Hotel-class

Summary

Description

The Hotel class submarines were a series of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines operated by the Soviet Navy from 1960 to 1991. They were designated as Project 658 by the Soviet Union and received the NATO classification Hotel class. The chief designer was P.Z. Golosovskiy, succeeded by S.N. Kovalev and I.V. Mikhaylov with I.D. Spasskiy as the deputy. The design of these submarines was a modified version of the earlier November-class, with additions derived from the Golf-class for missile capabilities. The Hotel class was specifically developed to house the D-2 launch system and the R-13 ballistic missiles. Designed for better maneuverability and high-speed underwater operations with reduced noise, they had small horizontal hydroplanes and more reliable electro-hydraulic command control surfaces.

The initial variant, known as Hotel I, included submarines that were armed with R-13 missiles placed in vertical containers directly behind the sail. Missiles had to be launched while the submarine was surfaced, with the capability to deploy all three missiles within 12 minutes. The first Hotel-class submarine, K-19, suffered several accidents and setbacks from its commission in 1960, with the last of the eight vessels launched by April 1, 1962.

The subsequent variant, Hotel II, emerged between 1961 and 1963, with all Hotel-class submarines aside from K-145 being refitted with the D-4 launch system, enabling missile launch from a depth of 16 meters. These submarines were armed with R-21 missiles characterized by their 1,200 km range and required structural modifications including launch tube flooding before missile launch. The Hotel II received its name from the NATO reporting system, and S.N. Kovalev oversaw these design modifications.

Finally, Hotel III represented a single submarine, K-145, which was modified to test the R-29 missiles from 1969 to 1970 as part of Project 701. It underwent considerable changes such as being lengthened to 130 meters and having an increased displacement, while also suffering reduced maximum speed. It was equipped with six launchers for R-29 missiles placed in two separate compartments. After modifications, K-145 returned to combat service in 1976.

Technical specifications

Silhouette