Cup of Chicory and the Typhoon Sub…

Silhouette of soviet Typhoon class ballistic m...

Typhoon...

My thinking’s this morning were centered around the decommissioning of the Soviet Typhoon Submarines. I had all but forgotten about these beasts of a submarine. They are like a city under water, complete with the niceties of life. Lets see what Wikipedia says about the Typhoon…

The Project 941 or Akula, Russian “Акула” (“Shark”) class submarine (NATO reporting name: Typhoon) is a type of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine deployed by the Soviet Navy in the 1980s. With a submerged displacement of 48,000 tons, the Typhoons are the largest class of submarine ever built, large enough to accommodate decent living facilities for the crew when submerged for months on end. The source of the NATO reporting name remains unclear, although it is often claimed to be related to the use of the word “Typhoon” (“Тайфун”) by Leonid Brezhnev in a 1974 speech while describing a new type of nuclear ballistic missile submarine. Soviet doctrine for these vessels was to have them launch SLBMs while submerged under the arctic ice, avoiding the traversal of the GIUK gap to remain safe from the enemy attack submarines and anti-submarine forces. Technically Typhoons were also able to successfully deploy their long-range nuclear missiles while moored at their docks.

So as I was sipping that wonderful cup of chicory. I decided to do some research on this submarine. I have to say it is one big sub. The name that the Russians call it seems better; Shark class submarine. I would say Great White Shark if I named it…

After asking Yandex the Russian search engine about the submarine. I realized that the START III treaty makes this submarine unusable according to the treaty’s wording. Then I realized that Russia is having to make a big ado about this, so that the West will feel so much better about life, knowing that the old Soviet Death Sub is gone…

Myself, I don’t think that these submarines are going anywhere. With the exception of the three of them that are mothballed already. I think that they will tuck away three of these submarines nice n quiet and keep them for a rainy day. This is what the USA would and does do with many old forms of nuclear weapons and delivery vessels…

I also saw an article that was sneaked into the news. It said: A high-ranking source in the Russian Defense Ministry has denied rumors of a planned scrapping of Typhoon class strategic submarines in the near future. Several media sources reported recently that the Russian military had decided to scrap the world’s largest nuclear-powered subs by 2014. “The Defense Ministry has not made such a decision. The submarines remain in service with the Navy,” the official told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

I noticed that the MSN press did not take that news story and run with it. They really like the fact that the biggest and baddest submarine on earth is being decommissioned and that is that…

Kyle Keeton
Windows to Russia!

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