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Whiskey-class submarine#Missile variants

{{Short description|Diesel-electric attack submarine that the Soviet Union built in the early Cold War period}}

{{Infobox ship begin |sclass=2}}

{{Infobox ship image

|Ship image=S-189 in Saint Petersburg.JPG

|Ship caption=S-189 preserved and on display as a museum boat in Saint Petersburg.

}}

{{Infobox ship class overview

|Name=

|Builders=

|Operators= See operators

|Class before=S class

|Class after=*{{sclass2|Romeo|submarine|4}} (patrol variant)

  • {{sclass2|Juliett|submarine|4}} (missile variants)

|Subclasses=

|Cost=

|Built range=

  • 1950–1958 (USSR)
  • 1956–1960 (China)

|In service range=

|In commission range=

|Total ships building=

|Total ships planned=

|Total ships completed=236 (215 in the USSR + 21 in China)

|Total ships cancelled=

|Total ships active=

|Total ships laid up=

|Total ships lost=

|Total ships retired=

|Total ships preserved=2

}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics

|Hide header=

|Header caption=
(Project 613)

|Ship type=Diesel-electric attack submarine

|Ship displacement=* Surfaced: {{convert|1050|t|LT}}

  • Submerged: {{convert|1340|t|LT}}

|Ship length={{convert|76|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship beam= {{convert|6.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} to {{convert|6.5|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship draft= {{convert|4.55|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

|Ship propulsion=* Two-shaft diesel-electric:

  • 2 × {{convert|4000|bhp|abbr=on}} diesel engines
  • 2 × {{convert|2700|hp|abbr=on}} main electric motors
  • 2 × {{convert|100|hp|abbr=on}} electric creep motors for silent running

|Ship speed=

  • Surfaced: {{convert|18.25|kn|km/h}}
  • Submerged:{{convert|13.1|kn|km/h}}

|Ship range=

  • Surfaced: {{convert|8580|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn|lk=in}}
  • Submerged: {{convert|335|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|3|kn}}

|Ship endurance=Submerged: 166 h

|Ship test depth=

|Ship complement=52

|Ship sensors=

|Ship EW=

|Ship armament=*6 × {{convert|533|mm|in|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes (4 bow + 2 stern) for:

  • 12 × torpedoes or,
  • 22 × mines
  • 1 × single-mounted {{convert|25|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} AA gun
  • 2 × single-mounted {{convert|57|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} AA gun

|Ship notes=

}}

Whiskey-class submarines (known in the Soviet Union as Projects 613, 640, 644, and 665) are a class of diesel-electric attack submarines that the Soviet Union built in the early Cold War period.

Design

File:Whiskey I class SS.svg

File:Whiskey Long Bin class SSG.svg

File:Whiskey Twin Cylinder class SSG.svg

The initial design was developed in the early 1940s as a sea-going follow-on to the S-class submarine. As a result of war experience and the capture of German technology at the end of the war, the Soviet Union issued a new design requirement in 1946. The revised design was developed by the Lazurit Design Bureau based in Gorkiy. Like most conventional submarines designed between 1946 and 1960, the design was heavily influenced by the World War II German Type XXI U-boat.Friedman, pp. 396–397

===Patrol variants===

Between 1949 and 1958 a total of 215 submarines of this type were commissioned into the Soviet Navy. The vessels were initially designed as coastal patrol submarines. These patrol variants are known in the west as Whiskey I, II, III, IV, and V and were called Project 613 in the Soviet Union.

  • Whiskey I − twin 25 mm automatic air defense gun M1940 (72-K) guns mounted on the conning tower{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • Whiskey II − twin 57 mm AZP S-60 guns and twin 25 mm guns{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • Whiskey III − guns removed{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • Whiskey IV − 25 mm guns and fitted with a snorkel{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • Whiskey V − no guns - streamlined conning tower and snorkel, most Whiskey-class were modified to this variant{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}

=Missile variants=

File:Whiskey Twin Cylinder submarine.jpg

In the 1950s and 1960s, some Whiskey submarines were converted to guided missile submarines, with the capability to fire one to four SS-N-3 Shaddock cruise missiles. In 1956, the first prototype was ready. It was a regular Whiskey class modified with a launch tube aft of the sail containing a single SS-N-3c. This vessel was known in the West as Whiskey Single Cylinder. Between 1958 and 1960, six additional Whiskey-class submarines were converted to carry guided missiles. These boats had two missile tubes behind the sail, and were known in the west as the Whiskey Twin Cylinder, and Project 644 boats by the Soviets.Burov, V.N. Otechestvennoye Voyennoye Korablestroyeniye v Tretem Stoletii Svoyey Istorii, Sudostroyeniye, Sankt Peterburg, 1995. 5-7355-0508-4

Between 1960 and 1963, six boats received an extended sail that could contain four Shaddock missiles. These were called Whiskey Long Bin in the West and Project 665 in the Soviet Union. All guided missile variants of the Whiskey class carried the P-5/ NATO SS-N-3c Shaddock land-attack missile, and had to surface in order to fire their missiles. The boats of the single and twin cylinder class also had to raise their missile tubes, which were normally positioned horizontally.

