The fastest submarine of the USSR. Submarine speed
Shock is our way! The event took place in 1971, in the fall. A Soviet nuclear submarine (tactical number K-162, project 661 "Anchar") with a titanium hull as strong as armor approached the stern of the Saratoga ship. The strike aircraft carrier of the US 6th Fleet planned to break away easily. However, an unusual racer easily bypassed the miracle of foreign naval technology, showing up in front of his nose. The "lagging behind" team was shocked by the phenomenal speed capabilities. This is the only way the fastest submarine remained “shy”! In the world there was and is no equal to her. However, there is not a word about this on the pages of the Guinness Book of Records. Military secrets do not tolerate hype.
You lie, you won't leave!
The unsurpassed pride of the States, the Lexington-class ship sailed from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic port of Miami, to its permanent base. Suddenly, foreign sailors saw: in the depths they were overtaken by a huge "whale" - a submarine, the dimensions of which are commensurate with the size of a four-story house. As it turned out, it was impossible to escape: for several hours in a row, the deep-sea boat effortlessly overtook the aircraft carrier, which scored 30 knots (55.56 km / h). There was nothing surprising in this: Anchar (K-162) developed 44.7 knots (80.4 km / h).
The power of just one turbine was enough to gain and maintain fantastic speed. The fastest flying, like a car on a highway, was simply not found on planet Earth before. The onlookers' confusion grew. The formidable "Old Lady" (one of the nicknames of "Saratogi") looked completely helpless. Soviet technology, right before the eyes of the enemy, demonstrated an absolute world record for the speed of underwater movement. And it did not belong to the States, but to a country in which, as some believed, bears walk the streets.
Decent answer
The bewildered eyewitnesses could not understand: how can one apply the epithets “amazing speed”, “fastest” to Russian “floating bast shoes”? "There is no cooler submarine"? Yes, it is not in vain that they say: it is better to believe and be deceived than to be deceived without believing. It turns out that it is still possible! It is known that in March 1971, a speed of 44.85 knots (83.05 km / h) could be recorded on the Motovskaya measuring line (a section of the coastal water area).
Victory was required to be achieved in the presence of observers from hydrographic vessels. In those days, they liked to make dedications to major party events. This feat wanted to coincide with the opening of the XXIV Congress of the CPSU. A storm began, hydrologists could not go to sea. When the weather settled, we decided not to report. While it was stormy, with a 100% load on the power of nuclear reactors, the submarine set a new record, those same 44.85 knots.
Having made two laps in the wind, on the third they ran into problems and the command was given to stop the risky experiment. Thus, the figure of 44.7 entered the world record. The bar has not yet been crossed. In the mid-70s of the XX century, Soviet designers counted on an increase in production volumes, the adjustment of serial production of new items. But this did not happen, although even the modern submarines of the Northern Fleet do not reach the indicators of half a century ago.
Due to the high cost (costs amounted to 1% of the state's budget), the high-speed "aircraft carrier killer" turned out to be the only one, inimitable and, as mentioned above, top-secret. Information for many years was not brought to all military personnel. One can only guess about the degree of penetration into the topic of the civilian population. One way or another, it was a harsh response of socialism to the capitalist "imperial manners."
We will show you Kuz'kin's mother!
Read more about how and why the fastest submarine was born. The cold war reigned in the world, the parties, personifying two different political systems, competed fiercely in building up armaments. In the middle of the 20th century, the United States of America developed a special military program. A bet was made on the strategy of realistic deterrence, of which the ocean strategy became a part.
The offensive forces changed the direction of the main power, it was sharply redirected from land to sea. The system was supported by "floating airfields" - groups of strike aircraft carriers. The country of victorious socialism urgently needed not only modern, new technology. It was about the fact that the fastest submarine is about to appear. In the 60s of the last century, the USSR did not have time to set up large ships: relatively recently, the war to defend the Fatherland from Nazi invaders died down. The country barely recovered from the devastation. A way out was found: the head of state, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, decided to show all self-confident Kuz'kin's mother in the form of an unsurpassed submarine fleet.
