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{{Short description|Soviet ballistic missile submarine class}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2013}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |sclass=2}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin |sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
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|-
|-
{{Infobox ship image
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image=[[File:A Soviet Yankee Notch Class submarine.jpg|300px]]
| Ship image=File:Submarine Yankee I class.jpg
| Ship caption=A Yankee Notch submarine underway.
| Ship caption=A ''Yankee'' I submarine underway.
}}
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
{{Infobox ship class overview
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|Builders=Severodvinsk and Komsomolsk
|Builders=Severodvinsk and Komsomolsk
|Operators={{navy|Soviet Union}}
|Operators={{navy|Soviet Union}}
|Class before={{sclass2-|Hotel|submarine|4}}
|Class before={{sclass2|Hotel|submarine|4}}
|Class after={{sclass2-|Delta|submarine|4}}
|Class after={{sclass2|Delta|submarine|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Cost=
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|Ship armament=*Yankee I/II:4 × {{convert|533|mm|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes
|Ship armament=*Yankee I/II:4 × {{convert|533|mm|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes
*2 × {{convert|400|mm|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes
*2 × {{convert|400|mm|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes
*Yankee I: 16 × R-27 (SS-N-6 Serb) SLBM's
*Yankee I: 16 × R-27 (SS-N-6 Serb) SLBMs
*Yankee II: 12 × R-31 (SS-N-17 Snipe) SLBM's.
*Yankee II: 12 × R-31 (SS-N-17 Snipe) SLBMs.
|Ship armour=
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship armor=
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|}
|}


The '''Yankee class''', Soviet designations '''Project 667A ''Navaga''''' ([[navaga]]) and '''Project 667AU ''Nalim''''' ([[burbot]]), was a series of [[Nuclear propulsion|nuclear-powered]] [[ballistic missile submarine]]s built in the [[Soviet Union]] for the [[Soviet Navy]]. In total, 34 units were produced out of 24 built in [[Severodvinsk]] for the [[Northern Fleet]] and the remaining 10 in [[Komsomolsk-on-Amur]] for the [[Pacific Fleet (Russia)|Pacific Fleet]]. Two Northern Fleet units were later transferred to the Pacific.<ref name="Korabli VMF SSSR 2003">Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, {{ISBN|5-8172-0069-4}}</ref> The lead boat K-137 ''Leninets'' received its honorific name on 11 April 1970, two and one half years after being commissioned.
The '''''Yankee'' class''', [[List of ships of Russia by project number|Soviet designations]] '''Project 667A ''Navaga''''' ([[navaga]]) and '''Project 667AU ''Nalim''''' ([[burbot]]) for the [[Initial operating capability|basic]] '''''Yankee''-I''', were a family of [[Nuclear propulsion|nuclear-powered]] [[ballistic missile submarine]]s built in the [[Soviet Union]] for the [[Soviet Navy]]. In total, 34 units were built: 24 in [[Severodvinsk]] for the [[Northern Fleet]] and the remaining 10 in [[Komsomolsk-on-Amur]] for the [[Pacific Fleet (Russia)|Pacific Fleet]]. Two Northern Fleet units were later transferred to the Pacific.

The ''Yankee''-class were subject to a [[#Variants|wide variety of modifications]]; these ships have a different designation to the original model.


==Design==
==Design==
The Yankee-class [[nuclear submarine]]s were the first class of [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[ballistic missile submarine]]s (SSBN) to have [[thermonuclear]] firepower comparable with that of their American and British [[Polaris missile|Polaris submarine]] counterparts. The Yankee class were quieter in the ocean than were their {{sclass2-|Hotel|submarine|0}} predecessors, and had better [[drag (physics)|streamlining]] that improved their underwater performance. The Yankee class were actually quite similar to the Polaris submarines of the [[U.S. Navy]] and the [[Royal Navy]]. These boats were all armed with 16 [[submarine-launched ballistic missile]]s (SLBM) with multiple [[nuclear warhead]]s as [[nuclear deterrent]]s during the [[Cold War]], and their [[ballistic missile]]s had ranges from {{convert|1500|-|2500|nmi|lk=in}}.
The Yankee-class [[nuclear submarine]]s were the first class of [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[ballistic missile submarine]]s (SSBN) to have [[thermonuclear]] firepower comparable with that of their American and British [[Polaris missile|Polaris submarine]] counterparts. The Yankee class were quieter in the ocean than were their {{sclass2|Hotel|submarine|0}} predecessors, and had better [[drag (physics)|streamlining]] that improved their underwater performance. The Yankee class were actually quite similar to the Polaris submarines of the [[U.S. Navy]] and the [[Royal Navy]]. These boats were all armed with 16 [[submarine-launched ballistic missile]]s (SLBM) with multiple [[nuclear warhead]]s as [[nuclear deterrent]]s during the [[Cold War]], and their [[ballistic missile]]s had ranges from {{convert|1500|-|2500|nmi|lk=in}}.

