India-class submarine

An India class submarine carrying two DSRVs in 1983
An India-class submarine carrying two DSRVs in 1985
Class overview
Operators Soviet Navy
Completed2
Retired2
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement
  • 3,900 long tons (3,963 t) surfaced
  • 4,800–6,840 long tons (4,877–6,950 t) submerged
Length106 m (347 ft 9 in)
Beam9.7 m (31 ft 10 in)
Draught10 m (32 ft 10 in)
PropulsionDiesel-electric, twin screws
Speed
  • 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged
Boats & landing
craft carried
2 × India-class DSRVs
Complement94 (including 17 officers, 21 divers, 8 DSRV pilots)

The Project 940 Lenok class (a type of salmon) (known in the West by its NATO reporting name India class) was a military submarine design of the Soviet Union. Two vessels of this class were built for the Soviet Navy; both were scrapped in the 2000s.

The submarines of this class were designed to function as mother ships for two India-class deep-submergence rescue vehicles (DSRVs), and had decompression chambers and medical facilities on board. While India-class boats were seen going to the aid of Russian submarines involved in incidents, they had also been observed working in support of Russian Spetsnaz operations.

Artist's concept of an India-class submarine deploying a deep submergence rescue vehicle to assist a November-class submarine
Shadowgraph of an India-class submarine with two DSRVs

Units

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# Name Image Building number Laid down Launched Commissioned Fleet Status
BS-486 BS-486
(ex-Komsomolets Uzbekistana)
BS-486
194 22 February 1974[1] 7 September 1975[1] 30 December 1980 Pacific Decommissioned 1995, scrapped in 2000
BS-257 BS-257
BS-257
195 23 February 1978 27 May 1979 1 September 1979 Northern Decommissioned 1996, scrapped in 2005

Citations

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  1. ^ a b Pavlov, p. 82

Bibliography

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  • Friedman, Norman (1995). "Soviet Union 1947–1991: Russian Federation and Successor States 1991–". In Chumbley, Stephen (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. pp. 337–426. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • Pavlov, A. S. (1997). Warships of the USSR and Russia 1945–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-671-X.
  • Polmar, Norman & Moore, Kenneth J. (2004). Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines. Washington, D. C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1-57488-594-1.
  • Polmar, Norman & Noot, Jurrien (1991). Submarines of the Russian and Soviet Navies, 1718–1990. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-570-1.
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