Thursday, April 25, 2024

Russia’s decommissions world’s largest nuclear submarine

The Russian Navy’s Project 941 Akula-class heavy nuclear-powered strategic submarine Dmitry Donskoy has been decommissioned.

It will await utilization at a naval base in Severodvinsk together with two other units of this project, head of the Russian Movement for Navy Support Vladimir Maltsev said.

“The Dmitry Donskoy submarine cruiser has been decommissioned from the Russian Navy. It will await utilization at a naval base in Severodvinsk together with two other units of this project,” Vladimir Maltsev told TASS.

The Dmitry Donskoy was laid down by the Sevmash Shipyard in 1976 and launched on September 29, 1980.

Initially, intercontinental ballistic missiles of the D-19 complex were the submarine’s main weapon. In 2002, the submarine was upgraded under project 941UM. Then it was used to test the Bulava missile.

In the summer of 2017, Dmitry Donskoy sailed to the Baltic Fleet to take part in the Navy parade.

Overall, the Sevmash Shipyard built six Project 941 submarines for the Navy. All the subs were operational with the Northern Fleet. So far, three of them have been disposed of with US funding. Two submarines, the Arkhangelsk and the Severstal have been withdrawn from service and are awaiting disposal.