==Operational history==
[[File:Submarine Yankee I damaged.jpg|thumb|left|''K-219'' damaged]]
The Yankee-class SSBNs served in the [[Soviet Navy]] in three oceans: the [[Atlantic Ocean]], the [[Pacific Ocean]], and the [[Arctic Ocean]] beginning in the 1960s. During the 1970s about three Yankee-class were continually on patrol in a so-called "patrol box" in the Atlantic Ocean just east of [[Bermuda]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051230/MIDOCEAN/112300121 |title=Title unknown |newspaper=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060329044818/http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051230/MIDOCEAN/112300121 |archivedate=March 29, 2006 }}</ref> and off the [[United States West Coast|US Pacific coast]]. This forward deployment of the SSBNs was seen to balance the presence of American, British, and [[France|French]] nuclear weapons kept in [[Western Europe]] and on [[warship]]s (including nuclear submarines) in the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, including the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean|Eastern Atlantic]].<br />

One Yankee-class submarine, {{ship|Soviet submarine|K-219||2}}, was lost on 6 October 1986 after an explosion and fire on board. This boat had been at sea near Bermuda, and she sank from loss of [[buoyancy]] because of flooding. Four of her sailors died before rescue ships arrived. At least one other boat in this class was involved in a collision with a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.{{Citation needed|reason=very strong source required|date=March 2019}}

Because of their increasing age, and as negotiated in the [[SALT|SALT I]], [[START I]] and [[START II]] treaties that reduce nuclear armaments of the United States and the Soviet Union, all boats of Yankee class were disarmed, [[ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] and sent to the [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program|nuclear ship scrapyard]]s.