It's good to bang straight from the depths
An important place was given to the regular improvement of the military even before the fastest submarine appeared. In a world of fierce confrontation, in the wake of oceanic strategy, such a need has reached its climax. As you know, the submarines of the Land of the Soviets of the sixties model had a serious drawback: missiles could be launched to hit a target only when rising from a depth, after surfacing.
Often it was in this position that the submarines were "lit up" by the enemy and destroyed (if they did not have time to "dive"). Soon appeared "Amethyst" - a missile system capable of launching from the depths covered with darkness. It was created under the control of the rocket and space technology designer Vladimir Chelomey (photo above). The novelty was immediately put into service, although the mass of the warhead became smaller, as did the firing range. All these seemingly negative factors were more than offset by the ability to deliver a hidden surprise strike.
secret mission
It was assumed that the constantly moving target would be tracked by the all-seeing "eye" of the autonomous control and guidance system. This made it possible to simplify the task of avoiding the patrol ships (escort ships) of a possible enemy. They intended to install ten P-70 projectiles (cruise missiles) on board at once. Like air, the most powerful submarine was needed! In the world of ships capable of diving and operating under water, under no circumstances could there be "clones" and competitors.
Not even hundreds, but thousands of specialists were involved in the work, all of them signed an obligation not to disclose state secrets. The design solutions that were used earlier were swept aside immediately: the submarine of the future was born. We focused on the flight range of a cruise missile with the beautiful name "Amethyst". It is small - eighty kilometers. In order for the submarine to dynamically approach floating airfields at an attack distance, it was necessary to endow it with high speed capabilities (equivalent to torpedo ones).
Sophisticated and ergonomic
In an atmosphere of tension and mystery, the best submarine was born. In the world and in the country, no one knew the name of the project leader. Academician Nikolai Isanin, an indisputable scientific authority, a highly qualified specialist in shipbuilding, (like Sergei Korolev, the notorious designer of the Vostok spacecraft in his time) was a highly classified figure. Under his sensitive and strict leadership, the team worked around the clock. At a certain stage, Nikolai Shulzhenko took over the leadership. Painstaking intense activity brought rich results.
In December 1960, the submarine project of the future was ready. The number of avant-garde technical solutions "went off scale" - 398: a steering wheel like an aircraft, telemechanics, television cameras, automation, and, of course, the very durable titanium case that the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk manufactured in 1962. The K-162 itself was laid down at the same enterprise in December 1963 (serial number 501). Ergonomics played an important role.
Four potential circumnavigations
Energy was provided by two nuclear reactors. Project 661 included a twin-shaft steam power plant (40,000 horsepower each, 2 times higher than the performance of all foreign and domestic "brothers"). Largely due to this, the title of "the fastest submarine" was won. In the world where he was just mastering, a piece of technology on the verge of fantasy gave our country self-confidence.
Nuclear fuel in the reactors would be enough for four round-the-world voyages (with increased efficiency and safety). "Biography of a celebrity" of the past in a short line: the boat (since January 1978 was listed under the tactical number K-222) was launched in 1968; decommissioned in 1988; finally disposed of in 2010 at Sevmash.
Noise is not good
The best submarine in the world could not be mass-produced for a number of reasons. The cool titanium case was extremely difficult to manufacture. By the end of the 80s of the twentieth century, the P-70 Amethyst missiles (main armament) became obsolete. The potential adversary has developed new detection devices. Hydroacoustic systems with a high degree of guarantee easily found the location of K-162 (K-222). The situation was complicated by the high noise level of the Anchar.
