Soviet submarine S-99
The S-99 (Russian: С-99) experimental submarine was the only ship of the Soviet Project 617 submarine class (NATO reporting name: Whale class) that the Soviet Union built during the early Cold War and the only Soviet submarine which had a Walter engine fuelled by high test peroxide (HTP).
 Scheme of Whale class submarine | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Soviet Union | |
| Name: | S-99 |
| Builder: | Sudomekh, Galerniy Island[1] |
| Laid down: | 5 February 1951[1] |
| Launched: | 5 February 1952[1] |
| Completed: | 20 March 1956[1] |
| Fate: | decommissioned and scrapped after 1959 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 900 tons, 1215 tons submerged |
| Length: | 62.2 m (204 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in) |
| Draft: | 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion: | Diesel-electric with AIP Walter turbine |
| Speed: |
|
| Endurance: | 45 days |
| Test depth: | 170 m (557 ft 9 in) |
| Complement: | 54 |
| Armament: | 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (bow, 12 torpedoes) |
Design
Initial design of submarine was based on project XXVI documentation taken from Germany as a trophy in 1945 and used in the 1945–1946 development of Project 616. The resultant speed of 19 knots submerged and a 10% buoyancy reserve were assessed as a good but insufficient result, leading to a new project from 1949–1951 based in Leningrad.
Construction
The hull of the submarine was divided on six sections
- torpedo room
- battery and living quarters
- command room
- diesel room, maintenance base of the turbine engine
- turbine room, unoccupied and sealed
- electric engine room
Soviet Navy service
The boat was built in 1951-52 and commissioned in 1956 after sea trials. S-99 became the fastest Soviet submarine of the time, reaching 20 to 22 kn (37 to 41 km/h; 23 to 25 mph) submerged. Between 1956-59 she served in the Baltic fleet. In 1959, prior to planned repairs, S-99 was used for turbine tests. Experiments at depths of 40 to 60 m (130 to 200 ft) were successful, but there was an explosion at 80 m (260 ft). The submarine surfaced and reached base on battery power. After the incident, S-99 was decommissioned and scrapped.
References
- "S-99 (6123883)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 23 September 2009.