Submarine Alrosa to attend SR exercise near Spain

21.01.2011 Black Sea Fleet (BSF) diesel electric submarine Alrosa will probably participate in the Bold Monarch submarine rescue exercise led by Spain, reported a representative of Black Sea Fleet HQ.

International search-and-rescue exercise Bold Monarch is scheduled in May-June 2011.

"Submarine Alrosa really prepares for this exercise, although definitive decision has not been made yet", said the interviewee. According to him, the sub presently undergoes docking in Novorossiysk.

Once the decision is positive, the sub would have to sail off Sevastopol early in May to reach the Mediterranean Sea via Bosporus and Dardanelles straits and arrive to the exercise site by assigned date.

Considering that Bold Monarch is a search-and-rescue exercise, several BSF salvage ships and tugs also prepare for the cruise.

Alrosa is a Project 877 Varshavyanka submarine (on NATO classification – Kilo). Ships of this project has displacement of 2,325/3,076 tons; length is 76.2 meters; beam is 9.9 meters; draft is 6.2 meters; speed (surface/submerged) is 10/17 knots; fuel range is 400 miles in submerged position and 6,000 miles in surface position. Test depth is 300 meters; operating depth is 240 meters. The crew is 53 men, including 14 officers. The sub is armed with six 533-mm bow torpedo tubes with 12 torpedoes and self-defense SAM system Igla.