SSN Nerpa joined Russian Navy

29.12.2009 Source: RIA Novosti, photo: SSN Nerpa (militaryparitet.com)

Nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa was commissioned into Russian Navy on Monday, informed RIA Novosti referring to high-ranking representative of Pacific Fleet HQ.

On Nov 8, 2008 during first sea trials of Nerpa built at Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk, as a consequence of inadvertent operation of firefighting system LOH (submarine, volumetric, chemical) freon gas started to enter compartments. 20 people died and 21 were intoxicated out of 208 attendants, mostly specialists of the shipyard and experts from Moscow and St. Petersburg. After repair, the sub has successfully passed all required phases of builder's and state trials, said representative of Pacific Fleet HQ to RIA Novosti.

"A solemn commissioning ceremony of SSN Nerpa held today at Bolshoi Kamen (Primorsky Krai). Vice Admiral Konstantin Sidenko, Pacific Fleet Commander was among the guests", said the PF representative.

The weather was stormy during the ceremony; it was -25°C. Even orchestra's trumpets were frost", said the interviewee.

Experts inspected all systems of the sub after the accident happened in 2008 but have not found any serious damages. Nevertheless, all sections of compartment which had been polluted by gas needed to be washed off; freon was replaced. The shipyard does not possess results of investigation carried out by special board since they are classified. In total, Amur Shipyard expended 1.9 bln rub on the sub's recovery.

The submarine is expected to be leased to India for 10 years. According to Russian media, the contract cost is $650 mln.

SSN Nerpa is a third-generation submarine. Its displacement is 8,140/12,770 tonnes; maximum speed is 30 knots; test depth is 600 meters; endurance is 100 days; crew is 73; armament contains four 533-mm torpedo tubes and four 650-mm torpedo tubes. However, torpedoes of this caliber were removed from operational status after accident happened to SSN Kursk in 2000.