Online Encyclopedia
Golf class submarine
| General Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Displacement: |
2,794 tons Surfaced/3,553 tons Submerged (629) 2,300-2,820 tons Surfaced/2,700-3,553 tons Submerged 629A) |
| Length: |
98.4 meters (629) 98.9 meters (629A) |
| Beam: | 8.2 meters |
| Draught: |
7.85 meters (629) 8.5 meters (629A) |
| Propulsion: | Diesel electric |
| Speed: |
12.5 knots Submerged
12-14 knots Submerged |
| Range: | 70 days endurance |
| Complement: |
80 (629) 83 (629A) |
| Armament: |
Three nuclear tipped ballistic missiles First three 629 boats D-1 launch system with R-11FM missiles |
| Diving depth: |
260 meters (design)
300 meters (maximum depth) |
The Project 629 Golf class submarine was a Soviet diesel electric ballistic missile submarine.
Design was started in the mid-1950s at the OKB-16 design bureau along with the D-2 missile system which it was to carry, and was based on the Foxtrot . The submarine was originally designed to carry three R-11FM ballistic missiles with a range of around 150 km. These were carried in three silos fitted in the rear of the large sail behind the bridge. They could only be fired on the surface but the submarine could be underway at the time. Only the first three boats were equipped with these — the remaining ones were equipped with the longer range R-13 missiles.
The first boats were commisioned in 1958 and the last in 1962.
The boats were built at two shipyards — 16 in Severodvinsk and 7 in Komsomol Na Amur. Fourteen were extensively modified in 1966-1972 and because known as 629A's by the Soviet Navy and Golf IIs by NATO (the original version now being designated Golf I). The major change was the upgrade of the missile system to carry R-21 missiles and increased speed. A few others had different conversions, for example one boat was converted to a minelayer (629E).
The hull was divided into eight water-tight compartments, although this did not prevent to loss of K-129 on 3 August 1968 1390 kms northwest of Oahu in the Pacific Ocean. The submarine exceeded its crush depth for unknown reasons and imploded, the accident being registered by the SOSUS network. The United States recovered parts of the submnarine recovered in July 1974 from a depth of around 5 km, in an operation named Project Jennifer.
Later versions had significant modifications starting in 1967, the new version being called Project 629A. The NATO designation for the submarine was Golf, and Golf I/Golf II when the later variant appeared.
All had left Soviet service by 1990 and ten were sold to North Korea in 1993, apparently currently still in service and armed with the North Korean DPRK missile.
The plans were sold to China which built a single modified example in [[1966] which is apparently still in service.
External Links
Golf submarine details on FAS website