MOSCOW, December 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s first Project 885M Yasen-class attack submarine, the Severodvinsk, was handed over to the navy on Monday, a defense industry source told RIA Novosti.
The submarine, designated as Graney-class by NATO, had been under construction at the Sevmash shipyard in northern Russia since 1993.
“The delivery acceptance certificate for the first Yasen was signed at Sevmash on December 30,” the source said.
The Severodvinsk is one of eight Yasen-class attack boats ordered by the Russian navy. The second and third subs of the series, the Kazan and the Novosibirsk, are being built under the updated Project 885M Yasen-M design.
Meanwhile, the Northern Fleet said Monday that the Smolensk, a Project 949A (Oscar II-class) nuclear-powered attack submarine, had rejoined the fleet after two years of repairs and upgrading at the Zvyozdochka shipyard in northern Russia.
Built in 1990, the Smolensk has a length of 155 meters, displacement of up to 24,000 tons, operating depth of 600 meters, and maximum submerged speed of 32 knots. It is armed with 24 P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) supersonic cruise missiles with a range of 550 kilometers (300 nautical miles).
Another Oscar II-class attack submarine, the Voronezh, returned to the Northern Fleet in November 2011 after a similar overhaul.
