Quebec class submarine
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| General characteristics |  |
|
|---|---|---|
| Displacement: | 460 tons surfaced, 540 tons submerged | |
| Length: | 56.0 m (183 ft 9 in) | |
| Beam: | 5.1 m (16 ft 5 in) | |
| Draught: | 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in) | |
| Propulsion: | Kreislauf system: 2 x 700 hp (520 kW) conventional diesel engines, 1 x 900 hp (670 kW) AIP (LOX) diesel engine, 1 x electric creep motor; three shafts | |
| Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h) surfaced, 16 knots (30 km/h) submerged | |
| Range: | 2750 nautical miles (5090 km) at cruising speed on surface | |
| Complement: | 30 officers and men | |
| Armament: | 4 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes in bow, 8 x anti-submarine/anti-ship torpedoes | |
The Quebec-class submarine was the NATO reporting name of the Soviet Project 615 submarine class, a small coastal attack submarine of the late 1950s.
In 1912 a new principle for operating an internal combustion engine running in closed cycle with an oxygen supply was developed. Incorporating this new technology, the experimental submarine M-401 was launched on July 1, 1941. Trials with the experimental submarine continued through to the end of World War II and eventually lead to the Project 615.[1]
Quebec-class submarines were fitted with two regular diesel engines and a third, closed-cycle diesel engine, which used liquid oxygen (LOX) to provide air-independent propulsion while the submarine was submerged. This system produced remarkable submerged speed and range, and greatly increased the risk of explosion or fire.
The M-256 was lost from this cause. Quebecs were referred to by their crews as "cigarette lighters" or "matchsticks."
Around forty were built between 1953 and 1957 of the 100 planned before the project was abandoned and the Soviet Union followed the lead of the United States and developed nuclear powered boats. The last were retired in the 1970s.
An example, the M-261 is on display in Krasnodar in Russia and another, the M-302 in Odessa in the Ukraine.