==Variants==
[[File:Submarine Yankee I class.jpg|thumb|left|Yankee I]]
There were eight different versions of the Yankee subs:
*'''Yankee I (Project 667A):''' The baseline configuration, these were [[ballistic missile submarine]]s that first saw service in 1968; 34 were built. The subs carried 16 [[SS-N-6]] missiles, had 6 torpedo tubes, and carried 18 [[Type 53 torpedo]]es. They were the first Soviet SSBNs to carry their ballistic missiles within the hull (as opposed to the sail).
[[File:Submarine Yankee II class.jpg|thumb|left|Yankee II]]
*'''Yankee II (Project 667AM ''Navaga M''):''' A single-ship class, this was a Yankee I submarine (''K-140'') converted to carry 12 [[SS-N-17]] missiles, which was the Soviet Navy's first [[Solid-fuel rocket|solid-fuel]]led SLBM. The existence of this individual prototype led to several theories about the Yankee II having a unique role in the Soviet arsenal that justified maintaining a single ship with such a unique weapon. One theory suggested that it was designed to perform an emergency satellite-launching function. Subsequently, it was proposed that the SS-N-17 may have had a retargeting capability to allow strikes on aircraft carrier battle groups.
*'''Yankee Notch (Project 667AT ''Grusha''):''' These converted subs were [[attack submarine]]s and first appeared in 1983; four Yankee I boats were rebuilt to this configuration. They incorporated a "notch waisted" center section, which replaced the old ballistic missile compartment, featuring eight {{convert|533|mm|in|adj=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s for up to 40 [[SS-N-21]] missiles or additional [[torpedo]]es. The forward torpedo tubes were retained as well, with some reports suggesting that the vessels may have also been able to fire {{convert|650|mm|abbr=on|0}} [[Type 65 torpedo]]es. The emphasis on additional SS-N-21 missile carriage suggested a tactical role for these submarines, or as second-strike nuclear submarines. Their configuration was a combination of SALT treaty limitations (which affected SLBMs but not cruise missiles) and a typical Soviet unwillingness to completely discard any military hardware that might still have some use. The conversion increased the overall length by {{convert|12|m|ft|1}} to {{convert|141.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}, with a [[Displacement (ship)|displacement]] of up to 11,500 tons submerged. While classed as SSNs (attack subs), these boats might also be considered [[cruise missile submarine|SSGN]]s by virtue of their heavy missile armament.
*'''Yankee Sidecar (Project 667M ''Andromeda'')''' Also known as Yankee SSGN, this was another single-ship class (in this case ''K-420'') converted into an SSGN. It appeared in 1983, carrying 12 [[Kh-80|SS-NX-24]] nuclear-tipped cruise missiles instead of the original ballistic missiles. The SS-NX-24 was an experimental cruise missile, with a supersonic flight regime and twin nuclear warheads. It was meant as a tri-service strategic weapon, and thus would have filled a rather different role than the tactically-oriented {{sclass2-|Oscar|submarine|0}} SSGNs of the same era. In the end, the missile was not adopted, and ''K-420'' became a weapon system without a weapon. It was fully 13,650 tons displacement (dived), and was even longer than the Yankee Notch to accommodate the massive cruise missiles; it was {{convert|153|m|ft|abbr=on}} long overall.
*'''Yankee SSN''' 16 of this type were converted from the basic Yankee I specification. Some were not completely converted, although they cannot carry ballistic missiles, so they were called Yankee SSNX. They retained only their forward torpedo tubes, with the central missile sections having been removed. Some are being scrapped.
*'''Yankee Pod (Project 09774 ''Akson'')''' The Yankee Pod (also known as the Yankee SSAN) is a converted trials submarine, K-403 ''Kazan'', which was used for sonar equipment, with the namesake pod mounted atop the rudder (a la [[Victor-class submarine|Victor III]]-class SSNs). It had other sensor systems incorporated as well, notably alongside the sail.
*'''Yankee Stretch (Project 09774)''' ''K-411'', the Yankee Stretch conversion, is a "mothership" for {{Sclass2-|Paltus|submarine|0}} mini-submarines. It is fully {{convert|160|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length, making it the largest of the Yankee conversions. Like the Yankee Pod, it lacked missile armament. Its mission was believed to be a combination of oceanographic research, search and rescue, and underwater intelligence-gathering.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/row/rus/1083.htm|title=Paltus Class – Project 1083.1|publisher=[[Federation of American Scientists]]|accessdate=2012-08-10}}</ref>
[[File:KS-403 Kazan as Akson-2.jpg|thumb|Yankee Big Nose]]
*'''Yankee Big Nose (Project 09780 ''Akson-2'')''' is an additional modification of K-403 ''Kazan'' for trials of an acoustic system for fourth-generation Russian submarines: the ''Irtysh'' sonar system, in combination with the spherical antenna ''Amfora'', occupies the entire nose section of the submarine. Modification of ''K-415'' was started in 1987, but due to the end of the Cold War and lack of funds, was never completed.

{{clear}}


==General characteristics (Yankee I)==
==General characteristics (Yankee I)==
{{contradictory|date=November 2023}}
{{commons category|Yankee class submarines}}
{{commons category|Yankee class submarines}}
*Length: {{convert|128|m|abbr=on|0}}
*Length: {{convert|128|m|abbr=on|0}}
*Beam: {{convert|11.7|m|abbr=on|0}}
*Beam: {{convert|11.7|m|abbr=on|0}}
*Draught: {{convert|9|m|abbr=on|0}}
*Draught: {{convert|9|m|abbr=on|0}}
*Displacement: 7,760/11,500 tonnes surfaced/dived
*Surface displacement: 7,760 tonnes
*Full (Diving) displacement: 11,500 tonnes
*Speed: {{convert|28|kn}}
*Speed: {{convert|28|kn}}
*Power plant: 2 [[VM-4 reactor|VM-4]] [[pressurized water reactor|reactors]]
*Power plant: 2 [[VM-4 reactor|VM-4]] [[pressurized water reactor|reactors]]
*Hull: Low magnetic steel
*Hull: [[Degaussing|Low magnetic steel]]
*Crew: 114
*Crew: 114
*Compartments: 10
*Compartments: 10
*Armament:
*Armament:
**6 {{convert|21|in|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s for 18 Type 53 [[torpedo]]es or [[naval mine|mine]]s.
**4 {{convert|21|in|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s for 14 [[Type 53 torpedo]]es or [[naval mine|mine]]s.
**2 {{convert|16|in|abbr=on|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s for 4 Type 40 [[torpedo]]es
**16 SS-N-6 liquid-fueled ballistic missiles
**16 [[SS-N-6]] liquid-fueled ballistic missiles
{{clear}}

