N700108 USS RICHARD B. RUSSELL SSN-687, EARLY CONFIGURATION

USS John B. Russell (SSN-687) was an American nuclear powered fighter submarine (SSN), the keel of which was laid in October 1971, launched in January 1974, and entered service with the US Navy in 1975. . The vessel was 92.1 m long, 9.65 m wide, and its underwater displacement was approximately 4,500 tons. In turn, the maximum underwater speed was up to 25 knots. The armament consisted of 4 bow 533 mm torpedo tubes. USS John B. Russell (SSN-687) was one of the Sturgeon-class submarines. Units of this type have been developed and implemented for production as a modernization and evolutionary development of the Permit / Tresher class. Compared to their predecessors, they differed in several important elements. Externally, they had a much larger and taller kiosk. In addition, the structure of the ships was strengthened so that they could operate in the waters covered with ice pack. They were also larger than their predecessors, and were able to carry a greater range of torpedoes, missiles, and rocket-torpedoes. Equally important, they were better soundproofed and generated less noise during underwater cruises. The USS John B. Russell (SSN-687) was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock in Newport News, Virginia. Already in 1977, the unit underwent modernization, which consisted in adding a special container (container) behind the kiosk to the retractable and towed antenna buoy. It is assumed that in the 1980s, the USS John B. Russell (SSN-687) was used, inter alia, to collect information on Soviet surface ships and submarines during their voyages. At the same time, in the early 1980s, the unit was adapted to perform special tasks and as a transport unit for the US Navy SEALS. The ship was decommissioned in 1994.