The Whiskey class was the NATO reporting name
of a class of diesel-electric patrol submarines that were built in the Soviet
Union. The Soviet designation of this class was Project 613. Construction
of the class spanned from 1949 to 1958 and, as finalized, the boats displaced
1045 tons when surfaced and 1342 s submerged with dimensions that included a length
of 76 meters, a beam of 6,3 meters, and a draught of 5 meters. A standard crew
complement numbered 55 personnel. Propulsion was conventional and involved
a combination diesel-electric arrangement in which the diesel units carried the
boat during surface running and the electric motors powered the boat underwater.
This required the boat to surface to charge its battery packs and expel any built-up
CO2 gas. Surfaced speeds reached 18 knots and submerged speeds fell to 13 knots.
Operational range was out to 8580 nautical miles when surfaced and 353 miles when
submerged - enough provisions were on hand to supply the crew on 30 day long patrols.
As designed, the Whiskey-class was primarily intended for coastal patrolling though
its role would expand throughout its service tenure. In terms of armament,
the Whiskey-class continued established attack submarine tradition by being fitted
with 6 x 533mm (21") torpedo tubes arranged in four bow (forward facing)
mountings and two stern (rear facing) mountings. This allowed the frontal four
tubes to be used to attack forward targets and the pairing at the rear to engage
trailing targets. Twelve torpedo reloads were carried though this could be substituted
with twenty-two naval mines as needed. Between 1949 and 1958 a total of
215 submarines of this type were commissioned into the Soviet Navy. The Whiskey-class
was sold to various Soviet-aligned nations including Albania, Bulgaria, China,
Egypt, Indonesia, North Korea, and Poland. 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. Submarine S-69 laid down 15 January 1952 at the Shipyard No.444
named after A.Marti, Nikolaev (yard No.407) by Project 613, launched 16 November
1952, commissioned 10 April 1953 and was assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. From
15 December 1958 to 21 September 1960, S-69 was overhauled at the Krasnoe Sormovo
Shipyard named after A.A. Zhdanov, Gorky, and converted to Project 644 guided
missile submarine, by having launch tubes for two SS-N-3 Shaddock anti-ship missiles
fitted externally. 05 March 1973 the submarine S-69 was decommissioned,
excluded from the lists of the Black Sea Fleet and scrapped in Inkerman. Specifications |
Displacement (tons): | Surfaced: | 1160 |
Submerged: | 1473 |
Dimensions (m): | Length: | 76 |
Beam: | 6,3 |
Draught: | 5,4 | Speed
(knots): | Surfaced: | 18,3 |
Submerged: | 13,1 |
Range: | Surfaced: | 5000
nmi (8 knots) | Under snorkel: | 3100
nmi (8 knots) | Submerged: | 260
nmi (2 knots) | Diving depth (m): |
Operational: | 170 |
Maximum: | 200 |
Endurance (days): | 20 |
Propulsion: | 2x2000 hp, diesels
37D, 2x1350 hp, electric motors PG-101, 2x50 hp, electric motors PG-103, 2 fixed
pitch propellers | Armament: | 2
P-5 cruise missiles launchers, 4 bow torpedo tubes (4 torpedoes) L-4 torpedoes
fire control system | Electronics: |
RLK-101 Albatros radar complex, Flag surface radar, Anker reconnaissance radar,
Fakel-MO-1 IFF, ARP-53 radio direction finder, Tamir-5LS sonar, Mars noise detection
sonar, MG-15 Sviyaga special sonar, Sever-N-644 navigation complex |
Complement: | 58 (11 officers) |
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