== Operational history ==
[[File:Submarine Yankee I damaged.jpg|thumb|left|''K-219'' damaged]]
The Yankee-class SSBNs served in the [[Soviet Navy]] in three oceans: the [[Atlantic Ocean]], the [[Pacific Ocean]], and the [[Arctic Ocean]] beginning in the 1960s. During the 1970s about three Yankee-class were continually on patrol in a so-called "patrol box" in the Atlantic Ocean just east of [[Bermuda]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051230/MIDOCEAN/112300121 |title=Title unknown |newspaper=[[The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)|The Royal Gazette]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060329044818/http://www.theroyalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051230/MIDOCEAN/112300121 |archive-date=March 29, 2006 }}</ref> and off the [[United States West Coast|US Pacific coast]]. This forward deployment of the SSBNs was seen to balance the presence of American, British, and [[France|French]] nuclear weapons kept in [[Western Europe]] and on [[warship]]s (including nuclear submarines) in the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, including the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean|Eastern Atlantic]].

The lead boat K-137 ''[[Vladimir_Lenin#Legacy|Leninets]]'' received its [[honorific name]] on 11 April 1970, two and one half years after being commissioned.

One Yankee-class submarine, {{ship|Soviet submarine|K-219||2}}, was lost on 6 October 1986 after an explosion and fire on board. This boat had been at sea near Bermuda, and she sank from loss of [[buoyancy]] because of flooding. Four of her sailors died before rescue ships arrived. The events surrounding the loss of this boat has continued to be [[controversial]].

At least one other boat in this class was involved in a collision with a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.{{Citation needed|reason=very strong source required|date=March 2019}}

Because of their [[Obsolescence|increasing age]], and as negotiated in the [[SALT|SALT I]], [[START I]] and [[START II]] treaties that reduce [[nuclear armament]]s of the United States and the Soviet Union, all boats of Yankee class were disarmed, [[ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] and sent to the [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program|nuclear ship scrapyard]]s.

