This fascinating title explains and analyzes the history, technology,
and service of the Soviet Navy's nuclear attack submarines, the
formidable high-tech boats on the front line of the Cold War at sea.
In this highly detailed book, naval historian Edward Hampshire reveals
the fascinating history of the nuclear-powered attack submarines built
and operated by the Soviet Union in the Cold War, including each class
of these formidable craft as they developed throughout the Cold War
period.
The November class, which were the Soviet Union's first nuclear
submarines, had originally been designed to fire a single enormous
nuclear tipped torpedo but were eventually completed as boats firing
standard torpedoes. The Alfa class were perhaps the most remarkable
submarines of the Cold War: titanium-hulled (which was light and strong
but extremely expensive and difficult to weld successfully), crewed with
only thirty men due to considerable automation and 30% faster than any
US submarines, they used a radical liquid lead-bismuth alloy in the
reactor plant. The Victor class formed the backbone of the Soviet
nuclear submarine fleet in the 1970s and 1980s, as hunter-killer
submarines began to focus on tracking and potentially destroying NATO
ballistic missile submarines. The Sierra classes were further
titanium-hulled submarines and the single Mike-class submarine was an
experimental type containing a number of innovations. Finally, the Akula
class were being constructed as the Cold War ended, and these boats form
the mainstay of the Russian nuclear attack submarine fleet today.
This book explores the design, development, and deployment of each of
these classes in detail, offering an unparalleled insight into the
submarines which served the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War period.
The text is supported by stunning illustrations, photographs, and
diagrams of the submarines.