Anti-submarine aviation developed. The thunderstorm of the oceans of the “whale” (Soviet sailors called the boat “Goldfish” for its high cost and briskness) had less and less chance of surviving. It would seem that the disposal, which began in 2008, is an ordinary event. Mankind has not yet invented a perpetual motion machine. Everything falls apart at some point. But it was the only one, a record holder, which could become a museum of design and engineering achievements. Didn't save.
Byle overgrown
K-222 went to scrap, like a rusty bed or an old kettle. And equipped with the systems "Sigma-661" (all-latitude), "Radan-1", "Nichrome" (determined the belonging of the object to a particular state), the carrier of the Rubin hydroacoustic complex! To break - not to build ... There is an opinion: today a wonderful tourist site could increase its popularity.
After a long secret existence, the most powerful submarine would surely “tell” a lot of interesting things about its difficult life. There are not as many miracles in the world as it seems. Fans of technology believe that "Anchar" was one of the unusual objects and phenomena. The experience of titanium structures was nevertheless used in other developments (685, 705, 945, 945A, etc.), and Amethyst missiles were still useful on Skat boats (built according to project 670).
Or the torpedo will be able to move under water at ultra-high speeds.
Researchers from the Harbin Institute of Complex Process Flows and the Heat Transfer Research Laboratory have indeed solved a very important task that was given to them by the Chinese military. They managed to create a special air bubble around the underwater object, due to which the resistance of water decreases many times when the object moves.
Water creates much more resistance to objects than air, and that is why it was decided to use an air bubble to increase speed. Back in the days of the Cold War, Soviet scientists developed the Shkval high-speed underwater torpedo, which, thanks to the cavitation cavity (air bubble), developed an incredible speed, up to 500 kilometers per hour. Chinese scientists decided to improve this technology for use not only in torpedoes, but also in submarines.
In theory, a submarine equipped with this technology could sail from Shanghai to San Francisco in just 100 minutes, which is incredibly fast. And everything would be great if it were not for the two main problems of this technology.
The first problem is that the submarine must be launched at a fairly high speed of about 100 km/h in order to create and hold an air bubble around it. The second problem is even more complicated: in order to guide a submarine at such a speed, it is necessary to develop fundamentally new steering mechanisms, because the traditional vertical and horizontal rudders of a submarine inside an air bubble will simply be useless.
That is why the technology until now has been used exclusively on torpedoes and nothing else. These torpedoes did not need to change their trajectory much, and the high starting speed allowed them to easily keep the cavitation cavity around their hull.
Professor Li Fengshen, head of this military project, said that his team was able to effectively solve both of the above problems. After immersion in water, the Chinese submarine will be covered with a special gel that forms a protective membrane around the hull, due to which the speed of the submarine will increase significantly due to the reduction of friction on the water. And as soon as the submarine accelerates to 75 km / h, it will be able to enter a state of supercavitation. The liquid membrane will help control the movement of the submarine, as different amounts of gel can be applied to certain parts of the submarine, thereby adjusting the level of resistance and turning it in the right direction.
“Our technique is different from all other approaches like using jet propulsion or motion vectors,” Professor Li shared with reporters from the South China Morning Post, “By combining liquid membrane technology with supercavitation, we were able to solve the problem of launching a submarine and improve its controllability.”
Nevertheless, many questions still remain unresolved. It is necessary to develop a powerful rocket engine capable of accelerating submarines to supersonic speeds, which will allow them to travel really long distances. By the way, the range of Russian Shkval torpedoes varied from 11 to 15 kilometers.
Professor Lee argues that supercavitation technology is not limited to military applications only and that in the future there may be transport ships that will carry goods or passengers under water at tremendous speeds. will show what the developments of Chinese research will lead to. For now, only the military has access to the technology.
The fastest submarine of all times and peoples is the K-162 boat of project 661. It could reach a submerged speed of 44.7 knots, which is equivalent to 80.4 km / h. For reference, it must be said that the average speed of nuclear submarines is 30 knots in a submerged position, which is approximately equivalent to 55.5 km / h. So, for example, Project 955 Borey submarines have an underwater speed of 29 knots or 53.7 km/h. For comparison, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Nimetz has a maximum speed of 30 knots or 56 km/h.
