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48-568: Design began in the 1960s when the NII-24 research institute was ordered to produce a new weapon capable of engaging nuclear submarines . The merger of the institute and GSKB-47 created the Research Institute of Applied Hydromechanics, who continued with the design and production of the Shkval. Previously operational as early as 1977, the torpedo was announced as being deployed in the 1990s. The Shkval

96-466: A hard hat . Land-based naval reactor prototype plants have also undergone similar refueling and overhauls, not at a shipyard but at whatever facility they are located. In a nuclear-powered ship, the nuclear fuel is essentially a solid inside a reactor core which is inside the ship's nuclear reactor . Once a reactor core has gone critical, meaning it has been used during a reactor operation, highly radioactive nuclear fission products have formed in

144-482: A diesel-electric submarine Sarov ). The main advantage of using unmanned underwater vehicles instead of SSBNs as a second strike weapon is to prevent the loss of lives of the SSBN crew. If the second strike nuclear missiles are launched directly from an SSBN, the location of the submarine is revealed and it can be quickly destroyed in a third strike by a cruise or ballistic missile, launched from another submarine, from

192-471: A large amount of power from a smaller reactor and operate longer between refuelings – which are difficult due to the reactor's position within the submarine's pressure hull. Also, virtually all nuclear reactors employed in submarines so far have been of the pressurized light-water reactor type. The nuclear reactor also supplies power to the submarine's other subsystems, such as for maintenance of air quality, fresh water production by distilling salt water from

240-404: A nuclear aircraft carrier can last up to almost three years and be referred to as a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) . At a shipyard, a ship to undergo ROH goes into a drydock , which is then closed off from the sea. Water is evacuated from the drydock with keel blocks pre positioned under the hull , so the ship's keel area will rest on the blocks as the water is pumped out. At the end of

288-479: A nuclear reactor allows nuclear submarines to operate at high speed for long periods, and the long interval between refuelings grants a virtually unlimited range, making the only limits on voyage times factors such as the need to restock food or other consumables. Thus nuclear propulsion solves the problem of limited mission duration, that all electric ( battery or fuel cell powered) submarines face. The high cost of nuclear technology means that relatively few of

336-555: A nuclear warhead. Nuclear submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor , but not necessarily nuclear-armed . In the US classification , nuclear-powered submarines are designated as SSxN, where the SS denotes submarine, x=G means that the submarine is equipped with guided missiles (usually cruise missiles ), x=B means that the submarine is equipped with ballistic missiles (usually intercontinental ) and

384-591: A service life of ca. 42 years are expected to be commissioned. Refueling and overhaul In the United States Navy , Refueling and Overhaul (ROH) refers to a lengthy refitting process or procedure performed on nuclear-powered naval ships , which involves replacement of expended nuclear fuel with new fuel and a general maintenance fix-up, renovation, and often modernization of the entire ship. In theory, such process could simply involve only refueling or only an overhaul, but in practice, nuclear refueling

432-440: A small (mostly likely enriched uranium -fueled) reactor, and it is capable or travelling at a fairly high speed of 130 km/h, although for most of its mission duration it is expected to travel much slower to avoid acoustic detection . It is expected to be launched from specially-designed Belgorod class submarines, and to hit large coastal cities as a second strike weapon. (Although the initial tests of Poseidon were conducted with

480-496: A surface ship or from land. When an UUV delivers a nuclear charge, the location of the mothership remains unknown, and the ship is likely to survive the 3rd strike. No other country is known to be developing similar weapons in 2024. In the meantime, the United States is developing Columbia-class submarines . It is expected to have 16 missile tubes and to have its first patrol missing in 2031. Twelve submarines of this class with

528-545: A total of 245 nuclear submarines, more than all other nations combined. Today, six countries deploy some form of nuclear-powered strategic submarines: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, and India. Several other countries including Brazil and Australia have ongoing projects in various phases to build nuclear-powered submarines. In the United Kingdom, all former and current nuclear submarines of

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576-644: Is always combined with an overhaul. An ROH usually takes one to two years for submarines and up to almost three years for an aircraft carrier, performed at a naval shipyard . Time periods between ROHs on a ship have varied historically from about 5–20 years (for submarines ) to up to 25 years (for Nimitz -class aircraft carriers). For modern submarines and aircraft carriers, ROHs are typically carried out about midway through their operating lifespan. There are also shorter maintenance fix-ups called availabilities for ships periodically at shipyards. A particularly lengthy refueling, maintenance, and modernization process for

