Soviet Submarines Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kilo

The Kilo class submarine has become one of the most popular export submarines in the world. Small (barely 220 feet long) and efficient (can be crewed by 52 men), the Kilo was (and is) a significant threat to NATO surface forces.

Answer: 8

The Akula class hunter/killer submarine mounts four 533mm and four 650mm tubes, for a total of eight tubes. Later improved variants added another six 533mm external tubes, for a total of 14!

Answer: 6

Known by NATO as the "Typhoon" class ballistic missile submarine, the Soviets called it the "Akula", or Project 941. It mounts six 533mm torbedo tubes.

Answer: 40-45 knots

Not only was the Alfa class submarine the fastest at an estimated 40-45 knots, it was also the deepest diving, able to descend below 2,000 feet. It was also very unsafe... the speed came from a powerful liquid metal reactor rather than a pressurized water reactor.

The problem with liquid metal reactors is that once started, they cannot be shut down... EVER... or the metal will solidify and render the reactor completely useless, impossible to restart. This lead to a lot of wear-and-tear on the Alfa submarines.

Answer: K-19

All these submarines are real, and all suffered some form of accident or disaster at sea. As it turns out, the film was based on the actual K-19. In 1961, the Hotel class K-19 suffered a reactor accident very much like that shown in the movie. The Yankee class K-219 suffered a missile silo explosion in 1986 and had to surface in the Atlantic with a missile silo hatch open and smoking, which made the US Navy VERY nervous.

The November class K-8 suffered a major reactor accident in 1960, and finally sank in 1970 off the coast of Spain after fires broke out on board.

The K-278 (the one and only Mike class submarine ever built) went down in 1989, less than 200 kilometers south of Bear Island, after an onboard fire caused the reactor to shut down.

Answer: SSGN

An SSGN is a nuclear powered submarine that has a main weapons system consisting of guided anti-ship missiles. The Oscar class carries 24 SS-N-19 "Shipwreck" anti-ship missiles. An SSN is a nuclear powered attack submarine (like the Victor III or Los Angeles class). An SSBN is a nuclear powered ballistic missile submarine (like the Delta IV or Ohio class). An SSK is a diesel/electric powered hunter/killer submarine (like the Kilo class).

Answer: 7

K-377, K-123, K-432, K-463, K-493, K-373, and K-316. All have since been decommissioned, and two have been completely dismantled. None will ever sail again.

Answer: Foxtrot

The Foxtrot class submarine, code-named "Scorpion", is on display right next to the Queen Mary.

Answer: K-19

Yes, it was the K-19 again. After the reactor disaster in 1961, K-19 was cleaned up and sent back out to sea, where the streak of bad luck continued. Neither K-19 nor Gato sank in the collision, but both were badly damaged and had to be towed back to shore.

Answer: Akula

The Akula class, and follow-on Improved Akula and Akula II, are the most capable and lethal of Soviet/Russian submarines. The Akula II is just as quiet as an Improved Los Angeles class submarine, is just as fast, and can carry more weapons. The Alfa was fast, but noisy and easy to detect.

The November is an old design that is no longer in service and was never that good to begin with. The Victor... that might have been a contender at one point, for the Victor (and follow-on Victor II and Victor III) submarines were very effective subs.

However, they pale when compared to the deadly Akula. Incidentally, "Akula" means "shark" in the Russian language.