21.06.2009 Russia's brand new submarine left the yard today and sailed out in the White Sea.
The construction of the submarine started 13 years ago, but on 19th of June Yury Dolgoruky could finally sail out from Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk. The submarine is of the Borey-class, supposed to be armed with the new Bulava intercontinental missiles (ICBMs), but they are not yet ready, so the submarine is without armament.
Yury Dolgoruky will be out in the White Sea for approximately 20 days. After that the first sea trials with diving will start. Before sailing from Severodvinsk on Friday afternoon, the vessel had its final inspection done by the Russian Navy's top commander, Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky, reports Vesti.ru.
Both reactors onboard are reported to work normally. The total costs for the submarine is 23 billion roubles, or some USD 760 millions.
Yury Dolgoruky will be delivered to the navy by the end of this year.
The design of the submarine resembles the one of Delta-class, but the Borey-class is bigger in size.
The submarine has a crew of 107. It is 170 meters long and can dive to a depth of 450 meters. It can stay under water for more than three months.