Introducing the K-222: The Fastest Nuclear Submarine Ever Built

[Article déjà publié le 12 octobre 2024]

While the Cold War was in full swing between the Western bloc and the Soviet bloc, the USSR, like the United States, each prepared on their own for a possible open conflict. In this sense, the Soviet bloc had developed a formidable weapon, the K-222, the fastest submarine in history. Even today, no army has been able to match its speed.

A nuclear attack submarine with crazy speed

Commissioned in 1969, just a few years after the Cuban crisis which almost plunged the world into irreversible chaos, the K-222, of the Papa class, was therefore an SNA launching cruise missiles as well as atomic bombs.

In other words, from the waters, it had the capacity to hit targets located at sea as well as on land and plunge the world into chaos. A double threat that mixed with his flagship characteristic: his speed.

Indeed, two years after its entry into service, it set a speed record that will never be beaten. If its engineers hoped to see it speed through the water at a speed of around 38 knots (70.37 km/h), they will be surprised to see that the K-222 had been flashed at 44.7 knots, i.e. a speed of 82.78 km/h.

A definite asset for operating quickly at sea. However, his speed is what led to his downfall.

The end of K-222

Today, the K-222 is no longer used and has been dismantled due to numerous problems. Indeed, as reported IFLScienceits very high speed led to structural defects even on the submarine and above all, produced a noise of almost 100 decibels (dB) inside the passenger compartment.

In other words, at full speed, the submariners continuously experienced a sound equivalent to a concert, a passing train or even a jackhammer. A noise that is difficult to bear for the human ear for long periods since, according to the decibel scale, noises are considered dangerous between 80 and 100 decibels and painful between 100 and 130 dB.

But what caused the end of the K-222 was not its noise. In fact, what caused the cessation of use of the submarine was due to an event during reactor maintenance. On September 30, 1980, a failure to follow procedures led to an uncontrolled start-up of the reactor, which damaged its core.

It was withdrawn from service in 1988 and dismantled in 2010. The aircraft measured 106.6 meters long and could accommodate a crew of 82 men.

What is the average speed of a nuclear submarine?

If the K-222 has remained in history as the fastest submarine, the consequences linked to its speed have allowed other nations to learn lessons regarding the construction of their vessels.

And today, we will always prefer a quiet submarine to a fast but noisy submarine. The goal is to remain undetectable by everyone.

Generally speaking, nuclear attack submarines (SNA) are vessels that move through the water at an average speed of 25 knots, or 46.3 km/h. But in 1997, six years after the end of the Cold War, the United States commissioned theUSS Seawolf. The latter, an SNA and standard bearer of its class, was capable of reaching a speed estimated at 35 knots or 64 km/h.

Compared to the K-222, this speed did not prevent it from being withdrawn from service prematurely since it is currently still in the hands of the US Navy.

Source : IFLScience