Month: September 2021

Strange Soviet Submarine Snout!

Continuing our theme of strange Soviet subs, we feature the Project 633RV / a modified variant of the NATO-designated Romeo class Diesel-Electric attack submarines. S-49/PZS-50 (Commissioned in 1961) is still in existence, up a bay in Sevastopol.

S-49 at Prvidenna Bay, Sevastopol. Credit: George Chernilevsky, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The major modifications of 1970-1972 to two Romeo boats were the addition of (conspicuous) 650mm tubes above the bows for a test Anti-Submarine Warfare missile system the RPK-7 “Veter”, while 2 of the 533mm torpedo tubes were also modified for RPK-6 “Vodopad” ASW missiles. Both these are NATO-designated SS-N-16 “Stallion.” These could be armed with an Anti-Submarine Warfare torpedo or a nuclear depth charge. The Veter had a range of roughly 100km. S-49 was reportedly decommissioned late 2019, and may become a museum boat.

S-49 docked at Pivdenna Bay, Sevastopol. The distinctive housing over the bow, for the two enlarged tubes, can be seen, whereas the rest of the submarine appears similar to other Romeo boats, accessible at the above link to our Russian submarines page.