Russia’s Voronezh nuclear ballistic missile submarine at Zvezdochka shipyards for planned modernization

06.03.2009
The Russian Project 949A (Antey) nuclear ballistic missile submarine Voronezh of the Northern Fleet has reached the water area of the Zvezdochka shipyards, where it will undergo modernization, the press service of Zvezdochka has announced.

The ship, which was built here in Severodvinsk at the Sevmash Shipbuilding Factory in 1988, will be examined to determine the amount of work needed for its modernization. As expected, thorough modernization of Antey-, Granit-, and Bars-type warships will begin at Zvezdochka in 2010. Therefore, what is being done at this stage is preparing the shipyards for such future work.

In addition to the Zvezdochka, the strategic missile sub Novomoskovsk of the Northern Fleet will likewise undergo repairs and modernization at Zvezdochka. Construction of the Novomoskovsk immediately began after that of the strategic missile submarine Karelia, which was subsequently moved to Zvezdochka on November 22, 2008.

Work on the warship should be completed by 2010, according to plans. It will be the sixth Delphin-class Project 667DRM submarine to undergo modernization at Zvezdochka. The others are the Verkhoturye, Ekaterinburg, Tula, and Bryansk. The service life of these ships was extended by 10 years as a result of such modernization. The strategic missile submarine Karelia should return to combat duty in the Northern Fleet by the end of this year, according to plans.

The Novomoskovsk was also built at the Sevmash Shipbuilding Factory, and it joined the combat group of the Russian Navy in 1990. These submarines can still serve for a long time in the Russian Navy as the cornerstone of Russia’s naval nuclear shield, according to experts.

On December 27, 2000, the crew of the Novomoskovsk, under the command of Captain First Class Alexander Moiseev, successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from the Barents Sea. The launch was performed from under water and was meant to assess the combat readiness of Russia’s Nuclear Strategic Forces. The submarine in 1991 performed an underwater launch of all of its six ballistic missiles simultaneously, a first in the world.

And in March 2004, the crew of the Novomoskovsk, under the command of Captain First Class Sergei Rachuk (subsequently awarded the title of Hero of Russia), performed a successful experimental underwater launch of a ballistic missile form the Barents Sea.

Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, author: Sergei Vasiliev, photo by Boris Serdiuk.
Translation: RusNavy.com