Project 705 Lira / Alfa class - Program
The first (pilot) Boat K-64 was laid at the Admiralty Shipyard in Leningrad 02.06.68, launched on 22/04/69, was put into operation 31.12.71. These dates are rather later than dates provided in Western chronologies, which report laid down in 1965, launched in 1967 and put into operation in 1972. It was building for a long time, and eventually was dismantled in 1974 due to poor design. Earlier, in 1972, it was decided to suspend work on the Project 705 boats project to determine and eliminate the causes of failure of the first reactor circuit. The failure of the lead ship delayed the progress of the program for a long time, but did not lead to its termination.
The pilot boat of Project 705 (tactical number K-64) was laid at the Leningrad Admiralty Association in June 1968. Construction of an experimental submarine of project 705 (K-64) featured the nuclear power plant OK-550, which was to become the prototype of a large series of anti-nuclear submarines. The first boat of the class had been on the ways for about seven or eight years, instead of the normal one to two years.
This boat had a power plant developed by Gorky OKBM. It was launched in the shed of the Leningrad Admiralty Association 02 June 1968. On 22 April 1969 the ship was launched. After three and a half years, the ship arrived at the Northern Fleet. At the end of 1971, it arrived at the base and 31 December came into operation of the Northern Fleet, joining the 1st Flotilla 3rd Submarine Division. The first commander of a unique atomic-powered vessel was Captain 1st rank Pushkin.
However, the boat plagued with failures. During mooring trials one of the independent loops of the first circuit failed. In the initial period of operation the secondary loop failed. It was revealed there was cracking of a welded titanium housing. Since the beginning of operation of the K-64 plagued with failures and accidents, the largest of which led to the solidification of the coolant and the complete failure of the reactor.
On 19 August 1974 K-64 was taken out of the combat fleet, and even before that, and the whole program was suspended construction of a series (at that time another five similar ships were in Leningrad and Severodvinsk on the stocks).
There was a "debriefing" at the highest level has led to the abandonment of the Gorky option in favor of the power plant BM-40A of 150 MW developed in Podolsk. It proved to be much more reliable, in any case, later built on six advanced submarine project 705K and no sailor perished due to radiation accidents.
After the accident, the head of NPS #900, M.G. Rusanov, was removed from office in 1974 and sent into retirement. Completion of the series and the work on its modernization continued Deputy MG Rusanov - Viktor Romijn. By resolution of the Government in 1981, the Bureau for the establishment of the first high-speed automated submarine pr. 705 (705K) was awarded the Order of the October Revolution. Chief Designer V.Romina was awarded the Lenin Prize, and K.A.Landgraf, Y.Blinkovo, V.V.Lavrent'ev, V.V.Krylov - the USSR State Prize. A large group of professionals Bureau awarded orders and medals. The pensioner M.G.Rusanov received the Order of Lenin.
Almost all Navy officers subsequently sailed on boats of Project 705 confirmed their high maneuverability, and fast running speed. Chairman of the State Commission for acceptance of the parent submarine Admiral GM Egorov highly appreciated the speed and maneuverability of the ship and crew officers, Aware that on the shores of the ship will have to be serviced shore crew, compared boat with an airplane (though in practice, the basis for this comparison was the shore crews, who were not the best).
The failure of the lead ship for a long time delayed the progress of the program, but did not lead to its termination. In Severodvinsk and Leningrad began the construction of a series of seven boats advanced project 705K code "Lira". According to the revised draft 705K from 1977 to 1981, six were built at two plants (3 SMP and 3 "Sudomech"). The seventh ship in the series, was dismantled on the stocks. Head boat of Project 705K [K-123], marking the beginning of a series of four ships, was laid in Severodvinsk 29/12/67, launched on 04/04/76, was put into operation 12.12.77.
On April 8, 1982 in the Barents Sea, "Alpha" (K-123), project 705, had a nuclear accident. The gap of the first circuit burst and 2 tons of liquid metal coolant spilled into the reactor compartment.
The facility where the PL 705 "Lira" were based was created with a coastal complex for ships of this project. It had a special boiler for the ships by the piers where the ships were docked, which gave steam from their boilers. However, due to the low reliability of the onshore systems, submarines "basking" from its heat were running at minimum controlled power level. This led to a rapid deterioration of the reactors and the need for a permanent presence of the crew on board the boat. In particular, there were serious problems with theo need to maintain the first loop reactor in the hot state). It was needed regular special operation to prevent oxidation of the alloy-coolant, constant monitoring of his condition and the periodic regeneration (removal of oxides).
Difficulties with providing external heat led to the fact that almost all the 705 nuclear submarines "Lira" were retired at the end of 1980s They were decommissioned, the nuclear fuel unloading was not carried out, which is why nuclear power submarines of this class were called - "single-use reactors." Total operating nuclear power of the ship was about 70 reactor-years.
The new reactor allowed longer operation, and increasd the speed, but proved to be very capricious. Despite the fact that the submarine reactors experienced two nuclear accident, the reactor systems were considered safer than nuclear power units with pressurized water (water-water reactors).
Until 1980, five boats of the project (705 and slightly modified 705K),were built. The ships were part of the 6th Division of submarines of the Northern Fleet (which at one time commanded took part in the seminar, Vice Admiral O. Faleev) and up to 1990 carried on combat duty.
There were serious difficulties in providing submarine bases (requiring constant maintenance of the 1st reactor loop in a hot state), and the complexity of special operations to prevent the oxidation of-coolant alloy, status control and periodic regeneration (removal of oxides). The difficulty of repair led to a re-evaluation of the use of nuclear submarines of Project 705 after the end of the "Cold War". Despite the low production of cores, the deterioration mechanisms and systems led to the emergence of the Navy General staff directive for the withdrawal of these submarines from the Navy.
In 1996 the last submarines of this type was removed from the Navy .
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