Russian submarine TK-208 Dmitri Donskoi
| History | |
|---|---|
  Soviet Union, Russia
|
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| Name: | Dmitriy Donskoy |
| Namesake: | Dmitriy Donskoy |
| Laid down: | 3 March 1977 |
| Launched: | 23 September 1980 |
| Commissioned: | 12 December 1981 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Typhoon-class submarine |
| Propulsion: | 2 × OK-650 reactors |
| Armament: |
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Dmitriy Donskoy (TK-208) is a Russian Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine, designated Project 941 Akula class (NATO reporting name Typhoon). It is the largest nuclear submarine in the world, and also the last of his brothers (TK-202; TK-13; Simbirsk; Arkhangelsk; Severstal and TK-210) that remains in service.
Hull number TK-208 was the lead vessel of the Soviet third generation Project 941 Akula class (NATO reporting name Typhoon) of ballistic missile submarines. He was laid down at the SEVMASH shipyard in Severodvinsk on 3 March 1977 and launched on 22 September 1980. At 175 metres in length, he became the world's largest submarine, a record which he still holds along with his five brother ships.
In 1990, he entered the dry dock in Severodvinsk for upgrades and repairs. Due to both economic and technological problems, the completion was severely postponed. In 2000, work on the submarine was intensified.
In June 2002, now serving in the Russian Navy, TK-208 finally left the Severodvinsk dry dock. After 12 years of overhaul and modifications, he had now received the name Dmitriy Donskoy, named after the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy (1359–1389), the reputed founder of Moscow. The twenty launchers for the R-39 missiles he originally carried were replaced with launchers for the most advanced submarine-launched ballistic missile to date, the RSM-56 Bulava. Although he was built as a third generation submarine, the vessel is now referred to as a fourth generation submarine due to his extensive modifications.
The first launch of a Bulava missile was carried out by Dmitriy Donskoy on 27 September 2005. The vessel was surfaced and fired the missile from a point in the White Sea. On 21 December 2005, the new missile system was tested underwater for the first time. It successfully hit a target on the Kura Test Range on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
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