624-530: Is conducted. Numerous test procedures that have been written are followed, data is recorded as required, and logs of the testing are kept. Tests that can be conducted include: radiography to test critical welds , testing of fluid systems and other pressure boundaries which includes hydrostatic testing to detect any leaks , and testing of electrical and mechanical setpoints for various types of equipment such as sensor input setpoints for various kinds of automatic trips and safety valve relief pressure setpoints. At

672-473: Is intended as a countermeasure against torpedoes launched by undetected enemy submarines. The VA-111 is launched from 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes at 50 kn (93 km/h; 58 mph). A solid-fuel rocket accelerates it to cavitation speed, with a combined-cycle gas turbine in the nose creating the required gas bubble. Once accelerated, speed is maintained by an underwater ramjet fueled by hydroreactive metals using seawater as both reactant and

720-432: Is monitored to ensure maximum exposure limits are not exceeded. The overhaul commonly includes extensive maintenance and renovation work and checks of various systems and equipment aboard the ship . A major overhaul also typically includes upgrading various systems and equipment to modernize them; for example, old analog electrical equipment may be replaced by new digital electronic equipment. The work for such overhauls

768-452: Is observable by thermal imaging systems, e.g., FLIR . Another problem is that the reactor is always running, creating steam noise, which can be heard on sonar , and the reactor pump (used to circulate reactor coolant), also creates noise, as opposed to a conventional submarine, which can move about on almost silent electric motors. The useful lifetime of a nuclear submarine is estimated to be approximately 25 to 30 years, after this period

816-400: Is typically planned out by engineers well in advance and new equipment is obtained for any replacements or installations. An example of renovation work done during refueling and overhauls of submarines is the conversion of a fleet ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) to a guided missile submarine (SSGN). Such a conversion consists of taking the 24 ballistic missiles and their silos out of

864-919: The Bureau of Ships and the Atomic Energy Commission . In July 1951, the U.S. Congress authorized construction of the first nuclear-powered submarine, Nautilus , under the leadership of Captain Hyman G. Rickover , USN (sharing a name with Captain Nemo 's fictional submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne 's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas , the first demonstrably practical submarine Nautilus , and another USS  Nautilus  (SS-168) that served with distinction in World War II ). The Westinghouse Corporation

912-488: The Kurchatov Institute . In 1956, the first Soviet propulsion reactor designed by his team began operational testing. Meanwhile, a design team under Vladimir N. Peregudov worked on the vessel that would house the reactor. After overcoming many obstacles, including steam generation problems, radiation leaks, and other difficulties, the first nuclear submarine based on these combined efforts, K-3 Leninskiy Komsomol of

960-572: The Project 629 (Golf class) and were only a year behind the US with their first SSBN, ill-fated K-19 of Project 658 (Hotel class), commissioned in November 1960. However, this class carried the same three-missile armament as the Golfs. The first Soviet SSBN with 16 missiles was the Project 667A (Yankee class) , the first of which entered service in 1967, by which time the US had commissioned 41 SSBNs, nicknamed

1008-562: The US Navy . The nuclear reactors that power some aircraft carriers typically use up their nuclear fuel about halfway through their desired 50-year life spans. Because carriers can last so long before being retired, they are refueled and refurbished with an RCOH to extend their usable lifetime. At the same time a ship is refueled, it is given a complex overhaul in which broken, worn or obsolete parts are repaired or replaced and systems are modernized. The modernization typically includes an upgrade of

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1056-542: The United States Navy by the Naval Research Laboratory 's physicist Ross Gunn in 1939. The Royal Navy began researching designs for nuclear propulsion plants in 1946. Construction of the world's first nuclear-powered submarine was made possible by the successful development of a nuclear propulsion plant by a group of scientists and engineers in the United States at the Naval Reactors Branch of

1104-742: The " 41 for Freedom ". At the height of the Cold War , approximately five to ten nuclear submarines were being commissioned from each of the four Soviet submarine yards ( Sevmash in Severodvinsk , Admiralteyskiye Verfi in St.Petersburg, Krasnoye Sormovo in Nizhny Novgorod , and Amurskiy Zavod in Komsomolsk-on-Amur ). From the late 1950s through the end of 1997, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, built

1152-529: The British Royal Navy (with the exception of three: HMS  Conqueror , HMS  Renown and HMS  Revenge ) have been constructed in Barrow-in-Furness (at BAE Systems Submarine Solutions or its predecessor VSEL ) where construction of nuclear submarines continues. Conqueror is the only nuclear-powered submarine in the world ever to have engaged an enemy ship with torpedoes, sinking

