![]() ![]() It’s good for targets over 8,000 kilometers away. In other words, it can almost scale the North Pacific Ocean, reaching the coastline of Japan from the Western sands of California. Other armament includes four 21-inch torpedo tubes and two 26-inch torpedo tubes. To keep everything moving, the crews have completed many tests since its relaunch. 27 September 2005 saw the first Bulava missile test from the surface of the White Sea off the North coast of Russia near Finland. Its first underwater firing followed on 21 December 2005, on the Kera Test Range on the far side of Russia. A further, and this time failed, test in 2009 resulted in a spiraling blue light which was spotted from Norway and Sweden. Captured in photographs, the people lucky enough to have seen this said it looked like a blue light emanating from behind the mountains, stopping mid-air before spiraling outwards. Lasting around 10 minutes, and covering a large area of northern Norway, one of the country’s famous astronomers had initially believed it to have been a never before seen variant of the Northern Lights.Ģ010 saw, once again, successful attempts at shooting targets back at the Kera Test Range. While crews are trained to deal with immensely powerful weapons, they’re also expected to live inside the submarine for long spells of time.Īfter all, it’s capable of staying submerged for 120 days if not more – that’s around four months. You might not expect such a utilitarian vessel to be so lavishly equipped, but it’s no hostile environment. Nicknamed the floating Hilton, because accommodation is so good, crews can expect similar styles of luxury to ships that occupy the water’s surface. Wooden panels line many of the walls, and plush padded chairs take the place of hard-wearing plastic alternatives. ![]() On rest days, or even on workdays, the crew can get a full workout in, using the onboard gym, before taking a dip in the submarine’s indoor swimming pool – yes, an underwater swimming pool! The doorways are even full-sized, which is a real luxury in the military world. It might only be around 2 feet deep, but the pool is designed to help relax the workers, and to provide them with a sense of familiarity. This is all before heading off to the sauna. But this is soon to become history, as the typhoon class submarine makes way for the newer, and smaller, Borei class. What this means is that Russia’s typhoon will likely hold the title for the world’s largest submarine for many years yet, even beyond its retirement which is set to be sometime during or after 2026. Looking toward the future, plans have been submitted for another Russian-built submarine that would absolutely dwarf the typhoon class submarine by comparison. Twice the length, the suggested vessel is not intended to be a military vehicle, but rather a transportation device for liquid natural gas under the Arctic ice. There’s no word on the possibility, or feasibility, of this yet, but one thing’s for sure. If you had the chance, would you venture into the deep seas in a submarine-like Typhoon class Dmitriy Donskoy, or do you prefer to keep your feet safely grounded on terra firma? It would be almost immune to piracy, making it one of the safest ways to carry expensive resources around the world. ![]()
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