Secrets of the most secret Russian submarine

• Secrets of the most secret Russian submarine

About the existence of a military underwater vehicle for decades nothing was known until recently. And even now the information about the incident on it is scarce - there was a fire, there are casualties. At this point can only speculate what actually works were carried out by members of the crew, and what is generally AC-12 - the most top-secret submarine of the Russian Navy.

Secret submarine of the Russian Navy. / Photo: youtube.com

The history of nuclear submarine AS-12 began in the days of the Soviet Union as part of the developed while defense project 10831. The construction was conducted under conditions of secrecy in order to hide it from the Americans. According to the plans of the Soviet leadership, the AC-12 should be transferred to one of the most secret structures of the Soviet Navy - the center of the deep-sea research.

According Novate.ru, the center studied the marine environment and other underwater research, in particular with a view to drawing up topographic maps bottom. The need for constant navigation using submarines was the result of continuous changes in the crust. It is for this center and entered the AS-12 operation, in which the tasks are also included: maintenance of communication systems, violation of underwater communication systems and sonar systems a potential opponent. It involved in testing new weapons.

AS-12 in the sea. / Photo: svoboda.org

However, the construction of a submarine in practice lasted very long. Which began on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union work in 1990's several times suspended due to the termination of funding - while weak Russian economy was not able to "pull" such an expensive project.

As a result, construction continued for many years, and only in 2010 the submarine was transferred to the Northern Fleet of Russia. Her carrier began nuclear submarine. However, other sources report that the Northern Fleet AS-12 is not included, and its compliance with the secret tasks coordinated directly by the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

The submarine was built for many years. / Photo: obozrevatel.com

However, for some time AS-12 remained a secret for most of the world. It was first mentioned in 2012 after public statements of the Russian side about the conduct of marine research in the North Pole. Submarine involved in the development of the North - to obtain bottom samples, it sank to a depth of 2-3 kilometers.

At the same time began to appear information about the military apparatus, its parameters and assumptions with regards to the tasks it can perform. Length AU-12 - 70 meters, width - 7 meters, displacement - 2000 tons. Number of crew on board - 25 people. Thus, the submarine is one of the smallest in the world.

A comparison of the size of the AS-12 to other devices. / Photo: defence-line.org

AC-12 has an atomic engine speeds up to 30 knots. Maximum depth, according to some reports - 6000 meters. This is possible, in particular, due to the unique internal structure of the submarine - a series of titanium spherical compartments.

Interesting fact: AS-12 structure "gave" the informal name of the machine - "Losharik": the unusual shape of the body makes it similar to the eponymous character of the Soviet cartoon.

The layout of internal areas of the AS-12. / Photo: svoboda.org

Despite the fact that a submarine has been known for a few years, accurate information about its appearance and a specific list of tasks that it performs. On this issue, many have tried to find the answer, including NATO and the Pentagon. However, none of the versions of the Russian command has not confirmed nor denied. There is also only a few pictures, which are believed to "have caught" AS-12, but the majority of them - only suggestive image.

Tie hairpin crew of AC-12. / Photo: svoboda.org

New, but this time the tragic turn of history most secret Russian submarine occurred July 2, 2019. Then, it was reported the press service of the Ministry of Defense about the incident in the Barents Sea the day before, July 1. It said that one of submarines within the boundaries of the territorial waters of Russia there was a fire. Killing 14 of the crew members as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

submarine officer who died July 1, 2019. / Photo: murmansk.bezformata.com

The disaster raised a new wave of interest in the AS-12. Now the domestic and foreign institutions and experts are trying to find out the circumstances of the tragedy, as well as the reasons why the submarine was there at all. Official information is extremely small, in accordance with her AS-12 was engaged in "routine robots", but not everyone is happy with this version.

The funeral service for the victims at the AS-12. / Photo: golos-ameriki.ru

There are at least two points of view with regards to the tasks that could perform "Losharik": conducting underwater topographic survey to support other nuclear submarines, or the preparation for the construction of a new generation of sonar to improve underwater Defense of Russia.