350-023 SOVIET SUBMARINE PROJECT 673

When Skipjack class units entered service in the US Navy in the late 1950s, the Soviet Navy command realized that Project 627A (November class) units could lose a possible match with their American counterparts. This conclusion was the driving force for the commencement of work on Project 673 in 1960, which in turn was to lead to the creation of a new, Soviet SSN unit - supposedly the successor of the November class. The works were carried out in the CDB-112 design office, also known as the Ametyst Design Office. They began with the development of the assumptions for a unit with a displacement of 1,500 tons, but the work was quickly extended by focusing on the development of a hull with the best hydrodynamic properties and a ship capable of reaching an underwater speed of 35-40 knots. In the course of the design work, for example, a submarine without a kiosk was created to minimize the resistance of this element of the structure. In 1961, the entire significant achievements of the CDB-112 office achieved in the work on the project 673 was transferred to the SKB-143 office. Many solutions that were then developed were successfully used in Alfa class units (project 705).