Soviet submarine S-99

The S-99 (Russian: С-99) experimental submarine was the only ship of the Soviet Project 617 submarine class (NATO reporting name: Whale class) that the Soviet Union built during the early Cold War and the only Soviet submarine which had a Walter engine fuelled by high test peroxide (HTP).

Scheme of Whale class submarine
History
Soviet Union
Name: S-99
Builder: Sudomekh, Galerniy Island[1]
Laid down: 5 February 1951[1]
Launched: 5 February 1952[1]
Completed: 20 March 1956[1]
Fate: decommissioned and scrapped after 1959
General characteristics
Displacement: 900 tons, 1215 tons submerged
Length: 62.2 m (204 ft 1 in)
Beam: 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in)
Draft: 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
Propulsion: Diesel-electric with AIP Walter turbine
Speed:
  • 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) surfaced
  • 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) submerged
Endurance: 45 days
Test depth: 170 m (557 ft 9 in)
Complement: 54
Armament: 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (bow, 12 torpedoes)

Design

Initial design of submarine was based on project XXVI documentation taken from Germany as a trophy in 1945 and used in the 1945–1946 development of Project 616. The resultant speed of 19 knots submerged and a 10% buoyancy reserve were assessed as a good but insufficient result, leading to a new project from 1949–1951 based in Leningrad.

Construction

The hull of the submarine was divided on six sections

  1. torpedo room
  2. battery and living quarters
  3. command room
  4. diesel room, maintenance base of the turbine engine
  5. turbine room, unoccupied and sealed
  6. electric engine room

Soviet Navy service

The boat was built in 1951-52 and commissioned in 1956 after sea trials. S-99 became the fastest Soviet submarine of the time, reaching 20 to 22 kn (37 to 41 km/h; 23 to 25 mph) submerged. Between 1956-59 she served in the Baltic fleet. In 1959, prior to planned repairs, S-99 was used for turbine tests. Experiments at depths of 40 to 60 m (130 to 200 ft) were successful, but there was an explosion at 80 m (260 ft). The submarine surfaced and reached base on battery power. After the incident, S-99 was decommissioned and scrapped.

See also

References
  1. "S-99 (6123883)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
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