The nuclear submarine K-162 of project 661 "Anchar" was laid down on 12/28/1963, launched on 12/12/1968. A year later, on 12/31/1969, she completed state tests. From January 1970 to December 1971, the boat was in trial operation In service, she has been since 1971.
The nuclear submarine K-162 of project 661 was designed to fight enemy ships at long distances. In particular, to combat aircraft carriers. To do this, she was armed with cruise missiles with a solid-propellant starting engine, the missile received the name PRK "Amethyst". This is the first submarine of the USSR, equipped with the first missile in the world of underwater launch, which could launch missiles from under water. The disadvantage of this missile was a relatively small flight range, compared, for example, with the P-6 missiles already in use, which had a range of up to 400 km, while the Amethyst had only 100 km. However, the surprise factor, namely the possibility of launching from under water, played a decisive role.
An innovation was also a two-hull scheme of the boat. The light hull gave it the correct hydrodynamic shape, 2 propellers were installed in the stern. In front, there was a strong inner hull arranged in a figure-eight pattern. The case was made of titanium.
The power plant consisted of two nuclear reactors with a water-to-water coolant with a capacity of 2x177.4 MW.
Boat speed details
When testing at a speed of 35 knots at the central post of the boat, noise arose due to turbulent flows, which reached 100 dB. The noise itself was coming from outside the boat. When tested in 1971, the boat reached a speed of 44.7 knots (80.4 km / h). This speed record has not yet been broken to this day.
The boat during operation gave certain equipment failures, we can say it was the first of its kind and experimental. There was an attempt to create on the basis of it - a new high-speed boat of project 661M. However, the global trend in the development of submarines has gone in the direction of noiselessness and stealth. Project 661M was not implemented, but the boat gave a lot of experience in the construction and operation of submarines.
In August 1971, an interesting incident occurred that surprised the entire Pentagon. On the newest aircraft carrier Saratoga, acoustics discovered an unknown object that was moving at great speed to overtake. The boat under water overtook the aircraft carrier. For America, the mysterious object remained mystical until the end 80s, when it turned out that the K-162 boat of project 661 went to overtake.
US Navy Admiral Robert Kars, in his 1990 article in The Washington Post, first applied the term "carrier killer" to this unique Soviet submarine.
Technical characteristics of the submarine K-162 project 661:
| Characteristics | Options |
|---|---|
| Displacement | |
| Surface normal: | 5200 tons |
| Scuba: | 8770 tons |
| travel speed | |
| Full underwater under GTZA: | 37-38 knots (44.7 - maximum) |
| Full surface under GTZA: | 19 knots |
| Immersion depth | |
| Limit: | 400 meters |
| ship building elements | |
| Length: | 106.4 meters |
| Width: | 11.5 meters |
| Draft average: | 7.8 meters |
| Structural type: | Double-hull |
| Armament | |
| Cruise missiles: | 10 x "Amethyst" |
| 533 mm bow torpedo tubes: | 4 |
| Total number of torpedoes: | 12 |
| Power plant | |
| Type: | Atomic |
| PPU type: | B-5R |
| Number of reactors: | 2 |
| PTU type: | GTZA-618 |
| Quantity x power (on the shaft) PTU, hp: | 2 x 40,000 hp |
| Quantity x power of TG, kW.: | 2 x 3000 (type OK-3) |
| Number of shafts: | 2 |
| AB type, number of AB groups x number of elements: | Silver-zinc SCM (STs-55), 2 x 152 |
| Habitability | |
| Autonomy: | 70 days |
| Crew: | 75 (80?) people (including 25 officers) |
Video review of the submarine K-162 project 661
Almost forty years ago, a unique submarine began its service. This fastest submarine set a record - 80.4 km / h. The order to create it was received in 1959, and it left the stocks in the mid-70s. The submarine was not destined to become mass - a single copy was created.