The "Long Bin" boats did not handle well, with the launch tubes causing stability problems, and water flow around the missile fittings was very noisy.Weir and Boyle 2003 All were soon retired from service. Some were converted to Project 640 radar picket boats (called Whiskey Canvas Bag in the West).{{sfn|Office of the Chief of Naval Operations|1985|page=102}} While others were converted for intelligence-gathering missions.{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}} In the Soviet Navy, the patrol variants of this class were replaced by the {{sclass2|Romeo|submarine|4}}. The guided missile variants were replaced by the {{sclass2|Juliett|submarine|4}}.

Production programme

File:Submarine Monument Surabaya 2.JPG Whiskey-class submarine KRI Pasopati mounted on pedestal in Surabaya riverside]]

The Soviet Union built a total of 236 or 215 Whiskeys (sources vary; it appears the initial 21 Chinese-built boats are often included with the Soviet boats). Vice Admiral Burov, head of the Soviet Defense Ministry's Shipbuilding Institute from 1969 to 1983, confirms 215 units built.

class="wikitable" border="1"
Year

! Gorkiy

! Nikolayev

! Baltic

! Komsomolsk

! Total

1951

| 1

| –

| –

| –

| 1

1952

| 4

| 5

| –

| –

| 9

1953

|19

|11

| –

| –

|30

1954

|29

|14

| –

| 1

|44

1955

|37

|18

|8

|4

|67

1956

|26

|15

|4

|4

|49

1957

| –

|9

|3

|2

|14

1958

| –

| –

| 1

| –

| 1

Total

|116

|72

|16

|11

|215

Operators

The Whiskey-class had a long service life, with 45 still on the active list of the Soviet Navy in 1982. All Whiskey-class submarines are now decommissioned.{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}{{efn|Ross and Bishop make a possible exception for North Korea. According to the IISS, 4 Whiskey-class submarines remained in North Korean inventories until 2004 (listed as possibly unserviceable).{{sfn|IISS|2004|page=178}}}}

  • {{flaglist|Albania|1946}} − 4 vessels were left behind by the Soviets in 1961 following their expulsion from the country.{{sfn|Garland|1964|page=106}} Only two were operational in 1991.{{sfn|Zickel|Iwaskiw|Keefe|1992|page=223}} Three were sold as scrap metal while as of 2022, the Albanian government was considering converting the remaining submarine into a museum ship{{cite news |last1=Semini |first1=Llazar |title=Albania offers ex-Soviet built naval base to NATO |url=https://apnews.com/article/nato-edi-rama-albania-1e6bcb874e6bb439b2004140d6ffa1a8 |access-date=9 November 2024 |work=AP News |date=26 May 2022 |language=en}}
  • {{flag|Bulgaria|1948}} − 2{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • {{CHN}} − Upwards of 26{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}} as the Type 6603{{sfn|Carlson|2024|p=5}} or Type 03.{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}} 3{{sfn|Polmar|Moore|2004|p=27}} or 5{{sfn|Moore|1984|p=93}} were transferred from the Soviet Union as kits and reassembled in China from the mid-1950s; these may have been Whiskey IVs.{{sfn|Moore|1984|p=93}} The remainder, at least 15,{{sfn|Polmar|Moore|2004|p=27}}{{sfn|Moore|1984|p=93}} were built in China from Soviet components;{{sfn|Polmar|Moore|2004|p=27}} these may have been Whiskey Vs.{{sfn|Moore|1984|p=93}}
  • {{EGY}} − 7{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • {{IDN}} − 14{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • {{PRK}} − 4 vessels,{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}} remained in the Korean People's Army Navy inventory as late as 2004{{sfn|IISS|2004|page=178}}
  • {{flag|Poland|1928}} − 4{{sfn|Ross|Bishop|2016|page=298}}
  • {{URS}} − 20 were still in active service in 1991{{sfn|IISS|1991|page=39}}

