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| Submarine Force (Soviet Navy) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Submarine Force (Soviet Navy) |
| Native name | Подводный флот ВМФ СССР |
| Active | 1918–1991 |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Soviet Navy |
| Type | Submarine force |
| Role | Strategic deterrence; sea denial; reconnaissance; anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare |
| Notable commanders | Sergey Gorshkov, Nikolai Kuznetsov |
Submarine Force (Soviet Navy)
The Submarine Force (Soviet Navy) was the underwater component of the Soviet Navy from the Russian Civil War through the dissolution of the Soviet Union. It developed nuclear and diesel submarine designs that shaped Cold War naval strategy alongside institutions such as the Soviet General Staff and ministries like the Ministry of Defence (Soviet Union). The force operated across theaters including the Northern Fleet (Soviet Union), Pacific Fleet, Baltic Fleet, and Black Sea Fleet.
Origins trace to the pre-revolutionary Imperial Russian Navy submarine programs and vessels like those designed by Simon Lake and HMS Holland-influenced types transferred during World War I. During the Russian Civil War and Polish–Soviet War the force rebuilt under the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs while integrating lessons from engagements with the Royal Navy and Kaiserliche Marine. Interwar expansion saw collaboration with shipyards such as Baltic Shipyard and design bureaus linked to figures including Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov and later strategic expansion under Admiral Sergey Gorshkov during the Cold War. The force pursued parity with United States Navy submarine developments, responding to events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the nuclear arms competition codified by treaties such as the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
Command resided nominally under the Soviet Navy command and operational control of the Soviet General Staff and Ministry of Defence (Soviet Union). Operational fleets—Northern Fleet (Soviet Union), Pacific Fleet, Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet—hosted submarine divisions and flotillas organized into numbered brigades and squadrons modeled after Soviet naval doctrine codified by institutions like the Naval Academy (Saint Petersburg). Political oversight came from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union through commissars and the KGB provided counterintelligence for submarine operations and personnel security. Logistics and procurement interfaced with ministries including the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry (Soviet Union).
The force operated diverse classes ranging from early diesel-electric to nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Diesel-electric classes included Shchuka, Srednyaya, M-class, K-class, and Foxtrot. Notable nuclear attack submarine classes were November, K-3 Leninsky Komsomol of the Hotel lineage, Victor, Charlie, and Akula (Project 971). Strategic ballistic missile submarines comprised Delta, Typhoon, Yankee, and Borey projects in late Soviet design evolution. Special mission and cruise missile platforms included Oscar and experimental designs such as Papa prototypes. Shipbuilding centers like Sevmash and Komsomolsk-on-Amur Shipbuilding Plant produced many hulls.
Doctrine emphasized sea denial, strategic nuclear deterrence, and intelligence collection shaped by theorists tied to the Soviet General Staff and naval strategists in the Naval Academy (Saint Petersburg). Peacetime and Cold War operations included patrols off Norwegian Sea, shadowing of United States Navy carrier groups, and sorties into the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea supporting allies such as Egypt and Syria during conflicts like the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War. Intelligence missions intersected with operations by agencies including the KGB and GRU. Notable incidents influencing doctrine included encounters with Royal Navy vessels and confrontations during the Cold War spycraft contests exemplified by episodes near Gibraltar and the Barents Sea.
Crews trained at establishments such as the Higher Naval School and Naval Academy (Saint Petersburg), with submarine officers attending specialized programs in Gorky and Leningrad. Major bases included Polyarny, Murmansk, Vladivostok, Sevastopol, and shipyards at Sevmash and Baltic Shipyard. Logistics networks relied on ministries including the Ministry of Defence (Soviet Union) and the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry (Soviet Union), with support from state enterprises like Rostec predecessors. Supply chains handled nuclear fuel, torpedoes from manufacturers such as Tula Arms Plant predecessors, and ballistic missile systems derived from design bureaus like Makeyev Rocket Design Bureau.
The force experienced high-profile accidents including the loss of K-19 reactor accident, the sinking of K-8, K-429 incidents, and catastrophic events like K-278 Komsomolets sinking with loss of life and environmental impact in the Norwegian Sea. Collisions with United States Navy vessels, peacetime fires, and reactor mishaps prompted investigations by bodies such as the Ministry of Defence (Soviet Union) and influenced safety reforms. Incidents affected relations with NATO members including Norway and the United States and involved legal and diplomatic attention from forums like the United Nations when environmental damage emerged.
After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union many assets transferred to the Russian Navy and to successor states including Ukraine and Lithuania under agreements like the Partition of the Black Sea Fleet. Programs such as Borey and refits of Typhoon hulls continued into the Russian Federation era, while nuclear safety and decommissioning involved international partners including United States cooperative programs and agencies like the IAEA. The Submarine Force influenced global submarine design, anti-submarine warfare tactics of NATO, and strategic stability debates in fora like the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty negotiations. Numerous veterans and institutions—Admiral Sergey Gorshkov's writings, naval museums in Saint Petersburg, and preserved vessels—preserve the operational and technological legacy.
Category:Naval history of the Soviet Union Category:Submarines of the Soviet Union