== Variants ==
There were eight different versions of the ''Yankee''-class submarines:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+''Yankee''-class submarines<ref>{{cite web |title=DEEPSTORM.RU |url=http://www.deepstorm.ru/DeepStorm.files/45-92/nbrs/667A/list.htm |publisher=Deep Storm |access-date=23 November 2023}}</ref>
![[Ship commissioning|First entered Service]]
![[NATO reporting name]]
![[List of ships of Russia by project number|Project Name and Number]]
!Image
!Class
!Main Payload
!Numbers built
!Notes
|-
|1967
|'''''Yankee''-I'''
|'''667А "[[Navaga|''Навага'']]"'''
|[[File:Yankee_class_SSBN.svg|100px]]
|SSBN
|16 x [[R-27 Zyb|Р-27 ''Зыбь'']]
|34
|Baseline; first Soviet sub to carry SLBMs in hull, as [[Golf-class submarine|opposed]] [[Hotel-class submarine|to]] the [[Sail (submarine)|sail]]. Some were [[Strategic Arms Limitation Talks|later disarmed and operated as SSNs]]; sometimes classed as SSNX
|-
|1975
|Improved '''''Yankee''-I'''
|'''667АУ "[[Burbot|''Налим'']]"'''
|
|SSBN
|16 x [[R-27_Zyb#R-27U_(RSM-25)|Р-27У]]
|13 converted
|У/U for Improved ({{Langx|ru|Улучшен}}; Uluchshen)
|-
|1977
|'''''Yankee''-II'''
|'''667АМ "''Навага-М''"'''
|[[File:Yankee_II_class_SSBN.svg|100px]]
|SSBN
|12 x [[R-31 (missile)|Р-31]]
|1 converted
|First Soviet sub to carry [[Solid-propellant rocket|solid-fuel]]ed SLBMs. Subsequently theorized as emergency [[satellite launch |satellite-launcher]] or [[Anti-ship ballistic missile|to strike]] ships in [[aircraft carrier battle group]]s
|-
|1987
|'''''Yankee'' Notch'''
|'''667АТ "[[Pear|''Груша'']]"'''
|[[File:Yankee Notch class SSGN.svg|100px]]
|[[SSGN]]/[[Attack submarine|SSN]]
|32-40 x [[RK-55 |РК-55 ''Гранат'']] (SS-N-21 Sampson)
|3 converted + 4 unfinished
|Lengthened by {{convert|12|m|ft|1}} to {{convert|141.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}; 8 more [[torpedo tube]]s in waist
|-
|''1989 (program cancelled)''
|'''''Yankee'' Sidecar'''
|667М "[[Andromeda (mythology)|''Андромеда'']]"
|[[File:Yankee Sidecar class SSGN.svg|100px]]
|[[Cruise-missile submarine|SSGN]]
|12 x [[Kh-80|П-750 ''Метеорит'']] (SS-NX-24 Scorpion)
|1 converted
|Delivered as an attack sub due to missile program cancellation. {{convert|153|m|ft|abbr=on}} long, 13,650 tons full [[Displacement (ship)|displacement]]
|-
|1984
|'''''Yankee Pod'''''
|'''667АК "[[Axon|''Аксон-1'']]"'''
|[[File:Yankee Pod class SSN.svg|100px]]
|[[Prototype|SSAN]]
|[[Towed array sonar]], pod, other [[Sensor|sensor system]]s
|1 converted
|K-403 ''Kazan''. The [[fin|tailfin]]-pod is similar to those of the [[Victor-class submarine#Project_671RTM/RTMK_Shchuka_(Victor_III)|''Щука''-]] and [[Akula-class submarine|''Щука-Б'' SSN]]s
|-
|1996
|'''''Yankee Big Nose'''''
|'''09780 "[[Axon|''Аксон-2'']]"'''
|[[File:Yankee Big Nose class SSN.svg|100px]]
|[[Prototype|SSAN]]
|Towed array sonar, Irtysh-Amphora spherical sonar array
|1 converted + 1 unfinished (K-415)
|Further modified K-403 ''Kazan''. Tail now resembles those of the [[Delta-class submarine#Delta_IV_(Project_667BDRM_Delfin)_7_boats|667BDRM]] and [[Oscar-class submarine#Project 949A Antei (Oscar II)|949А]] submarines. The Irtysh-Amphora would later equip the [[Russian submarine Severodvinsk (K-560)|lead boat of the ''Yasen''-class]]
|-
|1991
|'''''Yankee Stretch'''''
|'''09774/667АН'''
|[[File:Yankee-Stretch class SSN.svg|100px]]
|"Research" Submarine
|[[Paltus-class submarine|''Палтус''-class midget submarine]]
|1 converted (K-411)
|{{convert|160|m|ft|abbr=on}} long. Stated to be an [[oceanographic vessel]], but believed to be a spy sub similar to [[USS Jimmy Carter|USS ''Jimmy Carter'']]
|}
<gallery class="center" mode="nolines" widths="250" noborder="no" caption="''Yankee''-class submarines in life">
File:A Soviet Yankee Notch Class submarine.jpg|''Yankee'' Notch
File:Submarine Yankee II class.jpg|''Yankee'' II
File:KS-403 Kazan as Akson-2.jpg|''Yankee'' Big Nose
</gallery>

In addition, [[List of ships of Russia by project number|Soviet/Russian classification]] includes the [[Delta-class submarine|''Delta''-class submarines]] within the same family of Project 667; Deltas being '''Project 667B''' onwards.
{{Further|Delta-class submarine}}
{{clear}}
{{clear}}


==Units==
=== Units ===
{{Update|inaccurate=yes|table|date=August 2012}}
{{Update|inaccurate=yes|table|date=August 2012}}
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
Line 140: Line 229:
|September 11, 1966
|September 11, 1966
|November 6, 1967
|November 6, 1967
|Decommissioned April 3, 1994 for scrapping<ref name="Korabli VMF SSSR 2003" />
|Decommissioned April 3, 1994 for scrapping<ref name="Korabli VMF SSSR 2003">Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, {{ISBN|5-8172-0069-4}}</ref>
|-
|-
|'''[[Soviet submarine K-140|K-140]]'''
|'''K-140'''
!667A, 667AM
!667A, 667AM
|SEVMASH, Severodvinsk
|SEVMASH, Severodvinsk
Line 300: Line 389:
|March 25, 1971
|March 25, 1971
|August 12, 1971<ref name="Korabli VMF SSSR 2003" />
|August 12, 1971<ref name="Korabli VMF SSSR 2003" />
|Decommissioned – Scrapping underway in 2010 <ref>{{Coord|64.586|39.8187|type:landmark}}{{failed verification|date=August 2012}}</ref>
|Decommissioned – Scrapping underway in 2010 <ref>{{Coord|64.586|39.8187|type:landmark}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2012}}
|-
|-
|'''[[Soviet submarine K-389|K-389]]'''
|'''[[Soviet submarine K-389|K-389]]'''
Line 408: Line 497:
|}
|}


== References ==
=== Popular culture ===

In [[Tom Clancy]]'s 1986 techno-thriller [[Red Storm Rising]], the entire Yankee-class of [[SSBN]]s are proposed to be taken out of service and scrapped by the [[Soviet Union]] as part of the [[Maskirovka]] I, in part to have the [[United States]] to do likewise with its own first-generation [[George Washington class]], [[Ethan Allen-class submarine|Ethan Allen class]] and [[Lafayette-class submarine|Lafayette class]] SSBNs, and allay [[NATO]] misgivings of the [[USSR]]'s intentions.