Incidents involving Whiskey-class submarines

  • On 27 January 1961, {{ship|Soviet submarine|S-80||2}} was lost due to accidental flooding while the boat was submerged. The valve that should have prevented water from entering the snorkel did not work properly.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}}
  • In 1961, when Enver Hoxha decided to expel all Soviet personnel from Albania, four submarines were sabotaged by their former crews before being abandoned.{{efn|According to the Military Review, one Whiskey-class was damaged beyond repair and scrapped, a claim that's contradicted by other sources, such as The Statesman's Year-Book.{{sfn|Paxton|2016|page=733}}}} They were later repaired by Chinese technicians and returned to service in 1964.{{sfn|Garland|1964|page=106}}
  • On 24 November 1972, the {{sclass|Kobben|submarine|1}} {{HNoMS|Sklinna}} of the Royal Norwegian Navy had "contact" with what they presumed was a Whiskey-class submarine, after 14 days of "hunt" in Sognefjord. Military documents released in 2009 confirmed this episode.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100102231132/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/article3444559.ece] Aftenposten (Norwegian Language) (including pictures)
  • On 21 October 1981, {{ship|Soviet submarine|S-178||2}} was run down by the merchant vessel Refrizherator-13 in Golden Horn Bay, Vladivostok.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
  • On 27 October 1981, {{ship|Soviet submarine|S-363||2}} ran aground in Swedish territorial waters near the Karlskrona naval base.{{cite news |url=https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/5995709 |title=Military search reminiscent of Sweden's Cold War days |work=Sverige Radio |date=20 October 2014 |access-date=19 August 2024}}
  • On 19 June 1984, a Whiskey-class submarine was caught in a fishing-net and surfaced within the Norwegian exclusive economic zone (EEZ).{{Cite web|url=https://www.tv2.no/a/6146401/|title=Skipperen Onar (68) fikk denne russiske ubåten i trålen |work=TV2.no |first1=Øystein |last1=Bogen |first2=Aage |last2=Aune |first3=Kjetil H. |last3=Dale |date=21 October 2014|language=nb |access-date=2020-04-05}}
  • On 14 December 1989 a decommissioned Whiskey-class submarine under tow for scrapping in Nakskov was sunk {{convert|2|mi}} west of Bornholm. Attempts to raise it in 1991 failed and it sunk nearby in deeper water.{{cite web |url=https://www.vragguiden.dk/wreck.asp?wreckid=1202 |title=Russisk U-båd |website=vragguiden.dk |access-date=19 August 2024}}{{reliable source|date=August 2024}}
  • On 5 February 2007, the decommissioned {{ship|Soviet submarine|S-194||2}} took on water and sank off the coast of Denmark while being towed to become part of a naval museum.[http://dykkerservice.dk/erhvervsdykker_u194.htm Dansk Dykkerservice ApS (Danish Language)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925022451/http://dykkerservice.dk/erhvervsdykker_u194.htm |date=2008-09-25 }} (including pictures)
  • In 2009 a previously unknown and unidentified sunken Whiskey-class submarine was discovered within Sweden's EEZ close to the island of Gotland. It was a decommissioned submarine which sank while under tow to be scrapped in Denmark. News of the discovery was not made public until March 2011.{{Cite web |url=http://jp.dk/udland/europa/article2359121.ece |title=Flere ubåde sank i Sverige |website=jp.dk |access-date=2011-03-05 |archive-date=2011-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406205223/http://jp.dk/udland/europa/article2359121.ece |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/Aktuellt/Nyhetsarkiv/Centrala-nyheter/20635/Sjunken-ubat-hittad-soder-om-Gotland/ |title=Sjunken ubåt hittad söder om Gotland |publisher=Forsvarsmakten |language=sv |date=13 June 2013 |access-date=19 August 2024}}

Surviving examples

S-189 is preserved as a museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. {{ship|KRI|Pasopati}} (ex-S-290) is preserved in Surabaya, Indonesia.{{cite news |title=History of KRI Pasopati 410 at the Surabaya Submarine Monument |url=https://www.daerahkita.com/english-corner/4/history-of-kri-pasopati-410-at-the-surabaya-submarine-monument |access-date=9 November 2024 |work=www.daerahkita.com |date=20 June 2024 |language=en}} {{As of|2022}}, Albania's #105 existed at Pasha Liman Base in south Albania, though it was deteriorating.{{Cite web |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=2022-05-18 |title=Refused to sink, Albania's Soviet-era submarine awaits its fate |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/life/feature/refused-to-sink-albanias-soviet-era-submarine-awaits-its-fate |access-date=2024-10-28 |website=Daily Sabah |language=en-US}}

