November Class Submarine

The November class submarine (Project 627) was the first nuclear-propelled submarine design of the Soviet Union. The first boat of the series was the K-3, which was commissioned in 1959, three and half years after the USS Nautilus. However, the design of these attack submarines had begun in 1952, under Vladimir N. Peregudov, at the Research Institute of Chemical Machine-Building, which would build the nuclear reactor for the Project 627 led by physicist N. A. Dollazhal.

The November class submarine was the first nuclear-powered boat to have a torpedo-shaped hull in naval history, since the USS Nautilus had a modified Type-XXI configuration. Vladimir Peregudov asserted that the submarine should resemble a torpedo in shape to fully exploit the power of her reactors. However, this new design in Soviet Navy was based on the USS Albacore (AGSS-569), which was a diesel-electric research submarine. According to Russian engineers, the Soviets had obtained details of the American submarine from a magazine photos.

Below, aerial view of the K-8, a Project 627A sub. Here, it was already in trouble off the coast of Spain in 1970. She would sink soon after this photo was taken. You can see her forward diving planes on the bow section are extended.

The first submarine of the series, the K-3, had been launched on August 9, 1957. She had gone to sea for the first time on July 4, 1958. Due to safety concerns, her nuclear twin reactor power plant first operated at only 60% until the completion of the test runs, reaching a speed of 23.3 knots. Later, her maximum speed would be 30 knots. Until then, the Project 627 was highly secret, with the last sub being retired in 1990.

Technical Description

The Project 627 submarine had a torpedo-shaped, double-hull configuration, with a reserve buoyancy of 30%, roughly twice that of the Nautilus, and internal pressure bulkheads. Internally, the November class submarine contained nine compartments (three more than the Nautilus): torpedo (bow); battery/crew; officers; reactor; turbine; two machinery compartments, and the stern compartment. The reactor compartment was located amidships and was fitted with two VM-A reactors, each supplying 70 megawatts thermal power.

The Project 627 boat was also equipped with electric motors for quiet low-speed operation, and in an emergency, they could drive her at 8 knots. Her inner pressure hull was built with the new AK-25 high-tensile steel, which provided the boat increased test depth. Thus, she would have a test depth of 300 m (985 feet), deeper than US Navy's contemporary submarines. The AK-25 steel had first been used in the Project 641/Foxtrot class submarine.

A coating of classified special material was applied to the inner hull to absorb own ship machinery noise to reduce the acoustic signature of the boat. Nevertheless, her noise levels increased at higher speeds. Although the first generation of Soviet nuclear attack submarines had a good speed quality and atomic installation two times more powerful than the US Navy's submarines, they significantly lacked in stealth at maximum speed.

Specifications (Project 627A)

Type: nuclear attack submarine

Displacement: 3,118 tons (surfaced); 4,750 tons (submerged)

Length: 107.4 m (351 feet)

Beam: 7.9 m (26 feet)

Draft: 6.4 m (20 feet)

Propulsion: two VM-A water-cooled reactors, producing 70 megawatts.

Maximum Speed: 30 knots (submerged); 15 knots (surfaced)

Range: 20 years, but limited to 70 days for food supplies.

Armament: eight 533-mm torpedo tubes, with 20 SET-65 torpedoes.

Below, the K-3 November class submarine. The photo was taken in 1964.