Beluga-class submarine
 | |
| Career (Russian Federation) |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | United Admiralty Shipyard 196 |
| Launched: | 1986 |
| Commissioned: | 1988 |
| Out of service: | 1998 |
| Struck: | 2007 |
| Fate: | Stricken |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,400-1,485 tons surfaced, 1,900 submerged |
| Length: | 62.0-65.5 meters long |
| Beam: | 6.3-8.7 meters beam |
| Draught: | 5.6-6.0 meters draft |
| Propulsion: | diesel electric |
| Speed: | 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced, 22-24 knots submerged |
Project 1710 Макрель (NATO reporting name "Beluga") was a Russian SSA diesel-electric submarine. It was an experimental vessel used for testing propulsion systems, hull forms, and boundary-layer control techniques.
Development was undertaken by the Malakhit Design Bureau with construction at the Admiralty shipyard in St. Petersburg. [1]
The lone Beluga class submarine in operation was the S-553 Forel. Launched in 1986 and moth-balled around 1998, the last operation of the vessel is thought to have taken place in 1997. As of the mid-2000s, the entire project is believed to have been discontinued.
References
- Federation of American Scientists: Project 1710 Mackerel Beluga class
- World Navies Today: Russian Submarines
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