Notes

{{Notelist}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

=Bibliography=

  • {{cite web |last1=Carlson |first1=Christopher P. |date=22 October 2024 |title=The Evolution of the Chinese Submarine Force |url=https://www.admiraltytrilogy.com/pdf/NSL_PLAN_Submarine_Force_Extended.pdf |website=Admirality Trilogy |access-date=1 April 2025}}
  • {{cite book | last=Friedman | first=Norman | editor-last1=Chumbley | editor-first1=Stephen | chapter=Soviet Union 1947–1991: Russian Federation and Successor States 1991– | title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 | location=Annapolis, Maryland | publisher=Naval Institute Press | year=1995 | pages=337–426 | isbn=1-55750-132-7|author-link=Norman Friedman}}
  • {{cite journal |editor1-last=Garland |editor1-first=Lt. Col. Albert N |title=Military Notes |journal=Military Review |date=August 1964 |volume=44 |issue=8 |pages=99-106 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GJ_S-6N8xR8C |access-date=9 November 2024 |publisher=U.S. Army Command and General Staff College |location=Fort Leavenworth, KS |language=en}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Hampshire |first1=Edward |title=Soviet Cruise Missile Submarines of the Cold War |date=2018 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=London |isbn=978-1-47282-499-8}}
  • {{cite book |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance: 1991-1992 |date=1991 |publisher=Brassey's |isbn=978-0-08-041324-2 |language=en |ref={{SfnRef|IISS|1991}}}}
  • {{cite journal |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=East Asia and Australasia |journal=The Military Balance |date=January 2004 |volume=104 |issue=1 |pages=161–193 |doi=10.1080/725292368 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/725292368 |access-date=9 November 2024 |language=en |issn=0459-7222 |ref={{SfnRef|IISS|2004}}|url-access=subscription }}
  • {{cite book |editor-last1=Moore |editor-first1=John |year=1984 |title=Jane's Fighting Ships 1984-85 |publisher=Jane's Publishing Company |location=London |isbn=978-0710607959}}
  • {{cite book |editor-last1=Paxton |editor-first1=John |title=The Statesman's Year-Book 1973-74: The Encyclopaedia for the Businessman-of-the-World |date=2016 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-230-27102-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hUzODQAAQBAJ |language=en}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Pavlov |first1=A. S. |title=Warships of the USSR and Russia 1945–1995 |date=1997 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-671-X}}
  • {{cite book|last1=Polmar|first1=Norman|author-link1=Norman Polmar|last2=Moore|first2=Kenneth J. |title=Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines |year=2004 |publisher=Potomac Books |location=Washington, D. C.|isbn=978-1-57488-594-1 |name-list-style=amp}}
  • {{cite book|last1=Polmar|first1=Norman|last2=Noot|first2=Jurrien|title=Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies, 1718–1990|year=1991|publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=0-87021-570-1 |name-list-style=amp}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Vilches Alarcón |first1=Alejandro A. |title=From Juliettes to Yasens: Development and Operational History of Soviet Cruise-Missile Submarines |date=2022 |publisher=Helion & Co. |location=Warwick, UK |isbn=978-1-915070-68-5|series=Europe @ War (22)}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Ross |first1=David |last2=Bishop |first2=Chris |title=Submarines: WWI to the Present |date=2016 |publisher=Book Sales |isbn=978-0-7858-3446-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1bCTDgAAQBAJ |language=en}}
  • {{cite book |title=Understanding Soviet Naval Developments |date=1985 |publisher=Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Department of the Navy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DGHzABmLCbAC |access-date=9 November 2024 |language=en |ref={{SfnRef|Office of the Chief of Naval Operations|1985}}}}
  • Weir, Gary E., and Boyle, Walter J. Rising Tide: The Untold Story of the Russian Submarines That Fought the Cold War Basic Books, 2003.
  • {{cite book |last1=Zickel |first1=Raymond E. |last2=Iwaskiw |first2=Walter R. |last3=Keefe |first3=Eugene K. |title=Albania: a country study |date=1992 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |location=Washington, DC |url=https://www.marines.mil/portals/1/Publications/Albania%20Study_6.pdf?ver=2012-10-11-163223-267 |access-date=8 November 2024}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book |last=Breemer |first=Jan S. |date=1989 |title=Soviet Submarines: Design, Development and Tactics |location=Coulsdon, Surrey |publisher=Jane's Information Group |isbn=0710605269}}
  • {{cite book |editor-last1=Gardiner |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Chumbley |editor-first2=Stephen |editor-last3=Budzbon |editor-first3=Przemysław |date=1995 |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 |location=Annapolis |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=1-55750-132-7}}

External links

{{commons category|Whiskey class submarines|Whiskey-class submarine}}

  • [http://www.russianwarrior.com/STMMain.htm?1947vehicle_Whiskeyhist.htm&1 History, Development, and Use of the Whiskey-class Submarine]
  • [http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=102726 Encyclopedia of Ships] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206004638/http://ship.bsu.by/main.asp?id=102726 |date=2008-02-06 }} {{in lang|ru}}
  • [http://russianships.info/eng/submarines/project_613.htm Whiskey class submarines - Complete Ship List (English)]

{{Whiskey class submarine}}

{{Soviet and Russian submarines after 1945}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whiskey class submarine}}

Category:Submarine classes

Category:Submarines of the People's Liberation Army Navy

Category:Submarine classes of the Russian and Soviet Navy

Category:Submarines of the Korean People's Navy

Category:Ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy