Repair of nuclear-powered submarine Yekaterinburg completed at Zvezdochka shipyard (photo)
Zvezdochka shipyard has completed repair and extension of the lifetime of the strategic nuclear-powered submarine Yekaterinburg (project 667BDRM), the shipyard says in its press release. The ship has been officially delivered to Russian Navy on December 19, 2014.
In June 2012, the ship was delivered to Zvezdochka (Severodvinsk) for repair and extension of the ship’s lifetime by 3 years. In early June 2014, the Yekaterinburg left the slip dock of Ship Repair Center ‘Zvezdochka’, the outfitting work was completed in the first half of November 2014 and the ship started shipbuilder’s sea trials. It took three weeks to test all the systems and mechanisms of the submarine.
The construction of Project 667BDRM Delfin-class (Delta IV) submarines commenced in 1981 at Northern Machine-Building Enterprise (Sevmash). In 1984-1990, RF Navy was expanded with seven ships of this type. As of today, RF Navy numbers six submarines of Project 667BDRM. In 1999-2012, all the ships of this project underwent interim overhaul and modernization at Zvezdochka Shipyard.
The Yekaterinburg was laid down on 17 February 1982 at the Russian Northern Machine-Building Enterprise (Sevmash). She was commissioned into the Soviet Navy in 1985. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the submarine continued to serve in the Russian Navy. Initially known only by her hull number, in February 1999 she was renamed after the city of Yekaterinburg. Zvezdochka carried out interim overhaul and modernization of the Yekaterinburg in 2003.
According to open sources, the Project 667BDRM Delfin-class (Delta IV) submarines have a length of 167m, breadth - 12 m, displacement - about 12,000 tons, maximum depth - 400 meters, underwater speed - up to 24 knots, crew - 140 people. Armaments include a D-9RM missile system (16 RSM-54 ballistic missiles) and four 533-mm torpedo tubes (18 torpedoes). The Project 667BDRM was designed by the St. Petersburg-based Rubin Marine Equipment Design Bureau.
Severodvinsk-based Zvezdochka Shipyard (Ship Repair Center ‘Zvezdochka’) is a diversified shipbuilding enterprise. It has two covered slipways with seven shipbuilding yards, which are designed for retrofitting and construction of vessels with a launching weight of up to 18,000 tons. The firm is majority owned by Northern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center, part of JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation.
