K-18'' Karelia'' (russian: link=no, К-18 ''Карелия'', italic=unset) is a Project 667BDRM ''Delfin''-class ( NATO reporting name: Delta IV) nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine currently in service with the Russian Navy. It was built in

Severodvinsk Severodvinsk ( rus, Северодвинск, p=sʲɪvʲɪrɐdˈvʲinsk) is a city in the north of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located in the delta of the Northern Dvina, west of Arkhangelsk, the administrative center of the oblast. As of the ...

Sevmash JSC PO Sevmash ( rus, ОАО «ПО „Севмаш“», Севмаш, СМПСМП, "Severodvinsk Machine Building Plant") is a Russian joint-stock company (JSC) under the vertically-integrated United Shipbuilding Corporation. The shipbuilding ...

shipbuilding company and was commissioned in 1989. It was refitted from 2004 to 2009, after which it returned to the navy.

Description

K-18 ''Karelia'' has a length of

overall Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...

, a beam of and a

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vesse ...

of . She displaces and has a test diving depth of . The complement is about 135-140. The boat is powered by two VM-4

pressurized water reactor A pressurized water reactor (PWR) is a type of light-water nuclear reactor. PWRs constitute the large majority of the world's nuclear power plants (with notable exceptions being the UK, Japan and Canada). In a PWR, the primary coolant (water) i ...

s which drive two shafts with seven-bladed fixed-pitch propellers. She can achieve a maximum speed of when surfaced and when submerged. The boat is equipped with 16 R-29RM ''Shtil'' (range of or R-29RMU ''Sineva'' (range of submarine-launched ballistic missiles, RPK-7 ''Veter''

anti-ship missiles An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...

and 4 533-mm bow tubes to launch up to 12

torpedoes A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

or 24 mines.

Construction and service

''Karelia'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

in the

shipbuilding yard in February 1987 and was launched in 1988. It bears the name of a region of northwestern Russia (and eastern Finland). It was commissioned into the Soviet Navy in 1989, and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it was transferred to the Russian Navy. ''Karelia'' underwent modernisation at Zvezdochka shipyard in northern Russia between 2004 and 2009. The submarine had 100 new components added which included the TVR-671RM rocket torpedo system and the RSM-54 Sineva SLBMs. Other upgrades included noise reduction, better vessel-tracking capabilities and improved survivability. The submarine has fired over 14 missiles and has traveled more than . In April 2000,

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

, then the

Acting President of Russia That of acting president of the Russian Federation (russian: link=no, Исполняющий обязанности Президента Российской Федерации) is a temporary post provided by the Constitution of Russia. The act ...

, spent the night in the submarine at a depth of over 50 metres, and oversaw the Northern Fleet exercises. Officers demonstrated to Putin how ballistic missiles were launched, and Putin was made an honorary submariner after he followed the traditional submariner's ritual of drinking seawater. In February 2022, the submarine participated in the ''Grom-2022'' strategic nuclear exercises, which were held in the context of the

Ukraine crisis The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Revo ...

. The submarine successfully launched a ''Sineva'' ballistic missile from a position in the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; no, Barentshavet, ; russian: Баренцево море, Barentsevo More) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:K-18 Karelia Ships built in the Soviet Union Delta-class submarines Cold War submarines of the Soviet Union Submarines of Russia Ships of the Russian Northern Fleet Ships built by Sevmash