1200-455: The N means that the submarine is nuclear-powered. SSN refers to nuclear-powered attack submarines , which do not carry missiles. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric ) submarines. Nuclear propulsion , being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for conventional submarines. The large amount of power generated by

1248-514: The Project 627 Kit class, called a November-class submarine by NATO , entered service in the Soviet Navy in 1958. The United Kingdom 's first nuclear-powered submarine HMS  Dreadnought was fitted with an American S5W reactor , provided to Britain under the 1958 US-UK Mutual Defence Agreement . The hull and combat systems of Dreadnought were of British design and construction, although

1296-543: The ROH, the drydock is refilled with water so the ship can be re-floated and removed from the dock. To start ROH, operating procedures are used to shut down and cool down the propulsion power plant to bring it to desired temperatures, pressures, and other conditions. During the ROH, ship's Navy crew stand shutdown watches, and civilian shipyard workers do much of the repair, maintenance, and installation work. All personnel in an ROH maintenance work area are commonly required to wear

1344-561: The United States Navy did not introduce until considerably later. Nuclear power proved ideal for the propulsion of strategic ballistic missile submarines (SSB), greatly improving their ability to remain submerged and undetected. The world's first operational nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) was USS  George Washington with 16 Polaris A-1 missiles, which conducted the first SSBN deterrent patrol November 1960 – January 1961. The Soviets already had several SSBs of

1392-707: The core, and the core has become highly radioactive. Refueling involves taking the expended core out of the reactor and putting in a new core with fresh nuclear fuel. Because it is so radioactive, removing a core with spent nuclear fuel from a reactor requires elaborate radiological handling precautions. All materials that came in contact with the critical core, including the internal surfaces and coolant water , are considered radioactively contaminated and require special radiological handling and disposal precautions. In addition to radiological training and qualification required for working in radiation areas or with radioactive materials or contamination, radiation exposure to workers

1440-606: The cruiser ARA  General Belgrano with two Mark 8 torpedoes during the 1982 Falklands War . The main difference between conventional submarines and nuclear submarines is the power generation system. Nuclear submarines employ nuclear reactors for this task. They either generate electricity that powers electric motors connected to the propeller shaft or rely on the reactor's heat to produce steam that drives steam turbines ( cf. nuclear marine propulsion ). Reactors used in submarines typically use highly enriched fuel (often greater than 20%) to enable them to deliver

1488-404: The effective disposal of nuclear submarines is costly, in 2004 it was estimated to cost around 4 billion dollars. Generally there are two options when it comes to decommissioning nuclear submarines. The first option is to defuel the nuclear reactor and remove the material and components that contain radioactivity, after which the hull section containing the nuclear reactor will then be cut out of

VA-111 Shkval - Misplaced Pages Continue

1536-417: The expansion of gases from its engine and the gas generator in the nose. This minimizes water contact with the torpedo, significantly reducing drag . Early designs may have relied solely on an inertial guidance system . The initial design was intended for nuclear warhead delivery. Later designs reportedly include terminal guidance and conventional warheads . The torpedo steers using four fins that skim

1584-436: The finish of the ROH, the testing data records are bound and retained as a permanent documentation record resulting from the ROH. As the ship is readied, toward the end of the ROH, the power plant is warmed or brought back up to the desired operating temperature and pressure so it can be started when ready. Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) is a process for refueling and upgrading nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in

1632-695: The hull form and construction practices were influenced by access to American designs. During Dreadnought ' s construction, Rolls-Royce , in collaboration with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority at the Admiralty Research Station, HMS Vulcan , at Dounreay , developed a completely new British nuclear propulsion system. In 1960, the UK's second nuclear-powered submarine was ordered from Vickers Armstrong and, fitted with Rolls-Royce's PWR1 nuclear plant, HMS  Valiant

1680-673: The inner surface of the supercavitation gas bubble. To change direction, the fin(s) on the inside of the desired turn are extended, and the opposing fins are retracted. In 2016, KTRV was upgrading Shkval. The torpedo is manufactured in Kyrgyzstan by the "Dastan" state-owned factory. In 2012 the Russian government asked for a 75% ownership of the factory in exchange for writing off $ 180 million Kyrgyz debt to Russia. In 2000, former U.S. Naval intelligence officer and an alleged Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) spy Edmond Pope (Captain, USN, retired)

