N700018 SOVIET SUBMARINE K-3 LENINSKY KOMSOMOL, PROJECT 627 KIT (NATO NAME NOVEMBER)

The November-class (or Project 627A) ships were Soviet nuclear fighter submarines (ANNs) that were built and launched between 1957 and 1963. In total, 12 or 13 ships of this class were built. A single unit of this type was 107.4 m long and 7.9 m wide, with an underwater displacement of about 4,100 tons. The maximum underwater speed was theoretically 28-29 knots. The armament consisted of 8 bow 533 mm torpedo tubes with a torpedo reserve of 20. November-class ships (Project 627A) were built on the basis of the modernized and changed design of the K-3 (Project 627). Compared to their prototype, they were slightly shorter, narrower and had a lower underwater displacement. They also received a sonar pear in the lower part of their beak. These units were dedicated primarily to fighting enemy surface ships and fighting his convoys. Despite the fact that the November-class ships were able to develop high underwater speed, they generated a lot of noise while sailing, which made them easy to destroy. What's more, they were also characterized by a high failure rate - primarily of the propulsion system. Both of these elements made their real combat value questionable. Units of this type remained theoretically in the state of the Soviet Navy until the turn of the 1980s and 1990s.