The beginning of the way
It all started with the development by the Americans in the middle of the last century of a new military doctrine - a special strategy of realistic deterrence. America began to rebuild the navy to take control of the world's oceans. Much attention was paid to aircraft carrier strike ships. The USSR did not have any of this, and in order to put something in opposition, emphasis was placed on submarines. The downside of the existing submarines was the need to be on the surface to launch the rocket.
The designers were given the task of making a cruise missile with the ability to launch underwater, designed to attack large ships. They successfully completed the task by creating the Amethyst missile system. The new missiles, in addition to the possibility of underwater launch, had the possibility of autonomous control, which allowed the submarine to move away from the enemy immediately after impact.
But one missile system was not enough. What was needed was the fastest submarine that could carry deadly projectiles. It was then that they started the project 661 - the K-162 Anchar submarine. The K-162 boat was developed by a thousand specialists who worked in harsh conditions. It was necessary not only to create a new submarine - it was forbidden to use any solutions that were previously used. A car of the future was needed, which has no analogues in the world. At the same time, it should develop the maximum possible speed - the missiles had a short flight range.
Creating a legend
The project was led by a prominent scientist of those times, Nikolai Isanin. Being a skilled specialist, he was almost unknown to anyone. The project was completed in December 1960. Almost everything was here for the first time. Instead of the usual control system, she had a steering wheel. The operation of the mechanisms began to be observed with the help of television cameras. Many systems were controlled by automation.
A couple of nuclear reactors were responsible for energy. The submarine used an innovative nuclear steam power plant designed specifically for it. Its power was significantly higher than that of any other submarine. Fully fueled with nuclear fuel, it could circle the globe four times at full speed. For Americans, the development has become the subject of outright envy.
The greatest attention was paid to noise reduction, although at full speed the fastest submarine still made a lot of noise. Automation made it possible to significantly reduce the number of crew, and living conditions became much better. The cabins were comfortable, there was good ventilation, air regeneration, a system for cleaning it, heating, the possibility of preparing hot meals and ice cream.
The K-162 submarine did not even visually resemble its predecessors - resembling the shape of a whale, it received the nickname "goldfish". The choice of material for the case was also approached outside the box. For the first time in the world, a titanium alloy was used - strong, light in weight, resistant to corrosion. All this required additional time, and delays aroused the indignation of the country's leadership. As a result, they decided to assemble the same boat as soon as possible, but from ship steel - it was a different project - 670. It really managed to be assembled much faster - the first such submarine went on its maiden voyage in 1967. There were 17 of them in total, but the titanium original continued to stand in the port.
End of service
They reached the finish line only at the end of 1969. The launch of the submarine was planned to coincide with Brezhnev's birthday - December 17th. The test launch took place on the 13th. The submarine managed to accelerate during the first start to 77 km / h - this was a record. When the fastest submarine in the world rose to the surface, they could not recognize it - all the paint was completely peeled off, while the welds were smoothed out. In another year, it will be possible to update the record - having accelerated to 83 km / h.
After testing, the submarine was repainted and became part of the Northern Fleet. It was after this, in 1971, that the legendary incident occurred with the aircraft carrier Saratoga. He was on his way to the base in Miami when the sailors discovered a submarine pursuing them. They never managed to get away from her. A Soviet submarine could easily overtake an aircraft carrier that the United States was proud of. Americans have received the strongest blow to self-esteem.
For all its merits, this submarine was inconvenient to operate, it was often repaired. The most serious accident happened in the late 70s. Due to the fact that we had to hurry during the scheduled repairs, a mistake was made, the reactor began to accelerate without water supply. The burst compensator of the main pump saved the boat, several compartments were flooded with radioactive water, people were not injured. The State Commission ordered to replace the broken mechanism, but the submarine was in a single copy, and the production facilities on which it was created had already been disbanded. Nevertheless, the specialists managed to solve the problem, and the submarine worked for many more years. The legendary car, which received the nickname “Papa” from the Americans, was disposed of only in 2010.
