SKK Kaluga leaves Zvezdockha Shipyard covered slipway
Zvezdochka Shipyard on May 26, 2012 rolled out from covered slipway diesel-electric submarine B-800 Kaluga (Kilo class, Project 877 Paltus,), the shipbuilder said.
In 2002, SSK Kaluga was towed to Zvezdochka Shipyard for refitting and upgrade. But the submarine had stayed at shipyard’s for almost 10 years pending the overhaul, which started only in 2010 because of lack of funding.
The shipbuilding enterprise completed repair of hull, equipment, propeller/rudder systems, the main power plant and other systems to ensure the submarine survivability. After launching the sub will be outfitted in a floating dock.
In June, SSK Kaluga will undergo mooring trials and in the autumn the shipyard will commence the vessel sea trials. The delivery and acceptance certificate for the submarine will be signed between the shipyard and the Ministry of Defense in late 2012, after which the ship will be in serve the next 10 years.
SSK Kaluga is the first in the last 20 years, Russian submarine of Project 877, which underwent refitting and modernization. The diesel-electric attack submarine was built in Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) at Kransoye Sormovo Shipyard. The Project designer CDB Rubin (general designer of the project, Yuri Kormilitsyn). The submarine entered service in the Soviet Navy in 1989 and served in the Black Sea Fleet, the Barents Sea and the Northern Fleet. In May 2003, the vessel was renamed as “Kaluga.”
The Kilo-class Project 877 submarines are designed for anti-shipping and anti-submarine operations, deployment of mines, reconnaissance.
The Project 877 LPMB ships have displacement of more than 3,000 tons, submerged speed up to 17 knots. Length - 72.6 m, beam - 9.9 m. Armament - six 533-mm 18 torpedo tubes, 24 mines. Complement - 57.