=== References ===
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
=== External links ===
*[http://www.nationalgeographic.com/k19/sub_detail_sov4.html National Geographic: Yankee class] accessed March 14, 2004.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20020708140050/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/k19/sub_detail_sov4.html National Geographic: Yankee class] accessed March 14, 2004.
*[http://www.ais.org/~schnars/aero/nato-shp.htm NATO Code Names for Submarines and Ships] accessed March 14, 2004.
*[http://www.ais.org/~schnars/aero/nato-shp.htm NATO Code Names for Submarines and Ships] accessed March 14, 2004.
*[https://fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/slbm/667A.htm Federation of American Scientists: Yankee class] accessed June 11, 2006.
*[https://fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/slbm/667A.htm Federation of American Scientists: Yankee class] accessed June 11, 2006.
Line 418: Line 511:
*[http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/russia/submar.htm World Navies Today: Russian Submarines] accessed June 11, 2006.
*[http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/russia/submar.htm World Navies Today: Russian Submarines] accessed June 11, 2006.
*Jane's Fighting Ships of the World, 1994.
*Jane's Fighting Ships of the World, 1994.

<!-- non-breaking space to keep AWB drones from altering the space before the navbox-->

{{Yankee class submarine}}
{{Yankee class submarine}}
{{Soviet and Russian submarines after 1945}}
{{ColdwarSovietSubmarines}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Yankee Class Submarine}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yankee Class Submarine}}
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[[Category:Yankee-class submarines| ]]
[[Category:Yankee-class submarines| ]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the Soviet Union| ]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the Soviet Union| ]]
[[Category:Russian and Soviet navy submarine classes]]
[[Category:Russian and Soviet Navy submarine classes]]
[[Category:Nuclear submarines of the Soviet Navy]]
[[Category:Nuclear submarines of the Soviet Navy]]

Latest revision as of 13:41, 24 October 2024

Yankee class SSBN profile
A Yankee I submarine underway.
Class overview
NameYankee class
BuildersSeverodvinsk and Komsomolsk
Operators Soviet Navy
Preceded byHotel class
Succeeded byDelta class
Built1964–1974
In commission1967–1995
Completed34
Lost1
Retired33
General characteristics
TypeBallistic missile submarine
Displacement
  • 7,700 tons Surfaced
  • 9,300 tons submerged
Length132 m (433 ft)
Beam11.6 m (38 ft)
Draught8 m (26 ft)
Propulsiontwo pressurized water cooled reactors powering four steam turbines driving two shafts.
Speed
  • Surfaced: 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
  • Submerged: 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)
Rangeunlimited
Complement120
Armament
  • Yankee I/II:4 × 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes
  • Yankee I: 16 × R-27 (SS-N-6 Serb) SLBMs
  • Yankee II: 12 × R-31 (SS-N-17 Snipe) SLBMs.

The Yankee class, Soviet designations Project 667A Navaga (navaga) and Project 667AU Nalim (burbot) for the basic Yankee-I, were a family of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines built in the Soviet Union for the Soviet Navy. In total, 34 units were built: 24 in Severodvinsk for the Northern Fleet and the remaining 10 in Komsomolsk-on-Amur for the Pacific Fleet. Two Northern Fleet units were later transferred to the Pacific.

The Yankee-class were subject to a wide variety of modifications; these ships have a different designation to the original model.

Design

[edit]

The Yankee-class nuclear submarines were the first class of Soviet ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) to have thermonuclear firepower comparable with that of their American and British Polaris submarine counterparts. The Yankee class were quieter in the ocean than were their Hotel-class predecessors, and had better streamlining that improved their underwater performance. The Yankee class were actually quite similar to the Polaris submarines of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy. These boats were all armed with 16 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) with multiple nuclear warheads as nuclear deterrents during the Cold War, and their ballistic missiles had ranges from 1,500–2,500 nautical miles (2,800–4,600 km; 1,700–2,900 mi).