On April 7, 1989, one of the biggest tragedies in the history of the Russian Navy's submarine forces took place. As a result of a sudden fire in the Norwegian Sea, the Komsomolets submarine, the only Project 685 Plavnik submarine, which is still considered the record holder in terms of diving depth, sank. People have dreamed of building ships capable of moving under water for many centuries, but the first real submarines were built only in the 19th century. And then they were used for military purposes. Currently, submarines are used in the Navy of 33 countries, including Russia. And it is Russian submarines that hold a number of world records: diving depth, speed, maneuverability and hull size.
The deepest submarine - K-278 "Komsomolets" (project 685 "Fin")
Work on this project began in the USSR in 1966. His goal was to create a submarine with increased diving depth, making it invulnerable to enemy weapons and radars. The task proved difficult: the design phase lasted almost 8 years and was only completed in 1974. The construction of the K-278 submarine of the Plavnik project took a little over five years, from April 22, 1978 to May 3, 1983, when the submarine was launched. After successful sea trials, K-278 became part of the Northern Fleet and already in August 1984 set a world record for diving depth - 1020 meters. At the same time, the Plavnik was not only able to be at this depth without harm to itself, but also fired torpedo fire from it. It was assumed that the maximum diving depth for this submarine would be 1250 meters. In February 1989, K-278 was named "Komsomolets". NATO military experts, who did not know the official names of Soviet military equipment, gave Komsomolets the code designation Mike. This submarine was the pride of the domestic submarine shipbuilding industry. Unfortunately, she managed to complete only three military services. 
At 11 am on April 7, 1989, during the return of the submarine from the last mission, a fire broke out inside it, which could not be eliminated. At 11.14 "Komsomolets" surfaced, but the fire continued. By this time, rescue ships were already on their way to the submarine in distress. Around 16.30, a series of explosions occurred inside K-278, and water began to penetrate into the aft compartments. The crew began to prepare for the evacuation, but events moved too quickly. At 17.08 the submarine sank. The rescue ship that arrived at the scene managed to save only 27 of the 69 crew members. It was not possible to establish the exact causes of the tragedy. According to one version, the whole point was in the design flaws of the K-278, according to others - in the inept actions of the crew. Currently, the sunken Komsomolets lies at the bottom of the Norwegian Sea. 
The largest submarine - "Shark" (project 941)
In the early 1970s, a project was launched in the United States of America to create a new solid-propellant missile with a range of more than 7000 km, as well as nuclear submarines, characterized by an increased level of stealth and the ability to carry 24 such missiles. This series of submarines was named "Ohio". In response to this, the development of new intercontinental ballistic missiles R-39 (RSM-52) began in the USSR. In terms of flight range (more than 8300 km), as well as some other characteristics, the R-52 was superior to the new American Trident I missile, but it was almost twice as long and three times as heavy. For such missiles, new missile submarines were needed. This is how the Project 941 Shark submarines were created, which became the largest submarines in the world. In the NATO classification, they were named SSBN Typhoon. On September 23, 1980, the first Shark was launched. Its greatest length (that is, the distance between the points of the ship most distant from each other along the length) is 172 meters, the greatest width is 23.3 meters. The underwater displacement of the Shark is more than twice the surface displacement: 48,000 tons versus 23,200 tons. When submerged, half the weight of the submarine is ballast water, for which the project 941 received the nickname "Water Carrier". 