1728-443: The missile section in the submarine, and replacing them with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and special operations force insertion platforms which can carry up to 66 special operations personnel. The first four Ohio -class submarines have undergone such conversions during their midlife refueling and overhauls. For more details, see Ohio-class submarine § SSBN/SSGN conversions . During an overhaul, an extensive testing program

1776-518: The most serious nuclear and radiation accidents by death toll in the world have involved nuclear submarine mishaps. To date, all of these were units of the former Soviet Union . Reactor accidents that resulted in core damage and release of radioactivity from nuclear-powered submarines include: It's been reported, that Russian Navy plans to introduce in 2027 a nuclear-powered nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle named Poseidon . Limited data available in open literature suggests, that it uses

1824-417: The ocean, temperature regulation, etc. All naval nuclear reactors currently in use are operated with diesel generators as a backup power system. These engines are able to provide emergency electrical power for reactor decay heat removal, as well as enough electric power to supply an emergency propulsion mechanism. Submarines may carry nuclear fuel for up to 30 years of operation. The only resource that limits

1872-718: The sea floor. This last option has been considered by some navies and countries in the past. However, while sea disposal is cheaper than land disposal the uncertainty regarding regulations and international law, such as the London Dumping Convention and the Law of the Sea Convention , has stopped them from proceeding with this option. Under development Under development Under development Under development Under development Under development Under development Plans to purchase Under development Some of

1920-521: The source of oxidizer; the torpedo travels at around 200 kn (370 km/h; 230 mph). Some reports indicate that the VA-111 possibly exceeds speeds of 250 kn (460 km/h; 290 mph), and that work on a 300 kn (560 km/h; 350 mph) version was underway. The high speed is made possible by supercavitation , whereby a gas bubble surrounding the torpedo is created by outward deflection of water by its specially-shaped nose cone and

1968-425: The submarine and transported to a disposal site for low-level radioactive waste and get buried according to waste procedures. The second option is to defuel the nuclear reactor, disassemble the submarine propulsion plant, install vents in the nonreactor compartments and fill the reactor compartment. After sealing the submarine it can then be towed to a designated deep-sea disposal site, be flooded and settle intact on

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2016-414: The submarine will face fatigue and corrosion of components, obsolescence and escalating operating costs. The decommissioning of these submarines is a long process; some are held in reserve or mothballed for some time and eventually scrapped, others are disposed of immediately. Countries operating nuclear submarines have different strategies when it comes to decommissioning nuclear submarines. Nonetheless,

2064-418: The time underwater is the food supply for the crew and maintenance of the vessel. The stealth technology weakness of nuclear submarines is the need to cool the reactor even when the submarine is not moving; about 70% of the reactor output heat is dissipated into the sea water. This leaves a "thermal wake", a plume of warm water of lower density which ascends to the sea surface and creates a "thermal scar" that

2112-611: The utility of such vessels, the British Admiralty formed plans to build nuclear-powered submarines. The Soviet Union soon followed the United States in developing nuclear-powered submarines in the 1950s. Stimulated by the U.S. development of Nautilus , Soviets began work on nuclear propulsion reactors in the early 1950s at the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering , in Obninsk , under Anatoliy P. Alexandrov, later to become head of

2160-498: The world's military powers have fielded nuclear submarines. Radiation incidents have occurred within the Soviet submarines, including serious nuclear and radiation accidents , but American naval reactors starting with the S1W and iterations of designs have operated without incident since USS Nautilus (SSN-571) launched in 1954. The idea for a nuclear-powered submarine was first proposed in

2208-524: Was assigned to build its reactor. After the submarine was completed at the Electric Boat Company , First Lady Mamie Eisenhower broke the traditional bottle of champagne on Nautilus ' bow, and the submarine was commissioned USS  Nautilus  (SSN-571) , on 30 September 1954. On 17 January 1955, she departed Groton, Connecticut , to begin sea trials . The submarine was 320 feet (98 m) long and cost about $ 55 million. Recognizing

2256-505: Was held, tried, and convicted in Russia of espionage related to information he obtained about the Shkval weapon system. Russian President Vladimir Putin pardoned Pope in December 2000 on humanitarian grounds because he had bone cancer . There are at least three variants: All current versions are believed to be fitted only with conventional explosive warheads, although the original design used

2304-540: Was the first all-British nuclear submarine. Further technology transfers from the United States made Rolls-Royce entirely self-sufficient in reactor design in exchange for a "considerable amount" of information regarding submarine design and quietening techniques transferred from the United Kingdom to the United States. The rafting system for the Valiant class provided the Royal Navy with an advantage in submarine silencing that

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