General characteristics (Yankee I)

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yankee class submarines.

Operational history

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K-219 damaged

The Yankee-class SSBNs served in the Soviet Navy in three oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean beginning in the 1960s. During the 1970s about three Yankee-class were continually on patrol in a so-called "patrol box" in the Atlantic Ocean just east of Bermuda[1] and off the US Pacific coast. This forward deployment of the SSBNs was seen to balance the presence of American, British, and French nuclear weapons kept in Western Europe and on warships (including nuclear submarines) in the surrounding Atlantic Ocean, including the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic.

The lead boat K-137 Leninets received its honorific name on 11 April 1970, two and one half years after being commissioned.

One Yankee-class submarine, K-219, was lost on 6 October 1986 after an explosion and fire on board. This boat had been at sea near Bermuda, and she sank from loss of buoyancy because of flooding. Four of her sailors died before rescue ships arrived. The events surrounding the loss of this boat has continued to be controversial.

At least one other boat in this class was involved in a collision with a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine.[citation needed]

Because of their increasing age, and as negotiated in the SALT I, START I and START II treaties that reduce nuclear armaments of the United States and the Soviet Union, all boats of Yankee class were disarmed, decommissioned and sent to the nuclear ship scrapyards.

Variants

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There were eight different versions of the Yankee-class submarines:

Yankee-class submarines[2]
First entered Service NATO reporting name Project Name and Number Image Class Main Payload Numbers built Notes
1967 Yankee-I 667А "Навага" SSBN 16 x Р-27 Зыбь 34 Baseline; first Soviet sub to carry SLBMs in hull, as opposed to the sail. Some were later disarmed and operated as SSNs; sometimes classed as SSNX
1975 Improved Yankee-I 667АУ "Налим" SSBN 16 x Р-27У 13 converted У/U for Improved (Russian: Улучшен; Uluchshen)
1977 Yankee-II 667АМ "Навага-М" SSBN 12 x Р-31 1 converted First Soviet sub to carry solid-fueled SLBMs. Subsequently theorized as emergency satellite-launcher or to strike ships in aircraft carrier battle groups
1987 Yankee Notch 667АТ "Груша" SSGN/SSN 32-40 x РК-55 Гранат (SS-N-21 Sampson) 3 converted + 4 unfinished Lengthened by 12 metres (39.4 ft) to 141.5 m (464 ft); 8 more torpedo tubes in waist
1989 (program cancelled) Yankee Sidecar 667М "Андромеда" SSGN 12 x П-750 Метеорит (SS-NX-24 Scorpion) 1 converted Delivered as an attack sub due to missile program cancellation. 153 m (502 ft) long, 13,650 tons full displacement
1984 Yankee Pod 667АК "Аксон-1" SSAN Towed array sonar, pod, other sensor systems 1 converted K-403 Kazan. The tailfin-pod is similar to those of the Щука- and Щука-Б SSNs
1996 Yankee Big Nose 09780 "Аксон-2" SSAN Towed array sonar, Irtysh-Amphora spherical sonar array 1 converted + 1 unfinished (K-415) Further modified K-403 Kazan. Tail now resembles those of the 667BDRM and 949А submarines. The Irtysh-Amphora would later equip the lead boat of the Yasen-class
1991 Yankee Stretch 09774/667АН "Research" Submarine Палтус-class midget submarine 1 converted (K-411) 160 m (520 ft) long. Stated to be an oceanographic vessel, but believed to be a spy sub similar to USS Jimmy Carter
  • Yankee-class submarines in life
  • Yankee Notch
    Yankee Notch
  • Yankee II
    Yankee II
  • Yankee Big Nose
    Yankee Big Nose

In addition, Soviet/Russian classification includes the Delta-class submarines within the same family of Project 667; Deltas being Project 667B onwards.

