15.5 / 14.7 knots; Diving - 30 / 28 / 30.2 knots (project 627 / 627A / 645)
Depth 300 m
Military specifications
Armament 8 × 533 mm torpedo tubes
Crew 104 men