Soviet submarine K-64

K-64 was a Soviet submarine, head ship of its Alfa Class. The K-64 Designation was first given to the first Alfa Class Submarine.

Alfa class submarine (Project 705)
History
Soviet Union, Russia
Laid down:	2 June 1968
Launched:	22 April 1969
Commissioned:	31 December 1971
Decommissioned:	19 August 1974
Out of service:	1972
Fate:	Suffered a major reactor accident, 1972. Deemed too extensive to repair and subsequently scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type:	Alfa-class submarine
Displacement:	2300 tons surfaced, 3200 tons submerged
Length:	81.4 metres
Beam:	9.5 metres
Draught:	7.6 metres
Propulsion:	OK-155 or BM-40A, 155-MWt Lead cooled fast reactor 40000 shp steam turbine, one shaft
Speed:	18–24 knots (33–44 km/h; 21–28 mph) surfaced, 43–45 knots (80–83 km/h; 49–52 mph) submerged
Test depth:	800 m test, has been dived to 1300 m, so crush depth is in excess of this
Complement:	27 officers, 4 petty officers
Armament:	Six 533-mm (21-inch) torpedo tubes: 18 SET-65 or 53-65K torpedoes 20 VA-111 Shkval torpedoes 21 SS-N-15 cruise missiles 12 SS-N-16 cruise missiles 24 mines

For K-64 of Delta-IV class, see Russian submarine BS-64.

Fate

In 1972, the submarine suffered a major reactor problem in the form of a leak of liquid metal coolant. The superheated metal solidified on contact with the colder outside air, freezing and damaging internal components of the reactor. She was removed from service and towed to Severodvinsk. At the dockyard, the damage to the reactor was deemed too extensive for repair and the decision was made to salvage as much as they could. K-64 was split in half, its bow section (including control spaces) was taken to Leningrad and used for training new Soviet submariners.[1]

References

1. Cold War Submarines (First Edition), Page 142, Norman Polmar and K.J. Moore, 2004