Thanks to the new hydroacoustic noise reduction system, the Akula has become the quietest domestic submarine in its class. In addition, she was perhaps the most comfortable submarine in the world: she found a place for a gym, a lounge, a solarium and a “living corner”. On the "Shark" there is even a swimming pool measuring 4x2 m and a depth of 2 m, which is filled with heated outboard water, as well as a sauna sheathed with oak boards. Officers' cabins are equipped with TVs and air conditioners. It was this increased comfort that gave the 941 project another nickname - "Floating Hilton". From 1981 to 1989, 6 submarines of this type were built. Three of them have been disposed of by now (as sailors say, “sawed into needles”) as part of the implementation of the SALT-2 strategic arms limitation treaty. Two more submarines from this series underwent maintenance repairs in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the last one, Dmitry Donskoy, is currently used to test the latest Russian ballistic missile Bulava. 
The fastest submarine - K-222 (project 661 Anchar)
Work on this boat began in 1959. The aim of the project was to create a new high-speed submarine with a titanium alloy hull, as well as an improved nuclear power plant and the ability to launch cruise missiles from under water. In order to stimulate the search for new technical solutions, it was forbidden to use existing machinery, instruments, equipment and automation systems. In fact, the new submarine was made from scratch, which significantly increased the time for its design and construction, and also increased its cost. For the high cost, this submarine received the nickname "Goldfish" in the fleet. The result was a unique submarine, which has no analogues in the whole world, named K-162. In terms of its running and maneuvering qualities, it surpassed all submarines that existed at that time in the Soviet Union and abroad. In 1969, the construction of K-162 was completed. In state tests at 80% reactor power, she developed a speed of 42 knots, which was 4 knots higher than her specification requirements. In 1971, at full power, she showed a speed of 44.7 knots (82.8 km / h), which is still considered the absolute speed record among submarines. 
However, it was found that at speeds greater than 35 knots, the turbulent flow around the hull of a submarine created noise that reached 100 decibels at the center station of the boat. This deprived the boat of stealth and interfered with the work of the crew. In addition, during the operation, low reliability of mechanisms and equipment was revealed. In 1970, K-162 was transferred to the Northern Fleet, and in 1971 she made her first combat campaign (from the Greenland Sea to the Brazil Depression). In 1978, this submarine was renamed K-222, and in 1988 it was put into reserve. In 2008, its dismantling began. In the NATO classification, K-222 was called Papa. 
The most maneuverable submarine - "Lira" (project 705, 705K)
These small submarines were designed as high-speed interceptors, capable of overtaking and destroying enemy submarines detected by location means before information about their location became obsolete. During their creation, the designers departed from some of the basics of submarine shipbuilding, which made it possible to implement a number of innovative technical solutions. Especially for these submarines, new materials and technical means were created based on the latest achievements of science and technology of that time. For the manufacture of the hull and some other structural elements, titanium alloys were used, which made it possible to reduce the weight of the boat and increase its strength. One of the tasks facing the creators of the 705 project was the combination of a small (about 2000 tons) displacement and high speed, which required a powerful reactor. In May 1960, the project was finally approved, but already three years later it became clear that the design of the interceptor submarine was not finalized. Then it was decided to increase the displacement of the submarine, as well as double the number of compartments and the size of the team. 
So in 1977, the submarine 705K (“Lira”) appeared, an improved version of project 705. Its surface displacement was 2300 tons, underwater - 3180 tons, and the maximum speed was 41 knots. In other words, in terms of movement speed, the 705K was second only to the Anchar. The Lyra was capable of reaching full speed in one minute, she could pursue any sea ship or break away from pursuit from any enemy. The highest maneuverability of this submarine is characterized by its ability at maximum speed in 42 seconds to make a 180 ° turn and start moving in the opposite direction. To service the new submarine required a crew of 32 people. Submarines of project 705K, bearing the name Alfa in the NATO classification, were in service for 20 years. During their operation, not a single person from the crew died, however, significant shortcomings were identified that prevent the effective use of these submarines. In 1990, almost all "Lyrs" were excluded from the fleet. The submarine K-123, which was under overhaul from 1983 to 1992, was put out of action only in 1997. 