Further information: Delta-class submarine

Units

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Yankee class — significant dates
# Project Shipyard Laid down Launched Commissioned Status
K-137 667A, 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk November 4, 1964 September 11, 1966 November 6, 1967 Decommissioned April 3, 1994 for scrapping[3]
K-140 667A, 667AM SEVMASH, Severodvinsk September 19, 1965 August 23, 1967 December 30, 1967 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-26 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk December 30, 1965 December 23, 1967 September 3, 1968 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-32 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk February 25, 1966 April 25, 1968 October 26, 1968 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-216 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk June 6, 1966 August 6, 1968 December 27, 1968 Decommissioned 1985 for scrapping[3]
K-207 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk November 4, 1966 September 20, 1968 May 30, 1968 Decommissioned May 30, 1989 for scrapping[3]
K-210 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk December 16, 1966 December 29, 1968 August 6, 1969 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-249 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk March 18, 1967 March 30, 1969 September 27, 1969 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-253 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk June 26, 1967 June 5, 1969 November 28, 1969 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-395 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk September 8, 1967 July 28, 1969 December 5, 1969 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-339 667A Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk February 23, 1968 June 23, 1969 December 24, 1969 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-408 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk January 20, 1968 September 10, 1969 December 25, 1969 Decommissioned July 17, 1988 for scrapping[3]
K-411 667A, 667AN SEVMASH, Severodvinsk May 25, 1968 January 16, 1970 August 31, 1970 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-418 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk June 29, 1968 March 14, 1970 September 22, 1970 Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping[3]
K-420 667A, 667M SEVMASH, Severodvinsk October 12, 1968 April 25, 1970 October 29, 1970 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-423 667A, 667AT SEVMASH, Severodvinsk January 13, 1969 April 7, 1970 November 13, 1970 Decommissioned for scrapping[3]
K-434 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk February 23, 1969 May 29, 1970 November 30, 1970 Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping[3]
K-426 667A SEVMASH, Severodvinsk April 17, 1969 August 28, 1970 December 22, 1970 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-236 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk November 6, 1969 August 4, 1970 December 27, 1970 Decommissioned September 1, 1990 for scrapping[3]
K-415 667A, 667AK-2 SEVMASH, Severodvinsk July 4, 1969 September 26, 1970 December 30, 1970 Decommissioned August 6, 1987 for scrapping[3]
K-403 667A, 667AK-1 SEVMASH, Severodvinsk August 18, 1969 March 25, 1971 August 12, 1971[3] Decommissioned – Scrapping underway in 2010 [4][failed verification]
K-389 667A Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk July 26, 1970 June 27, 1971 November 25, 1971 Decommissioned April 19, 1990 for scrapping [3]
K-245 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk October 16, 1969 August 9, 1971 December 16, 1971 Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping[3]
K-219 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk May 28, 1970 October 8, 1971 December 31, 1971[3] Lost October 3, 1986
K-252 667A Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk December 25, 1970 September 12, 1971 December 31, 1971 Decommissioned March 17, 1989 for scrapping [3]
K-214 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk February 19, 1970 September 1, 1971 February 8, 1972 Decommissioned June 24, 1991 for scrapping [3]
K-228 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk September 4, 1970 May 3, 1972 September 30, 1972 Decommissioned September 3, 1994 for scrapping [3]
K-258 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk March 30, 1971 May 26, 1972 September 30, 1972 Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping [3]
K-241 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk December 24, 1970 June 9, 1972 October 23, 1972 Decommissioned June 16, 1992 for scrapping [3]
K-444 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk April 8, 1971 August 1, 1972 December 23, 1972 Decommissioned September 30, 1994 for scrapping [3]
K-446 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk November 7, 1971 August 8, 1972 January 22, 1973 Decommissioned March 17, 1993 for scrapping [3]
K-451 667AU SEVMASH, Severodvinsk February 23, 1972 April 29, 1973 September 7, 1971 Decommissioned June 16, 1991 for scrapping [3]
K-436 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk November 7, 1972 July 25, 1973 December 5, 1973 Decommissioned March 14, 1992 for scrapping [3]
K-430 667AU Leninskiy Komsomol Shipyard, Komsomolsk July 27, 1973 July 28, 1974 December 25, 1974 Decommissioned January 12, 1995 for scrapping [3]
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In Tom Clancy's 1986 techno-thriller Red Storm Rising, the entire Yankee-class of SSBNs are proposed to be taken out of service and scrapped by the Soviet Union as part of the Maskirovka I, in part to have the United States to do likewise with its own first-generation George Washington class, Ethan Allen class and Lafayette class SSBNs, and allay NATO misgivings of the USSR's intentions.

References

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  1. ^ "Title unknown". The Royal Gazette. Archived from the original on March 29, 2006.
  2. ^ "DEEPSTORM.RU". Deep Storm. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Korabli VMF SSSR, Vol. 1, Part 1, Yu. Apalkov, Sankt Peterburg, 2003, ISBN 5-8172-0069-4
  4. ^ 64°35′10″N 39°49′07″E / 64.586°N 39.8187°E / 64.586; 39.8187
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